Oh, hello there. I am Jon's beard. I've been asked to contribute to the travel blog from time to time.
Today, I'll briefly introduce you to New Zealand civilization.
New Zealand is incredibly civilized. It makes the US look like a 3rd world backwater, from certain angles. The big stuff is obvious: clean roads with excellent signage, good caffe lattes, and no National Rifle Association.
But it is in the finer details where New Zealand's civilized character really shines.
Take grocery store parking lots, for example. In the US, you see shopping carts strewn all over. The stalls meant for patrons to return their carts are empty and ignored. Etiquette in the parking lot is
not just abysmal, it is nonexistent.
Now look at the New Zealand parking lot:
Clean, peaceful, and the trundlers have been dutifully returned after use. We even witnessed a pregnant mother with a child in one hand push her trundler across the lot after loading her vehicle. This beard has never before witnessed such an enlightened act of civility.
The kiwis like their signage. And their signs are usually asking you- politely- to do the right thing.
Here is a sign in a gas station restroom:
And you know what? The toilet was immaculate. Your corespondent wanted to bask in the glory of the clean gas station bathroom. Why is it this way? that is out of the scope of this beard's blog post, but I'm guessing it is a combination of caring about one's environment, doing the right things when no one is watching, and maybe some sort of hard core Calvinist or Presbyterian ruler-whipped-across-your-back-if you screw up kind of upbringing. But who the hell knows.
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