Kiwis Through The Eyes of a British Backpacker
New Zealand is a small yet beautiful country hiding in a very cheeky location at the bottom of the earth. But, before you start packing your bags, toothbrush and giving away the family pet, there are a few things you should know about these bizarre and quirky creatures we call the Kiwis.
1) Kiwis Are Lovely People Until..
Kiwis are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Friendly, fun, helpful, polite, accommodating and will give you the shirt off their backs if need be. But if you dare to criticize their beloved Rugby Team (the All Blacks) this could lead to mortal consequences. Root for the Aussies or Brits over the Kiwis in anything at all, and you are basically asking for instant death. Unexpected backpacker be warned!
2) Kiwis Hate Carrying Cash
Kiwis have many passions. Besides their undying love for Rugby and their hate for loud mouthed Aussies, there is one strange phenomenon that beats them all. Eftpos! For those of you not living in NZ, Eftpos is basically a banking transaction system which allows you to pay via debit card instead of using cash.
I cannot count the number of times I've walked in and promptly back out of a shop with my Kiwi friends because Eftpos is not accepted. When you curiously ask the Kiwis why don't they just pay with cash, they give you a look like you just molested grandma! Kiwis hate carrying cash which is a shame, their currency is so cute!
3) New Zealand's National Symbol - The Kiwi Bird
Before my arrival to New Zealand, I had gawked at many a photo of the infamous native Kiwi Bird. Due to it being a flightless bird, I was expecting it to be a decent sized beast. Perhaps even rivaling the mass of an Ostrich or Emu without the long gangly legs of course. Yet my perception came to a screeching halt when I encountered my first Kiwi Bird at Auckland Zoo. They are small, cute and adorable! Small enough to hold them in your hand! They say a photo can add 5 kilos, this is definitely the case for the poor Kiwi Bird. They are not the giant creatures many a stupid backpacker is lead to believe.
4) Kiwis are Very Proud of their Confectionary
Kiwis are extremely proud and protective of New Zealand made confectioneries and desserts. And if you dare to challenge their taste buds on this topic, it could once again lead to an early death. My personal favorite are pineapple lumps, which basically consist of a soft chewy pineapple flavored candy wrapped in delicious chocolate. Put a packet of these in front of me and I will demolish them all within one day. Okay I lie, one hour! Another dessert you will hear the Kiwi's mention a lot is the Pav, short for Pavlova. Rumour has it those pesky Aussies tried claiming the Pav as their own. How dare they! Although research into the origins of the Pav have lead back to cook books in America and Germany, but this is one argument I will keep my nose out of!
5) Aussie Bashing
Another very popular national sport in New Zealand (besides Rugby), is Aussie bashing. In the beginning I thought it was just friendly neighboring banter. And the majority of the time it is. But add a little alcohol, and the Kiwis can become very passionate for their hate of Aussies. Followed closely behind Aussie bashing, is Brit bashing, American bashing and the occasional South African bashing. Canadians some how get off the hook. When asking Kiwis about their reasons for Aussie bashing, you will hear many different responses. But from what I can understand, many of the big Aussie corporations like the Banks, Iinsurance Companies, Media and even Super Markets have taken over the New Zealand market, and the Kiwis feel like they are losing their identity. Plus losing much of their population to Australia and Britain only adds to the fire.
6) The Kiwi Accent and the Destruction of Vowels
The first few months of attempting to understand the Kiwi accent was a struggle. In general, the accent is not too much different to Britain or Australia, except for the pronunciation of vowels. This can become very confusing and comical in the beginning. I will give you an example, I was buying some clothes in Auckland. After handing over my credit card to the check out girl, she asked me what sounded like "Pen or Pin"?. After repeating this a few times, I finally got it, signature or pin code. So I finally answered her question with PIN please. But instead of handing me the EFTPOS terminal to enter my PIN, she kept trying to give me a 'pen'. This was very funny and confusing at the same time. The Kiwis have shifted their vowels, but it shouldn't take long to get used to it.
7) New Zealands Cold War - North Verse South
After a few months of living here you will soon realize there is a cold war going on between the North and the South. And when I say south, I mean anywhere south of the Bombay Hills. Many a Kiwi has told me Auckland is not the 'Real New Zealand' although this is where almost half of the population lives. Some place the root of this ill-feeling squarely on Aucklanders themselves for being brash, hustle & bustle city types, who are obsessed only with the rat race, congested roads & making money by exploiting those hard working, 'Real Zealanders' from the south. This is another argument best to avoid for the unprepared backpacker. I found Kiwis in both the North and South to be kind friendly people so I have no dog in this fight.
8) Kiwisms and Kiwi Slang
Okay it took me a while to get my head around the kiwi slang and 'Kiwisms, but I will do my best to prepare those who are planning to visit New Zealand. The most common being..
Jandals - Basically rubber flip flops, or thongs.
Judder Bar - A speed bump or hump
Dairy - A corner store, similar to a 7/11
Handle - A Pint Of Beer
Pav- Short for Pavalova a famous Kiwi Dessert
Chilli Bin - A cooler or Esky.
Steinie - A common Kiwi Beer, short for Steinlarger
Feijoa - A popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly eaten which is green and sweet.
Togs - Swimwuit.
There is plenty of Kiwi slang, too many to list. Words such as cuz, cuzzy, bro, sweet-as, yeah nah will become self explanatory in time.
In conclusion, you will have the time of your life either backpacking, living and working in NZ. Many people fall in love with the country, it's people and never leave.
'Written by a Brit with tongue in cheek, who backpacked around New Zealand for 12 months.'
New Zealand is a small yet beautiful country hiding in a very cheeky location at the bottom of the earth. But, before you start packing your bags, toothbrush and giving away the family pet, there are a few things you should know about these bizarre and quirky creatures we call the Kiwis.
1) Kiwis Are Lovely People Until..
Kiwis are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Friendly, fun, helpful, polite, accommodating and will give you the shirt off their backs if need be. But if you dare to criticize their beloved Rugby Team (the All Blacks) this could lead to mortal consequences. Root for the Aussies or Brits over the Kiwis in anything at all, and you are basically asking for instant death. Unexpected backpacker be warned!
2) Kiwis Hate Carrying Cash
I cannot count the number of times I've walked in and promptly back out of a shop with my Kiwi friends because Eftpos is not accepted. When you curiously ask the Kiwis why don't they just pay with cash, they give you a look like you just molested grandma! Kiwis hate carrying cash which is a shame, their currency is so cute!
3) New Zealand's National Symbol - The Kiwi Bird
4) Kiwis are Very Proud of their Confectionary
5) Aussie Bashing
Another very popular national sport in New Zealand (besides Rugby), is Aussie bashing. In the beginning I thought it was just friendly neighboring banter. And the majority of the time it is. But add a little alcohol, and the Kiwis can become very passionate for their hate of Aussies. Followed closely behind Aussie bashing, is Brit bashing, American bashing and the occasional South African bashing. Canadians some how get off the hook. When asking Kiwis about their reasons for Aussie bashing, you will hear many different responses. But from what I can understand, many of the big Aussie corporations like the Banks, Iinsurance Companies, Media and even Super Markets have taken over the New Zealand market, and the Kiwis feel like they are losing their identity. Plus losing much of their population to Australia and Britain only adds to the fire.
6) The Kiwi Accent and the Destruction of Vowels
7) New Zealands Cold War - North Verse South
8) Kiwisms and Kiwi Slang
Okay it took me a while to get my head around the kiwi slang and 'Kiwisms, but I will do my best to prepare those who are planning to visit New Zealand. The most common being..
Jandals - Basically rubber flip flops, or thongs.
Judder Bar - A speed bump or hump
Dairy - A corner store, similar to a 7/11
Handle - A Pint Of Beer
Pav- Short for Pavalova a famous Kiwi Dessert
Chilli Bin - A cooler or Esky.
Steinie - A common Kiwi Beer, short for Steinlarger
Feijoa - A popular garden tree and the fruit is commonly eaten which is green and sweet.
Togs - Swimwuit.
There is plenty of Kiwi slang, too many to list. Words such as cuz, cuzzy, bro, sweet-as, yeah nah will become self explanatory in time.
In conclusion, you will have the time of your life either backpacking, living and working in NZ. Many people fall in love with the country, it's people and never leave.
'Written by a Brit with tongue in cheek, who backpacked around New Zealand for 12 months.'