The Kiwis are so polite on the road.  It's "Give Way," not "Yield."

And so cute!
Slippery "When Frosty."

But remember . . .

THINK LEFT!!  THINK LEFT!!  THINK LEFT!!

Those of you who have driven on the left in other countries know what I'm talking about.  Everything revolves around this concept . . .

Normal driving on the left.  On a 2 lane road, the slow lane on the left, passing lane on the right.  Of course, the steering wheel is on the right side of the car and I can't tell you how many times I've turned on the wipers instead of the turn signals.  Geeez . . .

But also, moving sidewalks and escalators to go forward are on the left.  People often walk on the left side of the sidewalks.  And you really have to be careful when crossing a street.  Marlene and I have saved each other a number of times!

Driving habits are similar to ours in the Midwest.  Drivers are relatively polite and thank you when doing a favor.  There are many more motorbikes, skateboards and scooters used as transportation.  

The roads themselves are well maintained but signage isn't always the best.  And there are round-abouts everywhere, meaning stop signs are few!  I do miss the interstate system of the US.  Most roads and motorways here are simply 2 lanes, so traffic gets backed up easily.  Motorways do become 4 lanes (2 each way) closer to the cities but it still gets clogged.  

AND WHAT ABOUT GAS?

"Petrol" here is EXPENSIVE!!  After converting from liters to gallons, it figures out to about $7.50/gallon.  Ouch!  It's cheaper in the rural areas, but still much more than the States.  It's all imported!

AND OTHER DAILY EXPENSES?

Overall, more than the US.  Dairy products are about the same, wine is cheaper (lots of wineries here).  But produce is much more expensive, about double if not more.  I priced a basic Burger King cheeseburger at about $3 US.  Eating in restaurants is a bit more expensive but you can find good deals.  Same with clothing.  But electronics??  Forget it!!  This $175 US Chromebook I'm using could easily be 3 times that price here.  Many Kiwis order products online via Amazon, pay for the extra shipping and the wait, and still get a better price than here.

*** Thank God for US credit cards (with no foreign transaction fees)!  The US dollar is strong here so we're getting good deals.  We charge virtually everything.

And now, your extra point bonus question!!

"Translate" this New Zealand English into American English (answer given in next blog posting)

"After tramping, I'll have a thin flat white."  (and no, this is not something Donald Trump would say!!)

                                      

      

                                                    

Springtime in the Botanical Garden

Windy Wellington, The Classy & Cultural Capital

We love Wellington.  The capital city has a lot to offer - including incredible coffee!  Wellington is one of the top "coffee cities" in the world and we believe it!  We're moving to our "permanent residence" in Upper Hutt this weekend but will be in Wellington often.  So, a few pics for you to enjoy of this mini San Francisco.

"The Beehive"
Where New Zealand's
Parliament and Prime Minister
conduct national business.

Cuba Street.  The chic spot with great restaurants and cafes along a pedestrian mall.  And a kooky water bucket sculpture too!

Native New Zealand trees

Love the ferns!  All sizes and types.
One of the symbols of New Zealand.

And the coffee.  Second to none!

On Lambton Harbor

City view from the Botanical Garden

We finally arrived!

New Zealand Adventures

We finally arrived!  About 26 hrs. after leaving Cincinnati, we finally flew in to Wellington.  And on a beautiful day, too.  The final approach was gorgeous.

Cook Strait, between the North and South Islands

Southern Alps

Won't bore you with the details, but we tackled the 17 hr. time difference rather well.  That's 17 hrs. AHEAD of Cincinnati.   

Can't help but notice cultural differences, obviously.  How about . . .

1)  Incredible cleanliness!  There is just no litter anywhere!

2)  Ketchup.  That's right, ketchup.  Sweeter and has a more a distinct flavor of cloves!

3)  Love it.  No tipping at the restaurants and no hidden costs.  One restaurant bill was $68 NZ and we paid $68 NZ.  Buy a t-shirt for $20 NZ, you pay $20 NZ.  Current exchange rate is $1 NZ = 77 cents US.

4)  Accent is traditionally British and can still be difficult to understand but the more we're around it, the better it will be.  I've noticed soft "e"s, as in "best, veggies, better, news" are pronounced as long "e"s, so it's  "beeest, veeegies, beeeter, neeews."  

5)  They're quite interested in US politics and many were watching the Oct. 10 debate between Hillary and Donald.  And everyone we've met just cannot believe that Donald Trump is even being considered as a candidate.  They're just incredulous about it all.

The best thing?  The friendliness.  The Kiwis are so friendly and so polite!  Lots of smiles, and certainly a healthy, positive approach to life.  Meet our new friend Paulette below.  Has already invited us to her home in the South Island.  And she expects us to visit too!  It is NOT just a hollow invitation!

The Kiwis are SOOOO nice and friendly!