Things we love about New Zealand

Now that we're stateside again, we thought it only appropriate to publish our Top 50 Things We Love About New Zealand.  These are in no particular order, but we do realize now, that there are tons of wonderful things we never posted about (many marked with a *).  Maybe we'll have it together enough to post some of those things in the near future, as we see this as a chronicle for the long term for our family as much as for you.

1. Lack of capitalistic attitude.
2. Friendly kiwi natives (the people, not the birds),.  Although we're not sure the people are MORE friendly than many Wisconsinites.
3. Seeing water pretty much wherever you go as we travel through Auckland.
4. Ability to get to the water quickly and easily.
5. Black sand beaches, some nearly secluded: Piha, Muriwai, Bethells, and Whatipu
6. White/yellow sand beaches: Mission Bay and Long Bay, and the across the Northland.
7. On the South Island, smooth-rock covered beaches, such as Hokitika.*  
8. Christmas on the Beach.
9. Easter on the Beach (at Long Bay*).   
10. Air New Zealand.  Fast, easy, friendly, efficient.  
11. Auckland's PLAN, in writing, to be the most livable city in the world.  They ranked #3 in 2011, but that isn't good enough for them, and they have details and strategies outlined to 2040.  They are walking the talk.
12. Coffee, coffee, coffee (all espresso based)...especially flat whites.  Or even lattes in bowls--actual bowls!  Wherever, whenever.  We've never seen so many cafes, coffee trucks, espresso machines, in our entire lives!  And only about 1 out 20 cups isn't delicious.
13. 100 cultures represented in Auckland alone. 
14. Bi-cultural integration.  Although there may be issues, the Maori culture is in line with and inseparable from the mainstream.
15. Walking barefoot--anywhere and everywhere.
16. No air pollution.
17. Seeing the constellation Orion standing on his head.
18. Seeing the constellation the Southern Cross.
19. Seeing a sky full of stars even in the metropolis of Auckland.
20. The Auckland skyline.
21. Devonport.
22. Wellington.
23. The South Island.
24. The Northland* (we only touched the top of the iceberg with Liam's videos).
25. Rotorua.
26. Auckland and its various neighborhoods.*
27. Tax is included in all purchases.  No surprises or recalculations at the register.
28. Tip is included in all food prices.  Again, no surprises.
29. At cafes, it is usually frowned upon to clean up your own table.  Not that we cannot clean up after ourselves, but if we're paying for it, it is nice to have it done.  Also, you always get a clean table--  never a semi-clean table where the last customer didn't do such a great job.
30. The sounds (such as Milford and, the other one we hope to see some day...Doubtless Sound).
31. The sounds -- of bugs and birds, even in our Auckland neighborhood.  
32. The volcanic cones.  How often can we walk out our door, go for a quick stroll, and decide to climb a volcano?  We did it many times. Our walks included Mt. Eden*, Mt. John*, One Tree Hill, and a myriad of other smaller cones.
33. The food.  We've been here four months and had two meal that were questionable.  Okay, three...one was the night R cooked some random mixed up dinner with what we had in the fridge. But there is so much good food to choose from--we've had Malaysian, Chinese, Maori, and northern Indian food to name just a few.  We found a fantastic southern Indian restaurant last week and have already been there twice.
34. Pies.  Not the sweet kind, but meat pies.  They are a staple of snacktime.
35. Fish and Chips.  We've had it all: tarakihi, hoki, snapper, and maybe some other types.  After several months, we favor snapper.  Our favorite spots are in Devonport and Manganui* (in the Northland)
36. "No worries" attitude and"Leisure and Lifestyle" way of life, even for those who HAVE jobs.
37. Parnell Baths*, Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Museum*, Winter Gardens*, etc. etc.
38. Flightless and nearly flightless birds: brown kiwi, spotted kiwi, etc., weke, and pukeko.  We could watch pukeko for hours.  They are very strange birds.*
39. The flying birds:  the tui's beautiful song, the friendly little fluttering fantail, and the clever kea and its antics.*
40. Very little dangerous flora and fauna here.
41. 53,000 Kiwis who in the 2000 census stated that their religion was "Jedi," making this the second most popular religion in New Zealand.
42. The whole country has about half the population of New York City.  This really came to light with our recent return trip to Los Angeles and the staggering number of people at a science museum we visited.
43. Wine.  We now even appreciate wine with twist off caps--you cannot buy anything else that we've seen.
44. The smell of Manuka (of Manuka honey fame).
45. Festivals, festivals, and many more festivals.
46. Bungy jumping.
47. Kid-friendly stores and restaurants.  Almost everywhere that we've been, there have been toys or books for the kids to play with or read.  
48. Low crime rate.
49. Different trees:  especially kauri, pohutakawa, and tree ferns.
50. Long weekends, multiple holidays, and the holiday bach, the place to go during these times with family and friends.

So for now, we say with sadness "E noho ra" ("good bye" from those leaving) to New Zealand and New Zealand says "E haere ra" ("Good bye from those not leaving" to us).  We're sure to return again.

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