10 Things You learn when living in Auckland

So it’s been a couple of months since we arrived in Auckland. Generally things are pretty much the same as back home. BUT and it’s a big but..there are moments when you find yourself feeling like an idiot… So some things we have learned whilst living in Auckland..

1. ‘cutting the cheese’ means farting

2. When you asked what you must do with your bosses slips… (till slips), rather use the word receipts as a slip is underwear,  and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be doing anything with your boss’s underwear

3. When your boss sends out an email saying you can’t wear singlets to work…do not google ‘singlet’! A singlet is not the image of the guy that pops up wearing a uni-underwear thing, it’s a sleeveless gym shirt

4. Don’t use the words ‘you have to’, not even in a friendly..you have to turn off the tap..kind of way. People are super friendly here but they don’t like being told ‘ you have to’

5. Cheers… Yeah..tough one, it doesn’t mean goodbye and it is not toasting to a drink.. It means ‘thanks’.  I kept thinking people really say goodbye a lot even though they are not leaving,  until I realised it meant thanks.

6. Ice block… Weird but it refers to ice cream lollies.. So if someone offers you an ice block, you can say yes, it’s not ice blocks for your drink.

7. Toggs, refers to your swimming costume and not your rugby or hockey toggs.

8. Dairy, the little cafe around the corner and not the place the cows get milked..weird hey

9. Jandals… We have been told it is Japanese sandles.. To put it simply.. Flipflops!

10. Dear… This one is quite strange.. It means more expensive. So something is dearer..

Sigh, in our moments of feeling completely flabergasted by our obvious ignorance there is just nothing that can fix our obvious lack of kiwi knowledge.  Sometimes I feel people look at us and think we are joking or as Kiwi’s put it “taking the piss” but we honestly just don’t know.

This is a definitive learning curve in so many ways, getting used to the way people say things when you have said them a different way for almost 40 years.

Hopefully we can add to the list and be up to speed soon enough to at least fake that we aren’t complete idiots lol.