Lessons from New Zealand

I firmly believe that there are lessons to be learnt everywhere we travel… That’s one of the mail reasons that I am continuously moving on to the next destination – in search of the next ‘lesson’… There is so much to be gained through the sharing of ideas, through learning how things are done differently in different places… To often we fall into the trap of thinking that the way things are done at home is ‘best’ without knowing any different. To often we fear people from other cultures and other ways of life without ever experiencing what they have to offer, without learning anything about them.

Having said that, I never really expected New Zealand to be a place of learning for me. I kind of thought that my round the world trip would begin in China, and the New Zealand was a ‘warm up’ that would feel just like home, but despite the similarities, I have also discovered so many differences that were so much more interesting and exciting to me, perhaps because I didn’t expect them…

When I first arrived I was immediately struck by the similarities to Australia. The streets are wide and open. Auckland felt airy and light. They drive on the same side of the road. There are the same fast food outlets, the same convenience stores, the same coffee shops and chains all over the place and they look JUST THE SAME as in Australia. The feel of Auckland is quite similar to Melbourne, especially with the many ethnicities that I noticed walking the streets and working in the shops and restaurants. Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, African… I felt somewhat at home. I changed money with a Chinese lady because I saw a sign in Chinese that reported ‘the best exchange rate in Auckland’. I believed it, I think because it was in Chinese, so didn’t think to check the rates, and I later discovered that I was horribly taken advantage of, just like I imagine the Chinese-speaking tourists are. But they can’t read the other English signs around, so they have an excuse…

But the more things I noticed that were similar, the more I began to notice small differences that I found quirky and endearing. Shopping trolleys are called ‘trundles’ here. Hiking is known as ‘tramping’. Milk bars are called ‘Dairy shops’. If I kept a log I imagine I could fill a notebook with the different vocabulary alone. Also, there are no ‘Coles’ or ‘Safeway’ supermarkets, which became an issue the first time I went hunting for groceries. In fact, it took me a long time to even identify which of the big concrete structures WERE supermarkets and which were hardware stores because of the large number of unfamiliar names. I discovered that there is a very cheap place called ‘Pak ‘n’ Save’; as well as ‘Foodtown’, ‘Farmers’ and ‘Countdown’.

I learnt that Mauri people are very different to the Australian Aboriginal people. I always thought of the Mauri as the equivalent of Aboriginals in New Zealand, the indigenous people that had been here since history begun. In fact, the Mauri descend from Polynesian islanders, who landed here about 800 years ago, and decided to stay. They are so impressive. And they can spin poi with such skill it made me envious and inspired at the same time. The Mauri have connections to people as far reaching as Rapa Nui (Easter Island) off the coast of South America, Madagascar of the coast of Africa, as well as New Guinea, Indonesia, even as far north as Taiwan. There are connections in language, customs and genetic patterns. Another weird thing I learnt was that because the Polynesian settlers came from a tropical climate, none of their imported crops did very well in temperate NZ. So something positive that came with the arrival of the English, was that they brought with them foods like potato, and other stuff more suited to the climate. Who would have thought?

I also learnt that the city of Auckland is on a hot bed of 58 volcanoes, that could erupt at any time. At the Auckland Museum there is a simulation of what it would be like if a volcano were to erupt in the city… I went into the room thinking it was just going to be a video, and the whole room started shaking! It should have come with a warning label like the ones that say ‘This programme contains medical procedures’.

I’ve learnt that New Zealand is very green. This appears to be because it rains… a lot… I’ve used my umbrella more here in five days than I did in two months I was in Melbourne! Also, the gardens are pretty. And yes, there ARE lots of sheep. But there are lots of cows, too. No mentions the cows.

And I also discovered that it’s fun to giggle at the New Zealand accent. It really is very cute. I found myself imitating it without meaning to today, and I think I passed as local! (Or I passed as an idiot, who knows?) They do this weird thing with the vowel sounds, and it reminds me a little of that man in ‘Allo ‘Allo who is an undercover British agent and supposed to be speaking French. I think there are at least two vowel sounds in Australian English that don’t exist here. The ‘e’ from ‘pen’ and the ‘i’ from ‘pin’… What I haven’t worked out is if the way that these sounds are said sounds different to the local people, that is, if they are able to differentiate between these two words by sound alone, or if they have to use context. They both sound the same to me, but maybe there’s a subtle difference I haven’t quite worked out yet. But it’s been fun to try!

So that’s just a few of the things I’ve learnt in my adventures in New Zealand… Oh, I also learnt that it is dangerous to attempt jumps on a mountain bike, but I’ll write that story in my next blog entry.