Layering

The weather here has also been a huge surprise for me. Somehow New Zealand has managed to convince the rest of the world that Kiwis live in a tropical paradise. This may well be true in some places on the North Island, but one look at a world map will show you how far south the country really is. In fact, the only other landmass as far south as we are in Dunedin is the south tip of South America, where snowy Patagonia is located.

Take another look at that world map and notice how close New Zealand is to Antarctica. With no other landmass between New Zealand and the South Pole, Antarctica’s icy cold winds blow straight up to New Zealand, often bringing snow in the middle of the summer. That being said, the ozone “hole” resides over New Zealand, making the sunshine extremely intense. In fact, New Zealand has the highest skin cancer rates per capita in the world. Whatever you do, don’t leave the house without a raincoat and sunscreen (the strong winds render umbrellas pretty useless).

New Zealand weather brings me to topic: Kiwi houses. For living in such a cold climate, houses here in Dunedin are generally not well insulated, if they are insulated at all, and have poor heating. Furthermore, the single pane windows let every single gust of icy wind inside, our curtains are constantly moving. In the winter (or anytime a southerly change blows up from Antarctica) olive oil becomes SOLID, bedroom temperatures drop into the 40s (although I've already experienced that as we head into "summer"), and the refrigerator is often warmer than the house. I'm not kidding. 

Call it Kiwi heartiness, or lack of quality resources, or denial, or plain stupidity, but living in a freezing home, in my mind at least, is not an adventure and does not build character. Just how many wool layers can you put on and still function properly to cook dinner?