NZ Life and Times

Over the past two months travelling and living in NZ, I have found myself noticing more and more things about the Kiwi lifestyle. Last week I comprised a list of NZ cultural observations. There are many in categories such as food/drink, fashion and style, people and general lifestyle for an average New Zealander.

Enjoy...

Food & Drink
-Everyone loves pies. I am not talking about fruit pies or sweet pies. No, I speak of chicken pies, boozy beef pies, seafood pies. You can walk into any cafe and find a pie. It seems to be a British traditional food choice, but the Kiwi's claim the Pie to be one of their own.

-Most small towns have a renowned Fish and Chip shop that has been voted the best in NZ or the "Southern Hemisphere"

-There is no such thing as drip coffee in NZ. They are really into espresso though. Lattes, cappachinos, ice coffees, and flat white (a version of a latte) are all very popular.

-Food overall is very expensive. Even the kiwis and apples that they grow in the orchard down the street are pricey. The apples from California are sometimes cheaper. Weird.

-Red, Green, and Yellow peppers are called "Capsicums"

-They have a really weird fascination with Avocados here. The put Avocados on everything. Even pizza. Good thing I loveee my avocados.

-Ice cream is very cheap here. A single scoop ice cream is HUGE. You get an average of 3 scoops for $1.50 NZ. Hokey Pokey is my favourite so far. It is like a caramel crunch flavour.

-It is not necessary to tip in NZ. So it is sometimes hard (being a Canadian) and working for tips back home, and then coming to NZ where you don't get anything except for your wage.

-The main streets are only filled with oodles and oodles of cafes and restaurants.

Fashion and Style

-Current but not nessicerly fashionable.

-Mullets, Skullets, Rat tails are all the rage for hairstyles amongst teenagers and young adults. I really don't understand why this has somehow made a comeback in NZ.

-Tacky straw hats are very popular if you are a tourist.

-The locals are very laid back. Most of the time I will be in the super market and the man in front of me won't be wearing shoes at all. Bare feet is the norm around here.

- Work uniforms are mandatory in hospitality jobs.

Living in NZ
-I get paid weekly and I pay rent every week in NZ. Opposed to every month back home.

-Everyone has mobile phones here that they soley use for texting purposes only

-There are no side walks usually on side streets or real cross walks in the city centre.

-Of course, they drive on the wrong side being the left. It took me awhile to figure out how to cross the road properly without getting hit.

-They are very active in NZ. Many people bike/walk to work here. As i do the same.

-The houses are built differently. The windows have one pane layer versus two, like back home.

-The electrical outlets look like the two top holes are on a slant. Like this / \

-Bathrooms are called toilets.

-Drinking age is 18 years old.

-Cricket and Rugby are the choice sports in NZ.

People and Times

- The music in NZ is a combination of Raggae and Dub music. A friend of mine explained it to me the other day. He said the music of NZ is what you would expect if you looked at a picture of NZ. It encompasses the mountains, the ocean, the rivers, the volcanos, the geothermal wonders, the glaciers, the sand dunes, the rolling hills. Just the beauty of the country is expressed in the music of NZ. He said it is NZ's best kept secret. I agreed with him 100%.

-NZ is also the second largest buyer of raggae music in the world. First being Jamaica of course.

-Popular NZ bands include: Salmonella Dub, The Black Seeds, Catchafire...etc.

-School kids wear uniforms to public school

-TV sitcoms are a year behind- perfect for catching up on Grey's Anatomy episodes from last season.

-Flight of the Concords is simply hilarious! For any of you that have heard of this show it is basically about two New Zealanders who are starting their life in New York trying to make it big in the music industry.

-In the hospitality industry everyone smokes. They also roll their own cigarettes aswell. Don't worry I am still a non-smoker.

-Boyfriends and Girlfriends are called "partners"