photo credit: weegeebored
Locking my car doors as I get in
In South Africa, it’s common sense to keep your car doors locked at all times. I was in the habit of getting into the car, starting the engine, and locking the doors (with my elbow).
I’d feel vulnerable driving around with unlocked doors.
Why I stopped : It just feels unnecessary here. (And the locking mechanism in our current car requires more than an elbow!)
Closing all the windows when I leave the house
Likewise, South African street-smarts dictate that you don’t leave possible entry points to your home accessible. We’d feel nervous about leaving windows even slightly open in our bedroom at night, and wouldn’t think of leaving un-barred windows open at all, while we weren’t present.
Why I stopped : Again, it feels unnecessary. Sure, there’s still opportunistic crime here, but I feel less “paranoid”, and more trusting of my fellow man, since leaving South Africa.
Driving around the block when I notice the car behind me taking the same route I am
I used to be proud of this one – it made me feel like a spy 
– While approaching home, if I noticed that the car behind me had taken the same route for a while, I’d avoid my house, and drive around the block until it turned off. This was on the (quite plausible) assumption that there were bad men in that car, who’d jump out and attack me as soon as I’d opened up my gates and doors, giving them access to my home.
Why I stopped : I felt silly the first couple of times I did it. We don’t have a big electric fence and gate here, which would otherwise making coming-home time the ideal moment to attack. If somebody really wanted to rob our house, they’d do it while we’re not around, to minimize the (significant) risk of being caught.
Summary
Kiwis will all tell you that New Zealand is not without crime. It’s true. But their crime level, and their national awareness of crime, is far, far lower than what we were used to in South Africa. Maybe it’s normal, but it sure makes you realize how abnormally dangerous South Africa felt.
Note: I’ve used the word “feel” six times above, because that’s what I’m noticing: How safe I feel, not necessarily how safe I am.
I don’t have relevant data (corresponding crime and resolution statistics) to make an accurate factual comparison.
I wish I did
When I do, you can bet I’ll be heading to KIWI-ISE, a collection of tricks and mods to make your iPhone more “Kiwified”.
There doesn’t seem to be any official way to get an iPhone in New Zealand yet, but it’s been confirmed that Vodafone will be selling it. Timing hasn’t been announced though, and with the imminent release of the iPhone 2 / 3G, I bet it won’t happen before the second half of the year.
Link Summary
- http://www.kiwi-ise.co.nz/
- http://www.kiwi-ise.c…hone-in-nz-confirmed/
Here’s an amazing display of accents, courtesy of actress Amy Walker.
You might think it’s a little ridiculous, until you hear your OWN accent portrayed, very convincingly
Look out for the New Zealand accent, in between the two Aussie ones – it’s very well done, even the cud-chewing “tcht” of hesitation..
YouTube – 21 Accents
photo credit: kevindooley
I borrowed a friend’s lawn mower over the weekend, to finally trim our increasingly shaggy lawn, but unfortunately, after 10 minutes the engine seized and died. (due to no fault of mine, I was relieved to discover)
My friend has since purchased another lawn mower to replace the dead one, but I’ve taken this as a sign that I need to buy my own lawn mower.
Considering that I want this investment into our garden beautification to last me years to come, I’ve been doing some thinking as to whether I want a traditional petrol mower, or a (battery powered) electric one.
Whereas I grew up with an electric lawnmower in South Africa, most Kiwis use petrol lawn mowers:
Petrol Lawn Mowers
Older petrol mowers are 2-stroke, meaning you have to mix your fuel and oil yourself. Newer models are 4-stroke, and take regular petrol and motor oil from your service station.
Reasons why Kiwis like petrol lawn mowers
- They can mow in bad weather.
- You can take ‘em anywhere.
- They’re “manly” (you smell like petrol, smoke, and dirt afterwards)
Reasons why this Kiwi doesn’t like petrol lawn mowers
- They’re dirty, noisy, and smelly.
- They’re eco-unfriendly.
- They’re expensive to feed. (95 petrol topped $2 today)
Electric lawnmowers
Electric lawn mowers are powered by the mains. In the old days, I used to mow my parents lawn with an old electric mower, and the biggest danger was running over the cable and chomping it. Also, if the cable wore down, it would become dangerous, and a replacement 20m extension lead is not cheap.
Reasons why Kiwis don’t like electric lawnmowers
- The cutting diameter is shorter, meaning mowing takes longer, because you have to cover more distance.
- They’re not as powerful as petrol lawnmowers, and can struggle with long, unkempt grass.
- Corded electric mowers need to be plugged in, and make obstacles tricky, and are able to “bite their own tail”.
What will I do?
I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I’m leaning towards buying an “Enviromower ECO500Y”. It’s a battery-operated electric mower, with a bunch of safety features and nice-to-haves.
It’s about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, and runs for about an hour on a charge. Just about long enough to mow the lawn, and finish listening to a TWIT podcast 
I’ll be redoing my lawn with a borrowed petrol mower to establish a time-commitment baseline, and then making the call. Thanks to @talios and @MiramarMike for their input!
(Of course, I could always go with a human-powered lawn mower, but those are also expensive to feed!)
Link Summary
- http://www.enviromower.co.nz
- http://www.twit.tv
- http://blog.miramarmi…e-heard-of-power.html
This particular track took about two hours to complete, and was visually breathtaking. I felt a bit like a character from Lord of the Rings, running across the spine of a mountain. (No, it wasn’t this mountain)
See my attempts at panoramic photos here and here. (You’ll have to scroll sideways.)
Hiking in New Zealand is easy and educational
The start of the walk was well sign-posted, and highly-visible painted wooden “beacons” marked the trail. Poison warnings were prominent, alerting hikers not to take dogs on the track.
We even stumbled across a few educational “Weta Apartments” – little wooden boxes containing weta, plus a few paragraphs describing them.
Hiking in New Zealand is encouraged and promoted
The Department of Conservation does a fantastic job of promoting and making accessible all these great natural resources. They have a section on their website dedicated to recreational enjoyment of New Zealand’s beautiful wilderness.
It’s also really easy to find spots to perform various activities, such as dog-walking, fishing, or activities with children.
Link Summary
- http://www.doc.govt.n…odcover.aspx?id=33649
- http://www.doc.govt.n…landing.aspx?id=34234
- http://www.doc.govt.n…profile.aspx?id=35775
- http://www.doc.govt.n…profile.aspx?id=35779
- http://www.doc.govt.n…profile.aspx?id=35770
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