We leave for Wellington tomorrow after surviving over 5 weeks in the camper van. Yay! We decided to spend the last 4 nights of our South Island time in a small Christchurch apartment rather than in the camper. Oddly enough, the folks who stayed in the apartment below us the past 2 nights, a young German couple, felt like their time in the camper (3.5 weeks) was overlong, and they bailed a bit early too, so they could have a bit more space, private kitchen, etc. Our next camper van trip will be...never? And we would strongly advise friends and family to NOT do a camper van trip in New Zealand at least for the foreseeable future. Times have changed since our last trip. We talked to lots of campground owners and they all sang the same song telling us that things have tilted and it's not like it used to be. They're frustrated about the changes and it's unclear if they can get things back in sync. It's a multilayered issue that involves local government, changes in demographics of tourists, and many other things, and it will be difficult to resolve. Kiwis are nice people and it's refreshing to get to hear their polite, but unvarnished opinions about this stuff. We've have some great chat with locals. And despite the camper and weather frustration, we did get to see lots of amazing things. And after sharing 5 square feet of space in a mouldy-smelling camper we still like each other, so that's good!
Another thing we like about Kiwis is their succinctness and lack of embellishment in their communications. Sometimes, though, they start off being succinct and then get a bit...redundant? Here are a few examples that amused us. Like maybe the brochure below could just be the Guide to Whitebait? And Toilets Closed? At least it's clear why you would use the bell! And you can see the straightforwardness of their shops names below, too. We liked the flashback restaurant banner example below; they definitely favor telling you what you'll get at the restaurant (fish and chips most typically!) rather than having an attractive, obscure hipster name, like American restaurants seem to do these days.
Another thing we like about Kiwis is their succinctness and lack of embellishment in their communications. Sometimes, though, they start off being succinct and then get a bit...redundant? Here are a few examples that amused us. Like maybe the brochure below could just be the Guide to Whitebait? And Toilets Closed? At least it's clear why you would use the bell! And you can see the straightforwardness of their shops names below, too. We liked the flashback restaurant banner example below; they definitely favor telling you what you'll get at the restaurant (fish and chips most typically!) rather than having an attractive, obscure hipster name, like American restaurants seem to do these days.
