The low down on Aotearoa / New Zealand
You never know who you are going to meet at the next funky Chinatown party. So if you run into the boys you're going to want to sound hip on your Kiwi general knowledge. Here's a few key cultural references (which every Kiwi knows before they are 10) to get you started!
Firstly, & importantly, the name of the country is, in Maori (the original inhabitants of the country), Aotearoa (pron: 'ayy-o, tay-a, row-a'), translates as 'Land of the long white Cloud' (and there's only one thing that comes from clouds).
So, reading between the lines, you could presume correctly that it rains a lot in New Zealand (in parts of the West Coast of the South Island, up to 300 days a year).
Click on the links to the left to learn more about New Zealand, it's culture and words and our beloved Australian friends...