They say you can’t beat Wellington on a good day – but locals don’t wait for it to be this picture-perfect to enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Australia, I’ve got some bones to pick with you.
After a weekend spent with our neighbours across the Tasman, I think there are things we could do better.
First of all, feijoas.
Sometimes called pineapple guavas, these little buggers were planted across the motu (te reo Māori for “island”) with the level of enthusiasm we reserved for lantana.
They grow like a weed, fruit with the enthusiasm of rabbits, and are totally delicious.
They come into season for a couple of months a year, and then they’re gone.
Luckily, people love them and love to cook with them – cakes, jams, I’ve even seen a fermented feijoa drink that can be made in your laundry.
For the couple of months they’re in season, no workplace, pub or small shop is complete without a basket of feijoas someone collected from their tree and is desperately trying to give away.
And they don’t just taste great. For those couple of months they highlight the warm sense of community you can find in Aotearoa year-round.
Part of that rich community on Aotearoa is the language. Te reo Māori is an official language alongside English.
Places have been given back their historic names. You’ll even see it on flight boards at airports – Te Whanganui a Tara for Wellington.
Most New Zealanders can speak a bit of te reo – “morena” is as acceptable as “good morning” and even on this side of the ditch we recognise a classic “kia ora”.
I know Australia is different – there are hundreds of Aboriginal languages – and we’re starting to see a push to have them incorporated more.
It’s just a shame we’re so far behind our Kiwi cousins.
We’re also just not as tough as them.
Ok, maybe when the thermometer hits 30 or above we cope a bit better.
But for a nation that prides ourselves on our love of the outdoors, we’re pretty picky about the conditions in which we’ll venture outdoors.
Australians want Goldilocks days – not too hot, not too cold, with nothing more than a light breeze and absolutely no rain.
Kiwis, on the other hand, do not care.
It can be raining sideways and you’ll see nannas out walking the dog.
The water temperature can be below 10 degrees and you can still probably find a mums and bubs swimming group.
They absolutely make the most of good weather – when they get it.
But they’re far less finicky than us and I’d say they have a lot more fun because of it.
And their pies are better!
The two best pie shops on the east coast of NSW (I’m looking at you Hayden’s Pies in Ulladulla and Earnest Arthur in Nowra) are on par with the average bakery in New Zealand.
I say none of this to be disloyal to my country.
Aussies do heaps of things better (not rugby union, but still, heaps of things).
Plus, we have actual animals, not just birds.
But I firmly believe if we lifted our pie game, got enthusiastic about learning – and using – Aboriginal languages, and had a big cup of cement about the weather, we’d be much cooler.
Excuse me – I’m off to plant some feijoas.
