NEW ZEALAND - WHY?

On this trip I spent 4 very pleasant days in New Zealand. On my last one I spent 5 similar days. In general I like New Zealand. The people are friendly (unless you ask them who won the rugby World Cup in an english accent, then they suddenly become all excitable), the beer is cold, the pace of life is gentle, the seafood is excellent.

BUT (and it's a big but), what is it about the weather? Last time I was there was Novemeber 02, so late spring. This time was mid-Feb, so in theory the height of summer. Both times it has been on the cold side if fresh, raining and windy. And yet both times, in both Auckland and Weelington, the locals have assured me that "it's not usually like this" and "it's unseasonally cold / wet / windy".

Auckland markets itself as "The City of Sails" - for sails to work you need wind! and Wellington is referred to, even by Wellingtonians (if that's correct), as "The Windy City". Yet in both places people are surprised when it's blowing a gale. And the rain? New Zealand is famously green, like Ireland and Britain. The common them between all 3 places, which the locals don't seem to get, is that for plants to be green they need water, and they get that water from rain. So why be surprised when it rains?

The Kiwis are like the Brits I'm afraid. They have deluded themself into believing they live in a semi-tropical paradise and any other weather pattern is a temporary aberration.

And given it's weather is so like the UK, why do so many Brits choose to emigrate there? It's miles from anywhere and has exactly the same weather. The cities are not as big and not as interesting (is there anywhere else to drink and eat in Auckland apart from the viaduct?) and you can't pop to the South of France for some sun when the remorseless rain and wind start to get you down.

And a final thought on NZ - someone should tell the Kiwis that dreadlocks only look cool if you're a 6 foot 3 Maori playing for the All Blacks with a name like Tana Umaga (and even then it's a close thing). They do NOT look cool if you are on average (from all the creadlocked people I saw) a 5 foot 8, white, chubby (or in a lot of cases, fat) bloke who has clearly done no exercise for several years.

Having said all of that.....

I'm going back next year for the Lions tour.... got the "client meetings" lined up already!