The year 2022 is nearing its end and it's safe to say it was a rollercoaster from extreme weather to the Russia-Ukraine War and the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
But with the bad came some outstanding achievements. This year saw Matariki become an official New Zealand public holiday, history made in sports and the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
Here's 2022 in photos and the events that shaped the year.
January
The year was off to a rocky start with Omicron knocking out our borders, a tsunami in Tonga and a shunned prince.
The Queen stripped Prince Andrew of his military titles and patronages after a US judge ruled the Duke of York must face sex abuse claims. Prince Andrew ended up settling a civil sexual assault case brought against him in the US by Virginia Giuffre.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano in Tonga erupted on January 15 triggering a destructive tsunami. It emitted the biggest atmospheric explosion recorded in more than 100 years.
On January 23, the country moved to the red traffic light system after the first Omicron community cases were confirmed.
At the time, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Kiwis should plan to stay in the red light setting for "a few weeks", however, New Zealand didn't move to orange until April 13.
Pregnant Kiwi journalist Charlotte Bellis, who had been reporting on Afghanistan for Al Jazeera, was forced to ask the Taliban for safe refuge after being unable to return to New Zealand because she was denied a spot in MIQ.
February
It was a wet start to the month with back-to-back states of local emergencies declared in the Buller District on the West Coast due to severe flooding.
Anti-COVID-19 mandate protests sparked in Wellington outside of Parliament which developed into a three-week occupation.
Thanks to victories from Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Nico Porteous, the Beijing Winter Olympics will - for now - rank as New Zealand's most successful Winter Olympics.
Sadowski-Synnott won a gold medal in the women's slopestyle competition in snowboarding and silver in the women's big air competition in snowboarding.
Porteous won gold in the men's freestyle skiing.
On February 24 Russia launched its devastating full-scale invasion of Ukraine in a steep escalation of the Russia-Ukraine War.
The invasion has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II and it is estimated tens of thousands of people have been killed from both sides.
March
March saw the Parliament playground light up in flames in a fiery end to the 23-day occupation.
While destruction continued in Ukraine.
April
A spate of youth ram raids plagued the country, causing businesses to up their security and many accused the Government of being "soft on crime".
Meanwhile, Ardern was greeted by giant dancing kiwifruit mascots during her trip to Japan, which was her first foreign trip since February 2020.
May
The Government announced a surprise cost of living payment along with fuel and public transport reductions in their Budget to help New Zealanders with the skyrocketing cost of living crisis.
Anthony Albanese won the Australian election beating former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Ten thousand allied health workers from more than 70 professions walked off the job to demand better pay.
June
On February 6, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne.
Nurses and emergency doctors warn people will die if the healthcare sector's understaffing crisis isn't fixed, but Health Minister Andrew Little insists the Government is doing everything it can to fill positions.
Kiwis celebrated Matariki around the country, marking the first time the Māori New Year has been recognised as an official public holiday in New Zealand.
In a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade - the ruling that recognized a woman's constitutional right to an abortion and legalised it nationwide. The shock ruling caused many, both Americans and Kiwis alike, to take to the streets in protest.
July
In July, the first case of the current monkeypox outbreak was detected in New Zealand.
On July 11 the world got a better glimpse into how the universe looks.
Nasa unveiled the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. The first full-colour images were taken on the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful orbital observatory ever launched.
Europe battled persistent heat waves with temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees on July 14.
Inflation reached its peak with Statistics NZ announcing on July 18, annual inflation had risen to an eye-watering 7.3 percent, the biggest jump in 32 years.
Inflation became almost inescapable, with leading economist Brad Olsen warning broad-based inflation is a worry.
August
New Zealand fully reopened our borders to visitors from anywhere in the world.
Kiwi athletes achieved the country's greatest-ever medal haul at this year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with a total of 49 medals, 20 of which were gold.
Former US President Donald Trump's Florida home was raided by FBI agents as part of an investigation into his removal of official presidential records from the White House.
A mysterious sinkhole large enough to engulf France's Arc de Triomphe appeared in Chile, putting New Zealand's pothole crisis to shame.
Bullying allegations plagued Parliament.
It was revealed National's Sam Uffindell was a bully at high school, being asked to leave Auckland's King's College after an attack on a younger student.
Meanwhile, Labour's Dr Gaurav Sharma dropped bombshell after bombshell alleging bullying was rife in the Prime Minister's office, ultimately causing him to later be expelled from Labour's Caucus.
The Nelson-Tasman area was under a state of emergency after the area was hit by severe flooding.
September
September was a month of mourning with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. On September 6, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral aged 96.
King Charles III acceded to the British throne on September 8. He was publicly proclaimed King of the United Kingdom by the Accession Council on September 10 which was televised for the first time in history.
On September 12, the COVID-19 Protection Framework ended, with the last Government vaccine mandates ending on the 26th.
The Lying-in-State of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II took place for five days at Westminster Hall in London, ending on September 19. A humongous line of mourning Brits emerged, with the estimated wait time to pay respects to the Queen reaching 35 hours.
Her Majesty's funeral was held on September 19. There was a large State Funeral held at Westminster Abbey and the Queen was then buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at St George's Chapel in Windsor.
A 22-year-old Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini died after being in custody of Iran's 'morality police' sparking widespread protests against state restrictions on women's freedoms.
October
Kiwis woke to October snow with some regions experiencing snowfall at this time of year for the first time in over 50 years.
On October 20, farmers walked out of the paddocks and drove into the big smoke in protest of the Government's plan to charge farmers for emissions.
Luxon ditched his suit for a McDonald's uniform as he served up soft-serve ice creams at the drive-thru.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern flew to Antarctica for Scott Base's 65th anniversary.
November
November started with celebrations for the victorious Black Ferns who won the Rugby World Cup in front of a sold-out Eden Park.
A new model revealed a terrifying glimpse at what people could look like in 800 years if our love of technology continues.
The month ended with an apology from Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr to New Zealanders who have been "buffeted" by significant economic shocks and are experiencing high inflation.
Orr also admitted to deliberating engineering a recession to slow down spending to relieve inflationary pressures.
December
In some wonderful news to kick-start December. Pharmac signed a deal to fund the life-saving drug Trikafta to help Kiwis living with cystic fibrosis.
The fight to get it funded started over two years ago after Bella Powell, now 19, told Newshub in 2020 how she needed the "miracle" drug to live. Powell, who now lives in Sydney since Australia already subsidises Trikafta, was in tears when she found out the news and told her sister she could finally come home.
Two valuable Kiwi paintings were recovered after they were stolen from an art gallery in Auckland five years ago.
The Gottfried Lindauer portraits were stolen from a gallery on Parnell Road on April 1, 2017.
Passionate The Lord of the Rings fans got a chance to book an overnight stay at the Hobbiton film set in Waikato. Guests will receive private access to a personal hobbit hole, themed food and drink and a behind-the-scenes private tour of the film set.
In a groundbreaking move, a British teen with incurable cancer became leukaemia-free after being the "first human patient" to receive successful treatment from base editors.
Argentina defeated France and became the 2022 Football World Cup champions.
Finishing off the year, the signed transcript of the moment Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called ACT leader David Seymour an "arrogant prick" in Parliament has been auctioned off for a whopping $100,100 on TradeMe. All proceeds went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
