A little bit kiwi
We have now been here for 2 months, so I am going to write a post to evaluate how kiwi we have become. Kiwi is slang for a New Zealander and it refers to the bird.
Nico
Nico refuses to wear shoes. I'll say 'lets put on your shoes' and he says 'go barefeet?'. He has once stepped in poop. Nico lives outdoors: he'll be eating his dinner and then literally run out the door. Nico also really likes to play in the creek (as does Mathieu). Once a week, Nico rides a horse called Stan. Nico is also the only one of us to have been bitten by sandflies, because he likes to play outside after dinner and before bath. At dinner today, Nico screamed 'I love pies!!!' (meat pies; eating pies is pretty kiwi, imo), although he actually didn't eat any of his pie. (Some of this stuff, like playing in the creek and riding a horse, is not exclusively kiwi, but I put it in there because it has some kiwi element to it).
Mathieu
One way that Mathieu has become a little bit kiwi is that he is really into Maori legends. We were in the car and Mathieu says to Nico, 'Hey Nico. Are you tricking me?' The conversation turns to who else is a trickster and Mathieu says 'Maui. Maui put out the fires of everyone in the village', but it didn't stop there, he then recounted the entire story/legend and continued with the legend of how New Zealand came to be with Maui catching what the thought was a fish, but was actually a stingray, and that became the North Island. Mathieu also has a pair of the classically kiwi red band gumboots.
Me
Since we pretty much live in world famous New Zealand wine country (right on the doorstep of Marlborough), I thought that I should drink wine over beer. The first Sauvignon blanc that I had was from Waimea Estates (this winery is 1km from our house) and it was super yum. So I was mostly drinking that until Shawn switched it up and brought Brightwater Vineyards (5km from our house). That was good too. For my birthday Mum had a bottle of rose from Middle Earth wines (8km from our house) and it was also good.
One way I am definitely, not kiwi is sneans. Having grown up here, I was aware that wearing sneakers with jeans was a fashion crime (referred to as sneans). I heard it discussed on the radio recently, however I unflinchingly embrace this fashion crime and wear the sneakers anyway.
Shawn
One way that Shawn is becoming a little bit kiwi is that he likes Hokey Pokey icecream. This is a little bit hilarious because on previous trips to New Zealand, I'm pretty sure he's described the concept of hokey pokey icecream as digusting.
And now, based on this famous kiwi commercial, I am going to evaluate how kiwi we are. The commercial list 'things that are kiwi' and below I check off whether we have achieved them:
Nico
Nico refuses to wear shoes. I'll say 'lets put on your shoes' and he says 'go barefeet?'. He has once stepped in poop. Nico lives outdoors: he'll be eating his dinner and then literally run out the door. Nico also really likes to play in the creek (as does Mathieu). Once a week, Nico rides a horse called Stan. Nico is also the only one of us to have been bitten by sandflies, because he likes to play outside after dinner and before bath. At dinner today, Nico screamed 'I love pies!!!' (meat pies; eating pies is pretty kiwi, imo), although he actually didn't eat any of his pie. (Some of this stuff, like playing in the creek and riding a horse, is not exclusively kiwi, but I put it in there because it has some kiwi element to it).
Mathieu
One way that Mathieu has become a little bit kiwi is that he is really into Maori legends. We were in the car and Mathieu says to Nico, 'Hey Nico. Are you tricking me?' The conversation turns to who else is a trickster and Mathieu says 'Maui. Maui put out the fires of everyone in the village', but it didn't stop there, he then recounted the entire story/legend and continued with the legend of how New Zealand came to be with Maui catching what the thought was a fish, but was actually a stingray, and that became the North Island. Mathieu also has a pair of the classically kiwi red band gumboots.
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| These are Mathieu's kiwi gumboots |
Since we pretty much live in world famous New Zealand wine country (right on the doorstep of Marlborough), I thought that I should drink wine over beer. The first Sauvignon blanc that I had was from Waimea Estates (this winery is 1km from our house) and it was super yum. So I was mostly drinking that until Shawn switched it up and brought Brightwater Vineyards (5km from our house). That was good too. For my birthday Mum had a bottle of rose from Middle Earth wines (8km from our house) and it was also good.
One way I am definitely, not kiwi is sneans. Having grown up here, I was aware that wearing sneakers with jeans was a fashion crime (referred to as sneans). I heard it discussed on the radio recently, however I unflinchingly embrace this fashion crime and wear the sneakers anyway.
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| L to R: Stoke Brewery (local), the Edwin Fox beer from Epic (notable as my ancestors came to NZ on the Edwin Fox) and my favorite wine (the winery is 1km from our house). |
One way that Shawn is becoming a little bit kiwi is that he likes Hokey Pokey icecream. This is a little bit hilarious because on previous trips to New Zealand, I'm pretty sure he's described the concept of hokey pokey icecream as digusting.
And now, based on this famous kiwi commercial, I am going to evaluate how kiwi we are. The commercial list 'things that are kiwi' and below I check off whether we have achieved them:
- Hot pools (0/1)
- Rugby balls - We have one and Mathieu played rugby against Dad (1/2)
- McDonald's - see *
- Snapper schools - Shawn caught a big snapper that we ate for my birthday (2/3)
- World peace - see *
- Woolly fleece - Nico told my Mum his favorite animal is a sheep. He has also stated that he wants to ride a sheep. (3/4)
- Ronald and Raising beasts - see *
- Chilly bins (3/5)
- Cricket wins - We live right next to a cricket field (4/6)
- Fast skis (4/7)
- Golf tees (4/8)
- Silver ferns (4/9)
- Kauri trees - I don't know my NZ trees - need to learn! (4/10)
- Kiwi Burger love one please... - see *
- All blacks - Shawn and I saw the All Blacks and the kids have All Blacks sweatshirts they like (5/11)
- Thermal daks - Shawn and I are big fans of merino! (6/12)
- Egg & Cheese - see *
- Walking tracks - Shawn and I run the Richmond forest, no famous tracks done, though. (7/13)
- Beef pattie - see *
- Marching girls - I talked with someone who was in a marching band, but I'm not sure how kiwi this is. (8/14)
- Tomato, Lettuce - see *
- Paua shells - I visited the Canterbury museum and there was a Paua shell house exhibit (9/15)
- Gumboots - Mathieu has some red bands and Nico is big on wearing gumboots (10/16)
- Ponga shoots - Seen 'em, for sure. (11/17)
- Floppy hats - mandatory in terms 4 and 1 for the kids' kindergarten. (12/18)
- Kiwifruits - we eat 'em. (13/19)
- Beetroot - see *
- Buzzy bees (13/20)
- Moggy cats - ... several occupy our garden and are eyeing the kids' sand pit. Nico scared 'em. (14/21)
- Cabbage trees - I've seen a few. (15/22)
- Onions - see *.
- Kakapos - pretty endangered, I believe, have not seen one. (15/23)
- Kiaoras - hear it everywhere! (16/24)
- Cheerios - is this still a thing?
- Jandals - not actually that comfortable (16/25)
- Sandals - Nico has some nice ones (17/26)
- Ketchup - see *
- Coromandel's - have not been there. (17/27)
- Swanndris - do not have any. (17/28)
- Butterflies - I saw the magpie moth and a monarch running today. (18/29)
- Mustard - see *
- Fishing flies - I'm sure Shawn has been studying them. (19/30)
- Hokey pokey - see above. (20/31)
- Maori haka - kids are learning it at kindy. (21/32)
- Kiwi burger. That's our tucker!!!" - see *
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