common reactions from friends when i mention that i’ll be moving down to kiwiland is “do people even exist there?” or “would you not freeze yourself there?” while it might be true that new zealand’s humankind population is lesser than its sheep inhabitants, some decent civilization still exist in the country.
new zealand may not be as famous as other countries like australia, canada, or united states. geographically, it seems to be isolated. probably this distance, being away from other countries led to the misconception that all in new zealand are sheep, and more sheep. most of us get the idea what new zealand looks like from the media. take a look at lord of the rings, and lewis’ narnia perhaps: endless of green pasture, wild vegetation, souring snow-capped mountains mirrored perfectly on a stagnant lake. it undoubtedly appears to be serene, peaceful, but also dull and boring for some.
so before anything else, i’d like to let you know, my dear readers, that i won’t be exploring the forest of fangorn or the hills of the middleearth. new zealand is not all about trees, hills, and mountain side civilization. they have capital cities, buildings, and advance infrastructures. in fact, the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere, the sky tower, is in auckland. in the country’s 2 major cities, auckland and wellington, it almost doesn’t even get any snow! well “almost” meaning once in about a hundred years according to records..and i think that is something most of us can live with. however, there is regular snow in the southern islands, but overall the temperature is not extreme as it seldom reach -10C.
water drains the other way around in southern hemisphere. now, this is a false statement. the coriolis force and effect is true to some extent but the drains we have and toilets, for example, are so small that the force is almost negligible. thus, the way water swirls in our drain is more caused by how the water was directed or the structure of the sink drain. turned out, new zealand is not as strange as you think!
the country’s population is 4.2 million, which is not so plenty. but this figure is expected to rise because of the continuous influx of migrants over the next years to come. by comparison, metro manila alone is more than 11 million already. just like the united kingdom, canada, and australia (among others), queen elizabeth ii is the country’s reigning monarch.
and most important of all, i won’t be getting milk, grapes, and eggs as compensation but real paper money like you do. maybe. or maybe not.
by the way, new zealand is having its general election today, november 8, 2008.
