The Kiwi Psyche

One lesson we've learned after six weeks in New Zealand: Don't underestimate a Kiwi, especially those over 50. That gray haired Kiwi in (way) too small short-pants and muddy gum boots calmly sipping a beer likely just finished a day of kite surfing, mountain biking, and finished with a bungy jump for fun. All that after rising at dawn for a 10-hour day of sheep wrangling.

Maybe it's because they're named after an ungainly, flightless bird. Or because there are more sheep than people. But it feels like Kiwis have something to prove - without actually talking about it.

Oh, sure, they have wineries and lamb, but also distilleries and more deer meat than sheep. In many ways, it's a rough country all cleaned up for church but not really fooling anyone. And that's why we love it. So, we thought a few observations on the Kiwi psyche are in order. To wit:

- Gumboots and short pants. It's a thing.
- Think you're cool with your surfing and extreme skiing abilities? Try again; the average kiwi can handle a 2- week trek then paraglide home.
- All Kiwi beer is about 5% for a reason: it's important to be sober when wrangling sheep, lest they get the better of you.
- It's open season on deer all year long, no bag limit. This gets interesting when in the back country, yet never once mentioned in parks offices or tourism brochures.
- Trout the size of your arm. Everywhere.
- Daily limit on Mallards = 20. Recently down from 50. No limit on tourists.
- The old guy in the department of conservation office? Probably about to do a 6-day trek that's way harder than whatever you had in mind.
- On an island, where it rains all the time (Maori name translates to "land of the long white cloud"), weather forecasts are, well, a bit general. Like the cyclone nobody mentioned.
- Understated is the new overstated. "Fine" weather really means intermittent rain. And "mainly fine"? Well, we never figured out what that meant.
- The couple of nice, friendly school teachers you meet at the campground? His hobby is stunt piloting. She likes to take it easy and sticks with paragliding and adventure races.
- Think you've finally bested a group of 60-something Kiwis because you're doing the same hike in one less day? Think again - they just biked 3 days to the trailhead, oh and one of them thinks she broke her shoulder, but that's not a problem, even though she's flying to Australia on a red eye the day the hike ends.
- If you encounter a guy in gumboots, ask him if the 200-meter suspension bridge is still out 100k up the road and he says " maybe," odds are good he's going for it as well and will be there with you two hours later in the driving rain and 80 knot winds, tromping around in short pants but also wondering if it's still safe to cross after 7 cables blew out. It was, barely. How we figured that out? Some kiwi drove his truck across to test things out.

So, generally badass, understated, handy in a crisis, and with a fondness for good (albeit it weak) beer. We'll take it.