Every country is full of funny quirks. Of course they are not quirky to the locals, just to the foreigners. I thought I would share some of the quirks that stood out the most to us.
During our month-long road trip I mentioned the narrow, windy two-lane highways. In fact, I would venture to say that 90% of the roads in NZ are 2 lane (one lane each way), windy, narrow roads. The pay off is that they all have spectacular views of mountains, glaciers, valleys, hillsides, rivers, or pastures.
But what I did not mention were the numerous one-lane bridges. Usually one side has “right-away” but most times the cars just proceed ahead and hope that there is no oncoming traffic – it is frightening and amusing. Matt calls these “shoot out bridge” because in Texas the biggest vehicle would have right away or the smaller one would be shot.
Adventure or Quirk?
Pedestrians do not have the right away unless they use a rare and very specific, designated cross walk (which are far and few between). These beauties are hard to find and are not located in most intersections. Maybe this is not a quirk but rather part of the adventure of being a New Zealander? Here is one of the elusive “proper” cross walks with orange dots and white cross lines on the street.
Kiwi’s risk their own lives each time they get on a bicycles. So many locals ride bikes on these narrow, windy roads and there is no bike lane or shoulder. They share the road with cars. And if there is no passing lane, you are stuck behind the bike until you can safely pass. It is super surprising to me that they don’t have bike lanes for all the adventure loving bicycle riding locals.
It seems that all New Zealanders are adventurers. I am sure it is not “all” but seriously we run into locals all the time doing something heart stopping and thrilling. I love that they are very outdoorsy, fun loving, and living life fully.
An Everyday Quirk?
We stayed at over 25 different hotels ranging from backpacker motels to 4-star hotels. Every single one had a mini fridge with milk stocked in it. Most of the hotels had heated towel racks which I love!
There are a lot of men, boys, and teens with mullets! Not just one or two here and there, but a lot! I was told that mullets never really went out of style in NZ and that there is a huge resurgence now.
All of the plugs have on/off switches. Took some getting used to frankly as I was perplexed why our devices were not charging while plugged in. You have to plug in and turn on the switch.
All eateries, cafes, bars, fancy restaurants have a “pay at the bar” system. We’ve sat and waited for the check at many places only to be told to go to the bar to pay. Slightly embarrassing, but we are learning.
It is absolutely “normal” to go barefoot into a grocery store, market, or restaurant.
A lot of New Zealanders own classic cars. Not really a quirk to most. But what was a quirk to me was that they actually drive them and get them out on the roads and truly enjoy taking them out for a spin or showing them off in the parking lots. Americans tend to keep their classics locked up to be admired not enjoyed. It was great fun to see all of the classic cars on the roads.
Really Funny Quirks
We saw a lot of really funny, quirky signs around New Zealand. They like to post signs that “talk to the drivers on the road” but I missed most of them as we drove by. I saw a lot of signs showing the proper way to sit on a toilet – do you think this is a quirk?
On New Year’s Eve, most of the bars and restaurants were closed by 10pm. Kiwis celebrate on the beach or the few places that stay open in Auckland. When we asked why they were not open it was because the cost to employ people to work on NYE was too high.
I am sure many of these “quirks” are absolutely normal to New Zealanders. But to me, they are lovely little quirks that make me love NZ that much more!
Our blog posts run about 10-12 weeks behind actual events. Events from this blog post occurred during our 6-month stay in New Zealand (Nov.2022-May.2023). We unveil our brand new high tech North 3Di Sails in our last blog – did you read it?