You heard of New Zealand?

[Jon Shannow]

One of my mates came from New Zealand, he's probably told me were specifically but i've forgotten.

 

[Hawgh]

Pretty nature stuff, multitudes of sheep, the indigenous population's desperate struggle for identity in the face of modern existence.

 

[maxmanrules]

Yeah, I've heard of it. I'm subscribed to xjet on youtube, which runs a bunch of lulzy RC aircraft stuff on an airfield in Tokoroa. Wouldn't mind popping by and flying with them, they seem to be a relaxed bunch that doesn't needlessly restrict what you can do with your own stuff, but I'm not going to spend 20-30 grand in travel expenses to play with toy airplanes.


Prior to xjet I knew it existed but that was it.

Actually it's about 5 grand for a week and a half, assuming you live in the US. 5 grand OUR money, so like 4 grand american. Maybe.

 

[NotSoLoneWanderer]

Yup, I know. Huge world map taped to my ceiling and I like history anyway.
Edit: Guess P.C gaming is big assuming the price increase doesn't affect steam and do any Australian spiders cross the small bit of ocean separating you two and try to colonize your land as there own?

 

[maxmanrules]

New Zealander here with a few fun facts:
Petrol is over $2 a litre, which is equal to about £1GBP or $1.20~USD.
We have roughly the same amount of land as Japan, but they have over 20x more people
Like our Australian neighbors we LOVE to drink
A brand new copy of CoD MW3 is $150 here. Disgusts me, that's about £75GBP or $120USD!
There are more like sheep and Rugby but everyone knows that

There are more sheep than people here.
Also, where the hell are you buying your games? The bloody dairy or something?
I saw an add on the telly not to long ago, MW3 for $113. Mind you, that's still expensive.

 

[maxmanrules]

lots of sheep

'lots of sheep'

With more sheep.

That's interesting.
The evidence says something different.

Yeeeees, but there's about 34 million sheep in New Zealand, which is several times more than the number of people here. That coupled with our small landmass. When people come here, what they see is lots of farmland and sheep. And cows.

 

[maxmanrules]

Being English, you have the sort of insects that would make me curl up in a ball and die of fear.

Spoiler: BEHOLD

You do realise than is our ONLY insect right?

 

[maxmanrules]

My Country is... well... This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLETRsaL8DA

Whaka yeah!

That's great, never seen that one before

I prefer this though
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nwm6frRyfE

 

[maxmanrules]

I know about it. Not in depth, but the maori, local animals(sheeps ) and the nature are pretty known to me. Think it's pretty amazing that you have such rich and different envieroments. Recently watched the LOTR trilogy and it's hard to believe that all locations are in the same country.
I'm from Sweden, by the way. :>

Especially Mordor. You totally need to come over here and see that place

 

[UrieHusky]

Well I live in NZ, it would be rather awkward if I didn't know of it =P

Honestly though I've only ever had to explain to someone where NZ was on a map once and that was cause the person was as dense as two sticks XD
We're not that obscure these days, we've been in the news heaps over the past few years, that and the rugby world cup got our name out there pretty massively

Oh and our over priced video games, still irritated that when I bought Deus Ex Human Revolution it was 120 dollars in literally every store I went to, but in Australia it was 70 >_>

 

[saucecode]

snip

Well we dont think American money is weird, it can be hard to convert NZD to USD because we ususally just double and subtract a bit. We DO think your measurement system is weird. This, "imperial" system. I dont get it, 12 inches make a foot? Im not sure, but metric is alot more straight forward, 10 millimeters is 1 centimeter, 100 centimeters is a meter, 1000 meters is a kilometer, etc. We do have cash, but we dont have dollar bills, just dollar coins.

300,000 people when 1 million showed up sounds like a rugby world cup game. Auckland city is huge, and makes up 1/4 of the whole population, so 1 million people showing up for an event we all loved is definetly possible.

No Crime, you say? LOL, well from what i've heard New Zealand is amongst the highest countries for domestic violence and child abuse (citation needed).

Rugby. It was 24 years since we'd won, so im not surprised everyone celebrated for hours on end. And 12 hour drives. The only way thats happening is going between the big cities. People are only flabbergasted because their friends or family usually situated in the same city.

Its interesting to see someone elses view of New Zealand.

 

[maxmanrules]

Sure, I've heard 'bout New Zeeland, but I'll admit I don't know much 'bout it. You're a part of the continent Oceania... Rugby seems to be pretty big down there... You qualified for last years FIFA World Cup and were the only team that left the tournament undefeated (three draws)... You had a pretty good contestant in the World's Strongest Man competition about ten years ago (can't remember his name)... Umm, sheep? Green country? I think that's all I got.

Three draws was bull though. The dam Italians faked an injury and got a penalty. Ooooh I'm mad about that now.

 

[maxmanrules]

All that I know about New Zealand is that:

1- The countryside environment is very close to that of the UK (similar mostly to Wales, and the north of England.)
2- The Aboriginals of New Zealand (The Maori) like to stick their tongues out to greet one another.
3- Rugby is you're religion.
4- Games over there are fucking expensive, and even more so than Australia.
5- You're accents are weird, almost a cross of American/English with a bit of Aussie on the side. I used to have a New Zealand teacher and I would laugh my head off when she said the word Black, it would be like "Brr...lack".
6- Oh, and the Naked and Famous, who I have seen at a festival a couple of months back. There were so many New Zealand flags at that gig, so I swear some of them are more patriotic than most Americans are.

No, that's in a traditional thing they do when meeting other tribes or visitors, this whole singing thingymadoodle. Pretty impressive if they do it right.
They rub noses to greet each other. (not that much better really)

 

[maxmanrules]

the all-blacks!
my friend Kath...
my mum too!

i'm from scotland. ist that just the same as NZ only without the silly accent?

Actually, the taniwha sounds a damn lot like the Loch Ness monster...
And you're calling our accent silly?

 

[saucecode]

So I was on skype, and a friend and I were wondering how well my country, New Zealand, is known around the world? Its really hard to tell. For all I know, noone in the world knows what New Zealand is.

Also, if you are wondering the same about your own country, i encourage you post here for us to comment on.

So, what comes to mind, or have ya'll never heard of nz!

In Norway (another country full of sheep and beautiful nature) New Zealand is very well known, partly because it's located on the exact opposite point of the Earth from Norway. Like, if I were to dig a hole straight down (and somehow survive the ordeal) I would eventually surface approximately on the streets of Wellington.

So, greetings from the furthest point on Earth to all of you!

*Google images > Norway
Wow! I actually had no idea Norway looked so beautiful! Also, i've heard lots of idiots (friends, sadly) say they would dig a hole stright down to China. I'll prove them wrong!!

 

[5t3v0]

Hmm... New zealand... New Zealand... NewZealandNewZealandNewZealand... No... Doesn't ring any bells apart from my birthplace and the only place I called home for the 1st 13 years of my life before moving with my parents here in Sydney (I am 17 now). Yeah, thats right. They stole me. Though Personally I like to see it as an invasion of Australia by NZers. There are fuckloads of us here.

Hehehe...

Though went back late in november for my sisters wedding. First time I've been back since 2008. Felt good to see the old(ish) place was still holding up (relatively) well. And am finding it funny that my mums old place of work (ami insurance) is in the process of being bought out by her current place of work (Insurance Australia Group), but thats just another odd tangent.

By the way, Aucklander here. Make fun of me if you will... *Stares at chip on shoulder*

 

[maxmanrules]

I know things like:

New Zealanders think American money is weird and awkward to use (what the fuck kind of money do you use then? just coins? just credit cards? HOW DO YOU LIVE ?!)
That Google Chrome doesn't consider "Zealand" a word... well apparently anyways, as everytime I type it there's a red squiggly line under it.
that ya'll must have really small houses because EVERY FUCKING TIME I PLAY WITH ONE OF YA'LL THERE'S SO MUCH NOISE IN THE BACK GROUND!
That ya'll are very peaceful. One of the Playstation Network buddies was telling us Americans in our clan that there was this big celebration in some big city square that in NZ. Apparently, there were enough cops and "facilities" for around 300,000 people but ONE MILLION people showed up. It was totally, TOTALLY peaceful and apparently like a gargantuan party with a bunch of friends - no crime reported whatsoever. Us Americans agreed that if that had happened ANYWHERE in America, it would have turned into a riot.
That ya'll are very homely - and by that there's nothing particularly extravagant about you. This is a good and bad thing, as the good thing is there's nothing infamous attached to your name. But the bad part about it is that there's nothing particularly extraordinary either.
Rugby.

GOOD GOD RUGBY!

Oh, and when I explain to some New Zealanders that my girlfriends Canadian and I'm American, and that it's a 12 hour drive to her house, they're flabergasted. Not by the long distance relationship, but by the fact you could actually take 12 hours to drive somewhere! I guess in most places that would put you in the middle of an ocean should you try

That's all I can think of now...

OH and giant penis' in the ground... http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/865692-student-penis-art-captured-by-google-earth

Ok I live in New Zealand and you have brought up a few things that I can explain.

1) I expect other kiwis find American notes confusing because they are all green. New Zealand dollar notes come in different colours according to their denomination ie 10 dollars is blue while a 20 dollar note is green.

2) That gathering of one million people would have been 1/4 of New Zealand's total population in one spot or all of Auckand city.

well considering that a quarter of nz's population LIVES in that city, I don't find it hard to believe.

oh and I'll repost this for yea...

As for the why we don't have more coins (such as $1 coins)... well, we actually DO... but the notes are more popular to make in America because our coin is made out of cotton (a major US export) because cotton in America is so dirt cheap. So it's the concept of, why use expensive precious metals to make larger coins?

Which another point: every new zealander/Australian that has come into my effin store has been a prick... hahahahaha (I mentioned I'm a cashier in the previous post). Idk why. I really don't blame all new zealanders, but it was like they seriously thought I was their servant or something. Is that a common conception in new zealander? that cashiers and store employees should be treated like low life rabble?

Nah man, it's cause we bloody kicked the arseholes out and sent them to your country