kiwipom91 Profile

Latest Blog Posts

• My First Christmas in New Zealand
  on Dec 19, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences People and Culture Christmas in New Zealand immigrating to new zealand life in New Zealand living in new zealand New Zealand
  When you’re an immigrant, that first Christmas hits you hard. The rest of the year, you’re distracted by work and house hunting and getting on with life. Then Christmas arrives and everything stops. You realise what’s missing: family. My first...
• A Trip to the Coromandel
  on Dec 12, 2016 in Beaches North Island Places Tourist Experiences Coromandel Ferry Landing Kiwi humour New Zealand road trip Whitianga
  A ferry operator with a sense of humour, a tiny community library, and a view to renew the soul… Last weekend, Tim and I embarked upon a road trip familiar to many Kiwis. Countless tourists – New Zealanders and foreign holidaymakers alike – hav...
• I Finally Visited a Cat Café!
  on Dec 5, 2016 in North Island People and Culture Auckland Barista Cats cat cafe cats cross-eyed cat New Zealand
  Can you believe cat cafes have only been a thing in New Zealand since last year? Rather predictably, they’ve become really popular, popping up in more and more places. Not Hamilton, unfortunately, which is why I, self-confessed crazy cat lady, only...
• Hilarious Misconceptions about New Zealand
  on Aug 30, 2016 in People and Culture
  Originally posted on POMS AWAY!: Over the years I’ve heard some pretty funny things about New Zealand. A worrying amount of these things were said in all seriousness. By adults. The following list of Common Misconceptions about New Zealand comes fr...
• Having a (Jane Austen) Ball in Hamilton
  on Aug 22, 2016 in Hamilton People and Culture
  Originally posted on POMS AWAY!: It is a truth universally acknowledged that man dressed in Regency clothing is sure to make a woman swoon. Well it works for me anyhow. This is one of the reasons I was so excited about attending Dance Folkus’ Jane...
• A New Zealander’s View of Britain
  on Aug 15, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences People and Culture
  Originally posted on POMS AWAY!: Hello, everyone! I just got back from my Grand Tour of Europe, so I’ve finally got time to write some new posts. As you may know, I spent the last three months travelling with my Kiwi boyfriend, starting in my nativ...
• Is New Zealand Backward?
  on Aug 9, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences People and Culture living in new zealand New Zealand New Zealand ahead New Zealand behind social laboratory technology
  One thing you always used to hear about New Zealand was how backward it was. Behind the times. “It’s like how England was in the 1970s,” people would say. This, apparently, was a good thing. New Zealand was a country living in the past, when li...
• Our Street
  on Aug 1, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences People and Culture insulation late-nineteenth century architecture New Zealand New Zealand compared to England New Zealand housing New Zealand rental properties New Zealand streets
  I grew up in a small, brick house at the end of a terrace of small, brick houses at the end of a street of terraces of small, brick houses. It was kind of a dull street. Cramped too. Late-nineteenth century houses all jammed in shoulder-to-shoulder;...
• What We Did in Rarotonga
  on Jul 25, 2016 in People and Culture Cook Islands New Zealand Pacific Island Rarotonga Rarotongan holiday South Pacific Travel what to do in Rarotonga
  If you live in New Zealand, you’ll probably end up having a holiday in Rarotonga. Last week, I began the story of my own Rarotongan holiday. (You should probably read that before reading this. Here it is.) This week, the relaxing adventure continue...
• Where New Zealanders Go On Holiday
  on Jul 18, 2016 in People and Culture Cook Islands New Zealand Rarotonga Travel writing
  If you’re wondering why I didn’t post anything last week, it’s because I was in paradise. And in paradise, Internet access is eye-wateringly expensive. I was also too busy drinking cocktails on the beach. Poor me. I was in Rarotonga, one of the...
• New Zealand and Volcanoes
  on Jul 4, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences Nature North Island
  Originally posted on POMS AWAY!: When I was nine years old, my world fell apart. There I was, living quite happily in a small town in the North of England, when my parents dropped a bombshell: we were moving to New Zealand. New Zealand – wasn’t t...
• How Brexit Looks from New Zealand
  on Jun 28, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences People and Culture Brexit British expat immigrant John Lennon New Zealand Radio NZ The Panel United Kingdom what New Zealand thinks of Brexit young people on Brexit
  Last week, out of the blue, I was asked to “appear” on Radio NZ. They needed a British expat to talk about Brexit, and I can only assume Google led them to this blog. Okay. I wasn’t exactly an expert, but I agreed. I figured it would be the mos...
• The Alien World of White Island
  on Jun 19, 2016 in Nature North Island Places Tourist Experiences
  Originally posted on POMS AWAY!: Have you ever visited somewhere so unique that you rave about it years later? It’s been six years since my family went to New Zealand’s White Island, and I still find myself thinking about it and talking about how...
• The Otuataua Stonefields
  on Jun 14, 2016 in History Immigrant Experiences North Island People and Culture Places archaeology Auckland dry stone walls Ihumatao Mangere Manukau Harbour near Auckland Airport New Zealand Otuataua Stonefields
  When you’re an immigrant, you spend a lot of time at the airport, picking up visiting relatives. I’ve been to Auckland Airport many times, but I never knew about the important archaeological site right next to it! The Otuataua Stonefields are a p...
• A Stroll through History
  on Jun 8, 2016 in History Immigrant Experiences North Island Places Auckland Fencible Historical Village Howick immigrants museum New Zealand Victorians
  I learnt a lot about the history of Auckland last weekend, both Maori and European. I walked across the Otuataua Stonefields, an archaeological site encompassing one of New Zealand’s earliest settlements, and I visited the Howick Historical Village...
• Battle of the National Symbols – New Zealand vs. England
  on May 30, 2016 in People and Culture Coat of Arms England National Animal National Anthem National Flower National Sport National Symbols New Zealand Patron Saint
  The national animal of New Zealand is the kiwi, a small, flightless bird that thinks it’s a mammal. The national animal of England is a lion, a majestic, sharp-toothed hunter that, really, has nothing whatsoever to do with England. At least the kiw...
• The Best Place to Live in New Zealand
  on May 23, 2016 in Immigrant Experiences Places Auckland best place to live in New Zealand Bethells Beach Hamilton living in new zealand moving to New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand lifestyle Tauranga Waiuku where to live in New Zealand
  Since moving to New Zealand, I’ve lived in four very different places: 1) Waiuku, a sleepy town south of Auckland, 2) Tauranga, a peaceful city in the Bay of Plenty, 3) Auckland Central, the busiest part of New Zealand’s busiest city, and 4) Hami...
• The Archaeology of New Zealand
  on May 17, 2016 in History archaeology Edmonds Ruins historical sites New Zealand Thurlby Domain
  I found buried treasure once. Well. Kind of. I was helping Dad dig a new flowerbed and we found a few pieces of nineteenth-century pottery. To my child’s mind, it was akin to uncovering the treasures of Sutton Hoo. I was bitterly disappointed we di...
• Road to Perdition
  on May 9, 2016 in North Island People and Culture Places anxiety cats larping New Zealand Waiuku western
  I don’t know where to begin this story. I could begin in media res, with a familiar yet disturbingly alien landscape trundling past a window. I could begin with the provocatively dramatic image of a nun aiming a revolver at a sheriff. I could begin...
• The Ultimate New Zealand Comedy
  on May 2, 2016 in People and Culture comedy film Hunt for the Wilderpeople New Zealand review Sam Neill Taika Waititi
  I went to see Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople the other day. I won’t beat around the bush. It was bloody brilliant. I haven’t laughed so hard at the cinema since… well, since Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows, probably. Bu...