A list of the most frequent phrases typed into the search engine has revealed the events and people that shaped the nation in 2010.
In Otago, the top search terms included "Dunedin", "Otago", and more interestingly, "Palmerston North".
Nationally, natural disasters and celebrity controversy were at the forefront.
At the top of the fastest rising news searches were the "Chile earthquake", followed by the "Christchurch earthquake" and "Haiti".
Further down the top 10 list were "Pike River" and former Breakfast host Paul Henry.
Following an interview with Prime Minister John Key, in which he questioned if Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand was really a New Zealander, and another incident in which he mocked and mispronounced Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's name, Henry quit the TV1 show.
He was also named on Google's fastest rising New Zealanders list.
Top of that list was Timaru businessman Allan Hubbard and second was expelled Labour MP Chris Carter.
The top recipe searches were for "banoffee pie", "zucchini", and "beef stroganoff".
For the confused, the top "what is" searches included "what is love", "what is matariki" and "what is culture".
For those seeking entertainment, the top ticket searches were "world cup tickets", "U2 tickets" and "All Blacks tickets".
