Erinn Goes Abroad

Country Life

Visiting Martinborough evokes streams of consciousness like nothing else:

• Brilliant greens. All shades imaginable.
• “fresh” as a smell. Pure. 
• That proverbial peace and quiet that Ralph Waldo Emerson idealized. 
• The click-whistle-squawk of a tui. The song once sounded alien to my ears but now I know I’ll long for its sweetness when I leave.
• The steady hum of creek.
• Color! Pops of it. The loveliest daisies I’ve ever seen. Midnight blue centers. 

Generally I’d call myself a “city girl” but I question that notion every time I voyage past the Rimutaka mountains into the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. The pleasantness of the pristine lands is close to addictive. Plus, it makes my mind wander. I like the idea of having a vegetable garden and a fruit orchard. Perhaps even some ornamental flowers! I could pull on some gum boots and tend to the sheep… or whatever other critters required “tending”.  With the beach a short drive away, a vineyard a brisk stroll down the lane and the town of Martinborough at one’s finger tips… what’s not to like? 

Revisiting Kiwi words: which ones stick?

If you consult a Kiwi-English dictionary, there are all sorts of words that might arouse a guffaw or two.

Among my favorites are “colly wobbles” (nausea associated with being nervous) and “bugalugs” (a pet name). I cheerfully anticipated the day I would meet these words and be fit to respond without question. 

Alas, that day never happened. Not yet, anyway. So I thought I would share with you American readers a few words that are quite different from what we’re used to and that, yes, I encounter frequently. 

Chur- a very “in” word right now. You can use it in nearly any context, as a greeting, an agreement, as filler. A very fascinating word indeed.

Gridiron- referring to American college football. Saying football alone can mean soccer or rugby football. Never mind using “college” as a qualifier as college refers to high school. See below.

College- The college Americans know is referred to as University or more colloquially as “uni” in New Zealand. A college here is the equivalent to high school. The first few times I said college in conversation, it created much confusion about my age and what level of school I was in. 

Capsicum- it’s a bell pepper. You will see the word on market signs and recipes as such.

Coriander- cilantro. See above.

Fortnight- a word that once sounded positively medieval that now seems quite normal to hear and use. It means 2 weeks time. I make rent payments every fortnight. 

Dairy- a convenience store/corner store. The first time few times I encountered the word, I thought it was a shop that only sold milk products. 

Ta- a way to say thank you. Short and sweet. 

There are countless others, even less polite words, that I would love to share but won’t. You will have to visit New Zealand yourself to learn more!  

Good as Gold… or Dearer.

This entry was inspired by a recent visit to a locksmith. Silly me, I misplaced my key! (turns out it was lodged in the washing machine. That rascal!) So I lackadaisically stroll to a shop down the way, without worry or hesitation.

“You cut keys?”
With a nod, I hand him my flat mate’s skeleton key and he disappears wordlessly.

As I wait I survey the keys on the wall and note they run between sixty to eighty  cents. I smile smugly, thinking how similar the pricing is to the USA - no! Better! I paid $1.59 for the last key I had made. And I have the benefit of the exchange rate! Aha!

“Eighteen dollars,” he reveals upon re-entering the room.

“Eight?” I suggest weakly, mouth ajar, thinking even THAT sounded overpriced for a key.

“Eighteen.” Again. Without hesitation. And my feverish ears may have caught (or invented) a touch of smugness of his own.


This brings me to a price comparison discourse. Because I don’t want to believe I was ripped off and in fact I can find no evidence of such. I’ve asked around and no one was industriously shocked as I was. “I paid 13 for my last key” someone at the office said knowingingly.  After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve noticed price differences between the USA and NZ. So  I have developed a list of “average” items and performed a side by side analysis of the greenback to the kiwi dollar.

House key
$1.50 USD | $18.00 NZD <— this isn’t completely accurate. Some of my interviewees have paid quite less than $18… then again, they don’t have skeleton keys. Not sure if it should be that much of a difference.  

“The Help”- a paperback novel
$9.95 (on sale. Originally $16) USD | $29.95 NZD

Loaf of bread, standard white
$1.98 USD | $3.79 NZD

Pair of Levi blue jeans
$52.90-85.00 USD | $139.90-149.90 NZD



I will concede that the NZ market is smaller than the US’s which could have an impact on pricing. There is a high tariff on imported goods. New Zealand prices also already include a tax called GST at 15% … as opposed to the state’s sales tax being calculated at the register. The minimum wage is higher in NZ and citizens have access to subsidized healthcare and other public services which could contribute to higher prices in the market.

Fair enough, New Zealand. If these prices are standard, then maybe most people don’t know it any other way. But I’m curious as to how students make this work - particularly those without the benefit of scholarships, government aid or parental backing.

Rugby World Cup Fever

I’m no sportsman. Sportswoman. Whatever. Anyways, while I can appreciate the zeal of an animated crowd or the shapely curve of a fit athlete, I have other more pertinent interests.

Tangent: one of them (my interests) is dancing happily about my room to the song Moves Like Jagger. My goodness that song is catchy.

 Despite all of that, I’ve got the fever! The Rugby World Cup Fever! I am grateful to be in New Zealand during this joyous time. Foreigners from far and wide have infiltrated the city, making it a salad bowl of culture and fervor.

And by some stroke of luck, I have been afforded the occasion to attend two rugby world cup games: USA v. Australia and Canada v. New Zealand. 

Here I am seen with my partner in crime Caresse Bucchan bellowing the Star Spangled Banner in an energetic but tone-deaf manner. Rumor has it this dreadful sight [correction, series of noises. The sight is rather eye catching] was caught on video. Sufficient black mail for a rainy day. The death of my blossoming music career. Hah!

And here a shot of a few collegial Rotarians who supported USA at the match.

I can barely label this next photo as “a shot” as it is more appropriately called “a work of art”… the bald eagle which I painted on Rotary Scholar Brock’s face. 

And finally with my favorite new friend, Rotary Scholar Nathan of Canada. We were bleeding red that day (so nothing out of the ordinary).