New Zealand Observations
We spent 16 days on the North Island of New Zealand as the kickoff to our international travel. There is a lot to say about this country, but here are a few things I noticed while spending time there.
The sun is actually fire.
That hole in the ozone layer is the real deal, and you feel it in the summer months immediately. We’ve been to the Mojave Desert and lived in deserts throughout our lives, and nothing compares to the intensity of the sun down here on a normal day. The temperature was wonderful (low 70 degrees Farenheit) and zero humidity, but you can still VERY MUCH feel the power of the sun. On our first day there, we spent time at the beach, and I noticed we were the only people who were not wearing hats. I did pack some for the kids, but I didn’t think Bert or I would really need one. Well, I changed my mind and bought one for us immediately.
The island is full of lava.
It is such a weird thing to be driving (on the left side of the road and the right side of the car) and seeing steam billowing out of farmland in the distance. The islands were formed due to volcanic activity, and there are plenty of places where geothermal activity is alive and well. It’s interesting, not only because of the science part, but because of the people. For example, we visited Lake Taupo, which is a supervolcano. If it were to ever explode again, it would impact the entire Southern Hemisphere. The size and intensity of this volcano would change life on this plant as we know it. The water on some parts of the beaches bubble with simmering water, reminding us of the liquid death beneath Earth’s crust. And yet, people live here. A lot of people live right next to volcanos! How can humans do that? Do we surrender to our mortality, and accept that we will all die, and we might as well be somewhere we enjoy? Or do we choose to refute the option that the volcano will ever erupt again? Humans are curious things. Enjoying the very smelly, or very beautiful sight of geothermal activity always put a smile on my face, and reminded me of my mortality. I appreciate that quality about New Zealand.
Where are all the bugs?
New Zealand is not Australia. There is nothing there to kill me (apart from the volcanos. See paragraph above). I know the South Island gets a bad reputation for the sand flies, but during our time on the North Island, the homes had windows without screens. You’d prop your window open to the outside world, and only the cool breeze would find its way in. This was wonderful.
Parking is free.
We only paid for parking once at a mall. Street parking was totally free everywhere we went. There were time limits on the spots, and they would enforce that, but as long as we stayed within the time limit, we parked for free!
Let’s just be barefoot everywhere.
In Hawaii, they used to joke that you could tell who wasn’t raised in Hawaii, because of how they walked barefoot. “Haoles” walked like they were in pain while barefoot. I noticed the same thing here, except in the opposite. In New Zealand, SO MANY people, adults and kids alike, were barefoot. In the grocery store, on the sidewalk, restaurants. Rain or shine, you’d see people barefoot. I know that the kids at schools can also be barefoot during the school day. I just love the “come as you are” mentality, and there’s nothing that says acceptance like being barefoot in the rain at a gas station convenience store.
If you’re hungry after 5pm, too bad.
We learned early, and not early enough, that everything closes at 5:00pm. Restaurants, shops, bookstores, the mall, some grocery stores… so many places have a hard stop at 5. New Zealanders really value work/life balance, so I’m inclined to believe that this could be a reflection of how the country protects work/life balance for all? We got ourselves into a tricky situation when we were driving up to the airport the night before we departed and couldn’t find food for MILES. We learned in this moment, eat before you’re hungry and don’t be picky when you find a place with an OPEN sign.
Oh, ice, how I miss thee.
The first time I traveled to England, I learned that ice was not a priority in many/most restaurants. Unfortuntely, New Zealand is part of the Commonwealth, and therefore, has many British customs. One of which is the dreaded “two ice cube Coca-Cola.” I feed my soda addiction with heaping mounds of ice. The tiny crunchy ice, to be exact. Well, this was no where to be found. I had to resort to drinking my soda from a can, which we all know isn’t as good as drinking it from a styrofoam cup with crunchy ice. I’ll be ok, but I’m suffering with first world problems.
Do people actually live here?
We were shocked with how few people we saw in areas we assumed would be swarmed with people. Tourist destinations to beaches were very scarcely populated. Hardly any lines for anything, and zero crowding issues in the areas we traveled to. We sat on the beach in the middle of summer with hardly anyone in sight. The North Island has a little over 3 million people on it, which is a joke compared to some US cities. We really enjoyed the freedom we felt as we soaked up the scenery all by ourselves.
Just be wherever you want.
We saw people park their cars everywhere. They would find a piece of grass, pull their cars onto the side of the road, and have a picnic. Or sleep. Or pick berries. Or do whatever. It’s hard to explain unless you see it, I suppose, but people were parked in places that I knew they would have gotten fussed at in America. It just kind of reinforced the “come and be as you are” mentality.
America, why are you following me?
One thing that was disappointing was the music. It wasn’t bad, but it was too American. I recognized all the songs in every store and on the radio. Country music, old and new, and rock and pop music from every decade blared in the stereo. When I lived in Hawaii, they didn’t even have a country music radio station. You’d hear Hawaiian music everywhere you went, which I loved. So it was a little disappointing to have such an American dominant music scene so far away.
Drive the speed limit or be square.
Kiwis drive the exact speed limit. I suppose this is due to a few things. There aren’t a ton of options to rescue you if you wreck. Alternate routes aren’t readily available in parts of the island, and hospitals are far away. The speed limit on busy highways doesn’t go to much faster than 65mph. Also, in lieu of stoplights, there are circles. This country loves to replace a stop sign with a circle, which I appreciate. But even on the freeway, I didn’t see anyone flying down the road in a car they paid too much for. Cars seemed more like a tool to get around, rather than a status symbol.
People are friendly AF.
Everyone we encountered were nothing but friendly and curious about us. Most people greeted us during our walks, making a joke or a benign comment about the weather. When they found out we were American, we got a few chuckles as they asked, “You running away from Trump, are you?” Even the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, were friendly and welcoming.
Overall, we loved our time there. It was beautiful in most every way.
We left New Zealand and made it safely to Australia. As we were standing in line at Customs, we were talking and some Australians overheard us and urged us to not go into the water. This was the third time an Australian, on their own accord, advised us to not get into the water, and if we did, we needed to be sure to wear our “stinger suits.” We joked with the gentleman about how Australia is safe, except for the……(fill in the blank with the deadly thing that could get us).
As we walked away, his parting words were “good luck.”
And down under we went!