Hello, Is there anyone from New Zealand?

Question

I have seen all the travel brochures for New Zealand, and it looks amazing. But before I go there, I want to know about the people, the culture. I want to know how people work and live. If anyone is from New Zealand, and doesn't mind telling me about their home,let me know.

Answer 1

How about the opinion of an American who worked in Australia for an exrtended period of time?

Australia and New Zealand is about like US and Canada, except Aussies and Kiwis are much more similar.

What struck me is that there is very little difference. Clothing and fashion is about the same. You have some differences in cultures from region to region just like in the US. They are facing about the same concerns and problems as the US. At the time, I still heard about minority affairs, political correctness, crime ,etc. the same as in the US. Shopping, stores, travelling, and even camping and hiking the National Parks were about the same (except that there the parks seemed to close sooner).

I did notice 2 differences.

1st was the accent. Sometimes I had difficulties understanding some Aussies, and some had probelms understanding me. I soon narroweddown the source. If they have what I called the "Crocidile Dundee" accent, I understood them. if they varied too far, I had problems. If they watched a lot of US TV shows or dealt with a lot of tourists, they understood me. If they didn't, they had problems. If you have an accent, try to cover it so they can understand you easier - don't make the big mistak of talking louder or very slow.

The 2nd was that they are much more outdoor oriented. They have a lot warmer weather and do far less indoor activities.

As for traveling, look thru the library and internet and build a list of things you want to see. i recommend looking away from spending a lot of time in the cities and going thru museums (a day or 2 is enough to get the flavor) and look for things you can't find in the US like animals and landscapes.

The 1st time I went on a whim with a tour group. the 2nd time I went touring by myself. the 2nd time was a lot nicer - the only difficulty was getting use to the different road signs and driving on the opposite side of the road when making turn in the middle of nowhere (I ended up taking duct tape and makiing a giant arrow to the left ot remind me) (sure, it sound easy, unless you are navigating an area you aren't familiar with at night with heavy traffic or absoutely no other cars).

Expenses: Rental cars andgas is more expensive. Motels are much cheaper. Fees for attracctions and souvenirs are cheaper. Food is about the same.

Avoid getting into any race relations discussions. They have a lot of the same difficulties and concerne we have. In addition, diversity is relatively new. For example, it was only in the last few dacades the Aussies eliminated the "White Australia" immigration regulations.

Have fun. It is one of the trips I would highly recommend. I plan on making another 1 or 2 myself some time.

Answer 2

Go to New Zealand It's brilliant. It has everthing from bustling metropolis like auckland and wellington where you can dance all night, see concerts visit galleries and museums and generally be cultured. What's fantastic about New Zealand is the closeness of everything an hour from the centre of auckland, new zealands largest city you can be in a forest or catching some waves on a surf beach. The scenery over here is amazing as a lot of the land is untouched by humans. If you come to new zealand you have to do the great walks, for what the place looks like watch lord of the rings which was all shot over here.

The people are friends and like a good laugh. They work to live more than live to work and it's a really laid back place where in the cities everyone works in offices but outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch it's pretty rural and farming is the main industry along with fruit and wine!!

I don't know anyone who hasn't fallen in love with this country. I came here from scotland a few years ago and have never looked back!!

Answer 3

Hi,
I live on the south coast of the South Island, 10 km from a small town. I came here from Britain. Some reasons I like living here are, when you're out in the bush or working in the garden you don't have any poisonous animals to worry about. There isn't much serious crime in this part of the country, although there are rough areas in the cities. The welfare state is still good; essential medical treatment is free. Food is cheap. There isn't much sectarianism or religious violence and very little racism. Pollution is less of a problem than in most countries. The scenery is great. This is one of the most remote parts of the country but there are some interesting places within a day trip, like Queenstown, Milford Sound, various lakes, the Catlins Coast and Stewart Island. Come over. It's a long way but once you arrive, it's a cheap place to live and travel around, except for a few tourist places. You'll enjoy it.

Answer 4

I object to the reference that you need to turn your watch back 20 years. Some towns are like that but every country has it's little towns. NZ is the same as anywhere really. People are generally nice, work in the same industries as the rest of the world. It is coming into spring and is very hot at the moment so it is nearly time to break out the barbeque. Yay, roll on summer! We have lots of great restaurants and even more beautiful scenery and beaches. You should come on down and check it out.

Answer 5

Being a Kiwi I am a bit bias but NZ really is a beautiful country and is the place to go for adventure.It has the lot,skiing,surfing,scuba diving,hiking through incredible bush ,fishing,boating etc.Plus a huge bonus is that everything is near since it is such a small country.The people on a whole are easy going who are willing to help their neighbours or anyone who needs help.I would suggest to anyone to visit NZ as it is an experience you will never forget and then you will want to recommend it to all the people you know.

Answer 6

It is Gods Own Country, He made the rest of the world then made NZ leaving out al the mistakes.
check the two links below you will findpleanty of information.
Just remeber to turn your clock back say 20 years. Life style is safe, Scenery hasnt been destroyed, Clean and green.

just comming into spring so look forward to a great summer

Answer 7

Just a correction to a previous answer - medical treatment is NOT free to overseas visitors from countries which do not have a reciprocal agreement with NZ. If you're coming from the USA, for instance, make sure you have travel insurance to cover any need for medical assistance that may arise.

Answer 8

I have seen pictures and travelogs of New Zealand, and it is so beautiful! Would love to see it. My friends have traveled there, and loved it. Had a great time.

By the way, I'm in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Answer 9

I stay in Auckland NZ, on the North Island. that is not that chilly yet wet, that's known for this time of 12 months. we've had wonderful blue skies nevertheless some days in the past. the climate interior the South Island does not look that sturdy nevertheless with frost this morning

Answer 10

I'm from Indiana in the United States