[Familyofmonkeys]

Still getting used to seeing people bare foot everywhere we go. Have you adapted to this habit, or still find it something you would not bring yourself to do?:exit

[snailandthewhale]

At first, I was horrified to see school children in bare feet, especially in the rain, but we've been here 6 months now and every day when my daughter comes out of school, the shoes are off, regardless of rain, cold etc. Her feet have toughened up considerably and she manages to walk on the roughest pavement, without complaining. I haven't braved it myself, yet. maybe in the summer...
K

[Caroline and Dave]

Still getting used to seeing people bare foot everywhere we go. Have you adapted to this habit, or still find it something you would not bring yourself to do?:exit

When we were in Southend (UK) a couple of years ago, there were notices up everywhere in shops along the front saying NO bare feet etc.
I think in the Uk once again it is a health and safety thing.
Certainly in our local Pak'nsave we have seen several people bare footed. Lets hope thay have no veruccas etc.
Personally I do not feel comftable walking around outside bare footed. I suppose after a while your feet will get accustomed to it.

Dave and Caroline

[nippa&pippa]

Still getting used to seeing people bare foot everywhere we go. Have you adapted to this habit, or still find it something you would not bring yourself to do?:exit

got used to see it but not try it myself yet. Only problem is my ds now trying to be "kiwi" by not wearing shoes!! Often picked him up from kindy to find them not wearing shoes on :laugh

[Sam B]

My kids always loved bare feet, and I like it too. But not when it's cold or wet.

[willsken]

My oldest son (14) wears shoes all the time. The youngest boy hates wearing shoes now, whatever the weather!:uhoh

[Nick88]

I would say half the kids at my daughter's school go bare foot during the day, even in the winter.

I think the English have a thing about it because not wearing shoes was always considered a sign of poverty, just like not wearing a hat outdoors used to be 100 years ago. I know it still shocks my inlaws when they visit, but we don't even notice anymore.

[CjChris]

I find this whole barefoot thing quite amusing! I grew up in the Appalachain mountains of Virginia. As children, we ran around in our bare feet all the time in the neighborhood (except in the fall and winter, of course). It had nothing to do with the fact that we were poor, either. It just felt comfortable.

As a grown up, I still love to get out in the yard in my bare feet, but I would never go to the store without shoes. That would seem weird! (Besides, I LOVE :p shoes!)

In NZ, is the no shoes thing mostly a kid thing, a native kiwi thing, a class thing, a school thing, or what?? Would you, for example, see people of all incomes, careers, and ages without their shoes? Just curious!

[Nathan]

For the past three months I've been in flip-flops or barefoot nearly all the time. I love it!! And I've gotten so I want the flip-flops off everytime I sit down. I just don't like things on my feet. :) I'm gonna like the no shoe thing.

:cheers

[tigerlily]

Trainers costing what they do, I'm glad that bare feet are an option!

[Myrkk]

We were the same as kids, bare feet all the time and as an adult I still can't wait to get home and get my shoes off, I wander around outside in bare feet all the time so I'm going to love it in NZ.

[dharder]

Still getting used to seeing people bare foot everywhere we go.

So, obviously showing my ignorance here, and of course I'm not there yet. But what do you do when you get back into your house? Do you wash your feet each time?

I think the main thing I'd find off-putting is that I constantly here tell my kids to take off their shoes as soon as they enter the house, and preferably would never ever wear street shoes inside. So how do you deal with that? Can't tell your guests to put some clean inside shoes ON when they come in I guess.


Just wondering,

Daniela

[jubjub]

I live in bare feet unless I go outside the boundaries of my property, then I put shoes on, although I did drive round to my friends house the other day and did not realise till i got there that I had no shoes!

People mostly take their shoes off before they come into your house here, as that is the local custom. As for the dirty bare feet, not sure what the answer to that one is.....

[Myrkk]

put a disinfectant foot bath at the front door :D

[movefromus]

I'm not sure of the reason for it...just a laid back mentality I think. I remember walking around the mall as a kid in NZ with bare feet....I remember walking through the car park (parking lot) barefooted....supermarket, etc., etc. We never worried about the dirt coming into the house (though I'm sure my aunt would have! She was a little more up tight about that stuff).

A lot of chinese people we knew had a bunch of slip on/slipper things in a basket at the door that visitors would put on when they came into the house after taking off their shoes.

[swissmissdesigner]

I love walking bare feet in my home and of my property too .
I would never do the same out side in public areas.
I am scared of fungous and infections.

[Carey]

Our kids very quickly went bare foot on our reccy, copying other kids. Still do back in UK at home but not in supermarkets! Found it very cold underfoot in NZ supermarkets, so no lingering once inside!
When I told people back home about it they asked repeatedly about glass and verrucca's and didn't we get affected by both? Do people/ kids get cuts or verrucca's more?
Seems far better to me for kids to wear no shoes for the majority of the time; feet can be splayed naturally with no pressure to shape the foot to fit the shoe. Far too much advertising here for parents to buy first shoes very early for young babies, lots of attractions in store that could make parents feel they should buy shoes as soon as possible.

[Croft]

Was in Tesco's last Saturday in Blandford Forum (Dorset, UK) and saw someone (late 30s guy) in bare feet - first time I've seen it in the UK! away from the seaside.

[Timbo]

I enjoy being barefoot whenever possible, but working on building sites doesnt allow for it obviously.
It amazes me to see the youngsters here running around on sharp volcanic rock with bare feet. I HAVE to have some form of shoes for that.

[Helsandfamily]

My son has had a crop of nasty verucas on his feet for a while - we have had a real job shifting them - we went on holiday he was bare foot for most of the time and most of them (he had about 10) have gone. he just has 1 now and even that is going !!!!:nice1

hels

[migratory birds]

CJChris asked: "...is the no shoes thing mostly a kid thing, a native kiwi thing, a class thing, a school thing, or what?? Would you, for example, see people of all incomes, careers, and ages without their shoes?"

Didn't see a response to this...what are your observations?

[Sam B]

Well, it's definitely a kid thing, it's also a native kiwi thing, but there are plenty who wear shoes all the time too, it's also an ex-pat gone native thing, and I also think there is a bit of a class element of it, especially in winter, as I have seen far less kids out on the actual street in barefeet in winter in Cambridge (which is quite affluent), but in Tokoroa where I work, most kids are on the street in barefeet all year round, even on freezing cold mornings. Tokoroa is far from affluent.

[incredible hulse]

Must say haven't seen as much bare feet in NZ as I noticed in Sydney when we lived there

[SharpBlade]

I used to work for a First Aid provider in Christchurch and people attending the class would regularly take off their shoes after a while (not all of them, obviously, but the more casual and laid back kind, or the younger ones).
I don`t see many people going bare feet now in winter but definitly in summer. At kindy, the kids drop their shoes in the "shoes boz" as soon as they go in, by choice.
I would go barefeet to the little dairy shop around the corner and wouldn`t bother to ask the kids to put shoes on in the summer. I have seen "normal" people ( I mean, not the hippie kind of guy) bare feet at the bank, the chemist, etc..
My family finds it a bit bizarre, but it s like sitting on the floor. We sit on the floor a lot despite our very nice sofas, and that `s something my 60 years old dad can`t understand (another generation, another country, etc..).
People coming to our house do what they want but I find that most of them automatically take their shoes off.
I actually can`t stand shoes, I am a flip flop kind of girl.
Laura

[Familyofmonkeys]

I think it is the verrucca thing that worries me.:o

Mind you...it is great that kids can be bare foot at school :nice1 ....when you consider how many hours they are there...wearing shoes that long cannot be good for your feet. In UK, they will even send kids home if they wear wrong kind of shoes...seems like health and safety has just gone too far, leaves no room for 'common sense' and allowing kids to be more careful next time if they hurt themselves.

[akp713]

I did find it amazing at first that people walked barefoot on downtown streets even in the winter. I lived for 6 months in downtown Auckland and I saw a lot of this. Personally I've always detested shoes and socks, but until I moved here never considered going barefoot an option outside the neighborhood. But as a university student in Auckland I went barefoot whenever I wasn't in class, to the supermarket, the mall, the dairy, on my bike, even on the ferry to Waiheke once. I always find the extremes in NZ funny, primary kids can go barefoot, but secondary school kids have to wear shoes and knee-socks!

I did have one experience that was quite different though. Once while shopping at the new Sylvia Park Mall I was stopped and told to either go buy some Jandals at the Warehouse or leave the mall. I soon saw that they had suddenly deployed security guards to every entrance to stop barefoot patrons, and this being a warm Saturday there were more than a few. The guard said that if I stepped on glass I could sue them. This was ridiculous since ACC would cover that and it would be my fault anyway for not watching my step. But what was worse this was creeping Americanism, an assault on a practice that is quintessentially Kiwi. Perhaps aware of how un-Kiwi their stance was at a mall that proudly declares itself 'Kiwi-owned' they never posted a sign saying shoes were required. But several months later no one, not even kids in the midst of summer, went barefoot in that mall. I decided to patronize other malls where I never had another problem.

[sidabrine]

I wouldn't feel comfortable not wearing the shoes, because I'd be worried about stepping on glass. Do you look at your feet all the time as you walk barefoot? How do you make sure you don't hurt yourself? Still watching people with no shoes in amazement. It can't be too healthy on a freezing morning, can it?

- woolen socks fan

[akp713]

Personally I didn't walk on city streets without my jandals, although I have certainly seen Kiwis doing this. Regarding glass, once you walk barefoot regularly the soles toughen up and you don't get cut unless you step on a really big shard which would be easy to spot and avoid. Personally I have never had a cut on my foot from being barefoot. As to the cold, it is your overall body temperature being too low that can make you vulnerable to illness. We know most body heat is lost through the head, but quite a few people go hatless in quite cold weather. If you dress warmly enough with coat, etc., being barefoot shouldn't make you ill at all. As to fungus, they grow in damp warm environments, like a shoe. I would agree that walking barefoot and then putting on shoes to do some activity, especially without socks, may increase the chances for athletes' foot.

However, that being said I would not do the numerous physical activites such as rugby and athletics that Kiwis, especailly kids, do regularly. I did break one toe and badly sprained another playing frisbee barefoot and running barefoot as a kid and have learned not to do that since. Although my days of running are pretty much over now since I injured my knee tramping near Waihi last year and have since been told I have the beginnings of arthritis in the joint at age 22.

To sum up my opinion, walking barefoot about the shops or the market or at school are okay even in the winter on occasion. But barefoot running, and sport, with a few possible exceptions (Gymnastics, Beach activities) raise the risk of injuries. But I believe the decision about whether the risks are acceptable should be made by the individual or by parents and not by schools and businesses or government. That is what I like about NZ, you have a choice.

[sarahjones]

Since moving to NZ if I need to wear footwear all I require is ..

1) A pair of Red Bands for Winter (rain or shine)
2) A pair of formal shoes for weddings, funerals or other similar occasions
3) A pair of jandals for the rest of the time

[speckythecky]

Its something I used to do in UK but now do more often in NZ

[Moorf]

The guard said that if I stepped on glass I could sue them. This was ridiculous since ACC would cover that and it would be my fault anyway for not watching my step. But what was worse this was creeping Americanism, an assault on a practice that is quintessentially Kiwi.

I find that so un-Kiwi - hope it doesn't spread..... :mad:

[mgbridges]

I didn't think my son would go native quite so quickly but... more and more often this week he has asked to go bare footed and has spent all this afternoon barefoot - after swimming class, to and from the car in the car park, around the shops on the way to the cafe at lunchtime, home to get beach stuff, on the beach, from the beach to the supermarket, going round the supermarket and now at home.

I'm delighted as I think its better for him but find myself scanning the pavements/roads/beach/grass or wherever we are for dog mess, glass and any other potential hazard all the time! :roll

Now all I need is a pair of jandals/crocs or similar to make transfer from beach to car that much easier for me... can't wait for our stuff to arrive and to dig out my flip flops which I rather stupidly didn't pack in the suitcase - d'oh!

Anneliese

[thezorbster]

Our little girl has gone native quickly too. It was funny to see her initially tiptoeing around playgrounds on delicate, soft little feet whilst others raced past her but her feet must already be hardening up as her speed is increasing and her feet are forever filthy. She's always saying now "people in NZ have bare feet, now I'm in NZ so I must have bare feet too" as if it's a rule she must follow.

[kzn2nz]

Wow! Another great reason to get to NZ! My kids can literally not leave our yard without shoes. We have broken glass on almost every street, from people drinking on the pavements. My kids would LOVE to run around without shoes!!!

[surfie]

Once while shopping at the new Sylvia Park Mall I was stopped and told to either go buy some Jandals at the Warehouse or leave the mall. I soon saw that they had suddenly deployed security guards to every entrance to stop barefoot patrons, and this being a warm Saturday there were more than a few. The guard said that if I stepped on glass I could sue them. This was ridiculous since ACC would cover that and it would be my fault anyway for not watching my step. But what was worse this was creeping Americanism, an assault on a practice that is quintessentially Kiwi. Perhaps aware of how un-Kiwi their stance was at a mall that proudly declares itself 'Kiwi-owned' they never posted a sign saying shoes were required. But several months later no one, not even kids in the midst of summer, went barefoot in that mall.

How long ago was this? I was there in early Aug and I definitely recall seeing kids in barefeet. Only saw one security guard too.

[akp713]

It was the first week of September 2006, and after I was told to get out or get some jandals I started looking around to see if others were barefoot and I saw 8 people barefoot in the mall, but they definitely had more than one security guard and stopping people who were barefoot was clearly their goal. The next time I was there was in January and it was a warm day but I think I saw one barefoot kid who probably just wasn't noticed that time.

Perhaps, hopefully, they have given up this policy as unenforeable or unpopular. I left NZ earlier this year so I don't know if it has changed, I'll check it out when I return in Feb. 2008. The funny thing is NZ malls and markets have a long list of things you cannot do in them, like skating, taking photos (My mother, who was visiting, got yelled at for taking a photo in a New World in Devonport) and other things, but never any signs restricting bare feet. Funny thing since in the US malls rarely have these signs up, yet I'm sure they'd pitch you on the street if you dared to walk in barefoot to a supermarket, but they'd have no problem with tourists snapping photos.

I just hope NZ never goes the way of the US, which unlike the UK was once just as barefoot friendly as NZ. Then whether it was a backlash against hippies or just tennis shoe consumerism, the US lost that part of our culture back in the 1960s. Whenever I told my story about the mall to my kiwi mates at uni they would shake their heads and agree that NZ was losing that part of the culture, though in typical kiwi fashion they blamed it on the immigration of people with different values.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Arrggghhh.....my daughter has started to go native. Every day when I pick her up from Kindy she has lost her shoes and has filthy dirty feet. First we have to go on a shoe hunt, and then I get strange looks from some of the other parents when I make her put her shoes back on to walk up the road to the car.

Guess I'll have to get used to the grubby bare feet :wah

[shakyle2906]

I am always barefoot around the house, always have been, and go down the drive to mailbox and thats trhe limit.

OH and son always got something on their feet.

It was funny when we first got here and Kyle went around to a friends house and as you say, nearly everyone takes their shoes off at the front door. The mum said when we went to pick him up how funny it had been to see him playing with her twins but when he was walking or running in the grass, he picked his feet and walked funny if you get m meaning, didnt like the feel that much. He did once choose to go barefoot at the Park but soon changed his mind........

Sharon
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