20 'normal' New Zealand things that shocked me! Americans living in New Zealand.

What are 20 "normal" things in New Zealand that totally surprised me as an American moving to NZ?

Well in this video, you're about to find out! Whether it comes to food, work or general cultural differences, there's so much that has surprised me when it comes to life in New Zealand.

You may have heard me talk about some of these before, but I wanted to create a video that caps most of them off. So sit back, relax and enjoy the video... 🍿

Here we go 😁

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Thanks to my editor:

[Jack]

I feel like the only people who actually watch this channel are people from New Zealand and Aussie who are curious about what Americans think of our cultures.

[princester]

Its illegal in NZ to NOT stop at a pedestrian crossing. You can get fined. Hence why pretty much everyone stops and if you don't see a pedestrian it is the fault of the vehicles driver. Its on you. So please always slow and check for no pedestrians.

[mikaeremichellepeck]

I'm a kiwi and I was having a little giggle at everything she said.
BTW I like to eat fish n chips on the beach, . It's a nice setting. I'm 57 now and I've never managed to get sand in my fish n chips lol. No we don't get sand in them, we eat them straight from the paper with tomato sauce

[MrChiddler]

A lot of Americans seem to think things are peculiar to the country they are in when in reality they are like that pretty much everywhere outside America. A good half of this list is in no way unique to NZ. It’s the US that’s the peculiar one, very often.

[natashahanson]

I am a New Zealander now living in America. When I was younger I asked my dad what happens if you just take the bag of apples from the roadside stall and don't pay?" and he said that would be wrong cause they're not yours. I still remember this interaction 30 years later as it seemed so strikingly simple, if it doesn't belong to you, don't take it. This was a great lesson in right versus wrong.

[suet.r.]

I'm an American. Born, raised, and raising my kids in Wyoming. In a rural part, where you used to be able to go on the honor-system, do business on a handshake, etc. If you didn't have the money today but you needed the commodity, you could have it... and you would go out of your way to pay it up as soon as you could. (I am "dating myself" because things aren't like that anymore... But I remember and I miss that!) I was raised on family farms that no longer exist unless the family in question has plenty of other money. Manure was valuable. I still have the layer of callous on the soles of my feet from running around half of the year barefooted. Sausages and hotdogs get served on bread in my world. Eating out-of-doors, anywhere, any season, is fine with me. Traveling in my youth involved bringing a bag of bread, some cheese, pickles, a pack of weenies or bologna... And stopping at the side of the road and cooking the meat and cheese on a stick, and eating it right there wrapped in bread. We always make mince pies and fruitcake... and we eat it! Ingenuity to do everything has always been a way of life; from patching a fench to making homegrown play equipment.
I always have coffee and tea for unplanned visitors. I'm trustworthy with others' property, housekeys, passwords, and account numbers. I try to leave things better than I found them, as in clean, restored, repaired. If you need it, I can loan it to you or just let you have it - it all comes out even in the end. I like to trust people and to be trustworthy.
I know this isn't how things are in much of the U.S. - Or how they are anymore. - I think I wanna come live in NZ!

[allangoodger]

As an electrician it is safer to turn the power off before removing the plug. Less chance of an arc being drawn when extracted because of the higher voltage (230 -240V).

[notdodgy]

Fun fact, New Zealand was the first country in the world to start using EFTPOS way back in 1984, so if you're in your mid 30's or less, it's just always been a thing.

[cuddlypandas]

The sausage sizzle is basically like a kiwi hotdog. Lol while america serves them on bread buns with toppings, we serve em on white bread with fried onions and tomato sauce. It's cheap, its filling and bloody tastes good ☺☺ quite commonly used as a fundraiser for small community groups or school activities.

[josecarlosdiazarmijo]

I am extremely surprised at how much the customs of New Zealand are similar to those of my country, Peru. We fully understand them.

[Littlemouse]

It's not about the tall poppy syndrome with people here not asking others what they do for a job, it's seen as very rude as it's about NZ priding itself as being an egalitarian society where you dont judge people for what they do for a living(but for who they are as people)hence why most New Zealanders have a wide range of friends from all sorts of different socio economic backgrounds and you can go to a bar or a pub and drink with people on the dole or/and millionaires and everything in between. Where as in the U.S it's very different and people judge one another by how much money they earn. Very different cultures with very different values and ideals

[oliverwakila]

I love that for other people, fish and chips on the beach is so abnormal, however as someone who’s been in New Zealand my whole life, fish and chips on the beach is the most normal, and one of the best memories of my childhood haha

[aussieragdoll]

When I was a child in Australia, we had a Fish & Chip Shop at the end of my street, so we would get food there often. But we didn’t unwrap the parcel of food. We would just tear a hole on one end and reach in and pull the food out. Helps keep the food warm.

[heftyelf]

What you described with people not talking about what they do for a living is the opposite of tall poppy syndrome. No one cares what anyone else does for a living... they judge people on their actions, not how much they earn 💜

[pennyw]

Leaving work according to the clock vs finishing what you’re doing definitely depends on the job, the organisation and seniority.

[Luubelaar]

Eggnog is a winter thing because it's rich and warm and great when it's cold. When it's hot, it's horrible drinking that stuff.
Mince pies, crackers, and loads of other Xmas traditions are very English. NZ and Australia have strong ties to the UK, so totally normal.

[paulg]

We don't actually roll the fish and chips in the sand like some kind of giant insane racoon before putting it in our mouths.
Just don't have beach fish and chips in a cyclone and you'll be fine.

Btw. pedestrians are not supposed to just walk out onto a crossing, the road code is quite clear that they are supposed to look both ways first. they are taught this in primary school.
so it's ok to run them over.

[NeoPhoneix]

I'm about 80% sure the reason eggs are refrigerated in the US, is because they need to clean the outside of the egg because their chicken flock (nationally) has salmonella. Cleaning the egg removes the membrane making the egg more susceptible to going bad quickly. Our chickens don't have salmonella and we go to great lengths to keep it that way (friend used to do the chicken testing :)

[carolinavanderlande]

This is such an interesting video for me. I’m from the Netherlands, never been to NZ but did go the US and was curious to know what surprised you about NZ since I don’t know much about it. But most of the things you mention are very familiar to me, like the money transfer system, the toilets, the work mentality where overtime is not expected and we also don’t talk a lot about work in our free time. Even the stalls at farms that are based on trust can be found here in rural areas. Also the coffee and camping culture, the display of food that you actually eat, not using a dryer (much better for your clothes), the brown eggs you don’t have to refrigerate. NewZealand surprisingly sounds a lot like Europe apart from some specifically cultural things, like barefoot walking. Thanks for this insight!

[rp]

Haha, I completely understand the convenience of the Dryer.
I used to value the Dryer over air Drying but then I learnt that with Air Drying your clothes actually allows them to last longer, the fabrics are dried more gently, no shrinkage, no warping, reduced wear and tear and it prevents static cling.
The air drying allows for a fresher smell, more eco friendly, uses less energy and it's free 😉😉😁😁