New Zealand observations…

(below are a few things I've noticed or just wanted to mention)

It’s common practice to sit in the front seat of cabs here – even if it’s just you or if you could all fit in the back.

Central heat is not the norm. Households use propane heaters, standing wall units, or small electric units. Given that Wellington is a very damp area, the house is often very, very cold. Fortunately things are warming up and this is less of an issue. (But the propane heater does work wonders.)

Speaking of dampness, our flat is so damp that the ceiling “rains” after you shower – that is, the water condensation on the ceiling starts to drip if you are in there too long. And let me tell you, that water is cold! To improve circulation, we leave the bathroom window open all the time, even when it is 45 degrees out there! (Fortunately it’s not so bad anymore)

Kiwi meteorologists have a way with words. Since NZ is a pretty small country, the weather report is national… one evening the broadcaster stated, “And we are just waving the ugly stick all over the south island this weekend…” Comical.

Filtered (drip) coffee is rather hard to find. It is rarely on the menu, and even if it is on the menu, a lot of times it is actually instant coffee that dissolves in hot water. Not surprisingly a lot of people drink tea. If they do drink “coffee,” they order things such as a long black (espresso with hot water), a flat white (a long black with a dollop of milk) or a short black (between an espresso and a long black). At work I mostly drink tea, but if I am out and about, I like to get a flat white:

The workweek here is generally 37.5 hours. That is because most people take a tea break in the morning. For me, that means going down to the ground floor café with some of the other women in the finance department.

The grocery stores are similar to the ones back home (like Kroger or Dominick’s) - except you do not have to wear shoes! While 98% of customers wear shoes, you will see people shopping barefoot from time to time. It’s not so strange when you see a kid running around barefoot, but when it’s an adult, it’s a little weird. That being said, I have promised myself that I will grocery shop barefoot at least once before I head back. Another thing about the grocery store is that checkout aisles without any candy are labeled "confectionary free." I assume this is for parents who are shopping with kids... a nice touch.

NZ has one traffic law that will take some getting used to… while everyone drives on the left side of the road here, I will explain this one as if they drove on the “right” side like we do at home. Without getting too bogged down in the details and or the supposed reasoning behind this law, if you are turning right (such as in a non-stop sign situation), you must yield to the person coming from the other direction if they are turning left (so basically, you let them cut in front of you). This totally freaked me out the first time we “cut” someone off… most people think this law is pretty nonsensical, but so it goes. You just have to hope that everyone at the intersection knows the law (there are a lot of tourists here) and that the person behind you is paying attention if you have to give way to someone else!

About the food – it isn’t that different from back home, although the lamb, kiwi fruit, and fish & chips are really good. Of course the seafood is quite fresh, but so far, our favorite uniquely kiwi food is onion dip! It’s just a packet of onion soup mix, a can of reduced cream, and a TB of vinegar (then refrigerate for 30 min), but let me tell you, it is awesome! I have been told that they only sell this special kind of onion soup here, but I bet you could find a very similar spice packet in the US… (or perhaps some of you already make this yourselves, but even the seasoning packet calls it a kiwi favorite)
There is not a standard length for phone numbers. My cell phone number is 11 digits, Erik’s cell phone number is 10 digits, and older cell numbers are only 9 digits. Land lines and fax numbers vary as well.

Many smokers roll their own cigarettes. Since smoking is not permitted in any buildings, people are often outside not only battling the elements just by being outside, but also trying to measure out the tobacco while the wind is swirling around them…

All pens are clicker pens here – no joke. I rarely see any pens with caps, only clickers. Random observation, but an observation none the less. Even the cheap ones from work are clickers.

There are no pennies or nickels and notes are made of plastic!!! Merchandise is priced to the penny, and then rounded when you check out. As for the plastic money – it is a polymer banknote. You cannot tear it unless you use scissors or a knife and it absolutely survives the washing machine. They were developed in Australia.

Speaking of money – prostitution is legal here…

New Zealand is a very “green” country. There is a significant push here from the government to create a sustainable economy. Therefore the government often leads they way. For example, take a look at my desk –
That’s all I have for my “rubbish.” There is one, and I mean ONE, garbage can on the entire floor – in the kitchen. It is also next to two other pull out drawers for recycling and composting. Therefore, we all recycle/compost. Those of you that know me well know that I don’t mind this one bit, I just think it’s really funny that I only get these two little cubes to collect my rubbish before I have to take it to the kitchen to sort. (And believe it or not, that garbage can is rarely full). I read an article about the recycling efforts at the Ministry, and the building waste was reduced by 86%!! I’d say that was pretty effective.

Another things about conservation – most toilets have two buttons – one is a half flush and the other is a full flush. I’ll leave it at that.

And my last, observation for this post (believe it or not, I have plenty more), security here is unlike anything we have at home.

Here is a picture of parliament (there are no fences and generally there is only one guard outside):
And I walk through the alley of these two buildings to get to my office (same building as what is above, just the other end of it):
And here is a picture of the lock on the Prime Minister’s house (which is just down the street, I pass it on the way to the Botanic Garden):
And here is a picture of the US Embassy, literally, the most fortified building in all of New Zealand! (please note the car barrier flower pots and high fences... there are also two guard stations with 2-3 guards/attendants in each at all times)

Up next: Our weekend trips to Taranaki and Christchurch...