10 things I love about living in NZ

Simple things, really. But these are the reasons that I'm starting to love moving here in New Zealand. :-)

1. The greenery. Lots and lots of it. It's always postcard-perfect!

Cows have plenty of grass to eat!

On the road going to Rotorua

View from the top of One Tree Hill

2. Playgrounds. They're everywhere! And the best part is that they're FREE! No entrance fees. Clean. Nice. Family-friendly.

Outside the mall

In parks

3. Parks. Every area has at least one. They're green. They're clean. They're free. :)

4. Museums. FREE entrance, too! Call me a cheapskate, but who doesn't like no-entrance-fees?! ;)

5. Bus schedules. Though sometimes late, I welcome this organized scheme of having specific bus stops and schedules.  Makes life a little less complicated.

This has become my BFF since we got here ;)

6. Clean toilets. Yeah, they call it "toilet" here, as opposed to how we call it "CR" or "restroom" back in the Philippines. When you're busting, you'd appreciate how public toilets here (whether at the park, inside malls, or just by the side street) are clean, and equipped with lots of toilet paper and clean water. I've seen some that are automated, too, with robot-like voices greeting you as you enter the loo. Hehehe ;)

7. Now talking about toilets, this is another thing that's lovely here: Parents' room. See, there's a Ladies room for the females, a Men's room for the males, and a Parents' room for the, yes you got it, Parents! How cool is that! ;)  It's a toilet ++. There's a cubicle with plenty of room for both parent and child, even a stroller could fit too! Then there's a play corner for kids. There are also curtained partitions for nursing moms. And guess what? Dads are welcome in this room too! :-) So moms don't have to worry about leaving our young children (even girls) with just Dad while we go on our shopping spree ;). When Dad's busting, he could just bring along all the kids inside the Parents' room, let them play by the corner, and have his time in the loo. :P

Play area for kids inside a Parents room

8. Foreigners. We all are. Well, most of us, that is. Asians, Indians, Persians, Europeans, British, Americans, Australians. Name it, they probably have at least one here. Makes it easier to be "one of them".

9. Cashless society. They call it EFTPOS. You have a card, swipe it, and you're ready to go. Everything's online. Even a dollar can be EFTPOSed.




10. Family time. Here, it's all about work-life balance. Family always comes first. You can file sick leave if your partner or child is sick. Malls close at 5 PM so that everyone's home by dinner time. Family bonding. Priceless!