Did you know?

• New Zealand's $5 bill has the face of New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary on it -- the first man to reach the peak of Mt. Everest.
• New Zealand's media is one of the most liberal in the world.
• There are 9 sheep to every human in New Zealand (it was once 20 to 1).
• In 1893 it became legal for all male and female citizens of NZ to vote, making it the first major nation to have universal suffrage.
• In 1642 Dutch sailor Abel Tasman became the first European to discover NZ.
• No part of NZ is more than 128 km from the sea.
• NZ has more Scottish pipe bands per head of population than Scotland.
• For every 7,500 people, NZ has a bookshop, giving it more bookshops per head of population than any other country.
• NZ has two anthems: God Save the Queen and God Defend New Zealand.
• Religions: None 40%, Anglican 17%, Roman Catholic 14%, Presbyterian 11%.
• NZ's landscape consists of vast mountain chains, steaming volcanoes, extensive coastlines, deep fiords and lush rainforests, making it spectacularly varied and beautiful.
• NZ is a safe country with no shots for entering the country required or recommended by the World Health Organization.
• NZ is the first country to greet the dawn of each new day.
• Tipping is not expected in NZ and employed people don't depend of tips for their incomes.
• Ethnicity in NZ is: European, 80%; Maori, 14%, Asian, 7% and Pacific Islander, 6%.
• Lord of the Rings was filmed entirely in New Zealand.
• The velcro-strip was invented by a New Zealander.
• Languages: English, Maori, NZ Sign Language.
• New Zealand's Head of State is Queen Elizabeth.