Meanderings in "the land of the long white cloud," Aotearoa

If we had a dollar (that's a gold coin with a Kiwi on one side and the Queen on the other) for every time we've said "wow" or "this is unbelievable", we'd be bloody rich! We are immersed in a utopian world where the people (Maori and Pekeha) are as nice as the landscapes. We've been welcomed into the homes of virtual strangers whose hospitality is unrivaled. Politeness is regarded as one of the highest virtues here. It's a laid back, easy going society without pretense or status. The Kiwi style of dress is whatever is on top in their bureau. Shoes are not mandatory anywhere but in school. Commercials are rare on the telly so you are not bombarded with name brand advertising. We've been to affairs where we mingled with professors, doctors, scientists and respected businessmen but you wouldn't know it by the way they were dressed nor their attitude.
We've tried to balance our work on the farm (our means of paying for electricity and petrol- gas is $9.40 a gallon) with our exploration of the land. The exploration has, however, greatly exceeded any time spent on the farm! We've tramped over the most stunning bush and coastal areas within a 45 mile radius of the farm. We've learned about the trees(some of which belong to an ancient group dating back to the Jurassic period, the birds (like the Tui, Bellbird, Pukeko, Ruru and the national icon, the Kiwi),the marine life (we saw 4 Hector's Dolphin, the rarest and smallest dolphins in the world, found only here and we just missed seeing 2 Southern Right Whales who had lingered in Akaroa 3 days before we got there. Locals said it's been 15 yrs since they've been seen). We've explored beaches, harbours,sea caves, extinct volcanoes, hills (not like the small hills in R.I.), farmland (sheep, cattle, horses, alpacas and red deer), and the Canterbury Plains (rich, fertile land as far as the eye can see).
Driving has been a curiously, interesting endeavor with the steering wheel on the right and travel on the left. Kiwis are not fond of traffic lights and much prefer the "roundabouts" where you "give way" to traffic only to your right. The steep, narrow, winding roads traversing the port Hills and banks Peninsula have caused us to hold our breath nervously on more than one occasion. There are no guard rails so you look right down the side of high, extremely sharp drops. The road sign simply has an exclamation point on it when you are about to approach a particularly tight, hair pin corner.
And we can't forget to mention the tucker, ahhh the delicious Kiwi tucker (food)! The Kiwis have a habit of eating sausages (many kinds) and meat pies daily but there is also an abundance of fresh fish (like Blue Cod and Groper), shellfish (like Paua and Prawns),and grass fed meat (like Black Angus, Venison and of course, Lamb). We are surely getting spoiled here! Well, that's all for now folks, Cheers!