Just the Little Things

JCM · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:23 am Post subject: Just the Little Things

I was thinking about Ian's 'Am I crazy' thread and how I and many others are crazy/trusting/naive/reckless/desperate/ enough to emigrate without even visiting first Razz

. What are the little things we notice here that we didn't see in guidebooks etc?

I'll kick off with something unusual from a UK perspective...........

Houses here don't have letter boxes.

They have postboxes where your front garden meets the pavement. Great for the posties. They do their rounds on bikes with a big basket on the front to hold the mail and never have to go up driveways or paths to houses.

goldwheels · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:41 am Post subject:

I can live with that. It'll save the dog from ripping up the mail. Laughing

I myself have not been to NZ before and due to start a new life in January there. The people you talk to and the internet make NZ a promising place. I haven’t spoken to anyone yet who has down sided NZ. We all have to make a go of it, and in the worse scenario you can always come back, and in that case it's usually family that draw people back to the UK. Nutcase

JCM · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2003 8:17 am Post subject:

This applies to Christchurch but I'm not so sure how much it applies to other cities.

You'll hardly ever need to do another three point turn.

Most of the streets here are so wide there's enough room to turn a car through around in a semi-circle without the need for a three point turn. It gives the city a really spacious feel.

Again, for Christchurch,

There's always a play-park fairly close to your house.

This is great if you've got kids.

John Miller · Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 11:32 am Post subject:

JCM · Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 5:31 pm Post subject:

I know exactly what you mean John.

Now, trivial for some, but.....

New Zealand is a haddock free zone.

How I long for some lovely, fried, fresh haddock in breadcrumbs. My favourite fish by far but they've never heard of it here.

dan-ish · Posted: Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:36 am Post subject: One-way

With regards to this:

ENZ · Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2003 7:07 pm Post subject:

If it's trivia you want.... Mr. Green

TV adverts here are only shown during programmes, not between programmes.

The upshot of this is programmes run into each other with very little in-between time. So more adverts are shown during programmes than would be the case otherwise Sad

.

Did anyone understand any of that? Laughing

JCM · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 2:41 pm Post subject:

Sort of

The next trivial observation,

Is it a funeral, or is it just some women going to work?

Why do women here wear so much black to work - are they giving the rugby team some much needed backing? Confused

JCM · Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2003 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: One-way

karltsmith · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2003 1:11 am Post subject:

Just a thought on the little things!

When your milk gets delivered in the UK it's also being delivered in NZ at the same time! Spooky? Or just good sense.......It's delivered in the late afternoon so it doesn't have to sit in the sun all day!

Helen · I'll Hang Around A Little Joined: 19 Nov 2003 Posts: 15

Hi Karl,

I thought this was another tradition that had passed into history and that these days everyone bought their milk at the supermarket . Are there many people who still get it delivered? Confused

Is delivered milk still the norm in New Zealand?

andy · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:36 am Post subject:

Eftpos!!!

martwend · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:55 am Post subject:

Hi Helen,

It may be quaint but we still have our milk delivered here in the Scottish Borders....handy as there isn't a shop for several miles!

Wendy

JCM · Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2003 8:49 am Post subject:

Hi Andy, Eftpos certainly beats carrying a checkbook around. I've been using it for 5 years now. Has it still not caught on elsewhere?

Hi Wendy and Helen and Karl. We buy milk at the supermarket. A lot of our neighbours still have their milk delivered though. A milk van comes around our cul-de-sac every day around 6 pm. You know it's here because they have a hooter that sounds just like a huge cow mooing. Laughing

JCM · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 1:28 pm Post subject:

Toilets and bathrooms in NZ houses are separate.

From the UK we looked at NZ houses on the internet and we were amazed at the number of rooms you could apparently use to go to the toilet. We'd commonly see houses advertised with en-suite bathroom, bathroom and toilet or even 2 toilets.

Did Kiwis have some strange problem with their bowels we wondered? Laughing

It was only when we got here that we realised that a bathroom here tends to be just that, there's a bath and sink. In a separate room, you'll find a toilet and sink. Much more sensible that the usual arrangements in old Blighty. Razz