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New Zealand
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This page is
dedicated to those sometimes slight differences we've found here in
New Zealand from back home in Canada/North America. Those
things we've found to be interesting, funny, kinda nice or even a
little bit frustrating.
Reusable Envelopes -
What a great idea! Rather then
enclosing another envelope inside we get our bills in envelopes that
can be opened and then resealed.
No Hidden Cost -
What ever is written on the tag or menu
is the price you pay. Taxes are included in prices and there
is no tipping. Although, if you are paying cash you may have
to pay a few cents more or less in the rounding as the smallest coin
is a 10 cent piece.
"R" -
We find the "r" in the NZ accent very
unpredictable. We tend to hear it in words that do not contain
it in their spelling yet we cannot hear it in words that do contain
it. For example - "law and order" sounds more like "lawr and
oda"!?
Coffee
Snobs - Not only is coffee more
expensive here, it's also more complicated. Pastor Brett Jones
is a self proclaimed coffee snob who thinks Starbucks is low end.
Drew has been study the art and science of coffee making and may
soon reach the level of coffee snob sophistication. Back home
it's simple - you go to Tim Horton's or you make it in your
percolator machine at home. Here - to order out you must first
learn the lingo - flat white, long black, etc.; and to make it at
home you can boil it on the stove top percolator, plunge it in the
french press, or spend a few thousand on a fancy espresso machine.
Drew even has a coffe thermometer, grinder, etc...
School Year -
It makes a lot of sense that the school
year here coincides with the calendar year. Students finish up
in early December for summer break and start their next year in
February.
Bare Feet -
I've heard that Denny's is the only
place in Auckland that has a "no shoes, no service" sign. It
is quite common to see people of all ages walking around stores and
outside in their bare feet.
99% Milk! -
Buying milk here is very different.
In Canada we have skim, 1%, 2%, Whole, etc. Here, rather than
speaking in terms of fat content, they label the fat free
percentage. So, it was a bit shocking to see 99% on the milk
jug coming from my Canadian frame of reference.
Tea Time -
Kiwis have a lot more meal times (almost
as many as the Hobbits in Lord of the Rings). When considering
any event schedule (camp, conference, etc) You absolutely have
to incorporate breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner
(or tea), and evening snack (supper). I absolutely love this
difference!
4 Seasons in a Day -
The weather can change very quickly in Auckland so you have to be
prepared. Even if it's sunny and warm when you leave the house
or hang your laundry out, beware - the rain could be just minutes
away. One day in October we looked out to see a sunny day turn
to rain. A few minutes later it was sunny again. A few
more minutes later and it was hailing and then once again the sun
came out.
Buzz Off -
There are many words and phrases that
have different connotations in New Zealand than they do in Canada.
We have to be careful as we are still learning which words are and
are not offensive here. One mild example is the phrase 'buzz
off". To me the phrase is a rather childish way of telling someone
off. So it was hard not to laugh when our pastor told us we
could just buzz off. He wasn't angrily telling us to leave him
alone but merely telling us it was okay to leave the meeting early.
Driving -
on the left side of the road and the
right side of the car, shifting with the left hand, turning the
windshield wipers on instead of the blinker, etc.
Cold Houses -
It is supposed to be spring time here
and while inside our home and fully clothed we shiver. People
say "you are from Canada, why are you cold?". Well, in Canada
we have central heating and insulation and therefore we never have
to bundle up in our snowsuits except to go outside. I've heard
that the World Health Organization is even concerned about the low
temperature in the homes of NZ. We heard a comedian on the
radio who said: "I'm from Northern Maine where it snows everyday for
more than half the year but I've never been as cold as I am in a
house in NZ".
Homonyms -
Did you know that homonyms (words that
are spelled differently but pronounced the same) are different here
due to the difference in accent. For example: flaw and
floor are homonyms in NZ.
Being Short -
At 5'3" I find it difficult to find
pants that are not too long for me. Sure this was a bit of a
problem back home but even more so here. But now I'm not
surprised by that, nor by the very tall women we've met, after we've
heard that the average height for women in NZ is 5'7". That's
Drew's height.
No Hockey Night in Canada -
In fact if you just call it just
"hockey" in NZ that refers to field hockey not ice hockey.
They also play underwater hockey (I guess when it was too warm to
freeze the water they adapted the game). The big sports here
are cricket and rugby.
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