Explore New Zealand's Māori heritage, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and Lord of the Rings tourism — while practising past tenses, the past perfect, and if-clauses type III.
Read the text about New Zealand, then answer the comprehension questions below.
New Zealand, known as Aotearoa in Te Reo Māori, is a small island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands — the North Island and the South Island — and is home to around five million people. The Māori, who arrived from Polynesia around 1250 CE, were the first people to settle in New Zealand. Today, Māori culture remains a vital part of New Zealand's national identity. The Māori language has influenced everyday New Zealand English, with words like "whānau" (family) and "aroha" (love) used by people of all backgrounds.
On 22 February 2011, a devastating earthquake struck the city of Christchurch on the South Island. The magnitude 6.3 quake hit at a shallow depth of just four kilometres, causing terrible destruction. 185 people lost their lives, and over 7,000 were injured. More than 100,000 buildings were significantly damaged, and many had to be demolished. The cost of rebuilding was estimated at over 40 billion New Zealand dollars. The recovery took many years — the city's population did not return to pre-earthquake levels until 2017, and the central city took even longer, not fully recovering until 2022.
New Zealand also became world-famous as the filming location for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was released between 2001 and 2003. The films showcased New Zealand's spectacular landscapes — snow-capped mountains, green rolling hills, and ancient forests — turning the country into a must-visit destination for millions of fans. In the decade after the films premiered, international visits to Wellington increased by 87 per cent. By 2019, nearly one in five visitors said they had first discovered New Zealand through the films. "Tolkien tourism" was worth an estimated 630 million New Zealand dollars per year to the economy.
1 New Zealand is located in the .
2 The Māori people originally came from .
3 The 2011 Christchurch earthquake had a magnitude of .
4 The estimated cost of rebuilding Christchurch was over .
5 Christchurch's population returned to pre-earthquake levels in .
6 The Lord of the Rings trilogy was directed by .
7 After the films, international visits to Wellington increased by .
8 By 2019, Tolkien tourism was worth an estimated .
Complete the sentences about New Zealand with the correct past tense form. Pay attention to whether the action was completed (simple past), ongoing when interrupted (past progressive), or happened before another past action (past perfect).
Simple past: The earthquake struck at 12:51 pm.
Past progressive: People were working in their offices when it happened.
Past perfect: The Māori had lived there for centuries before Europeans arrived.
1 The earthquake Christchurch on 22 February 2011. (completed action)
2 Many people in their offices when the earthquake began. (ongoing, interrupted)
3 Before the earthquake, Christchurch one of New Zealand's most beautiful cities. (state before another past event)
4 The Māori in New Zealand for centuries before Europeans arrived. (completed before another past action)
5 Peter Jackson for the perfect filming location when he discovered Matamata. (ongoing, interrupted)
6 By the time the rescue teams arrived, many buildings completely. (completed before another past action)
7 After the films millions of tourists to New Zealand, the government invested in better infrastructure. (completed before another past action)
8 The city slowly but steadily in the years after the earthquake. (completed action in a past period)
Complete the sentences using if-clauses type III. Remember: Type III describes situations that did NOT happen in the past. Structure: if + past perfect → would have + past participle.
Type III (unreal past): If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
This means: I did NOT study hard, so I did NOT pass.
1 If the earthquake Christchurch, many people would not have lost their homes.
2 If New Zealand chosen as the filming location, the country would not have become so famous.
3 Many more people would have died if the earthquake during the night.
4 If Peter Jackson the village of Matamata, the Hobbiton film set would never have existed.
5 Tourism so quickly if the films had not been successful.
6 If the government in rebuilding, Christchurch would still be in ruins today.
7 The Māori language if schools had not started teaching it again.
8 If rescue workers quickly, the death toll would have been much higher.
Write a text (80–120 words) about one of the following topics. Use past tenses, the past perfect, and at least one if-clause type III in your text.
Topic 1 — Diary entry: Imagine you visited Christchurch in 2012, one year after the earthquake. Write a diary entry describing what you saw and how you felt. What had changed? What would have been different if the earthquake had not happened?
Topic 2 — Film tourism: How did the Lord of the Rings change New Zealand? Write a short text about the impact of the films on the country's tourism and economy. What would have happened if the films had been made somewhere else?
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