New Zealanders like being called Kiwi’s but remember when you are referring to the food item by the same name it is called a kiwi fruit not a kiwi; lest you imply you want to eat them, the people. The words I would use to describe the Kiwi’s are happy, kind, helpful and healthy people. They are also practical and direct without a lot of tolerance for pretense. They live an outdoor lifestyle and are very environmentally conscious. In many outdoor places there are no garbage cans and you are expected to take your trash with you and dispose of it at home. Kiwi’s seem very family oriented and we have seen lots of young families out hiking, biking, camping, fishing, picnicking and playing on the beach together. They seem to have the work-life balance thing worked out too. We have seen lots of male duo’s and trio’s having a beer together at the pubs in the late afternoon, which tells you where we have been in the late afternoons as well.
The country is agricultural in nature and their diet seems pretty healthy with a farm to table orientation but, they still like their fried fish and chips (French fries). Neighborhood bakeries are still alive and well here and, as it is summer, we are enjoying their soft serve ice cream made with fresh fruit grown in the area (stone fruit and berries). Yum! Most towns have a store called a dairy which serves as a neighborhood convenience store. They don’t drink as many soft drinks as we do, either regular or diet, but seem to drink more fresh milk and juice. They grow and export loads of apples, plums, cherries, apricots, peaches, avocados and kiwi fruit which we have been enjoying. They have a strong coffee culture which I like and a craft beer scene that Paul is taking full advantage of. Of note, is that Kiwi’s have a longer life expectancy than Americans which is probably due to a combination of healthy eating and an outdoor lifestyle combined with better work-life balance practices.
Compared to the US, New Zealand homes seem very modest in terms of size and design. They use a lot of neutral colors and black along with a fair amount of corrugated metal on their structures, including their homes, which gives them a modern industrial look and feel. There is also still a strong Victorian influence on old and new one story plantation looking homes. They do use bright colors (orange and green) on big retail stores and industrial buildings. We have also seen shipping containers used commercially as retail stores. We hear we will see even more of this when we get to Christchurch which was heavily impacted by an earthquake some years ago choosing to use shipping containers as a stop gap measure for businesses; many of which have become permanent which is in line with their environmental consciousness.
They have good well marked roads, most of which are two lane highways with lots of one lane bridges so we quickly had to learn to read the yield signs. Also, you have to think in terms of time instead of miles/kilometers as most major roads are very slow and windy as they make their way through the many mountainous areas throughout the country. Forestry remains a primary New Zealand industry so one also has to beware of the large logging trucks that meet you on the mountain curves. A gas station brand called Z’s uses what they call a Forecourt Concierge which is usually a woman standing at the entrance or by the gas pumps with a clipboard ready to assist you and who will even pump your gas if you so desire. Their stores and restaurants are similar to ours and most businesses have unisex bathrooms. One complaint I have is their universal use of single ply toilet paper and few hotels provide Kleenex so we travel with our own box. The three star hotels we stay at have all been modern, neat, clean and well managed. They all have small kitchenettes along with the basics: coffee pot, water boiler, toaster, dishes, utensils and basic cookware which makes it easy to take care of our breakfast and light suppers after a midday meal out. Upon check-in, they all provide fresh milk for your coffee or tea which is an interesting and much appreciated English tradition. We are also enjoying their small independent cinemas with cafes, which look like large home theatres, where you can drink and eat while watching interesting non blockbuster movies. Next week, I will share some words the Kiwi’s use for things that are different than the words we use for the same things. 2019