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FEBR. 2006 OOR NUWE IMMIGRANTE SE EERSTE AANKOMS IN NZ

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Bits and Bobs from people around the world

When we first arrived in New Zealand
The land of the long white cloud.

I arrived with my two teenaged children around 11.30pm in the night, so we didn’t get to see much on the trip from Sydney to Auckland across the Tasman Sea. We had no problems at the airport with customs; we just declared all our chocolates and bubblegum etc. It just took time to get out of the airport: we only got out at around 1.30am. Tired, but very excited we were very impressed with the sights at the airport complete with ethnic Maori carvings in wood, water running past soft wavy green ferns and bird calls echoing around us.

It also takes a bit of adjusting to realize that while we are awake, South Africans are all sleeping, so there is no such thing as picking up the phone at midday to phone anyone! In New Zealand they have daylight saving, which I must say we are battling to adjust to – it throws your timing right out! Somewhat like when we landed here. I was getting hungry at 3am in the morning (which was in fact my old lunch time) and frying eggs and ham with toast and tea! It was so weird! Poor neighbours! Must have thought I was from the loony bin! I actually was for a time - ha, ha!

Falling asleep, the kids didn’t even stir with the phone ringing right next to them, such a funny sight. Blankets all over the place, arms flung wide, feet sticking out at right angles to bodies, mouths gaping at the ceiling, eyelids positively glued shut - hair all askew..... a sight for my sore eyes! And mine sure were! When my husband, Peter phoned me from Gisborne on the extreme East coast of the North Island and said hi, I knew he sounded familiar but just couldn’t place him, until he told me who he was: "this is Peter". My exhausted mind went blank - still working out why it was so dark when I had had lunch and why at 10am I was so exhausted! I hope I am not like that again when I go back for a visit. I had heard of jetlag, but never anticipated that I would experience it in such an extreme form.

The first stop was Longbay, North of Auckland, where Peter had booked us in, which was very pretty. The next day at the beach, the sea greeted us with lapping waves like a dam (not like the wild seas of the South African coasts) and I found it amazing to see the shells through the clear water so far out and the sound of the water on the beach like a 'fizzy woosh' sound – really nice. The one spot along the beach we passed through was called "Grannies Bay"! Some very odd names they have here! Most in the Maori language, much like Africa, now. Driving the hired car was an experience I shouldn’t have tried in my exhausted state, as I was just not familiar with the roads and just got us lost repeatedly!

Peter came up to Auckland and we then embarked on the long car journey to Gisborne, along windy narrow roads that led us through hundreds of small sheep and cattle farms, through a gorge of innumerable twists and turns next to a 30 meter drop to a winding river. I actually got dizzy from so many 'S' bends.

We have found people we have spoken to in New Zealand to be totally ignorant about violence as we know it, - they just can’t imagine what we South Africans are on about when we begin to recount the hijackings and attacks, especially that people are being killed just for a cell phone. They have grown up with such peaceful, quiet and orderly lives with an abundance of everything, especially food at very affordable prices. So far they have just given us a blank vague look, so we invariably give up trying and just chat about those things to fellow South Africans. That’s when you realise that there is a big difference in our cultures.

The schools are a bit different in that although they have a uniform it is worn in a rather 'relaxed' way (well, especially in Gisborne). Shirt hanging out and they wear sandals (strops), long shorts, white shirt hanging in and out, in the two hot months of the year. And very varied hair styles. Very! Some are dreadlocks, some short like a marine, some just (and I mean just) like a mop, others never brush theirs, so the variety is quite endless..... all of course – if you’re cool – with hands in pockets. The girls have skirts and sandals, painted toenails, loose hair of all lengths and styles. Many earrings, toe-rings and finger rings. To top it all they are keen chewers of gum!

The Maori people seem to be of a very large type of build on the whole; tall, very well build people – some of those that my son met love to have fights anywhere about anything! The schools have the most wonderful choice of subjects I have ever seen: photography, learning how to drive, design, how to start your own business, art and painting, the usual academic subjects like English, maths, Japanese and Spanish languages, science, technical drawing and design, accountancy, geography – all in all about 44 subjects to choose from.

The kids had to get used to new phrases: for example Kiwi’s say 'sweet' where we would say 'good'. They also say groovy, and yip instead of yes. (Or our usual ‘Ja!’). As well as 'cheers' for thanks and 'trundlers' instead of trolleys at the supermarkets, sneakers instead of 'takkies' and 'utes' instead of 'bakkies'! It was wonderful to find out that at the age of just 14 you can get a job and earn money over here, but on a more frightening note you can get a learners licence to drive a car at just 15 years old so it still takes me aback to see these young kids driving around.

I think a lot of the New Zealanders over in Gisborne look like Prince Charles’ descendants long removed – very British looking. Then they get crossed with the Maori who look like Chinese crossed with red Indians, some very like the red Indians crossed with Vikings! And to top that juicy description many are covered with tattoos and earrings with long bushy wavy dark hair or dreadlocks! I wonder what we look like to them?! Actually made me get some history books out of the library and check up on the history of New Zealand!

Something interesting when we moved into the first house was what was left for us to use. There were curtains on all the windows, everything was washed, there were plugs in all the drains, pegs on the washing line (there was even a washing line) dishwashing liquid in the kitchen cupboard, a type of Handy Andy in the bathroom, toilet spray in the toilet, kettle in the kitchen, potato masher and peeler and a few other kitchen utensils, even a shower curtain in the shower. It felt like the previous people had forgotten their stuff. But when she came back to collect her mail she said that was the house stuff. She looked at me like I was a little odd, not knowing that sort of thing! We were amazed! However, we are also still amazed at how small the houses are.

We have since moved to Auckland and have found a few wonderful South African shops to buy ourselves some familiar treats and are beginning to adapt to the small Island that we have now made our home.

Regards

Sharon
Auckland, New Zealand