{"id":15916,"date":"2018-03-13T17:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T00:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=15916"},"modified":"2018-03-14T15:22:21","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T22:22:21","slug":"the-kiwi-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2018\/03\/13\/the-kiwi-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kiwi Way: A Thank You to New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

I spent only three (glorious) weeks on the South Island of New Zealand. That\u2019s hardly a blip in time, and really I\u2019m no more familiar with the truths of the Kiwi Way than a traveler who\u2019s only been to New York City is familiar with America. I only got a taste. But the taste was so sweet that I wanted to share just a little of what I experienced while on the flip side of the equator. So, if you\u2019re a regular Kiwi and I\u2019ve totally botched something here, by all means let me know. Otherwise, THANK YOU for making New Zealand truthfully the most hospitable place I\u2019ve ever been privileged to visit.<\/p>\n

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The phrase \u201cthe Kiwi Way\u201d comes straight from the mouths of the locals we met during our stay. Sometimes over breakfast, often over beers, and sometimes over both, we would get to chatting with someone about boating, and just as we would start to wander off toward some touristy thing we had Googled, they would redirect us, telling us about some back-road or side trail, some off-the-beaten-path route that was more of the \u201ckiwi way.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to think that these folks saw something in us, some recognition of shared values, and trusted that we wouldn\u2019t trash the haunts they love. Here in the US, we have our guard up. Often times we don\u2019t want to share our secret spots, for fear they\u2019ll be overrun. It was a lesson in trust and faith in humanity, and holy smokes was that refreshing.<\/p>\n