There was an Englishman, a Dutchman and a Belgian…
…playing cards in The Brown Kiwi last night. The Englishman was me, and the scene isn’t at all uncommon. Our little hostel is regularly home to Irish, Swiss, Dutch, Germans, Austrians, Belgians, Italians and plenty of French and English. One of the striking things about the other side of the world has been how one often feels more affinity with other Europeans than with the locals. I’ve been racking my brains as to why and I just can’t figure it out. New Zealand is a beautiful place full of incredibly welcoming people, and a former British colony with a shared heritage and language. Yet there’s this chemistry amongst the European visitors that the Kiwis and the other foreign tourists just can’t get into.
My time in New Zealand is nearly over. I’ve just booked myself onto a flight for Sydney next week. I’ve had a blast in this country and will in many ways be sad to leave. I’ll be posting some retrospective highlights and reflections in the coming days.
