Lewis the Lion flies into New Zealand
One of Lewis the Lion’s first impressions of New Zealand was a very positive one indeed as the people were so helpful and friendly. This was especially important when his rucksack did not appear off his flight from California. The airport staff really tried to make the difficult situation as manageable as possible by providing Helen with some pyjamas and toiletries, especially when Helen told them that she’d be staying in a mixed dormitory that evening! To be honest, Helen told Lewis that ‘Every cloud has a silver lining,’ because as it transpired, after catching the shuttle bus to the Mount Eden suburb of Auckland, there was a substantial walk to the hostel. At least she could walk there easily without having to lug a heavy rucksack. Moreover, the staff at the airport would drop the rucksack off the next morning directly to their hostel after it arrived on the next flight from Sydney. ‘All’s well that ends well,’ she told Lewis the Lion.
Some Maori writing greets Lewis the Lion at the airport
The were two other things about New Zealand that interested Lewis the Lion when he arrived at the airport: 1) that English didn’t appear to be the only language spoken in English but Maori as well
Welcome to New Zealand: in English and Maori
and 2) how beautiful the landscapes seemed to be from looking at the promotional pictures. After all, they had used the New Zealand scenery as the backdrop for The Lord of the Rings films. He would certainly look forward to exploring this country both in terms of the language and culture and in discovering the impressive, dramatic landscapes too.
Kaikoura: showcasing some of the wonderful New Zealand landscapes
When Lewis the Lion arrived at his hostel in the suburbs, he did his best to stay awake as Helen had recommended to help him beat the jet-lag and so instead of going to bed, he fought the tiredness and went for an evening stroll to go shopping and check out the local area.
There was certainly the sense of the familiar being in Auckland; it reminded him very much of being back home in Britain. For starters, it was certainly a cooler climate than California and felt like an autumn’s evening in the UK, albeit that Lewis the Lion had arrived during New Zealand’s springtime. He could smell wood burning and a honeysuckle sweetness filling the air.
He also noticed that the cars were travelling along on the lefthand side of the road again and there were familiar looking roundabouts.
New Zealand has roundabouts like back in the UK
However, he noticed that the New Zealanders must be quite straight talking and down-to-earth if their street signs were anything to judge by!
Signs that get straight to the point
When speaking to New Zealanders or Kiwis as they are called more colloquially, he noticed that even though they speak English, that they have a different accent and to him it sounded as if they would extend the final syllable at the end of a sentence. (Look out for Lewis Loves Languages page where Lewis talks both about New Zealand English and Maori).
He saw that there were what the Kiwis call ‘superettes,’ or to him being British, a grocery store or a corner shop. However, he headed for a bigger supermarket to do a ‘big shop.’ Being at the supermarket also made him feel like he was back in England too with familiar branded products, e.g. Heinz tomato ketchup, Marmite, Kellogs cereals and Cadbury’s chocolate, etc. But shopping in New Zealand was definitely a more expensive affair, even when buying basics such as fruit and vegetables. Lewis thought that kiwi fruits at least might be cheaper here seeing as they come from New Zealand but he was mistaken. A punnet of four kiwis cost NZ$ 4! (Lewis will tell you about the value of the New Zealand currency in one of his next blogs).
Lewis the Lion with an expensive New Zealand kiwi fruit
Shopping wasn’t the only thing that Lewis the Lion noticed was more expensive in New Zealand. You had to pay for Internet connection too wherever you went and it wasn’t cheap. In Lewis the Lion’s hostel it cost NZ $9.50 for wifi access per day or for a total of 160mb of data! This was a bit a shock to the system when it had mainly been free all over the Americas.
Lewis sees the typical Auckland houses
After managing to stay up quite late that first night as Helen had suggested, as a way of righting their body clocks and avoiding jet-lag, the next morning Lewis the Lion felt bright and ready to take on the world…well at least to go and explore Auckland’s city centre!
As he left to catch a bus into town, he noticed wooden style houses with verandas in the suburbs. However, the centre of Auckland itself felt to Lewis the Lion as if he’d just stepped foot into another British city. It is a hilly city for starters as it is surrounded by 20 volcanic cones. (Lewis will tell you about how he climbed to the top of one in one of his next blogs!). There are green, central parks, churches and a university and in the shopping district there are skyscrapers (see the photo below of Auckland’s biggest tower that looks like a giant syringe poimting skyward called the Sky Tower), arcades and familiar high-street shops, such as The Body Shop, Subway and Cartridge World. There was even the grey, drizzly weather on that particular day and Helen found that she had to battle with her umbrella due to the wind factor too!
Auckland’s Sky Tower dominates the skyline
‘Maybe it’s a good thing that Auckland is windy?’ Lewis the Lion rationalised as his mane blew all over the place as he neared the harbour. For he had discovered that Auckland has a strong maritime tradition and is called ‘the the ‘City of Sails’ owing to the fact that so many Aucklanders own a boat. He was heading to puchase a special New Zealand bus ticket from the Stray Bus Company and as he went he noticed some cool pedestrian crossings that flickered with an animation of a green man crossing the road when it was your turn to cross.
Over all, Lewis the Lion felt right at home here on his first few days in New Zealand, even though he realised that never in his life had he been so far away from home. He really was on the other side of the world now!
Lewis sees the world map from a different perspective in his New Zealand hostel
What’s the furthest place that you’ve ever been away from home?
How did it make you feel?
