doc.govt.nz

b6MGa TIL about the Grafton castaways, a real-life version of Gilligan's Island. Shipwrecked in 1864 on the Auckland Islands for almost 20 months, 5 men survived by building a thatched hut with glass windows and bookshelves. They crafted a forge to work metal, tanned leather, made soap from seashells etc.
awKlZ TIL the Tuatara is neither lizard nor snake, but it's own distinct order that dates back 250,000,000 years, making them a "living dinosaur." They have a highly developed Parietal Eye on top of their head, connected to the brain, that allows them to sense differences in lights and shadows.
1aXAP TIL there are only three native land mammals to New Zeal, and all three are Bats.