NEW Zealand, according to a recent international survey, is the world’s second most tourist friendly nation.
We found just that on our recent three- and-a-half week stay. So which is first, you might ask? Iceland, apparently, but surely the reception there would be more frigid. The name says it.
First plus for us in Kiwiland was not requiring a visa. What a costly irritation it is to get one for just about every other First World country – the US, Canada, Britain, all of the EU, Australia and more. Thank you New Zealand for sparing us that.
On arrival at Auckland Airport around midnight their time, we passed through immigration and customs without a hitch – that is until a handler and his sniffer dog took an interest in Mrs Chiel’s cabin bag.
“What are you looking for, biltong?” she asked the little beagle. Quick as lightning, the handler replied: “Why, do you have some?” Oops! “No, no,” she said sheepishly. The friendly dog handler smiled and left without further ado.
“You don’t say things like that in airports,” I said to her, gritting my teeth.
Wherever we went we found happy people, pleased to have a chat, hear we were from South Africa, wanting to know which Super 15 rugby team we supported and to offer any help they could.
We soon learned a rand doesn’t go far. The exchange rate is R8 buys one New Zealand dollar, and it soon became apparent most things cost around double, sometimes three times, prices at home. A meat pie over the counter, for example, costs say R14 here; in New Zealand it’s 5, or R40. A beer in a pub costs 5 (R40); here R12 to R15. A litre of petrol is 2.20 (R17.50), here R12.80.
Diesel, interestingly, is only 1.50 a litre at the pumps, but on top of that you pay a road usage charge (RUC), a road maintenance tax according to mileage driven.
Refuse collection is a revelation and would be wonderful were the same system adopted here. However, co-operation and discipline are the keywords – in which case it would never, in a month of Sundays, work in SA. On collection day you put out your plastic wheelie bin, handle facing the street, containing recyclable materials (glass, tins, paper, plastic, cardboard), and in a separate yellow plastic bag all your non-recyclable stuff (food leftovers, baby nappies etc).
A truck with one operator on the back drives past and the operator directs a mechanical arm to the bin which grabs, lifts and tips it into the vehicle. Another crew picks up the yellow bag. Once a month you can put out old furniture and bulky things, and that’s taken away too. Works well.
Driving: in three-and-a-half weeks we saw only one minor accident – a rear end collision. Speed limit on freeways and country roads is 100km/h, fine for a small country; on suburban roads 50-60km/h. At most intersections they have inverted triangles with “Give Way” on them. Stop signs are rare, but drivers are courteous and non- confrontational. Watch out for some immigrant drivers however. They sometimes have other ideas.
As for being home ... I wouldn’t change, but there are many things we could do better.
Chiel today is Robin Ross-Thompson:
We could do much better
We found just that on our recent three- and-a-half week stay. So which is first, you might ask? Iceland, apparently, but surely the reception there would be more frigid. The name says it.
First plus for us in Kiwiland was not requiring a visa. What a costly irritation it is to get one for just about every other First World country – the US, Canada, Britain, all of the EU, Australia and more. Thank you New Zealand for sparing us that.
On arrival at Auckland Airport around midnight their time, we passed through immigration and customs without a hitch – that is until a handler and his sniffer dog took an interest in Mrs Chiel’s cabin bag.
“What are you looking for, biltong?” she asked the little beagle. Quick as lightning, the handler replied: “Why, do you have some?” Oops! “No, no,” she said sheepishly. The friendly dog handler smiled and left without further ado.
“You don’t say things like that in airports,” I said to her, gritting my teeth.
Wherever we went we found happy people, pleased to have a chat, hear we were from South Africa, wanting to know which Super 15 rugby team we supported and to offer any help they could.
We soon learned a rand doesn’t go far. The exchange rate is R8 buys one New Zealand dollar, and it soon became apparent most things cost around double, sometimes three times, prices at home. A meat pie over the counter, for example, costs say R14 here; in New Zealand it’s 5, or R40. A beer in a pub costs 5 (R40); here R12 to R15. A litre of petrol is 2.20 (R17.50), here R12.80.
Diesel, interestingly, is only 1.50 a litre at the pumps, but on top of that you pay a road usage charge (RUC), a road maintenance tax according to mileage driven.
Refuse collection is a revelation and would be wonderful were the same system adopted here. However, co-operation and discipline are the keywords – in which case it would never, in a month of Sundays, work in SA. On collection day you put out your plastic wheelie bin, handle facing the street, containing recyclable materials (glass, tins, paper, plastic, cardboard), and in a separate yellow plastic bag all your non-recyclable stuff (food leftovers, baby nappies etc).
A truck with one operator on the back drives past and the operator directs a mechanical arm to the bin which grabs, lifts and tips it into the vehicle. Another crew picks up the yellow bag. Once a month you can put out old furniture and bulky things, and that’s taken away too. Works well.
Driving: in three-and-a-half weeks we saw only one minor accident – a rear end collision. Speed limit on freeways and country roads is 100km/h, fine for a small country; on suburban roads 50-60km/h. At most intersections they have inverted triangles with “Give Way” on them. Stop signs are rare, but drivers are courteous and non- confrontational. Watch out for some immigrant drivers however. They sometimes have other ideas.
As for being home ... I wouldn’t change, but there are many things we could do better.
Chiel today is Robin Ross-Thompson:
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos