New Zealand regions quiz

The 16 regions in the quiz

New Zealand has 16 regions: 16 in the quiz. Use the Capitals button in the panel to find their capitals instead.

How to play

In Point mode we name a region and you tap it on the map; in Type mode one lights up and you type its name (accents don’t matter); and in Time trial you get 6 seconds per question. If you miss, we show you where it was, which way it lies and a hint drawn from the data: its size rank and its neighbors.

Each game has 10, 20 or all the questions, and at the end you can practice just the ones you missed. Your best score for each mode is saved in this browser only: neither we nor anyone else can see it, and there’s no sign-up.

The hardest ones

The smallest regions are the hardest, since they barely show on the map: Nelson (about 160 sq mi), Auckland (about 1,800 sq mi), and Taranaki (about 2,800 sq mi). Zoom in with the buttons or two fingers to tap them.

And watch out for look-alike names: Northland and Southland.

Tips to learn them

• Start with the three largest: Canterbury, Otago, and Southland cover 41% of the area of New Zealand.
• Waikato has the most neighbors: it borders 5 regions. Once you place it, you have a landmark for many more.

Playing in class

If you teach in New Zealand, start with your school’s region and its neighbors and add a few each day. Otherwise, it’s a good way to get to know the country before studying it.

With the Challenge your class link, everyone gets the same questions in the same order, with no accounts or passwords, and each student sees their own score, time and streak. To practice on paper, there’s a printable worksheet of the same map with an answer key.

List of all 16 regions

1. Auckland Auckland
2. Bay of Plenty Whakatāne
3. Canterbury Christchurch
4. Gisborne Gisborne
5. Hawke's Bay Napier
6. Manawatū-Whanganui Palmerston North
7. Marlborough Blenheim
8. Nelson Nelson
9. Northland Whangārei
10. Otago Dunedin
11. Southland Invercargill
12. Taranaki Stratford
13. Tasman Richmond
14. Waikato Hamilton
15. Wellington Wellington
16. West Coast Greymouth