There is a saying - "everything in Australia can kill you; nothing in New Zealand can kill you." It was meant to be about wildlife (spiders, snakes, sharks), but after this podcast, maybe add drivers
Pick a pub . . . . any pub, in Portrush, Northern Ireland, and you may likely be in the most friendly pub ever. Not that we hit 'em all, but of those down did each could have been the winner.
Tables packed tightly, good music AND food (and drinks) helped. We barely sat down and both neighbor tables struck up conversations with us.
Only down side was we had to drink pretty fast to catch up.
Christ Church, New Zealand. Would have moved there if we had not had grandchildren in the States. Love New Zealand. Friendliest people we have ever met, both North and South Islands.
NZ friendliest place, so much so that I lived there for 2 years and return almost every year. When moving van arrived, many neighbors showed up with food and tool boxes and stayed until everything was unpacked, put together, etc. And I hadn't even met them yet! The stranger you meet on your walk quickly invites you to their home for a meal or Generous of spirit, warm, welcoming and kind.
I have to say my West Virginia is the friendliest place. I lived elsewhere and even with Illinois license plates, everyone was friendly. Drive down any 2-lane road and people wave. IF you atop by the side of the road, people will ask if you need help or need anything. Thankful to be home again where people actually care.
We were on a tour of New Zealand in February 2011.
Our last stop was Christ Church, 5 months after their big earthquake in September 2010.
Hearing your podcast brought back memories of the beautiful town and Botanical Gardens.
They were just finishing up repairs to the city from that devastating 7.0 quake September quake.
We left from there to fly back to San Francisco and when we got home we had an email from our guide telling us about the 6.3 quake that happened on February 22, the day after we had left.
There was extensive damage to the main church and the hotel we had been staying in was so damaged that it had to be torn down! People staying the night after we left were the last guests to stay there!
So be careful what you wish for, even if you are only renting!
We spent over 50 years in Minnesota and there is the saying "Minnesota Nice". While the people of Minnesota are nice, they don't hold a candle to North Texas. We moved down here to Texas to get away from Minnesota's climate (weather wise and political) and could not believe what NICE was - until we got to Dallas/Fort Worth. My wife walks with a cane and whenever she even gets close to a door, people go out of their way to hold the door for her - even a group of teenagers will be 50 feet away and someone will run to get the door for her. Always a hi from everyone. Complete friendliness.
I will take North Texas over anywhere I have been - any time.
I suggest...while you are in this part of the world...you extend your trip to include every capital city in Australia...from a born and educated to BE Civil degree in NZ who then spent 1/2 his adult life...with his Kiwi wife in both countries. Now in our mid 80's we're more than likely spend the rest of our days in Napier New Zealand. If we had access to a magic wand that would change to Murrays Bay Auckland.
There is a saying - "everything in Australia can kill you; nothing in New Zealand can kill you." It was meant to be about wildlife (spiders, snakes, sharks), but after this podcast, maybe add drivers
Pick a pub . . . . any pub, in Portrush, Northern Ireland, and you may likely be in the most friendly pub ever. Not that we hit 'em all, but of those down did each could have been the winner.
Tables packed tightly, good music AND food (and drinks) helped. We barely sat down and both neighbor tables struck up conversations with us.
Only down side was we had to drink pretty fast to catch up.
John S
Christ Church, New Zealand. Would have moved there if we had not had grandchildren in the States. Love New Zealand. Friendliest people we have ever met, both North and South Islands.
NZ friendliest place, so much so that I lived there for 2 years and return almost every year. When moving van arrived, many neighbors showed up with food and tool boxes and stayed until everything was unpacked, put together, etc. And I hadn't even met them yet! The stranger you meet on your walk quickly invites you to their home for a meal or Generous of spirit, warm, welcoming and kind.
For friendly, it's hard to beat Ireland. Prior to that trip, I thought the Aussies were the friendliest
people on earth. In Ireland, the bus we were on had a passenger with severe motion sickness (you
can mentally picture the issue). We were in the middle of nowhere, and the tour director wanted to
find a way to get the poor guy off the bus and to the hotel faster so he could get over it. A woman
from a nearby farm came upon us, and (OMG) she said put him in my car, I'll drive him for you (a couple of hours drive). What a saint!
I have to say my West Virginia is the friendliest place. I lived elsewhere and even with Illinois license plates, everyone was friendly. Drive down any 2-lane road and people wave. IF you atop by the side of the road, people will ask if you need help or need anything. Thankful to be home again where people actually care.
We were on a tour of New Zealand in February 2011.
Our last stop was Christ Church, 5 months after their big earthquake in September 2010.
Hearing your podcast brought back memories of the beautiful town and Botanical Gardens.
They were just finishing up repairs to the city from that devastating 7.0 quake September quake.
We left from there to fly back to San Francisco and when we got home we had an email from our guide telling us about the 6.3 quake that happened on February 22, the day after we had left.
There was extensive damage to the main church and the hotel we had been staying in was so damaged that it had to be torn down! People staying the night after we left were the last guests to stay there!
So be careful what you wish for, even if you are only renting!
We spent over 50 years in Minnesota and there is the saying "Minnesota Nice". While the people of Minnesota are nice, they don't hold a candle to North Texas. We moved down here to Texas to get away from Minnesota's climate (weather wise and political) and could not believe what NICE was - until we got to Dallas/Fort Worth. My wife walks with a cane and whenever she even gets close to a door, people go out of their way to hold the door for her - even a group of teenagers will be 50 feet away and someone will run to get the door for her. Always a hi from everyone. Complete friendliness.
I will take North Texas over anywhere I have been - any time.
I suggest...while you are in this part of the world...you extend your trip to include every capital city in Australia...from a born and educated to BE Civil degree in NZ who then spent 1/2 his adult life...with his Kiwi wife in both countries. Now in our mid 80's we're more than likely spend the rest of our days in Napier New Zealand. If we had access to a magic wand that would change to Murrays Bay Auckland.