Random Observations

“Windy Wellington” is a pretty accurate nickname. However, when the sun does shine, it’s a stunning city. The sun seems to shine brighter here somehow.

They serve lamb just about everywhere – even Subway has lamb on the menu.

This really is the best place to be for the more-than-likely outbreak of WWIII: New Zealand is thousands of miles from the nearest superpower; it has no nuclear weapons; it has no oil or other sought-after fuels; and there would be absolutely no strategic advantage in invading/overtaking the country.

It’s easy to pick out the Americans here – they’re usually the really loud, obnoxious ones wearing various North Face articles.

There’s a bar on Massey’s campus.

Here, being an artist is just as acceptable as being a lawyer (or “barrister”).

It’s hard to tell if the toilets really do flush the opposite way, because they don’t really tend to swirl at all. But they do have a half or full flush option, to save on water.

It’s all about conservation and being environmentally friendly here. Plus, electricity is expensive.

I’m learning the art of performing the “smell test” on my clothes before re-wearing them, because laundry is expensive here. And, the dryers don’t actually do a very good job drying clothes.

There is no central heating here. Or screens on windows.

Gas is sold by the liter here, and is ridiculously expensive (over $2 per liter!).

Tights, boots, long sweaters and skinny jeans are very popular here. The skinny jeans with both sexes.

Practically the entire country is smoke-free. Technically, smoking is forbidden in all public places (meaning even sidewalks and streets), but that isn’t actually enforced very much.

Easy Mac just doesn’t taste the same here.

They have crosswalks here with no lights or stop signs. And yet, they work. Cars actually stop to let pedestrians cross!

NZ television doesn’t seem to be censored for language. You can hear plenty of “fuck”s and “shit”s on the tube. Also, I saw Janet Jackson’s boob appear during primetime TV.

There’s a pizza place here called “Hell.” The names of its pizzas are entertaining (such as the seven deadly sins), and they even have one named “Mordor.”

Some slang:
Upset = Gutted
Straight forward, blunt, etc. = Straight up
A lot = Heaps
Getting drunk = Getting pissed
Peanut butter and jelly = Peanut butter and jam (jelly here is Jell-O or fruit snacks)
Elevator = Lift
Trash = Rubbish
Trash can = Rubbish bin
Band-aids = Plasters
American football = Gridiron
Grilled cheese = Cheese toastie
Cool = Flash
Do you want to? = Are you keen?
The letter "Z" = "Zed"
Tasty = Yum (As in, "That was yum!")

Spelling is also quite different – oftentimes arbitrary, it seems. They’re fans of the British “re” instead of “er,” as in centre, litre, etc. I’ve also seen “tires” spelled “tyres.”

New Zealanders also seem fond of open-ended similes. The one I hear most often is “sweet as.” As in, “That was sweet as!” But what it was as sweet as, you never find out.

This certainly is not an all-inclusive list. It’s just what I can think of so far.