4/23/26: New Zealand Observations

Those of you who have been following the blog for a while know that after writing the country's last post, I normally include a wrap-up post with a random list of observations. I began compiling the list while on our great adventure in New Zealand, as I noticed things that were simply different - not necessarily better or worse - than what we are accustomed to at home in the US or Canada.

1. Price of gas USD8 and up per gallon! 

2. Clean and large public toilets were open 24 hrs in every town. 

3. A breeze to drive with people using turn signals consistently, obeying the rules of the road, and rarely driving aggressively. 

4. Strong connection to the indigenous people and heritage throughout the country, with highway, museum signs, etc. generally in English and Māori. Never appeared as lip service, but rather an ingrained sense of "we're all in this together" and this is our history.

7. Packaged cookies and other snacks have a health star rating system - our vanilla cream cookies were only .5 star!

8. Roads in great condition, with nary a pothole that I can recall.

9. Lots of rest areas on state roads, and courtesy reminders to pull aside to let faster drivers pull ahead.

10. We didn't see any highways, at least in the North American sense with multiple lanes, only 2-lane roads. Some roads around Aoraki, however, were just a single lane.

11. Donation boxes in all parks and lookouts.

12. No billboards.

13. Huge number of French visitors; they seem to far surpass those from other countries.

14. Correspondingly, a significant number of French people working in the hospitality industry, which we hadn't experienced anywhere else.

15. No geographical markers on license plates.

16. Popular expression: "It's all good."

17. Woolworth's is a supermarket in NZ, not a 'five and dime store.'

18. No reciprocal use of a handicapped parking permit when coming from another country. Haven't encountered that restriction before.

19. Ketchup or catsup is called tomato sauce. No, I didn't look to see what 'tomato sauce' is called!

20. Very rarely presented with a bill in restaurants. Just expected to pay the amount quoted!

21. Two-dollar coin looks like two coins that are fused together. 

22. Lots of Stock Effluent Disposal signs in rural areas!

23. One of the grocery stores had a key card that any teller could activate so tourists could benefit from the weekly sale items. Very helpful and so tourist friendly!

24. Looked like every town had a SPCA and/or hospice Op Shop, i.e., thrift shop. Normally they were located next to each other or within a close walk.

25. License plates only have numbers.

26. Surprised at how many small towns have botanical gardens AND very decent ones at that.

27. Only saw one highrise in the entire country; surprisingly, it was in Christchurch, which has a history of earthquakes.

28. Not uncommon for adults to go shoeless in stores, on streets, etc. That compared to North America, where we are so used to seeing signs saying, "No shoes, no shirt, no service."

29. Heated towel racks in almost every accommodation, regardless of its cost.

30. Only paper bags available for fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. Similarly, paper tags for loaves of bread.

31. Even most small towns had equestrian parks.

32. No tipping anywhere except one restaurant in Queenstown.

33. Most small towns had signs for swimming pools. I don't recall seeing signs for swimming pools in the same-sized towns in Canada or the US.

34. There was a palpable allegiance to those who served, and gave their lives for, the tiny nation. In even the smallest hamlet, there was a cenotaph marking the sacrifices made by those who had gone before.

35. As you know from my recent posts, there was a strong belief in commissioning public art in many towns. Perhaps that was why we saw little tagging or graffiti.

36. There are boundless opportunities to get out and enjoy nature, regardless of your fitness level. An abundance of parks, trails, and open spaces throughout the country, and each one we stopped at was in top-notch condition. And, if those activities are too tame, there were more adventure sports and activities than I'd seen anywhere!

36. If you're 'into' animals, New Zealand is an animal lovers' dream, as we discovered a host of animals endemic to that wonderful land. We'll never forget Henry the Tuatara, the little blue penguins, kiwis, and so many others we came to have a special place for in our hearts.

37. New Zealand is spectacularly beautiful - if you have an opportunity to go, do it. You'll never regret it!

Next post: Onto phenomenal Perth in Western Australia for our first time!

Posted on July 25th, 2026, from our home in the desperately dry Foothills west of Denver. We've had a touch of rain the last few days, but the state's Western Slope is still battling fierce fires. Five brave firefighters tragically lost their lives since June, helping Coloradans save their lives, pets, homes, and businesses. In such a sadly divided time and nation, we are indebted to those five who heeded the call for help from Alabama, Arizona, Michigan, Nebraska, and British Columbia, Canada - smoke and fires know no borders. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

4/22 & 23, 2026: Christchurch Murals!

If you've been following the blog for a bit, you know by now that Steven and I are big fans of murals, so when we discovered that Christchurch was also billed as a mural mecca, we were delighted. Rarely in our travels have we come across two cities as close together as Dunedin and Christchurch that have such an abundance of murals. Almost as soon as we arrived in New Zealand's second-largest city, we noticed these four massive, colorful, graffiti-covered spray cans located in the Central Business District. I guess that the artists can't get too emotionally attached to their artwork, however, as the cans are frequently repainted by different local artists and crews!

On the same street, the artist known as Meep painted the Music is my Friend mural, a stylized self-portrait of the artist against a bright orange backdrop, for the Flare St. Art Fest in 2022. 

 

Even on that dreary day exactly three months ago today, this cheery artwork brightened our spirits.

I think all of us of a certain age would recognize the legendary actress Audrey Hepburn as painted by Jacob Root, based on her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I think he perfectly captured her unparalleled beauty and elegance. 

Do you recall the barbershop on wheels from the last post? Just behind it was this massive mural titled Athena and Minerva, created by artist Dcypher in October 2023. I've heard of speed dating and speed skating, but never realized there was such a thing as speed painting, which the artist used for the mural's fantasy-scene details.

Not my cup of tea, but perhaps one of you likes it more than I?

As soon as I spotted these fun, black-and-white cartoon and comic-style characters, it reminded me of the similarly quirky and playful works muralist Cracked Ink had painted in Dunedin, and that I'd admired so much. Cracked Ink, the professional moniker of Si Omer, a UK-born street and gallery artist, has spent over 15 years based in New Zealand. Make sure you click on the shot to enlarge it, so you can see all the details!

I know you're not a fan of murals, Janina, but perhaps the images of penguins might sway you a teensy bit toward thinking that the side of the building was now much improved!

Two years after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Australian artist Rone painted Teresa on a brick wall that survived the quake. Incorporating the faded brick texture into the design, it featured a portrait of Australian model Teresa Oman. 

4/23/26: We started the following day in Christchurch's New Regent Precinct, where we saw this giant mural that had unfortunately been tagged by street artists. 

In 2013, Māori elder Whero O Te Rangi Bailey was painted as a mural by artist Kevin Ledo, based on a photograph taken by Stu Robertson for his "Peace in 10000 Hands" project.

I found Jessie Rawcliffe's mural especially haunting, as I wondered if it was a statement on the city's race relations.

Meek's Dawn Raids mural honored the strength of Pacific Islanders who experienced the dawn raids in the 1970s. The Knowledge is Power phrase emphasized education about Pacific history. The left side represented the 1970s arrival of Polynesians, and the right side symbolized the thriving present-day Pacific community.

The New Zealand dawn raids were a series of aggressive police and immigration enforcement actions in the mid-1970s that disproportionately targeted Pacific communities under the pretext of locating immigration "overstayers." Even though there were significant numbers of UK and American overstayers, Pacific islanders bore the brunt of random street attacks and targeted home raids. This sounds eerily akin to what I.C.E. is perpetrating on Latinos in the United States right now.

The 2024 work by Jacob Yikes reminded me of the Cat in the Hat story by Dr. Seuss! 

Three figures pulled from the shadows, also commissioned as part of the Flare St. Art Fest, showcased three portraits named Elias, May, and Kairau.

Though the baby in the 2024 large-scale artwork Unfinished Infancy, created by artist Richie Pops Baker, was pinch-the-cheeks adorable, it wasn't one of my favorite pieces of art in Christchurch.

Am I the only one who thinks of Adam and Eve plucking the forbidden apple with this mural?!

I found Identity Mural, also by Meek, which depicted portraits of immigrants to the country, of far more interest. I read that each portrait was designed to complement the precinct's Art Deco architecture and intended "to anchor the city's future in its diverse people following the Christchurch rebuild."

Steven and I didn't much care for the Riverside Market, but the murals in the area around it more than made up for the boring market.

The 3D illusion mural on the Riverside Market building, designed to look like a row of vintage shops from the street, was created by some of the other muralists we'd already seen. What a stupendous homage to historic buildings lost in the 2011 earthquake. 

The next bunch of murals we made a point of searching out was located several miles away at the Brockworth Street Art Gallery. After looking in vain for a physical gallery for a while, we finally realized the "gallery" was actually a laneway containing about twenty murals. However, when we looked at this street art on the corner, we began to question why we'd driven here.

It was only when we walked around the corner that we were glad we hadn't given up and driven away, as it was there we found a slew of artworks positioned along a walking path. I just learned that, like all galleries, it was a rotating collection of art.

Godzone depicted New Zealand's North Island and South Island, a declaration I certainly agreed with after our spectacular visit to the country!

I wonder what the Coca-Cola Company would think of their primary product being labeled a "Mind Controller." Notice Ronald McDonald holding up the can and doing his part of The Great Brain Drain!

When I saw the reference to the ancient tuatara, I thought that was a fitting way to almost end the last post on New Zealand!

I suspect that many people attribute Christchurch's vibrant street art scene to having become a symbol of resilience following the earthquakes.

Next post: My wrap-up post on my random observations about our New Zealand adventure.

Posted on July 22nd, 2026, from our home in the Denver foothills, as Steven and I hope you will take care of yourself and your loved ones.