Huge thanks to Sarah Von of Yes and Yes, for bringing her positivity, wit and adventurous spirit to Lovelorn Unicorn today!
Now, I’m not a real kiwi. I’m only an honorary one, having spent a year and a half there earning my M.A. at VUW. But I would be honored to someday call myself a New Zealander and I really can’t stop singing the praises of Aotearoa to anyone that will listen. There are approximately a million reasons you should visit the land of the long white cloud, but I’ll try to limit myself to ten.
1. The total and complete lack of bullshit
A Kiwi will not tell you that your outfit is cute when it’s not. They will not suggest getting a drink together and then forget about it. They will not screen your calls and avoid you but then come to your wedding for the open bar. The average New Zealanders’ candor and lack of pretense is fantastic, refreshing and kind of makes you want to ask the entire country for their input on that new guy you’re seeing.
2. The shocking and ethereal beauty
Everybody knows that New Zealand is gorgeous, right? I mean, they filmed a movie based in a fantasy world there. But New Zealand occasionally seems to lose track of how amazing it is – like that girl that got hot over the Summer and hasn’t figured it out yet. The mountains that surround the highway leaving Wellington (just your average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill Kiwi mountains) would warrant huge “Scenic Overlook” signs in any other country.
3. Wellington
Do you have a soul mate city? My heart is divided between Berlin and Wellington, and I think the latter might be winning. It’s the cultural and governmental capitol of the country, it’s got more cafes per capita than NYC, great boutiques, hip citizens and you can walk nearly everywhere. Really, it’s enough to make you look past the hurricane-level winds.
4. You might see Jemaine and Bret
For realz? I saw Mr. Flight of The Conchords himself *twice*: once behind me in line for a movie and once eating a corn dog in the food court of Reading Cinema. And these funny men aren’t the only ones you’ll spot! With Peter Jackson in town, you’ll surely see other famous folks, and since it’s such a compact city you might just run into rockers who are hanging out after their show. My former flatmate saw Fergie on two separate occasions, all tiny and eyelinered and trying to hide in her hoodie.
5. Vogels
Vogels is the best bread you’ll ever eat – half English muffin and half wholewheat treat, it’s perfect covered in butter and a paper thin slice of smoked cheddar. You’ll also love Frank soda and pavlova, the kiwi dessert that’s the love child of a meringue and angel food cake. Kiwi cuisine is some of the most delicious you’ll ever try – fresh, diverse and interesting. I cannot, however, vouch for the whitebait. I’m afraid that’s an acquired taste I will not be acquiring.
6. Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is not recommended in America. Or Canada. Or really? Most countries. And to say that it’s ‘recommended’ in New Zealand might be something of a stretch, but this little country is safe enough, and traveler-centered enough, that hitchhiking with a friend is totally doable. A kiwi friend of mine spent her 18th Summer hitching her way around the South Island and picking cherries!
7. A crazy diverse population
New Zealand is home to only four and a half million people but a large percentage of those people were born elsewhere. The streets of Auckland and Wellington are lined with Malaysian, Indian and Chinese restaurants and you’ll hear every language under the sun at the Sunday veggie market. The country seems to a great job of integrating all these cultures; Wellington hosts a great Chinese New Year’s party and the country does a great job of acknowledging Waitangi Day.
8. The Cultural Phenomena of the O.E.
In America, you’re considered a world traveler after a three-month study abroad program in an English speaking country. Or if you’re *really* intrepid, maybe you spent a summer backpacking around Western Europe after you graduated. But kiwis? The travel bug is so thoroughly ingrained in New Zealand culture that they’ve got a proper name for it: ‘The Overseas Experience.’ Travel agencies tout even offer O.E.s as packages – to the Americas and Southeast Asia and obscure Eastern European countries. Instead of viewing travel as a questionable hole in your resume, employers view globe trotting as valuable life experience. Imagine that!
9. Kiwi Ingenuity
Is something broken? There’s a good chance that any good kiwi can fix it, and they can probably fix it a roll of 8 gauge wire. There will be little fussing, no complaining and there probably won’t be any self congratulation when it’s fixed, but it’ll be fixed nonetheless. Kiwis are some of the most capable, inventive and simultaneously modest people I’ve ever met. They climbed Mt. Everest and broke the land speed record, you know!
10. New Zealander English
For the first month that I lived in New Zealand, I spent a good portion of my time concentrating on the mouths of the Kiwis that spoke to me and smiling and nodding when I had no idea what they were saying. Eventually I caught onto the fact that ‘cuppa’ was a cup of tea, ‘sussed’ meant ‘to figure out,’ ‘pissed’ meant drunk (rather than angry) and ‘shout’ meant buying drinks for everyone, not yelling. I’m afraid I may have had an embarrassing interlude in which a professor asked me who shouted in America for birthdays and I primly told him that we didn’t usually celebrate by yelling at each other. But I later came to love Kiwi English and now I’m very much that annoying American who’s always going on about my ‘flatmates’ and ‘uni’.
Why do you love New Zealand?
One of the things I want to do after I qualify (I’m studying law part-time at the moment) is spend a couple of years in NZ.
Ah! I might visit NZ in April, this is a great post x
Owwh, this was definitely further encouragement that I should move to New Zealand. If I get one more sign I’m booking flights… Beautiful post :)
Ah, New Zealand! I only spent a month there, but NZ is one fantastic country… I didn’t want to leave. Completely agree on #1 :)
I have always loved New Zealand and it is my lifelong dream to emigrate there. I have researched this trip and decided that I will obtain my Bachelors in Environmental Science first and then move there so as to make me more valuable to their beautiful country during the process. I would love to hear any tips on how others have made the journey.
Uuuhh I really wanna go now!
You hit the nail on the head about NZ. It’s a fantastic place to live! We live in a little corner of West Auckland which to me is like paradise, it’s beautiful!!
Everyone should visit, and as much as the North Island is beautiful, the South Island is simply stunning!
Oh this post made me so happy. I am so proud to be a kiwi and a wellingtonian. Originally from deep south, I agree with Kate. My perfect holidays have been driving around south.
What about Whittakers’ chocs? :)
Oh, how I adore New Zealand! I love it so much that I love you for loving it :)
My husband and I came here for 2 weeks in January for our honeymoon (after a disastrous evacuation incident in Fiji) we spent a week on the north island and a week on the south island, but as soon as we landed in Queenstown I knew I was home.
6 months later we were handing in notice to our jobs in Sydney, renting a house online without ever seeing it in person and packing up to move. We’ve been here 2.5 months now and love it intensely, we are renting a house right on lake Wakatipu near Queenstown and life has never been better.
Everyone should visit New Zealand.. and hey, we have a spare room if you need somewhere to stay! :)
I would love to go there one day…the photos I’ve seen have got me dreaming ^_^
Zoë
I was born in Aoteroa, spent the first 8 years of my life there and have visited my family there many times. So there’s so much of the country ingrained in my soul, and Sarah Von has hit the nail on the head with many of these points. But the things I miss are often quite intangible: when it rains in Australia, it’s gray, death-like; but in New Zealand everything is green when it rains and you realise that it brings life. I miss stormy beaches where you can never swim, and the brilliant design aesthetic, and the proud Maori culture. Ahh, New Zealand – it will always be home.
I LOVE NEW ZEALAND, born and bred there – I may be a bit biased. But I’ve been to various other places around the world, and none can match NZ. Everyone should come visit!
Yay for Aotearoa – New Zealand! I too am born and bred here and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. My best things about Kiwi-land?
- the lack of bullshit. That is so true. We call a spade a spade.
- the crazy West Coast. Whitebait, nikau palms, swandries and gumboots at the pub, stormy beaches, wicked thunderstorms.
- Maori culture. Hangi (food cooked in an underground oven), poi (hard to explain but basically a ball on a string which you use to dance), the most beautiful spoken language, hongi (pressing your noses together as a greeting), marae sleepovers, and the most gorgeous ta moko (tattoo) ever.
- the green. Amelia is right. Other than Niue I have never seen a country that is so green and lush. The smell of the rainforest after it rains is heaven.
Come visit, we are real nice, and who knows? You might just see a hobbit!
I enjoyed reading your list! As a true, blue kiwi, it’s always interesting reading what other people think of NZ. Even thought I really want to travel overseas more, NZ holds a special place in my heart :) Love it.
cute post! It made me appreciate what I’ve got! I’ve lived in NZ for 8 years now after being dragged here kicking and screaming as a moody 14 year old. Now, I realise there is so much that is great about this country (even though the shopping leaves something to desire :-s).
thanks for reminding me what I’ve got right under my nose.
Wellington is my home town + will always hold my heart but I now have a new love + its called Taranaki…….where else in the world can you have a mountain with a beach almost at the base of it!!
love your piece Sarah.
spring lambs! teal water! great people! vegan “meat” pies!
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I didn’t know this until I packed my bags and left home (new plymouth) and moved to London. I love England but Aotearoa will always be my home. how long are you going to be living there?
This made me smile!
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tim tams!
Boo! I just found out that my parents had a choice of immigrating to Canada or New Zealand…and they chose Canada. Don’t get me wrong, Canada is an awesome country, and a very close second, but seriously, who gets the chance to move to New Zealand and gives it up? One day I will make it there and experience my would-be life. :) Until then I will keep reading posts that make me want to empty my bank account on a flight…