In NZ, truckers and boaters are called truckies and boaties.
I seldom hear anyone saying "yes." What they say is more likely to be "yehyeh," spoken quickly; sometimes it sounds like "eeya."
Exits are marked "Way Out." Yield signs say "Give Way." A rubber sink stopper is called a "Self parking plug." In fact, a sink is called a wash basin, not a sink. A shifter on an older car is called a "column changer." A camper or travel trailer or RV is called a "Caravan."
The people from Australia and England and Scotland use their knives and forks in a way different from what I'm used to. They hold their knife in their dominant hand, and their fork in their other hand, and they never put either one down through the entire meal.
Let's talk about meals. The breakfasts at all our hotels have been buffet, and they've all been about the same. There are several cereal choices, including something called a weetbix, which is like a flat Shredded Wheat. I haven't tried one yet, but I'm going to. I had a poached egg this morning that was shocking when I cut into the yolk, which was a very bright, very vibrant, dark orange, almost red. Kind of off-putting, if you know what I mean. Along with the little packages of margarine and honey, is something called Vitamite, which is spread on toast like peanut butter. It's very dark brown. One of my co-travelers from Australia insisted I try it, telling me it is an Australian staple, and no pantry in Australia is without it. I tasted it, and it was exactly like licking a salty vitamin pill--pretty icky to my taste. Maureen told me that every mother spreads Vitamite on a wooden spoon, and lets their babies (who love the stuff) lick it off. The bacon at every hotel looks like it was just steam cooked, and everyone eats it as if that were normal. Coffee is available at all hotel breakfasts, but is not very available at coffee shops. At the coffee shops, they want to know what kind of coffee I want, and "regular brew" is not a choice. So, I've been buying "flat white" (espresso, topped with steamed milk) which is delicious, but expensive. Everything is expensive, actually. The breakfast buffets, if we were buying them ourselves (which we are, of course...) are about $25 or $30 per person (New Zealand dollars, one dollar of which equals about 82 cents American). A candy bar that would cost $1 in the U.S. is $2.75 here; on the positive side, that stopped us from buying the candy bar.
A kiwi is all of these things: a nickname for a New Zealander; a kiwi bird (flightless); kiwi fruit, which is grown here.
Our wake-up call is usually at "hahf-pahst seex." :)
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