Just the Little Things

aurora · Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2004 1:41 pm Post subject:

There is a really nasty road rule that will cause major problems for someone like me who comes from Australia. In NZ, when you come to a set of green traffic lights and you want to turn left, you have to give way to all traffic.

Back in Oz, you just turn left regardless of all other traffic (unless you have to give way to pedestrians).

This is all fine for a kiwi who migrates to Oz - you will just make a nuisance of yourself until you figure out the local rule. But for an Aussie migrating to NZ, it could have disasterous results!

Scrivo · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 11:06 am Post subject:

craigstacey · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 12:13 pm Post subject:

aurora · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 10:26 am Post subject:

JCM · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2004 8:01 pm Post subject:

Mrs JCM's been out shopping today and, amongst other things, bought some hangers for our wardrobes.

Is NZ the only country in the western world where the shops hold onto hangers as a matter of policy and you have to buy your own? Nutcase

And what's this Yoda Way Give, Craig? It must be Star Wars, but I don't get it. Embarassed

SoCal Gal · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2004 5:21 am Post subject: Just the little things

JCM, these are exactly the kind of things I wonder about, and I do appreciate your posts. Here in the U.S., I have noticed that unless I buy something really fancy at a nice shop, the clothes are folded up and put in a bag, without hangers included. If I buy a dress, generally it will have a bag put over the hanger and everything. Any mens clothing I have purchased has always been taken off the hanger and folded into a bag. Plus, the hangers that they have in most of the shops here are pretty bad, you wouldn't want them in your house. Most of my hangers I have gotten from the drycleaners over the years. Also sometimes buy the 10-pack of plastic hangers at the discount stores for a dollar. We'll bring our hangers!
cool

JCM · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2004 3:29 pm Post subject:

Cheers Socal Gal Clink

It's good to know that we're not alone in NZ regarding hangers.

I remember in the UK that you got hangers with all the clothes you bought and, of course, clothes don't last for ever but the hangers do - and you'd end up with wardrobes bulging with hangers.

An Irish comedian, Dave Allan, used to make a joke of this, telling everyone to leave one coat-hanger alone in a wardrobe then check the next day - you'd find two. Coat-hangers breed Eek

(But maybe only in the UK). Laughing

MichelleW · Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2004 3:49 pm Post subject:

aurora · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 11:27 am Post subject:

Hi Michelle,

There is one further bit of info I didn't mention in my previous post - I've noticed that it's not just at traffic lights where you have to be careful turning left. For example, if you are driving down the street and want to turn left into a side street, you still have to give way to any oncoming traffic that also wants to turn into that same side street (even though there are no traffic lights involved). So, like I said, always be careful when turning left! (the equivalent of turning right in the US).

By the way, I lived in the US in 1993 for a while (Silicon Valley) and my understanding of the local road rules was that turning right was the same as turning left in Australia. The only difference was that at a red traffic light you were still allowed to turn right (after giving way to any traffic).

At least on Macquarie Island and in Antarctica I didn't have to worry about any road rules (only rule was to give way to all seals and penguins).

I love my new life here in Christchurch, but I knew that I would because of several holidays to the South Island over the past ten years. So it was never really any gamble for me to come here, and Oz is just a short cheap flight away (it's not so convenient for all you people who live in the wrong hemisphere). I have recently purchased a house in a suburb called Bryndwr/Burnside. Once that's all settled, I can knuckle down to the real reason I came here - tramping (called "hiking" in the US and "bushwalking" in Oz).

PS I have cousins who live in Florida

Cheers!

MichelleW · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 2:14 pm Post subject:

Hi Aurora,
Congrats on buying a house!! One of my main reasons for wanting to come is for hiking as well,and camping,fishing,canoeing.

Your life in Macquarie Island and in Antarctica sounds fascinating.
For years I always thought I would move to Australia eventually but I have really fallen for New Zealand.It was not very easy for me to decide between the two but NZ really does seem ideal for the way I would like to spend my life and I don't have to worry about poisonous snakes.Have you noticed any other major differences between the two countries? I have always been curious if there is a big difference in the kiwis and aussies accents.

Clink

Michelle

veronica · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 8:16 pm Post subject:

I have always been curious if there is a big difference in the kiwis and aussies accents.

The difference is about the same as between the american and canadian accent. If you know them both you can pick it out, if you don't its safer to say an "antipodian" accent and not risk insulting them by putting them into the wrong country. Both countries seem to be as touchy about this as the americans and canadians are. Veronica

aurora · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2004 10:11 pm Post subject:

If you are torn between the two countries, I'd say that it doesn't really matter which one you choose - once you get citizenship, you are free to move across the ditch (Tasman Sea) to live and work. So making the wrong decision at the beginning isn't the end of the world.

As for the difference in accents, yes it's like the US and Canada - it's usually only people from North America that can easily spot the difference, and similarly while it's easy for Australians and Kiwis to recognise each others' accents (the difference in vowel pronounciation is quite large) most foreigners would struggle to pick the difference. To an Australian, the kiwi accent sticks out like a sore, wonky thumb. I don't know how an Australian accent sounds to a kiwi, but I know that they think it sounds pretty hilarious in a Crocodile Hunter kind of way. Aussies couldn't care less for being mistaken for a kiwi, but I don't think it works the other way around.

As for poisonous snakes, you are more likely to die from hypothermia hiking in NZ than from snake bite hiking in Aus. But yeah, it is kind of nice to roll around on the forest floor without fear of being bitten. Although I have to warn you, the sandflies are really bad in NZ when you head into the bush.

Cheers
aurora

MichelleW · Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 9:13 pm Post subject:

When there was the whole fiasco with Steve Irwin and his baby and the croc I read a thread on america online and there were alot of people saying he had to do that with the baby because in Australia you have to battle crocs on a daily basis LOL Nutcase

.I do have to say that good ole Steve was probably the one who scared me about the snakes there,although when I did a search I read that there are actually more people who get bit by poisonous snakes here in the US than in oz.
I think the accent thing is about the same way here.I've never known an American who would be offended by being mistaken for a canadian but i'm not so sure that a Canadian would like being mistaken for an American.Some americans do sound Canadian (at least to me)I lived in Wisconsin for a short while and the accent there is very canadian to me.I am originally from the midwestern US and have no accent at all..at least to myself Razz

Michelle

Gratto · Testing The Water Joined: 13 Feb 2004 Posts: 9

one thing I noticed about the accent is that mostly the east and west coast seem to be the same for the most part. You get into differences in the south and the north.(Wisconsin, Texas, and Alabama being the most different). From there Boston is alittle different and people from New York just like to swear alot.(joke) but you can take someone from cali and slap them in New York and not really notice to much of a difference.

MichelleW · Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 6:27 pm Post subject:

To me the people in Cal don't have much of an accent at all and the people in NY and up the east coast have majors accents,especially the use of R.The only thing i've ever been told and this was by my friend in NY was that I prounounce everything really clearly..and I sayPop,instead of soda.It's funny how we all hear accents differently.

Michelle