In celebration of the approval of my residence visa, I'm going to share with you in this post some interesting facts about New Zealand and the Kiwis. New Zealand is known for its extreme sports and beautiful landscapes, but that's not all the Kiwis have to offer. So let's get to the curiosities:

1. Security

New Zealand is a safe country, of course. But I bet a lot of people think it's a 100% safe country. It's not. Before I moved here I was told it was so safe that people would leave their cars with the windows open in the supermarket parking lot, but that's no longer the case. Theft has increased a lot in NZ recently. In the 1960s the prime minister of NZ knew all the prisoners in jail, unlike today when that doesn't happen any more and the population has increased considerably. There are thefts, I've been robbed twice here (and never in Brazil!), but there's no violence.

     2. Food and housing

Food is expensive! I was amazed the first time I went to the supermarket and saw a cucumber for $3 and a bell bell pepper for $4. Of course, these prices change according to the season, but it's still expensive. Fruit is also available according to the season. Housing is expensive (between $100 and $500 per week), especially in the cities. That's why it's very common to share a house with flatmatesNormally, each room in the house has a price (depending on the size and utilities) and the tenants pay the owner separately.

3. Walking barefoot

It's a Kiwi tradition to walk barefoot in the street. Yes, you read that right, in the street... I've asked a few people why, but nobody knows for sure. It's certainly a Maori tradition, the Maori are Polynesians who lived on the islands of New Zealand before the British colonized the country and they walk barefoot. It's very common to see barefoot children in the supermarket, for example, even in winter. And usually when you're a visitor you take off your shoes before entering the house. I don't know exactly why, but it's often because of the carpeting (many houses have carpeting and to keep it cleaner they don't wear shoes in the house), but it's not a rule.

4. Country countryside

New Zealand is a totally countryside. There are only 16 cities (on the South Island: Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Invercargill and on the North Island: Wellington, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne, Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Taupo, Whangarei, Whanganui) and the largest of them is Auckland with just over 1 million people. Many say that Auckland isn't NZ, because it's too much city for this country. NZ has a very rural culture and if you want to get to know the Kiwi identity, you'll find it in the countryside. NZ has many isolated places, for example, the north-east of the North Island (East Cape) is a completely remote place with wild horses on the beach and you can find settlements of 6 houses, with a church and a cemetery. The sum of the inhabitants of the North Island is more or less 2/3 greater than the inhabitants of the South Island, so this applies even more to the South Island. A very interesting Kiwi tradition is to find objects hanging on the fences at the side of the roads. From bicycles to bras, shoes, surfboards, etc. And you can find them everywhere.

5. Kiwi Emancipation

In New Zealand, turning 18 means the long-awaited independence and emancipation from parents and the plunge into the great experience of life. In general, Kiwis start working and leave their parents' home early, sometimes before finishing school. That's why it's very common for them to share a house with flatmatesEach person pays their own way. In many places it's common to go to college when you turn 18, but here it's not a rule.

6. Hiking and animals

The culture of hiking, walking in forests and mountains, is admirable in New Zealand. This country is known for its scenery, and that's true, you don't have to go far to get a breathtaking photo. But, for me, what makes New Zealand special is the fact that there are no animals that pose a danger to your walk, the only thing that makes your trip dangerous is the weather (the biggest cause of death is hypothermia). Elsewhere, you may encounter bears, wolves, coyotes and many other animals that may surprise you. However, it must be incredible to witness wildlife the way it is and to see wonderful animals in their prime. habitat natural, but let's face it... you can't be completely comfortable with the possibility of being attacked by an animal like that (who has seen Revenantyou know what I'm talking about...).

7. Climate

It's often said that you can experience winter and summer on the same day in New Zealand. There are two reasons for this, firstly because the country has a temperate climate, i.e. varied temperatures with well-defined seasons, and the landscape varies between beaches and mountains. And the second reason is that the country is small. So, for example, you can go skiing in Mount Ruapehu and on the same day in summer go to a very hot beach in HastingsIt would be a bit tiring, but you can do it lol. Or, on the South Island you can go to the Mount CookNZ's highest mountain at 3,724m in Queenstown and on the same day go to Alexandra, a city known for its high temperatures in summer, and of course we're talking about summer, because in winter it's cold everywhere lol!

8. Typical food

The Maori call food kai and sea food is called kaimoana. The most popular of these is called paua. Paua is a mollusc from the sea, about the size of the palm of your hand, black in color and with a pearly shell. I can't explain the taste, but it's a strong taste, very much like sea iodine, if that makes sense... Apart from that, you can find it everywhere Fish'n'Chips which is nothing more than breaded fish and French fries, is a kind of fast food New Zealander.

9. Official languages

There are three official languages: English, Maori and sign language. English is the English that everyone knows. Maori is used a lot too, everywhere information will be in both English and Maori, so you end up learning a few words in Maori. When I first moved here, I thought that sign language was a special language of the Maori, but I had never seen anyone speaking it, and that's when I discovered that sign language is really sign language...! The language of the deaf and dumb, used in England, Australia and New Zealand! Yes, it's an official language here. I thought that was great. Every country should have this as an official language, right?

10. Consumption and discount

Kiwis are not consumerists at all. Yes, for someone who grew up in a society as consumerist as Brazil, coming to New Zealand is different. I'll give you some examples to help you understand. Firstly, there's no such thing as buying presents for everyone and there's no advertising, promotions, campaigns, massive commercials like you see in America (one thing that makes me furious and that I miss, is buying Christmas presents and the store offering the gift package, in New Zealand almost no store even has a gift bag, you have to buy them separately and make the package yourself, isn't that annoying?! lol) In New Zealand the consumerist desire is more direct. Secondly, people generally don't care about cars, so your first car will probably be an old one... Another curiosity is that you never ask for a discount here. Some people even take it as an insult. There is no discount policy in New Zealand and this also applies to cash and tips. There's no incentive to tip or cash in, unlike in the US where there's a big tipping culture, since most of the salary is made up of tips, but here the minimum wage is relatively good.

I hope you enjoyed these 10 interesting facts about New Zealand and the Kiwis. If you have any questions or suggestions for a post, leave them in the comments =)

Have a good week guys! =)

With love,

Cha😉