Four days after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand’s South Island, I was watching from the US while my partner described our Auckland apartment building swaying. This is what the first days looked like — and why Kiwis are some of the toughest, most resourceful people I’ve ever encountered.
A town of 1,600 people in the middle of the North Island decided to become the Gumboot Capital of the World. It worked. There’s an annual throwing competition, a corrugated iron sculpture, and you can throw gumboots any day of the year.
Wellington’s Garage Project started in a derelict petrol station in Aro Valley in 2011, brewing 24 different beers in 24 weeks just to see what would happen. It worked out.
Getting from the North Island to the South Island means crossing the Cook Strait — by ferry if you have a car, by plane if you don’t. The ferry takes three hours. The strait can get rough. It’s worth it.
In 2016, Auckland ranked in the top ten most liveable cities in the world. New Zealand had three cities in the top 20 friendliest. And Queenstown made Condé Nast’s list of most beautiful cities on the planet. I lived there. I was not surprised by any of this — though I’ll admit I had some thoughts about Queenstown sharing a “friendliest cities” list with Charleston and Savannah.
The Charleston/Savannah line is too good not to tease in the excerpt — it’s funny and very you.
I didn’t know there were penguins on the North Island. Turns out there are — and they’re the world’s smallest. I still can’t find them.