๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand ยท Aotearoa
Aotearoa packs an enormous amount of history into eight centuries: Polynesian voyaging canoes, fortified pฤ on volcanic cones, a founding treaty argued over ever since, and a run of world firsts from votes for women to the summit of Everest.
New Zealand's collection needs 3 more rounds before it opens. These are live today.
New Zealand looks like nowhere else in the frame and like Britain in the details. Volcanic and alpine landscape carries the place; timber colonial buildings and Mฤori carving carry the date.
Architecture
Wharenui meeting houses with carved poupou and painted rafters are Mฤori and continuously built. Timber colonial cottages and wooden Gothic churches are 1850โ1900 โ timber because of earthquakes. Concrete Art Deco is Napier, rebuilt after 1931.
Landscape
Tree ferns and dense podocarp bush, or bare tussock with braided rivers on the South Island's east. The Southern Alps rise sharply from the west coast; volcanic cones dot the central North Island.
Period tells
Sheep at scale means after the 1880s refrigerated meat trade. Hydro dams and works towns are 1950sโ60s. Anti-nuclear and Springbok Tour protest scenes are 1981โ1985.
A starting shortlist, oldest first. Every one of these makes a round that New Zealanders can nail and everyone else has to work out.
Waitangi, Bay of IslandsThe long 19th century
Rangatira and the Crown signed on a lawn above the bay โ two language versions that have been argued over ever since.
WaikatoThe long 19th century
Three hundred defenders held an unfinished pฤ against 1,400 troops, then walked out through the lines in daylight.
Parliament, WellingtonThe long 19th century
A petition on a 270-metre roll of paper made New Zealand the first self-governing country where women could vote.
Auckland homecomingModern era
An Auckland beekeeper stood on the highest point on earth and came home to a country that never quite got over it.
Marsden Wharf, AucklandModern era
French agents sank a Greenpeace ship in a friendly harbour and turned nuclear-free policy into national identity.
New Zealand history touches 19th century and the 20th century. Each of those eras has a timed round of its own โ the same centuries, but questions drawn from every country in the library, so you find out whether you can date the rest of the period as confidently as you can date New Zealand.
19th century
New Zealand moments here: Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (1840), Siege of ลrฤkau (1864), Women win the vote (1893).
20th century
New Zealand moments here: Hillary and Tenzing summit Everest (1953), Rainbow Warrior bombed (1985).
Dates, order and places from the moments above. Answers are printed underneath โ cover them with a hand if you want to test yourself, or read them out for a quiz round.
1.Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi โ what year?
Answer1840
Rangatira and the Crown signed on a lawn above the bay โ two language versions that have been argued over ever since.
2.Siege of ลrฤkau โ what year?
Answer1864
Three hundred defenders held an unfinished pฤ against 1,400 troops, then walked out through the lines in daylight.
3.Women win the vote โ what year?
Answer1893
A petition on a 270-metre roll of paper made New Zealand the first self-governing country where women could vote.
4.Hillary and Tenzing summit Everest โ what year?
Answer1953
An Auckland beekeeper stood on the highest point on earth and came home to a country that never quite got over it.
5.Rainbow Warrior bombed โ what year?
Answer1985
French agents sank a Greenpeace ship in a friendly harbour and turned nuclear-free policy into national identity.
6.Which came first in New Zealand โ Women win the vote or Hillary and Tenzing summit Everest?
AnswerWomen win the vote, in 1893.
Hillary and Tenzing summit Everest follows in 1953, 60 years later.
7.Where in New Zealand would you drop the pin for Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi?
AnswerWaitangi, Bay of Islands
Rangatira and the Crown signed on a lawn above the bay โ two language versions that have been argued over ever since.
8.Where in New Zealand would you drop the pin for Siege of ลrฤkau?
AnswerWaikato
Three hundred defenders held an unfinished pฤ against 1,400 troops, then walked out through the lines in daylight.
9.How far apart are the oldest and newest New Zealand moments in this collection?
Answer145 years
From Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 to Rainbow Warrior bombed in 1985.
You don't need a photograph or a map reference. Name a moment โ "Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Waitangi, Bay of Islands" โ and the builder fills in the year, drops the pin, writes the factoid and paints a 360ยฐ scene you can stand inside. Publish it and it joins this collection for everyone.
Step 1
One line is enough โ an event, a place, a year you half-remember. Or let the AI draft five moments around a theme.
Step 2
The year, the exact coordinates and a one-sentence factoid come back filled in. Everything stays editable.
Step 3
A 4K 360ยฐ panorama of that place in that year, ready to spin around inside the game.
๐ณ๐ฟ Put your own scene on /play/new-zealand
Credits cover the AI: 1 to auto-fill a moment, 3 to draft five at once, 25 for each 4K panorama. Your map stays yours โ you choose whether it's public, unlisted or private.
Moments New Zealanders want to see in the game. Vote them up โ the top of this list gets built next.
Each round drops you into a 360ยฐ scene from New Zealand's past. Look around for clues โ architecture, clothing, technology, landscape โ then place the scene on the world map and pick the year. You score up to 5,000 points a round: closer in distance and closer in time both pay. Five rounds make a game.
No. You can play New Zealand rounds straight away with no sign-up. Signing in saves your XP, keeps your character progressing through history, and puts you on the leaderboards.
The collection spans 1840 to 1985 โ from signing of the treaty of waitangi through to rainbow warrior bombed. New moments are added as the community suggests them.
Yes, completely free. There is no paywall on rounds, the daily challenge, or the leaderboards.
Yes โ that's how the collection grows. Suggest any moment New Zealanders would recognise instantly, like signing of the treaty of waitangi. Approved suggestions get built into playable 360ยฐ rounds and credited on the page.
Daily Challenge
Five fresh rounds every day, same for everyone.
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Panorama collections built by other players.
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