MEGA CROSSWORD

When completed, the shaded letters will reveal a well-known personality (see mystery clue below).

MYSTERY CLUE

15ac & 24dn Knighted former rugby coach (3,6,5)

ACROSS

1 Sponge, borrow (8) 6 Denim trousers (5) 9 Actor’s lines (6) 12 Extinct native bird (4) 13 Pay increase (5) 14 Book listing word definitions (10) 15 See Mystery Clue (3,6) 16 Teenage spots (4) 17 Dryer fluff (4) 19 Member of the clergy (5) 20 Ghost, spook (7) 21 Taboo (4) 25 Small beach town north of Auckland, near Warkworth (5) 27 Contorted (7) 28 Equine beast (5) 34 … Barry, TV host (6) 35 Improvise (2-3) 37 Largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury (8) 38 Bruno Lawrence’s 1970s theatre troupe (6) 39 Japanese martial art (6) 40 Greenstone (7) 42 Six in te reo M¯aori (3) 43 Loft (5) 44 Tropical fruit (5) 45 Pig pen (3) 51 Champion New Zealand racehorse, Bone... (7) 53 Destructive swarming insect (6) 54 Small garden tool (6) 56 Animal (8) 57 Gold bar (5) 58 Fleet of warships (6) 59 Auckland’s Super Rugby team (5) 61 Smallness of quantity, scantiness (7) 63 Piece of flat cut wood (5) 65 Old, mature (4) 68 Capsicum spice (7) 70 Waste-water system (5) 74 Boyfriend (4) 75 Thick cord (4) 76 Glow, shine (9) 79 Very exciting (4-6) 80 Cook in the oven (5) 81 Christchurch’s river (4) 82 Japanese female entertainer (6) 83 Foe (5) 84 Purple gemstone (8)

DOWN

2 Cross (8) 3 Earache (7) 4 … Kirk, former PM (6) 5 Tomb inscription (7) 6 Young kangaroo (4) 7 Bold, daring (9) 8 Football (6) 9 Drink (from a bottle) (4) 10 Curl of hair (7) 11 Root vegetable (7) 18 See upper-right photo (9) 22 Broadcast (3) 23 See lower-left photo (13) 24 See Mystery Clue (5) 26 Scant (6) 29 The East (6) 30 Rugby huddle (5) 31 String instrument (6) 32 M¯aori ceremonial incantation (7) 33 Memorable (13) 36 Corpse (4) 41 Produce milk (7) 46 Fashionable (6) 47 Avoid, flee (6) 48 … Street, radio and TV presenter (4) 49 Place of temporary suffering (9) 50 General, ordinary (6) 52 Relating to the country (5) 55 US Lone Star State (5) 60 Tradie’s transport (3) 62 Celebratory drink (9) 64 International aid charity (3,5) 66 Small explosive weapon (7) 67 Roger …, influential former Minister of Finance (7) 69 Belief system (7) 71 Facial hair (7) 72 Holiday at sea (6) 73 Small (6) 77 Travel permit (4) 78 Make a noise like a donkey (4)

SOLUTION NEXT WEEK