As I’m typing this, we are preparing to leave New Zealand in just under two weeks. By the time you read this, we will most likely already be on a plane headed for Fiji. And if we’re completely honest, heading to Fiji isn’t ever a sad thing, but the leaving New Zealand part? That’s a different story.
It goes without saying that we will sorely miss the people we have come to know and love here in Aotearoa. I’m amazed at the connections we’ve made and the friends we’ve gained from nine months here.
But there are other things specific to New Zealand that we will miss when we’re back home in good ole Nashvegas. Five things come to mind almost immediately:
5 Things We Will Miss Most About New Zealand
1. Being so close to the beach all the time.
If only Nashville weren’t a seven hour drive from the nearest beach. As much as I love our home city, this could be the one thing that would make it nearly perfect for me. You’re never more than a couple hours drive from the beach anywhere in New Zealand. And boy, are those beaches incredible! Sunsets on 90 Mile Beach, surfcasting in Parengarenga Bay, camping on the Coromandel, hiking at Bream Head, lounging around at Long Bay, picnics at Bethells Beach or Mission Bay, watching surfers at Raglan, brunch across from Mt. Maunganui’s beautiful beach, strolling along the sand in Gisborne. I could go on . . .
2. Grass-fed beef by default
New Zealand’s meat and dairy industry isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but not having to worry about unnecessary antibiotics, steroids, incredibly harsh living conditions, and an unhealthy diet for the cows here has been fantastic! CAFOs (confined animal feed operations) aren’t allowed for cattle in New Zealand. For just one of the many reasons why grass-fed beef is better not only for the animals, but for the health of the people who consume it, here’s a blog post I wrote on Laurel of Leaves about what happens in the stomach of a corn-fed CAFO cow.
3. Grocery store brands like Phoenix cola, Bundaberg ginger beer, & Lisa’s hummus
Is it obvious by now that we love food? Ginger beer has become a new favorite treat for us, along with Phoenix brand of organic cola and juices. (Thanks to Ashley & Justin for introducing us to Phoenix in the first place! And to the next item . . . ) Lisa has become our favorite hummus-maker with ridiculously delicious flavors like Jalapeno Lime, Gloriously Garlic, and Roasted Kumara.
4. Roundabouts
Who needs traffic lights? Drew loves driving through the plentiful roundabouts in New Zealand, which do such a great job of keeping the flow of traffic moving. Let’s petition Nashville to implement more of these!
5. Kiwi slang
Learning Kiwi slang was an adventure for us at first as we learned that we were not wearing bathing suits, but togs. Our flip-flops were jandals and we packed our suitcases in the boot of the car. We filled up little Blessing with petrol, not gas. We didn’t rent snorkeling gear, but we hired it. The trash can is a rubbish bin, dinner is often called tea, and a flashlight is known as a torch. A slang code decipher for our favorite terms is below:
Sweet As: I concur that what you propose is good by me
Choice: Pretty darn good
Eh?: Don’t you think?
Keen: Interested in or happy to partake in what was proposed
Good on you, mate: Congratulations, well done friend
I’ve found that plenty of Kiwi slang has naturally crept into my vocabulary. My apologies if you have no clue what I’m talking about when you see me next in the States!
There are also, however, a thing or two we will not be sorry to leave.
What We WON’T Miss About New Zealand
1. Prickly, pokey gorse.
Remember back in Nelson when we raked gorse from a hillside and Lori got scratches all over her ankles and Drew fell into a pile resulting in pock marks all over his bum? Yeah, enough said.
2. Internet data limits.
You never know a good thing til it’s gone, eh? (See how I did that? :-P) We will be so grateful for unlimited broadband Internet and free wifi in the States! We’re excited to jump into work with Green Pond Creative and all the other blogs, online portfolios, & Internet-based ventures we’re a part of.
