OK, I've been here almost 6 months and I still can't understand Kiwis sometimes! Not only does the accent make it hard, but Kiwis talk fast and often mumble. My friends for whom English is a second language joke that successfully ordering a sandwich at Subway with the all ingredients you actually want is the gold star of understanding the Kiwi language.
Some things here also have a different name than we are used to in the US, making communication even more difficult or possibly embarrassing!
Here are some of those words:
Serviette=Napkin
Napkin or Nappy=Diaper
Torch=Flashlight
Boot=Trunk of the car
Bonnet=Hood of the car
Fringe=Bangs
Root=To have sex (Yeah, don't say you "root" for a sports team here...)
Braces=Suspenders
Capsicum=Bell Pepper
Coriander=Cilantro
Courgettes=Zucchini
Aubergine=Eggplant
Chips=Fries
Crisps=Chips
Flannel=Washcloth
Jandals=Flip-flops/thongs
Jersey=Sweater
Jumper=Wool sweater
Lolly=Candy
Nought=Zero
Zed=the letter Z
Petrol=Gasoline
Rubber=Eraser
Sticking plaster=Band-aid
Valet=A person who cleans cars, NOT parks them
Friday, April 3, 2009
Poolside Haka
The other night we went for a swim at the community pool and witnessed 2 swim teams perform the Haka before their swim meet.
The Haka is the traditional Maori dance that includes shouting, postures, and facial expressions and is performed by a group. The All Blacks, the New Zealand rugby team, has popularized the Haka through their performances before a match. However, the team's war Haka is only one version of Haka among many, and not all Haka are exclusively war dances or only performed by men.
Here is a video of the All Blacks performing the Haka before a match against England in 2004. It also has translations of the song's words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y
Every time I see the Haka performed I get goosebumps. It's such an intense, passionate dance that rattles me to the core. It's quite intimidating!
However, the skinny, white, teenage swimmers performing the Haka on the pool deck were a different story.
The Haka is the traditional Maori dance that includes shouting, postures, and facial expressions and is performed by a group. The All Blacks, the New Zealand rugby team, has popularized the Haka through their performances before a match. However, the team's war Haka is only one version of Haka among many, and not all Haka are exclusively war dances or only performed by men.
Here is a video of the All Blacks performing the Haka before a match against England in 2004. It also has translations of the song's words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMCAV6Yd0Y
Every time I see the Haka performed I get goosebumps. It's such an intense, passionate dance that rattles me to the core. It's quite intimidating!
However, the skinny, white, teenage swimmers performing the Haka on the pool deck were a different story.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Death by Cold
Oh boy, the days are becoming shorter, darker, and colder here in the southern hemisphere, a reminder that winter is fast approaching. Winter in Dunedin means a bitterly cold house, and just in case you still weren't convinced about the severity of cold New Zealand homes......
Last week, one of Dunedin's weeklies published a story about HomeSmart, a research program designed to investigate how to help Dunedin home owners keep their houses warmer during the "bitterly cold" winter months. Research shows that because of Dunedin's location and a high number of old wooden houses without insulation, homes here are even colder then others in New Zealand. The research team leader said that she had heard stories of people waking up to "frost on the duvet covers and ice on the inside of their windows" (Jones, Pam. March 26 2009 Dunedin Homes in Winter to be Studied. The Star. pg 4). Friends of mine have warned me that during the winter months, houses are often colder than the refrigerator!Brrrrr......
Previous studies have also looked at cold New Zealand homes. A 2006 study by the Commissioner for the Environment, showed more than one million people were living in cold, damp New Zealand homes below the minimum temperature of 18 degree C recommended by the World Health Organization.
In a presentation made to the NZ Government Treasury, Otago University researcher and healthy-housing expert Philippa Howden-Chapman demonstrated that New Zealand has low building code standards and there is high level of deferred maintenance, leading to poorly built homes that are cold and damp (Howden-Chapman. 2006. Housing in New Zealand: private assets with public consequences).
But that's not all. Recent studies also suggest that there is a relationship between cold homes and poor health. A 2007 study at the University ofOtago found that 1600 New Zealanders die every winter, more than during other season (Davie GS, Baker MG, Hales S, Carlin JB. 2007. Trends and determinants of excess winter mortality in New Zealand: 1980 to 2000. BMC Public Health 7:263). The researchers suggested that warmer homes could help keep people healthier during the winter.
So what's the problem? Why don't we just crank up the heater? Well, energy is extremely expensive in New Zealand and central heating doesn't exist. There is no gas main so most homes are heated with a heat pump, a heater/air conditioner contraption that converts outside air to warm/cool air inside your house. Heat pumps are becoming more and more popular as a "greener" alternative to coal (yes, coal is still used here!) and wood stoves.
We have 1 heat pump in the living room/dining room/kitchen. It works OK when the door to the rest of the house is closed, but this means that only one room is warm while the rest of the house is frigid, including the bedroom. And for some reason it's mounted by the ceiling, and heat rises, right......?
Anyway, here is a link to a good article about these studies and the consequences of a cold home.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/461848
Hope you are warm and healthy!
Last week, one of Dunedin's weeklies published a story about HomeSmart, a research program designed to investigate how to help Dunedin home owners keep their houses warmer during the "bitterly cold" winter months. Research shows that because of Dunedin's location and a high number of old wooden houses without insulation, homes here are even colder then others in New Zealand. The research team leader said that she had heard stories of people waking up to "frost on the duvet covers and ice on the inside of their windows" (Jones, Pam. March 26 2009 Dunedin Homes in Winter to be Studied. The Star. pg 4). Friends of mine have warned me that during the winter months, houses are often colder than the refrigerator!Brrrrr......
Previous studies have also looked at cold New Zealand homes. A 2006 study by the Commissioner for the Environment, showed more than one million people were living in cold, damp New Zealand homes below the minimum temperature of 18 degree C recommended by the World Health Organization.
In a presentation made to the NZ Government Treasury, Otago University researcher and healthy-housing expert Philippa Howden-Chapman demonstrated that New Zealand has low building code standards and there is high level of deferred maintenance, leading to poorly built homes that are cold and damp (Howden-Chapman. 2006. Housing in New Zealand: private assets with public consequences).
But that's not all. Recent studies also suggest that there is a relationship between cold homes and poor health. A 2007 study at the University ofOtago found that 1600 New Zealanders die every winter, more than during other season (Davie GS, Baker MG, Hales S, Carlin JB. 2007. Trends and determinants of excess winter mortality in New Zealand: 1980 to 2000. BMC Public Health 7:263). The researchers suggested that warmer homes could help keep people healthier during the winter.
So what's the problem? Why don't we just crank up the heater? Well, energy is extremely expensive in New Zealand and central heating doesn't exist. There is no gas main so most homes are heated with a heat pump, a heater/air conditioner contraption that converts outside air to warm/cool air inside your house. Heat pumps are becoming more and more popular as a "greener" alternative to coal (yes, coal is still used here!) and wood stoves.
We have 1 heat pump in the living room/dining room/kitchen. It works OK when the door to the rest of the house is closed, but this means that only one room is warm while the rest of the house is frigid, including the bedroom. And for some reason it's mounted by the ceiling, and heat rises, right......?
Anyway, here is a link to a good article about these studies and the consequences of a cold home.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/461848
Hope you are warm and healthy!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Politics as (un)Usual
Did you know that New Zealand had the first transsexual elected to Parliament? (Well, maybe the first known transsexual…) Anyway, Georgina Beyer was elected to Parliament in 1999 in the Wairarapa region on the North Island. Her website describes her life as “the story of a Maori transsexual and former sex-worker, who was voted into the New Zealand Government by a largely white rural electorate." Incredible! In 2002, Georgie Girl, a documentary about Georgina's life was released and won 5 international film awards.
I would like to think that the United States would be as open-minded as the Kiwis are when it comes to electing lesbians/gays/bisexuals/tansgenders to a top political position. However, our track record proves otherwise. To date:
I would like to think that the United States would be as open-minded as the Kiwis are when it comes to electing lesbians/gays/bisexuals/tansgenders to a top political position. However, our track record proves otherwise. To date:
- Only two members US House of Representatives are openly gay: Barney Frank (D-MA) and Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Only one member of the US House of Representatives is openly lesbian: Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
- No members of the US House of Representatives are openly bisexual or transgender
- No members of the US Senate are openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Barfies are Back!
Fall is upon us here in New Zealand and another school year is underway at the University of Otago which means the students are back in town. In a big way. Here in Dunedin, Uni students are known as "Scarfies" due the traditional blue and gold scarves worn to rugby games during the freezing winters. However, I like to call them Barfies, due to their drinking habits.
Compared to the States, New Zealand takes a very relaxed attitude toward drinking, with 18 the drinking age and drinking allowed in most public areas. From what I've seen, Barfies definitely take advantage of this freedom and take partying to a whole new level, a scary one. On any given night you can see hordes of young drunk students stumbling out to the pubs or find a couch burning party at some one's flat. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, Dunedin streets are filled with trash, broken furniture and smashed bottles, sidewalks are splattered with puke, dark corners smell like urine, bikes lie vandalized in bikes racks, and sometimes, even store fronts and cars are vandalized.
Now, I'm familiar with partying in college, but I have never seen a University involuntarily encourage it or a community so accepting of its negative consequences. Most people seem to have the attitude that it's "just kids having fun." Cleaning up puke for the hundredth time: Fun? Hmmmmm.
The front page of the freshman orientation activity guide published in a weekly paper advertised sales on cases of beer. This years annual "Freshman Toga Parade" (think Animal House) down Dunedin's main street turned into a violent riot with vandalized cars and broken store-front windows after older students living above the stores began throwing trash, food, vomit, and feces (yes, you read that right) down on the new students below. Shop owners were outraged and posters went up all over campus asking students if this type of behavior is what they wanted their degree to represent. However, no other steps have been taken to curtail student partying and only 3 out of over 2,000 students were arrested. Furthermore, the legal, cultural and psychological consequences for bad behavior are not very harsh or severe here so why should anyone care?
OK, I just have to ask, who in their right mind would allow thousands of drunk teenagers to have a toga party in the middle of the city??
Compared to the States, New Zealand takes a very relaxed attitude toward drinking, with 18 the drinking age and drinking allowed in most public areas. From what I've seen, Barfies definitely take advantage of this freedom and take partying to a whole new level, a scary one. On any given night you can see hordes of young drunk students stumbling out to the pubs or find a couch burning party at some one's flat. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, Dunedin streets are filled with trash, broken furniture and smashed bottles, sidewalks are splattered with puke, dark corners smell like urine, bikes lie vandalized in bikes racks, and sometimes, even store fronts and cars are vandalized.
Now, I'm familiar with partying in college, but I have never seen a University involuntarily encourage it or a community so accepting of its negative consequences. Most people seem to have the attitude that it's "just kids having fun." Cleaning up puke for the hundredth time: Fun? Hmmmmm.
The front page of the freshman orientation activity guide published in a weekly paper advertised sales on cases of beer. This years annual "Freshman Toga Parade" (think Animal House) down Dunedin's main street turned into a violent riot with vandalized cars and broken store-front windows after older students living above the stores began throwing trash, food, vomit, and feces (yes, you read that right) down on the new students below. Shop owners were outraged and posters went up all over campus asking students if this type of behavior is what they wanted their degree to represent. However, no other steps have been taken to curtail student partying and only 3 out of over 2,000 students were arrested. Furthermore, the legal, cultural and psychological consequences for bad behavior are not very harsh or severe here so why should anyone care?
OK, I just have to ask, who in their right mind would allow thousands of drunk teenagers to have a toga party in the middle of the city??
Monday, March 23, 2009
Shrek
This is an old story but I just can't get enough of this guy!
Shrek is a Merino sheep that managed to evade his farmers for 6 years until he was found in 2004, hiding in a cave in Central Otago on the South Island. Normally, Merino sheep are shorn every year, and after 6 years without a shave, Shrek's wool was incredibly long and thick. He was finally shorn on National Television, his wool weighing over 60 lbs!!!
Shrek is now a national icon. In 2004 he was taken to Parliment in Wellington to meet then-Prime Minister Helen Clark. Two years later Shrek celebrated his 10th birthday by having a shave on an iceberg floating off the coast of Dunedin.
Anyway, I just think this is a hilarious story and the pictures of Shrek after he was found hiding are even funnier!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Road Trip #2
Got your map ready? Our second road trip trip took us from Duendin to Te Anau, up to Milford Sound, back to Te Anau, down to Invercargill, out to Stewart Island and back, and through the Catlins on our way back to Dunedin.
The drive to Lake Te Anau was uninspiring, although we did pass through Gore, country capitol of New Zealand and a trout fisherman's paradise. The small town of Te Anau lies on the edge of of Lake Te Anau and mostly caters to tourists preparing for the famous Milford walking track or those heading up to Milford Sound. We were in the second group, but our first evening was spent taking a trip to the Glow Worm Caves on the edge of the lake. Apparently this extensive cave system (it takes 3 DAYS to travel through) was known to the Maori but it's location was kept secret from the Pakeha (white foreigners) until some guy finally found it in the 1940s after 4 years of searching.
We took a boat across the lake, watched some short videos about the cave, life if the glow worm, and the rare Takahe bird that lives in the mountains near by. Finally it was time to enter the cave! We followed our guide as he pointed out special features of the cave and then loaded into a small boat that took us into the pitch black grotto that was full of glow worms. It was breath-taking! You are not allowed to take photos inside the cave but you can check it out online at http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/main/glowwormcaves/
Lake Te Anau
Ok, I have to mention our accommodations at Te Anau. We booked 2 nights in a cabin at the Lakeview Holiday Park, which sounded luxurious. However, our "cabin" was a corrugated metal box that measured 10 ft x 10 ft for 3 people and their stuff. The bathrooms and cooking facilities were shared with about 50 other people. Now, I don't need a penthouse suite, but I prefer not to sleep in a claustrophobic and cob-webby shipping container. Oh well, I survived.
Our second day in Te Anau took us to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. We decided to take a tour bus up to Milford, the tiny town where the boat departed for our day out on the sound. And it was a good thing that we weren't driving! The Milford Sound road is incredibly scenic but is often crowded with tour buses and camper vans this time of year. With our pokey driving and sight-seeing, we would have pissed off some the more aggressive drivers. The road is also very narrow and windy, especially the closer you get to Milford. Because it was raining (Fiordland gets about 250 INCHES of rain a year), hundreds of waterfalls spontaneously cascaded down the sheer mountains that rose up on either side of the road.
Mirror Lakes, on the way to Milford
The boat trip on Milford Sound was windy and wet but it was amazing! Shear mountains, covered in beech forest and moss, drop off into dark water. More waterfalls thundered into the sound, although the high winds caused many of the falls to cascade diagonally. Unfortunately the photogenic Mitre Peak was shrouded in mist so we couldn't get that famous Milford Sound photo. But I did get a postcard! We ended the day with an absolutely delicious dinner at the Redcliff Cafe in Te Anau. I recommend the pork belly!
The drive to Lake Te Anau was uninspiring, although we did pass through Gore, country capitol of New Zealand and a trout fisherman's paradise. The small town of Te Anau lies on the edge of of Lake Te Anau and mostly caters to tourists preparing for the famous Milford walking track or those heading up to Milford Sound. We were in the second group, but our first evening was spent taking a trip to the Glow Worm Caves on the edge of the lake. Apparently this extensive cave system (it takes 3 DAYS to travel through) was known to the Maori but it's location was kept secret from the Pakeha (white foreigners) until some guy finally found it in the 1940s after 4 years of searching.
We took a boat across the lake, watched some short videos about the cave, life if the glow worm, and the rare Takahe bird that lives in the mountains near by. Finally it was time to enter the cave! We followed our guide as he pointed out special features of the cave and then loaded into a small boat that took us into the pitch black grotto that was full of glow worms. It was breath-taking! You are not allowed to take photos inside the cave but you can check it out online at http://www.realjourneys.co.nz/main/glowwormcaves/
Lake Te Anau
Ok, I have to mention our accommodations at Te Anau. We booked 2 nights in a cabin at the Lakeview Holiday Park, which sounded luxurious. However, our "cabin" was a corrugated metal box that measured 10 ft x 10 ft for 3 people and their stuff. The bathrooms and cooking facilities were shared with about 50 other people. Now, I don't need a penthouse suite, but I prefer not to sleep in a claustrophobic and cob-webby shipping container. Oh well, I survived.
Our second day in Te Anau took us to Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park. We decided to take a tour bus up to Milford, the tiny town where the boat departed for our day out on the sound. And it was a good thing that we weren't driving! The Milford Sound road is incredibly scenic but is often crowded with tour buses and camper vans this time of year. With our pokey driving and sight-seeing, we would have pissed off some the more aggressive drivers. The road is also very narrow and windy, especially the closer you get to Milford. Because it was raining (Fiordland gets about 250 INCHES of rain a year), hundreds of waterfalls spontaneously cascaded down the sheer mountains that rose up on either side of the road.
Mirror Lakes, on the way to Milford
The boat trip on Milford Sound was windy and wet but it was amazing! Shear mountains, covered in beech forest and moss, drop off into dark water. More waterfalls thundered into the sound, although the high winds caused many of the falls to cascade diagonally. Unfortunately the photogenic Mitre Peak was shrouded in mist so we couldn't get that famous Milford Sound photo. But I did get a postcard! We ended the day with an absolutely delicious dinner at the Redcliff Cafe in Te Anau. I recommend the pork belly!
Milford Sound
The Disappearing Waterfall
Milford Sound (Mitre Peak in the clouds on left)
The Disappearing Waterfall
Milford Sound (Mitre Peak in the clouds on left)
On day 3, we awoke to rainbows galore and headed south along the Southern Scenic Route on our way to Invercargill-the launch point for Stewart Island. We stopped for a beautiful walk near the Borland Lodge in Fiordland National Park. The walk took us through mossy beech forest and has become one of my favorite walks to date! We continued on the Scenic Route, passing through rolling green sheep pastures and tiny dot-on-the-map towns. We stopped to investigate the Clifton Caves, but without the advised 2 hours to explore and extra torches (flashlights), we instead promised to go back in the future. In Riverton, we visited some arts and crafts galleries with beautiful wood bowls, wool sweaters and paua jewelry.
Rainbow over Lake Manapouri
Mossy Beech Forest, Borland Nature Walk
Rainbow over Lake Manapouri
Mossy Beech Forest, Borland Nature Walk
We stayed the night in Invercargill and prepared for our 3 days on Stewert Island, a large island that lies roughly 25 miles south of the South Island. We took the 1 hour ferry from the town of Bluff, apparently the oldest town in New Zealand. It was a bumpy ride across Foveaux Strait, which is often said to be one of the roughest crossings in the world as it lies directly in the roaring 40s. We landed in Oban, the tiny (and only) town on the Island and were quickly whisked away in a van to our Bed and Breakfast in order to avoid the soaking rain that the dark sky began to pour upon us at that moment. It was a sign of things to come!
Stewart Island has a long Maori and European history. Today, most of the island is National Park, filled with bizarre birds and dense, lush rain forest made possible by the incredibly frequent and intense rains. It is said that on Stewart Island you can experience all 4 season in 1 hour. And we certainly did!
We took the first day to explore Halfmoon Bay around Oban and discovered beautiful golden beaches and emerald green waters. Stewart Island certainly is beautiful! The second day we took a quick boat ride out to Ulva Island, a forested island managed by the Department of Conservation as an Open Island Sanctuary. It is one of few predator-free sanctuaries for native birds and plants in New Zealand. We spent about 5 hours meandering our way through the forest, looking for birds that we would not see elsewhere in New Zealand. We managed to see the rare Saddlebacks, Robins, Kakas, Rifleman, Parakeets, Wood Pigeons, Weka, Tui, Bellbirds, and even the elusive Kiwi!
The Kiwi spotting was incredible, we never expected to see one of these flightless, nocturnal birds in the wild! We watched her poke around the leaf litter, unaware of our presence, sniffing out worms with her long thin beak until she lumbered off into the dark forest. Kiwi feathers look more like long brown hair and they have big, muscular legs. What a strange bird!
Around Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island
Dead Man's Beach, Stewart Island
The elusive Kiwi, Ulva Island
Stewart Island has a long Maori and European history. Today, most of the island is National Park, filled with bizarre birds and dense, lush rain forest made possible by the incredibly frequent and intense rains. It is said that on Stewart Island you can experience all 4 season in 1 hour. And we certainly did!
We took the first day to explore Halfmoon Bay around Oban and discovered beautiful golden beaches and emerald green waters. Stewart Island certainly is beautiful! The second day we took a quick boat ride out to Ulva Island, a forested island managed by the Department of Conservation as an Open Island Sanctuary. It is one of few predator-free sanctuaries for native birds and plants in New Zealand. We spent about 5 hours meandering our way through the forest, looking for birds that we would not see elsewhere in New Zealand. We managed to see the rare Saddlebacks, Robins, Kakas, Rifleman, Parakeets, Wood Pigeons, Weka, Tui, Bellbirds, and even the elusive Kiwi!
The Kiwi spotting was incredible, we never expected to see one of these flightless, nocturnal birds in the wild! We watched her poke around the leaf litter, unaware of our presence, sniffing out worms with her long thin beak until she lumbered off into the dark forest. Kiwi feathers look more like long brown hair and they have big, muscular legs. What a strange bird!
Around Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island
Dead Man's Beach, Stewart Island
The elusive Kiwi, Ulva IslandWe left Stewart Island early on a freezing cold morning, collected our car in Bluff, and drove east to Curio Bay in the Catlins. The Catlins, situated along the Southern Scenic Route, contain breathtaking scenery that actually reminds me of northern California. The cliffs are buffeted by crashing swells and roaring winds from Antarctica and the ancient podocarp forests march into the sea. We stayed in an amazing place on the beach in Curio Bay that actually had a heated floor in the bathroom! We spent the evening at a beach with a Jurassic-age petrified forest and watched the rare yellow-eyed penguins come ashore for the evening after a day fishing at sea.
Our last day on the road was spent exploring sites in the Catlins in the pouring rain. We visited the spectacular Cathedral Caves at low tide, explored beech forest, checked out a reed-filled estuary, and even managed to find our car surrounded on the road by a flock of sheep moving paddocks! I couldn't resist taking pictures, of course.
Wind swept trees at Slope Point, the Catlins
Petrified Forest, Curio Bay, the Catlins
Cathedral Caves, the Catlins
Sheep on the move!
Our last day on the road was spent exploring sites in the Catlins in the pouring rain. We visited the spectacular Cathedral Caves at low tide, explored beech forest, checked out a reed-filled estuary, and even managed to find our car surrounded on the road by a flock of sheep moving paddocks! I couldn't resist taking pictures, of course.
Wind swept trees at Slope Point, the Catlins
Petrified Forest, Curio Bay, the Catlins
Cathedral Caves, the Catlins
Sheep on the move!Finally, we headed north to Dunedin, sad to end our wonderful adventures around the South Island, but happy to be back home!
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