Fun facts about New Zealand

1. The kea, a bird native to NZ, is known for pulling windscreen wipers off cars and eating the strips of rubber from windows.
2. No part of the country is more than 128km (79 miles) from the sea.
3. Wellington is the southernmost capital city in the world.
4. Only 5% of NZ's population is human, the rest are animals.
5. According to the Corruption Perception index, NZ is one of the least corrupt nation in the world.
6. New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any other country in the world.
7. Blue Lake, in Nelson Lakes National Park, has the clearest water in the world.
8. New Zealand is home to the world's smallest dolphin species.
9. There are no land snakes, native or introduced, in NZ.
10. New Zealand has three official languages: English, M_ori and New Zealand Sign Language.
11. Organised commercial bungee jumping first began in New Zealand.
12. The first man to climb Mt. Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, was from New Zealand.
13. The lowest denomination in NZ currency is the 10 cent piece.
14. More people die in New Zealand each year playing lawn bowls than scuba diving.
15. NZ is home to more species of penguins than any other country.
16. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote.
17. The Maori name for NZ, Aoetaroa, means land of the long white cloud.
18. Lake Taupo was formed by a supervolcanic eruption 26,000 years ago. The dust from the eruption could be seen in modern day China.
19. New Zealand is home to the giant weta, the heaviest insect in the world. It is heavier than a sparrow and looks like a giant cockroach.
20. Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, is the world's steepest street, with a gradient of 38 per cent at its steepest point.
21. New Zealand is similar in size to the UK, but only has a population of about 5 million (compared to 66 million in the UK).
22. About one third of the country is protected national park.
23. Pelorus Jack was a dolphin who guided ships through dangerous and rocky waters around NZ in the early 1900s.
24. The Lord of the Rings films were filmed in New Zealand.
25. New Zealanders are called Kiwis