kiwi funfacts

for those who've never been, here are some interesting / unique facts about New Zealand:

• kiwis get their name not from kiwi fruit, but from a rare nocturnal flightless bird that exists only here


• the most popular kiwi expression is "sweet as!" (e.g. "i won the lottery" "sweet as!") it only took me a week to stop waiting for the rest of the sentence ... sweet as what?!


• meat raffles! they are astonishingly commonplace (after sporting events, at work functions, etc.) weird!


• deer are raised as cattle here for their meat, aka venison (a paddock of deer is a very strange sight for a Canadian)


• bed linens are called Manchester (e.g. "50% off all Manchester, this week only")


• El Camino-style vehicles (car-trucks) are still popular and are referred to as "utes"


• corrugated aluminum siding is somehow considered a stylish option for accenting one's home


• the most popular sport for women is net ball, which is basketball without dribbling or backboards ... and when someone tries to shoot you aren't even allowed allowed to try to block them (read: boring!)


• speaking of women, they outnumber men 2:1 (this sounds like it would work in men's favour, but, no offence ladies, there are very few lookers)


• continuing with women (i'm not obsessing, i swear) New Zealand was one of the first nations in the world to allow them to vote, way back in 1893!

trevor orders a latte in NZ

barista: that'll be four teein
t: how much?
b: four teein
t: fourteen?!
b: four teein!
t: [looks at her like she's crazy] it's fourteen dollars for a latte?!
b: TEEIN!
t: [shakes his head] ........ oh wait, four TEN??
b: YEEIS!!

someone really needs to teach (west coast) kiwis to pronounce their vowels properly! :P

subdued fires

what you call passion is not spiritual force, but friction between the soul and the outside world. where passion dominates, that does not signify the presence of greater desire and ambition, but rather the misdirection of these qualitities towards an isolated and false goal, with a consequent tension and sultriness in the atmosphere. those who direct the maximum force of their desires toward the centre, toward true being, toward perfection, seem quieter than the passionate souls because the flame of their fervour cannot always be seen. in argument, for example, they will not shout and wave their arms. but i assure you, they are nevertheless burning with subdued fires.
~ Hermann Hesse, The Glass Bead Game

sweet as

hey'all! yes, i am a bad, bad friend ... i've stayed offline for most of my journey thus far .... but i must admit that it's been a rather refreshing change. anyway, i did manage to post some pics on facebook, and a picture says a thousand words, right?! ;)

i've had a blast in New Zealand though, and will now attempt to update ye on some of my adventures to date:

my first week was spent in and around Christchurch catching up with my sis and Andrew. this was a nice relaxing start to my vacation (can i still call it a vacation when i've been traveling most of the year?! i'm not sure about that (would you believe in heaven if heaven was all you had?)) anywho, Carrie is doing really well (i've never seen her so happy, in fact) and regular baby kicks remind us all that there's another person in the room who wants some attention too!

next i ventured into the countryside to spend a short week out at Andrew's family's sheep farm and to spend time with his (and my new) family. being a city boy, there were plenty of new experiences to be had, include corralling sheep and cows, driving ATVs and tractors, and a lot of opening and closing of paddock gates! (i now consider myself an expert at the latter)

family catch-ups complete, i began my exploration of the country with a tour of the south island. instead of hiring a car or taking individual buses and planning each day out myself, i decided to put the grunt work in someone else's hands and book one of those hop-on hop-off bus tours. two weeks in, i don't regret that decision at all. i've met some great people and did most of the south island circuit with the same cool group (a nice mix of young irish, brits, and canadians)

highlights of the south island tour included:

• swimming with wild seals in Kaikoura (they were so inquisitive and cute ... came within inches of me on multiple occasions!)
• sea kayaking and tramping in Abel Tasman national park
• spending a day walking around and exploring the Franz Josef glacier (i couldn't believe the access we had: the guide took us into tight crevasses and everything!)
• jumping out of a plane from 12,000 feet and living to tell the story (i've wanted to do this for quite some time, and wasn't disappointed in the least ... the smile didn't fade from my face for days!)
• relaxing and partying in the beautiful towns of Wanaka and Queenstown (i'm going back with the family after Christmas)

overall, i've been extremely fortunate: great people, wonderful adventures, and (dare i rub it in) beautiful summer weather! :)

yesterday i took the ferry to the north island and am currently spending a bit of down time (from the rigors of bus travel) in the lovely city of Wellington. next is a trip to Auckland, where i'll hop on a bus tour to further explore the north.

well that's my four dollars worth (everything, including internet access, is rather pricey here.) there are more facebook pics to come when i get back to Christchurch for Christmas (that's alotta Christ, eh?!) and i'll try to blog more in the meantime.

love you!