Apr 2008

We've described so much about the physical beauty of NZ, but not much about the people. I've been compiling our thoughts on New Zealand for a while now. In fact, I have journal entries from late December full of ideas for such a post. For one lame reason or another, I never actually organized our thoughts and published them for all the world to read. Actually, it now seems more fitting to save this specific post for last, as it has become a more complete collection of our observations. So finally, on the night before our departure (Thailand here we come!), here is a random collection of our thoughts on Kiwi culture:

1. Kiwis are a laid back crowd.
Unless they're drinking (in which case, they become very loud and slightly obnoxious, but then again, who doesn't), Kiwis are carefree. They are always on vacation. Their government even punishes businesses with a fine if they open on a public holiday. Even in their daily excursions, kiwis portray a very "I'm on vacation" attitude. They have time to stop for coffee and breakfast on their way to work. They meet their friends for an extended lunch. And they're usually never in a hurry to get anywhere (unless they're behind the wheel, where they all develop serious cases of lead food and road rage.) They are extremely laid back parents (as far as the western world is concerned). Their kids are always barefoot and frequently unattended. It reminds me of how the pre-Nintendo generations grew up. They play outside. I think this forced creative, adventurous play has made kiwis more thrill seeking and quick witted than their American counterparts. Discipline also seems more old-fashioned. Kids fight their own fights. A few months ago, Brody and I watched two young boys (about 6 and 8 years old) duke it out while their father looked on, waiting to see who won. The same kids were later climbing around (barefoot) on towering rocks near the oceans edge. A new age American parent would never let their children partake in such dangerous activities.

2. Kiwis have weird driving rules.
Not only did we have to adjust to driving on the left side of the road (resulting in many switches of the wipers when the blinker was intended), but we also had to adapt to their funny rules. Most notably, you can't turn left on a red light like you can turn right on red at home. Also, if you're waiting to turn tight, you have the right of way over people turning left from the opposite direction, even though you're crossing their line of traffic. Think about it, you'll realize the confusion that ensues.

3. Kiwis still haven't gotten the memo about mullets.
They're everywhere. And rat tails too.

4. Kiwis eat strange versions of familiar foods.
Since arriving in NZ, we've come across the following types of potato chips (called "crisps" here): blue cheese and peppercorn steak, honey soy chicken, garlic yogurt and feta cheese, and salsa cream cheese. Mostly, they taste like chips with ramen noodle powder on top. Kiwis also don’t eat cherry or apple pies. They eat meat pies. It is the same crust, only there is cheese and steak inside. They love Corona. And they put sweet chili sauce or aioli (garlic mayonnaise - its delicious) on everything.

5. Kiwi toilets have two buttons.
One, the half flush, is for the lesser of your dirty deeds. Apparently, it uses less water, but we're convinced it uses just as much as any toilet at home.

6. Kiwis don't play football, baseball, or basketball.
They play rugby, cricket, and netball (a weak version of basketball where the players cannot dribble, jump, or run with the ball). It caught me off guard to watch kids playing in the park. I thought they just didn't know the rules to football...until I realized they were playing rugby.

7. Kiwis export their good food.
Apples, lamb, cheese - all the best batches are exported overseas. This, obviously, brings the New Zealand economy more money. But the strange thing is that they still sell the cast offs at high prices. We thought we would be in cheese and lamb chop heaven, but we haven’t eaten much of either because it’s so expensive and the quality is worse than what we might get in the states.

8. Kiwi radio is horrendous.
If you think American Top 40 stations are bad, you'll change your mind after one week with New Zealand radio. It’s a strange mix of English, Australian, and American pop songs. And they're all terrible and way [b]overplayed.

9. Kiwis are few and far between
There are only 4 million people in New Zealand, and 1.5 million live in the Auckland area. On top of that, there are nearly 2 million tourists (mostly German and Japanese) in the country each year. For this reason, it makes it really likely that you'll run into some one you know, even if you don't live here. We met a Canadian in Fiji named Brandon. He was in our hostel room. Then Brandon was on our flight to New Zealand. Then we ran into Brandon in Auckland, Wellington, and Queenstown. These are three large cities that are at least 9 hours apart from one another. That’s like running into someone in LA, San Francisco, and Seattle.

10. Kiwis rarely see their own country.
Despite its small size (about the same square acreage as Colorado, but stretched out), Kiwis don’t travel much within their own country. A lot of them travel overseas though. Many go on their OE (Overseas Experience) after college.

11. Kiwis think they know US politics.
I can't complain too much, because I couldn't tell you anything about New Zealand politics before I got here. To give them credit, they know a bit about what's going on in the current US political realm. However, most of their information is a little inaccurate. When they hear we're from the states, they always ask, "Who are you voting for, Hillary or that Obama guy?" They think the election is going on right now, and they haven't quite grasped that the presidency will not come down to those two candidates. They don't know any republican candidates. And we even met a Kiwi woman who thought Clinton was a he. She was a little behind the times.

Overall, I'd say Brody and I both enjoyed our trip to New Zealand. I sure hope he enjoyed it since its something he's wanted to do since he was 16. We saw some amazingly beautiful countryside and met a bunch of interesting people from around the world. If my thoughts have sounded at all negative in the last few posts, I apologize. Although we truly had a good time, I think we may have become a bit jaded by how much money its cost us to travel here. On top of that, we've just grown restless (again) to see something different. And boy will we be in for a culture shock at this time tomorrow night. We get into Bangkok during the middle of the Thai New Year celebration. We will check in as soon as possible to let you all know that we've made it and we're soaking up all the sun and craziness Bangkok has to offer!