1. Maori People are really really big and somehow don’t find warm clothing necessary even in the winter. Also, some women are difficult to tell from men, both tend to have long hair warn on the top of their heads and I have seen them with no shoes on various occasions.
2. Wheat sticks cereal tastes like cardboard. Most cereals under $6 do.. stick with jam in your corn flakes in oats or spend a ton on Musili.. the rest is pretty ick.
2.5. Make your own Musli J
3. Everything shuts down at 6:00. Slightly later on Saturday (not Friday though) and earlier on Sunday.
4. Rotorua smells like sulfur but is very beautiful.. great thermal parks and a gorgeous lake and spas… worth visiting.
5. New Zealand is very backpacker friendly! People are very very kind and there are hostels called “Backpackers” everywhere. Also, there are many communities and places to WOOF and meet other backpackers which are worth checking out. Things are most often better when you have someone to share with J.
6. The mountains are amazing! Pay attention to the scenery on the bus rides J! It’s worth it!
7. It rains A LOT in Auckland! It’s always always damp.. even the stuff you haven’t warn yet is damp. Also, they don’t have many driers. Soo hanging out the laundry is an art in its self because it is more than likely to rain at any given time.
8. Possums in new Zealand are cute fuzzy animals not ugly vermin like in the U.S. However, they were brought over from Australia so many New Zealanders still see them as a nuisance.
9. Nakedbus is pretty cheap travel, but book in advance! Prices go way up the closer to the date you get.
10. Drip Coffe doesn’t really exist. You have to buy a “Longblack” which is essentially an Americano but sadly is always at least $3 at the cheapest and sometimes even more than a Latte.. not good if you’re a coffee addict such as myself!
11. Gum is expensive too. 2 packs are more than 3 and they have few options to choose from.. gum addiction.. not good either haha.
12. Jelly = Jell-o and Jam = Jelly
13. Don’t buy make-up. Even on sale it’s $20 L
14. New World has awesome nuts and dried fruit!
15. Running shoes.. like everything else.. are terribly terribly expensive.
16. Mullets apparently are still sexy???? I disagree but it seems the guys at Lincoln don’t.
17. Everyone hates America. Claim Canadian, you’ll have to prove yourself less and you can avoid the awkward government questions.
18. They don’t have snow plows. They just use graters and that, quite honestly, doesn’t work at all.
19. “Lollies” = candy and most are pretty gross.
20. Kiwi boys think very far ahead very early on, and further are very very into their girlfriends (not necessarily a bad thing but surprising).
21. People are extremely relaxed and friendly. No rush everywhere. The moto is, "she'll be alright."
