Tag Archives: New Zealand

Deepest wavepiercing powerboat

The world’s most efficient wavepiercing powerboat is Earthrace, a 24-m (78-ft) long wavepiercing trimaran, which can submarine through waves at depths of 7 m (23 ft) – deeper than any other boat. Running entirely on biodiesel, and using hemp for the first time in any boat construction, Earthrace is also one of the most environmentally-friendly vessels in the world. Skippered by Pete Bethune (New Zealand), Earthrace set out to break the 75-day world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat (and doing so using Continue reading →

Fastest text message blindfolded

The fastest time to send a prescribed text message blindfolded is 45.09 sec, achieved by Elliot Nicholls (New Zealand), at the Telecom shop on Filluel Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 17 November 2007. The message sent was “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.”

Fastest 100 km barefoot

The fastest 100 km run barefoot is 8 hr 49 min 42 sec and was achieved by Peter Wayne Botha (New Zealand) at the 16th Annual Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour race in Auckland, New Zealand, on 5 October 2013. Botha took back the record he set at the previous year’s Sri Chinmoy 24 hour race. The attempt was made in order to raise money for the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

Fastest coal shovelling by a team

The record for filling a 508 kg (0.5 ton) hopper with coal using a banjo shovel by a team of two is 14.8 seconds, by Brian Coghlan and Piet Groot (both New Zealand) at the opening of the Brunner Bridge, South Island, New Zealand, on 27 March 2004.

First capture of living giant squid

Famously elusive, the giant squid (Architeuthis dux) was finally captured alive for the first time when, in March 2002, an international scientific team led by marine biologist Dr Steve O’Shea announced that they had captured seven juvenile specimens off the coast of New Zealand. Measuring 9-13 mm (0.35-0.05 in), these tiny but highly significant individuals sadly did not survive long in captivity, but were briefly filmed there by the Discovery Channel while still alive. Although no adult specimen has survived capture, it is believed that Continue reading →