10 Things I Bet You Didn't Know About New Zealand

We get it, New Zealand is where most of The Lord of the Rings was shot. Other than that what do you know about this secluded, amazing and beautiful country?

Here’s my list of things about New Zealand I am pretty sure you had no notion of:

1) New Zealand has no Constitution.

I know right? I was pretty shocked as well, instead of a Constitution they have a document called the Treaty of Waitangi that was signed by Maori tribes and English settlers in 1840.

2) There are more sheep than people in New Zealand.

According to Statistics New Zealand there are 31.1 million sheep in NZ, while the population reaches 4 and a half million people. That makes the sheep-person ratio 7 to 1.

3) New Zealand produces 100kg of butter for each of its inhabitants and 65 kgs of cheese.

Source: http://wifflegif.com/tags/5996-butter-gifs

4) New Zealand is home of the first commercial bungee jump.

Source: http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/4761895/untitled/

It was installed in Queenstown in 1988 and required the jumper to fall from a 43 meter height. Queenstown is now home to a 134 meter bungee jump. Picture that.

5) New Zealand is home to the highest swing in the world.


Source: http://www.mydriveholiday.com/new-zealand/south-island/queenstown/attraction-detail/the-nevis-swing

This is a feet-first option for the people who don’t want to jump head-first in bungee mode. Still, going feet-first and reaching speeds of 150 kph is scary anyway.

6) New Zealand is the second country in the world with more McDonald’s per person after the US.


Source: http://gifsoup.com/view/53901/mcdonald.html

7) Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the name of a hill in New Zealand. It is also the longest name of any place in the world.

Source: http://www.reactiongifs.com/page/7/

8) In New Zealand there are three official languages which are English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language.


Kia Ora means welcome in Maori. Source: http://jackthewebber.com/project/kia-ora-clothing/

9) New Zealand was the first country in the world to allow women to vote.

Source: http://replygif.net/t/fuck-yeah

10) A street by the name of Baldwin Street, located in the town of Dunedin, in New Zealand’s South Island is the steepest one in the world. Take that San Francisco.


Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_Street

BONUS: New Zealand’s current PM, John Key, had to publicly clarify that he was not a “shapeshifting reptilian alien” after citizens officialy sent petitions explaining they believed the politician might have been an alien.