I couldn't resist taking a picture of this sign on the men's washroom at a Maori campground we stayed in on the North Island. It was another one of these places with an unusual laundry room and kitchen. NZ is a very friendly place. Most of the time we found we were meeting tourists and it seemed less congenial than I'd been led to believe by people who visited here in the '70's. However, it's still a very friendly place and is totally non-threatening. After all, the fear factor doesn't even exist while hiking - there are no snakes, crocodiles, grizzly bears or cougars. The people control their dogs very well and the D0C is basically a "no dog" zone because they don't want the bird, kiwi or penguin eggs disturbed. I met a couple of hikers a few years older than me where I was able to get tons of information about how the country governs itself and how the average person feels about taxation, the policies of the gov't, etc. My seatmates on the way home from NZ were a couple of Kiwis from Christchurch and they had different opinions about some of this stuff, but I've got to say the people are relaxed, straightforward and very friendly. Although I didn't get invited out to dinner with any of the locals, this couple did suggest that if I wanted to experience Christmas in the tropics I now had a place to stay. What could be friendlier than that?
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