1. The answer is B. Birds can fly across the oceans and settle in either island that makes up New Zealand. Plants also can produce pollen and seeds that can be easily dispersed by wind or water to either island. The distribution of birds and animals across the more or less uniform. However, animals are unable to make ocean crossing hence each island has its own species of animal that is adapted to its island’s environment.
2. The answer is A. Endemic species means species that are specifically adapted to a particular environment and can only be found there due to the high adaptation to the environment over many years. The Bighorn sheep are native to North America, not in New Zealand.
3. The answer is D. Million of years ago, the continents were one continent called Pangea. Due to tectonic plate movement, powered by the convection currents of the mantle, Pages broke off into the continents we have today. Using the jigsaw puzzle, the initial location of a continent in Pangea can actually be determined by checking their current location and the shape of their coastal outline that fits into that of their closest continent. This is true for New Zealand that fits in between the Australian and Pacific plates.
4. The answer is Stewart Island. This island is also the third biggest of the islands that make up New Zealand. It is inhabited by approximately 500 people in a settlement known to the locals as Oban. It experiences an oceanic climate of high rainfall and warm weather like the rest of New Zealand and has many birds species.
5. The answer is The roaring forties bring strong west winds from the Indian Ocean. The roaring forties are the westerly winds in the southern hemisphere that are caused by descending cooler air being deflected towards the south pole by the earth's Coriolis effect. They pass across the Australian land mass and are warmed before picking the moisture over the Tasman Sea. This wets these winds that bring rainfall to Southern Island’s west coast.
6. The answer is Te Anau. The Milford Trek is popular with tourism in the Fiordland. Visitors use the Milford Trek to hike, visit the Fiordland National Park, Doubtful Sounds and Milford Sound, kayaking, fishing and hunting, and etcetera. Te Anau also hosts the Kepler Challenge that involves marathon competition through the Fiordland National Park.
7. The answer is They act as a barrier, protecting the area east from the prevailing west winds. The Southern Alp are formed due to the collision of the Indo-Australian plate and the Pacific Plate. When the wet roaring forties from the west hit the southern Alps, they bring rain to the windward side (that is the west coast), while the leeward side (the east) is protected from the strong winds and the winds also become drier because most rainfall has been shed from the forties.
8. The answer is Kiwi. These birds have nocturnal behaviors a behavior attributed to having been acquired due to the intrusion of their habitat by predators and humans. The birds have a strong sense of smell unlike other birds with nostrils at the end of their long beaks. However, they can so be sighted at daytime but more so often during the night.
9. The answer is 3 days. The Milford Track is approximately 53 kilometers long starting at Lake Te Anau, passing through the Fiordland National Park and finish it at Milford Sound. One needs to camp along the Track during the night hence the 3 – 4 day taken to hike.
10. The answer is Silver Beech. The Fiordland National park also has podocarps trees. The main understory plants in the park are crown ferns, mosses, and liverworts due to the wet climate in the region.
