Last year Carey and I had the blessing to spend a few weeks in New Zealand. I really enjoyed my time there and saw some things about Kiwi culture I would like to import to the United States. I’m no expert on New Zealand and these are pretty superficial suggestions. I hope you enjoy them.

1. Toilets. The US has done a great job moving toward low-flow toilets that save water, but toilets in New Zealand take it a step further. They have two buttons for flushing: half-flush and full flush. Depending on the size and type of the, um, deposit left in the toilet, one can determine what level of flush they need. A great way to conserve. The attitude toward conservation and ecology was refreshing.
2. Currency. I mentioned this issue a while back in another post on currency, but I really enjoyed the fact that New Zealand had one dollar and two dollar coins. The paper money varied in size and color. And perhaps most important, they had eliminated the one cent coin. All transactions were rounded up or down. Imagine a world with no pennies. (Longing sigh.)
3. Roundabouts. Once the anxiety produced by driving on the other side of the road subsided, I came to really enjoy using roundabouts at most intersections. The flow of traffic slowed but rarely stopped, except at the busiest times. They also made me fondly remember the bike circles at UC Davis. This suggestion, however seems least likely to gain any traction here in the States, especially in Los Angeles. We have way too many cars on the road and I think the learning curve of the roundabouts would result in a lot of accidents initially. When you’re the one learning and you share the road with other drivers who know how to use roundabouts, that’s one thing. When everyone is learning to use them together, that would be chaos.
4. Paninis. We have them here in the US, but they were everywhere in New Zealand. Nearly any coffee shop or restaurant carried the pre-made sandwiches in a refrigerated glass case and would heat them up for you on demand. A great alternative to lots of the fast food here. Because there were so many paninis, the variety was nearly endless. My favorite was a really simple recipe that Carey and I have copied here. Two slices of sourdough, a grilled chicken breast, Camembert cheese, and cranberry sauce. Slap it all together, put the sandwich under some heat and pressure, and you have a great dish. We substitute Brie for the Camembert since it’s easier to find in grocery stores here. Also, we use boneless, skinless chicken thighs from time to time.
5. Rugby. We had the opportunity to attend a Super XIV match in which the Chiefs beat the visiting Stormers. Both Carey and I enjoyed the match greatly and any match we saw on television during our trip. Rugby has the hard-hitting edge of American Football, but, like soccer, play generally doesn’t stop, so there is less time to preen and people only celebrate goals. The clock system is similar to soccer and games don’t last three hours. It takes some getting used to, with all the rules, but a spectator can grasp the gist of the sport rather quickly.