Welcome to NZ, Aotearoa, land of the long white cloud, and home to a whole lot of Kiwis from NZ. I know that the kiwi, while it is our national bird, is a flightless ground dweller, but that asserts tiny about the people that from NZ who live in this stunning country. Maybe at about that point I should say that the kiwi truly is a beautiful bird, and to see one in natural settings, or perhaps in prison, is an awesome event.

Ok, so now I am side tracked by the kiwi. Where was I? So, Kiwis, the residents of NZ, also known as the youngest country on the planet…. We actually are an engaging bunch, and I say that in the very best way, and to come to NZ is to not only enjoy the incredible views, and additionally to meet some extraordinarily cool folk.

Therefore let's dive right into it. What exactly is Kiwi culture, setting races and folks groups aside, let's find out what makes Kiwis tick.

We have to start off with rugby, which was introduced to NZ in May 1870. The 1st game of rugby was staged in Nelson and since then rugby has been something which NZ has been quite good at. For ages Kiwis have been rugby crazy, and it has been each young boy's ambition to grow up and become an All Black. The All Blacks are a national icon and when they lose a serious game the whole nation will go into mourning.

Locally, you can expect pretty much each town and town to have 1 rugby club, and most Saturdays, if you go down to the local sports parks you will be treated to local rugby at its best ; town against town, province against province and occasionally even brother against bro. I will speak from experience as I am currently the substitute for a town 3rd division team which is truly a Kiwi thing to do. I am in it simply for fun , but for lots of locals rugby is lived and breathed and a win on Sat. is a must, as is the post game event full of beers and battle stories.

maybe one of the most familiar things about rugby is the short shorts the players wear. This piece of clothing is called a stubby and it has filtered into the dress code for Kiwis everywhere. It isn't uncommon to see, even in the dead of winter, a good ole Kiwi bloke wearing a pair of stubbies, reputedly indifferent to the cold. I can not say that I always support this symbol of Kiwi culture, but i have been known to put on a pair even when I'm not playing rugby. Perhaps it's good for working on my leg tan.

I assume while we are speaking around sports it might be fair to say another growing sport from NZ, which, while it has not loved the national renown of rugby yet, it is certainly growing in popularity. The game is soccer ( or soccer dependent on where you come from ) and the present success of the New Zealand All Whites and Wellington Phoenix truly has boosted it in the nation's eyes. Bring on the soccer World Cup and the way forward for soccer from NZ. Football truly is a superb sport and for the younger generation is just as well-liked to play on the weekend as is rugby, so do not be stunned to see a rugby match being played alongside a football match when you visit that local sports park.

Kiwis are really not limited to rugby and soccer, however. We excel in sailing, cycling, endurance races, golf, basketball, canoeing, horseracing, growing, cricket and netball. These sports can be found all over New Zealand in some degree and this all shows that Kiwis are not only rugby insane, but sports insane generally. Other sports that may be found are tennis, table tennis, bowls, boule, badminton, volleyball, squash, and athletics, not to mention all the self defence colleges around.

O.K, so maybe everything isn't centred on sports from NZ. We are a fun-loving gift givingnation, but our work ethic is exceedingly high and internationally recognized. Maybe you've heard of Kiwi ingenuity, a. K. A No. 8 wire mind-set? We are a nation that believes in just getting in and doing it, irrespective of what the obstacles. If , however , there are obstacles then expect your average Kiwi to successfully and quickly come up with a solution or some ingenious technique to get round the problem using radical means and whatever is available at the time. It'll usually be to a high standard and achieve what is required.

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