My last post about the differences in New Zealand got so much attention I thought I’d write another, I think the first thing I want to talk about is the New Zealand Possum, The common brushtail possum is a major agricultural and conservation pest in New Zealand, another thing you may not know is how damaging they are to the trees, in fact (picture below) the electric poles are made of concrete and have a steel band around them just to keep these pests from climbing and causing damage to them.
These pests are now hunted and trapped to keep the population down, their furs are sold to make some clothing, the carcasses are exported to places like Hong Kong and Malaysia for consumption and are regarded as a delicacy known as “Kiwi bear”
Pedestrians do not have the right of way at a pedestrian refuge island. These are not zebra crossings. Double-check for traffic from your right before you step onto the road. Cross (only if safe to do so) until you reach the refuge island in the middle of the road.
You will need to pay attention to light signals if available, learn where you can and can NOT cross.
Roundabouts are VERY common in New Zealand; other than the city’s you may not ever see a traffic light. They try to keep the traffic flowing and believe that traffic lights hinder this, so roundabouts are used.
The driving may seem a bit different to some, and if you’re from the USA or somewhere else you could be used to driving on the right side of the road, this will take a little time to get used to, most accidents happen when first coming here because of drivers wanting to turn into traffic on the wrong side of the road.
When it rains it is usually very windy as well. Windbreaks (shelterbelts) reduce wind velocity. They do this by deflecting the wind upwards, causing a reduction of wind speed. You may not see as many as shown in this photo but, you will see them often while driving or flying in NZ. If this blog is well liked I will do another, if you have any questions please leave a comment or use my contact page and I will respond A.S.A.P.
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