But Wait, There’s More …
Would you like a friend in New Zealand? My name is Finn, 49yrs, never married. I enjoy corresponding with penpals from the USA, Europe, South America, but wherever you are, if you love Nature I’d be pleased to hear from you. I have many passions; natural-health, creative writing, reading, art, photography, organic gardening, history, and just learning about the world and other people.
If you’d like to learn a little about New Zealand, just keep reading – oh yes, I like humour …
New Zealand consists of three main islands, the largest of which were named with originality and imagination - the North Island, the South Island. The North Island has a volcanic landscape and more people (3.5 million). The South Island has a glacial landscape and fewer people (1 million). The standard joke is that the last person to leave the South Island on a Friday night has to turn the light off!
New Zealand has many wilderness areas and National Parks. About one-third of NZ is conservation land. Nearly every landscape type is represented in NZ - fjords, rainforests, alpine mountains, glaciers, semi-desert, volcanos, sub-tropical beaches, and it is all packed together in an area about the size of California.
Right, what about the people? Here’s what you should know about New Zealander’s – we are called “Kiwis”. There is also a Kiwifruit that we named after ourselves (not sure why!) The dominant religion is called “Rugby” - it is practiced devoutly every Saturday, and in some other countries is apparently a sport. We are a mixed race of people who usually get along. The Maoris arrived first, followed by Dutch explorer Able Tasman (who named NZ), and Captain Cook. The British subsequently colonized NZ, but we have many cultures represented here.
Kiwis are inventive and self-reliant by nature, because historically this was a survival skill. In our spare time we play around in the outdoors, pursuing a variety of adventurous and dangerous activities, until we have a near death experience, then we let the tourists do it (eg. Bungy jumping). Tourism is big here. You may have heard of an expensive tourism advertisement we made called “Lord of the Rings”.
Many Kiwis are world travellers. Wherever you find one, they will be able to tell you a story about something crazy they did; climbed a mountain and lost some toes, paddled a kayak over a waterfall and lost a kayak, sailed around the world and lost a yacht, got married and lost their house in the settlement.
Understatement is a national characteristic, for example: A farmer observing his farm underwater in a flood whilst leaning casually against a fence-post, is likely to comment to a friend: “Tad damp today, eh, Trev.” Similarly, if his wool-shed is airborne in a gale, he would say something like: “Getting a bit breezy, hope that crate of beer lands near the house.” This characteristic is endemic in NZ society. “Just a second” actually means 10 minutes. “Wait a minute” means half-an-hour, and “Leave it with me, I’ll get around to it” means When you come back, I will have forgotten all about it.
All right, you get the idea. Here’s a brief summary of some typical Kiwispeak:
Kia Ora: Maori greeting (variations: Kia Ora mate, Kia Ora bro etc.)
Gidday: Literally ‘Good day to you’ (variations: Gidday mate, Gidday bro etc.)
Mate: Buddie, but can be used with strangers. Note: it is used much more commonly in Australia, where its use is officially required in every sentence.
Eh: Pronounced ‘a’ and used at the end of a sentence meaning ‘Ain’t that right’ or as a question for clarification meaning ‘What was that?”
She’ll be right: A common empathetic affirmation intended to re-assure. ‘Don’t worry that the rope is breaking, it will turn out all right in the end.’
Bob’s your Uncle: ‘It’s easy. That’s all there is to it!’ Just press the big red button that says ‘Launch Missile’, and “Bob’s your uncle”.
Chrissy: Christmas. We paint snow on our windows, send Christmas cards with snowmen on them, and someone dresses up in a warm Santa suit, then we go to the beach and have a barbeque in 35 C. heat.
The list is too long to write here, but you’ve had a taste.
Now you know more about New Zealand and “Kiwis” than anyone else in your neighbourhood!
Rest assured, if you write, I would value all your thoughts: happy, sad, hopeful or curious. Kind thoughts to you, and may you find many good friends …
