Google's 2022 'Year in Search': From Will Smith to Queen Elizabeth and Wordle, what were Kiwis Googling this year?

As we near the end of 2022, it's time for a little reflection on the past 12 months - and boy, what a year it's been. 

Of course, when it comes to foreign affairs, 2022 has been an incredibly tough year of conflict and international tensions, from Russia invading Ukraine to the ongoing protests and human rights crisis in Iran. COVID-19 has also continued to cause chaos, despite its welcome being very, very worn out, and in September, Queen Elizabeth II - Britain's longest-reigning monarch - passed away at the age of 96, leaving Charles III the new King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms.

Aside from the hard news, there were also plenty of high-profile dramas in the red-carpeted world of celebrity. Yes, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, in case you didn't remember, and Johnny Depp was awarded a US$10.35 million verdict in a highly publicised defamation trial against Amber Heard, arguing his ex-wife's Washington Post op-ed - in which she made claims of suffering domestic abuse - was defamatory. More allegations have been lobbied against the Royal Family by former senior royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Elon Musk has continued his bid to Take Over the World™ after buying out Twitter for US$44 billion.

Aside from Her Royal Highness, we also lost a number of other high-profile figures and celebrities throughout 2022, including Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins; singer and actor Aaron Carter; Australian cricketer Shane Warne; and actors Anne Heche, Betty White, Bob Saget, Olivia Newton-John, Ray Liotta, and just this week, Kirstie Alley.

To touch on sport (a subject on which I am woefully ignorant), 2022 was also a big year: there's been the FIFA World Cup, Women's Rugby World Cup (which was won by our very own Black Ferns), and the Commonwealth Games, to name but a few.

On top of alllllll of that, there were also many, many more memorable, meme-orable, and momentous moments throughout the year that's been. To conjure a hit of nostalgia (and also make sure you're up to speed on your current affairs), Google New Zealand has released its annual Year in Search to tell the story of 2022. The lists highlight the top trending searches for the year, shining a light on the events, topics and people which piqued the nation's interest the most. 

From the peaks to the troughs, to the iconic names we lost and the trends that were #Trending, it's time to reflect on yet another year on Earth.

Overall

1. Wordle
2. Locations of interest 
3. Australian Open
4. COVID-19 cases today
5. All Blacks v Ireland
6. Ukraine
7. World Cup
8. Quordle
9. Matariki
10. Queen Elizabeth.

Sporting events

1. Australian Open
2. All Blacks v Ireland
3. Rugby League World Cup
4. All Blacks v South Africa
5. FIFA World Cup
6. IPL
7. Women's Rugby World Cup
8. All Blacks v Argentina
9. Commonwealth Games medal table
10. Samoa v Australia.

Loss

1. Queen Elizabeth
2. Shane Warne
3. Betty White
4. Olivia Newton-John
5. Anne Heche
6. Taylor Hawkins
7. Bob Saget
8. Aaron Carter
9. Technoblade
10. Ray Liotta.

Global figures

1. Johnny Depp
2. Amber Heard
3. Will Smith
4. Novak Djokovic
5. Andrew Tate
6. Anna Delvey
7. Chris Rock
8. King Charles
9. Elon Musk
10. Meghan Markle.

Kiwis

1. Clarke Gayford
2. Ryan Fox
3. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
4. Lydia Ko
5. Israel Adesanya
6. Jayden Meyer
7. Wayne Brown
8. Sam Uffindell
9. Joseph Parker
10. Ruby Tui.

Online games

1. Wordle
2. Quordle
3. Heardle
4. Blooket
5. Snake
6. Globle
7. Poki
8. Octordle
9. Slope
10. Nerdle.

Movies

1. Thor: Love and Thunder
2. Top Gun
3. The Batman
4. Encanto
5. Black Adam
6. Everything Anywhere All At Once
7. Don't Look Up
8. G.I. Jane
9. Jurassic World Dominion
10. Eternals.

TV shows

1. Euphoria 
2. Stranger Things
3. The Watcher
4. Manifest
5. House of the Dragon
6. Inventing Anna
7. The Boys
8. Moon Knight
9. The Sandman
10. Anatomy of a Scandal.

News/no loss

1. COVID-19 cases today
2. Ukraine
3. Queen Elizabeth
4. Costco
5. Will Smith
6. Tropical Cyclone Dovi
7. iPhone 14
8. Russia
9. Tonga
10. Commonwealth Games medal table.

Savoury recipes

1. Guacamole
2. Tomato relish
3. Spaghetti bolognese
4. Coleslaw
5. Macaroni cheese
6. Focaccia
7. Quiche
8. Corn fritter
9. Gnocchi
10. Teriyaki sauce.

Sweet recipes

1. Hot cross bun
2. Apple crumble
3. Plum jam
4. Cinnamon rolls
5. Overnight oats
6. Pavlova
7. Shortbread
8. Pikelet
9. Chocolate brownie
10. Tiramisu.

How to… ?

1. How to do a RAT test
2. How to play Wordle
3. How to screenshot on Windows
4. How to tie a tie
5. How to find Matariki
6. How to screenshot on Mac
7. How to spell askew Google joke
8. How to solve a Rubik's cube
9. How to be single
10. How to make self-raising flour.

Classes and lessons

1. AA driving lessons
2. Lost Ark classes
3. Elden Ring classes
4. DND classes
5. Lessons in chemistry
6. Pottery classes, Wellington
7. Cooking classes, Auckland
8. Pottery classes, Auckland
9. Antenatal classes, Auckland
10. Zumba classes.