Observing the Kiwis

I imagine that this will be a theme that I return to, but the New Zealanders do have their own ways of doing things. On sunny days, like today, they can be found sprawled anywhere, regardless of whether they should be there or not. There is one spot on Oriental Parade where the promenade passes a row of boat houses. You regularly see people sitting on the roofs of these boathouses having a beer and soaking up the sun. In the UK this would be frowned upon, but here it is the norm. What I find less acceptable is the people who ride their bikes on these raked roofs, using them as some form of obstacle course.

A disregard for authority is de rigour here. On Guy Fawkes night there is a huge firework display in the harbour and on the way home from work I came across a group of people unloading two sofas, two armchairs, a coffee table and a couple of crates of beer from the back of a pickup. They then proceeded to set up their outdoor living room in the middle of the pavement at the harbourside.

We went to the local pool to use the steam room last night. However, we didn't join many of the locals who spend their evening going to the sauna, and then running down to the harbour to throw themselves in and then return to start the process again. 

Clearly we have some way to go before could be considered to have adopted the Kiwi lifestyle!