Courtesy and service. People are consistently
nice here. Staff in shops actually seem to mean it when they
ask if they can help. And they generally do help!
No tipping in restaurants. It's not expected
and we get terrific service anyway.
The unitary government. The
federal government here rules. No states. Local governments have
control over local stuff, but for so many basics, there's just one
government to deal with. Need to renew a car registration? Do it
at the Post Office, electronically, and you're done. Want to renew
your registration for 1 year? Six months? Some other period?
No worries, mate. Your car inspection is done at a private garage.
They key your "warrant of fitness" into the national DMV's database and an
hour later you're good to go at the Post office to renew. You gotta
LOVE this.
Tort reform. Back in the '80's NZ overhauled
its tort law and basically eliminated the need for most tort litigation.
Accidents are almost all no-fault. Compensation claims are handled
through the Accident Claims Commission (ACC), a government body. The
only car insurance you need here is for collision damage.
Public restrooms that are clean, safe, accessible
and commonplace. Also, eco-toilets, with two buttons. One for a
small volume flush, one for full. Brainless environmental sensitivity.
The landscape. Look at the photos...'nuff
said.
Work-life attitudes. People go home, or out
to socialize, before dinner. Jodie's office is deserted after 6 and on
the weekends. Annual leave -- minimum 3 weeks now for everyone,
soon to go to 4 weeks. Good on them!
The Southern Cross. On a clear night the star
view is awesome, even in the city.
Question time in Parliament.
The roads. They're beautifully scenic,
relatively uncrowded, and only 2 lanes most of the time.
Top Things We'd Change About New Zealand (we
couldn't come up with 10!)
Single glazed windows. Even newly built homes
usually don't have double glazing. Hey, wake up -- it's only a few
thousand kilometers to Antarctica!
Central heating. As in, there isn't any.
See above.
The roads. They're
relatively uncrowded, only 2 lanes most of the time and beautifully scenic. But not when
they are crowded with double-trailer lumber and stock trucks grinding up
steep grades. Especially at night when they aren't lighted.
Especially when other drivers routinely blow past the speed limits and pass
with abandon. Someone here commented that it's hard to take seriously
a country's claims to be counted in the OECD's league when the main national
highway is basically a 2-lane farm-to-market road that includes a 3-hour
ferry crossing for all goods and people moving between the two islands.
TV. Imagine the worst US shows, PLUS the
worst EU and UK shows. PLUS some really lame local productions.
We're even suffering through a hype-filled New Zealand Idol.
Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbot, 2 meters tall,
in front of me every morning at the gym on ESPN. This defines "limits of
globalization" for me.
Top 10 Things We Love About Wellington
Size. What a marvelously compact city. We love being
able to walk everywhere
The setting. The city is snugged into a harbor. There
are ocean views everywhere from within the city. Hundreds of
kilometers of wild, beautiful coastline are within an easy drive or even a
stroll from downtown. Yet a short distance away the city is ringed by
steep hills. Hundreds of acres of urban parkland snake through the
city's borders and beyond.
The Botanic Gardens. Just footsteps from our door, this
lovely park spreads over hillsides and valleys. From its spectacular
rose garden to a duck pond, to the deep, dark pathway lined with glow-worms
that captivate at night, this is a priceless asset.
Karori reserve. The city has taken an old reservoir
catchment that dates to the earliest Pakeha, as well as Maori, settlement in
this area and turned it into a large, predator-free reserve. The whole
area is surrounded by a pest-proof fence. Intensive trapping has
eliminated the stoats, possums, rats, mice and other non-native predators
that have otherwise devastated the bird and plant life. Without these
pests around, the native bird population has re-established itself.
Native plant life is once again thriving. The park boasts everything
from paved paths to full tramping tracks.
Cafes. They're everywhere. They're comfortable.
They're crowded. They let you sit for hours reading the paper with no
hassles.
Strong coffee. Really strong, full bodied brews.
We're hooked.
The City Walkways. A network of paths, mostly rough tracks,
ranging through parkland in three different parts of the city. A
walker can literally go from one end of the city to another following these
bush tracks and, for most of the way, be in forest and bush. The paths
run along private property boundaries. Sometimes you are looking right
over someone's backyard fence. But mostly the paths run through quiet
parkland.
Te Papa, the national museum. Perched on the edge of
Wellington harbor, this new and modern building is a complex yet accessible
introduction to New Zealand. It has sections on natural history, Maori
and Pakeha culture, immigration, and visiting exhibits. The
architecture is controversial. But we love it. Tons of effort
went into creating exhibits that children could enjoy. But it's also
sophisticated and challenging for adults.
The festival culture. Okay, it's a small city. It
supports a modest performing arts community. Government is the main
business. But the city government has adopted a marketing program, Absolutely, Positively Wellington. It helps support a
constant round of festivals -- a bi-annual International Performing Arts
Festival, an International Comedy Festival, and others. Free concerts
every summer week in the Botanic Gardens.
The people. Like elsewhere in NZ, the people here are
friendly and easy to be around.
Barry
and Jodie's Kiwi Adventure