Last February, I got to go on one of my dream trips – NEW ZEALAND! I had never been more excited in my life for a trip! I have been fascinated with New Zealand ever since a little, independent film series came out called Lord of the Rings. Ever heard of it? 😉 How could you not want to visit after watching the beautiful scenery and sprawling mountains that came across your screen?! To me, New Zealand was Middle Earth, or the closest to Middle Earth that I could ever get, which is why it shot up t the top of my list. Call me a nerd, (ok…but please don’t) there was just something so magical about New Zealand. Plus, everything doesn’t want to kill you there, like NZ’s neighbor Australia.
I have done a stereotype segment on both Japan and Cuba, that have been pretty successful. You always hear these misconceptions before going into a country and I love to verify or shatter them. New Zealand is no different, however it has fewer stereotypes than most. Maybe because it is so far away and overlooked compared to Australia (which has heaps of stereotypes!)? Who knows, but here are five stereotypes of New Zealand I heard before going:
1. There are more sheep than people in New Zealand!
I remember reading this fact specifically in a 101 Facts book when I was in elementary school. Something along the lines of 20 million sheep yet only 4 million people. I would spout that fact to anyone who would listen to me when I was young, because like the book describes, it’s a fun fact! Why did a country need so many sheep?! Were the hills just a white, moving blur?! That is what I envisioned in my mind as I had no idea what New Zealand was or what it looked like. (This was before LOTR came out, give me a break.) Well sure enough on my first tour, the tour guide asked us about things we know about New Zealand and before we could say anything, he says “Let me guess, about how there are more sheep than people?.” We all laughed. Well guess what…it is NO LONGER TRUE!
Well…actually it is kinda true, I think there technically are more sheep still, however sheep are not the main industry. Cows are, more specifically – milk. So, now there are way more cows than sheep and waayyyy more cows than people! So, I guess this stereotype is kind of true?
2. Kiwis hate to be called kiwis.
I remember when working in Hong Kong I got to work with a few people from New Zealand. One thing someone told me was to never refer to them as a kiwi. Whoops, because when I met my first Kiwi…er… New Zealander in France I kept yelling “A KIWI, A KIWI.” I was young, I was excited, and a bottle of wine maybe had been had that night. So, needless to say when the first teacher came in I bit my tongue. That lasted 10 minutes before I asked if he liked being called a Kiwi. #self-control. He just laughed and told me that some hate it, some love it as they identify proudly as being a kiwi. So, apparently, it will depend on who you talk to during this day. I am chalking this one to kind of true, too.
3. New Zealand is part of Australia….right?
Surprisingly, this is a very common misconception. A lot of people lump New Zealand with Australia and think it is basically the same. They think they have the same accent, the same deadly animals living there, and basically attached to the land of Oz. That is so not the case! Auckland is almost 1400 miles away from Sydney – and that is separated by water! People think New Zealand broke off from Australia tens of thousands of years ago, however that doesn’t account for the fact that there are literally no similar animals/mammals between the two countries. While I was in New Zealand one of our tour guides told us about Zealandia. This is a theory proposed years ago that has resurfaced and gained some major traction. It is believed that Zealandia is a giant continent with majority being underwater save for New Zealand and some surrounding islands. Cool huh? Even if Zealandia didn’t exist, Kiwis…New Zealanders do NOT like to be referred to as Australian. They are their own people. They have their own land. This one is SO false.
4. New Zealanders are adrenaline junkies.
Bungee jumping, zorbing, jet boating – these are just three of intense and extreme ‘sports’ created in New Zealand. Bungee jumping you obviously have to be mental to attach a rope to your legs, binding you together, and fall off into a ravine. Zorbing you get inside a giant ball like you are a hamster, and fling yourself down a hill. Jet boating is the great idea of strapping on powerful engine to a boat that just skims across water ridiculously fast inside a twisty-turny gorge. WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU, NEW ZEALAND, TO MAKE YOU CREATE SUCH THINGS?! I actually did two out of the three, but that is besides the point. Polo on motorcycles, mountain luges – New Zealanders are most definitely adrenaline junkies. So. True.
5. Everybody knows one another in New Zealand
Just like Cheers, everybody in New Zealand knows your name…because it’s so small. Just kidding! A lot of people think that everyone knows each other. Despite the fact New Zealand is smaller than Australia, there are still over 4.6 million people in New Zealand. No, that girl you just met traveling from the north island doesn’t know that guy you met five years ago from the south island. It is easy to get carried away and say “Oh, do you know so and so?” when you meant someone from the same city, but after getting asked that so many times when I said “Chicago” I get it. No, I don’t know Michael Jordan. I WISH I knew Barack Obama! This one is false.
And there you have it – my five stereotypes of New Zealand!
Have another you would like to share? Tell me in the comments below!
