I have a love-hate relationship with my life here. I love that things move at a slower pace. I love that New Zealand (overall) is very laid back and chill. But I sometimes hate those things. I know that this sounds silly but its true. You can't go from living in a country of 340 million people to a country of 4 million without feeling some kinda way. Its like stepping on the brakes when you've been driving 60mph. Definitely some whiplash involved. That being said, its been two years now since we've moved and I am still having flashbacks to the convenience of the hyperactive, crazy paced life of the States.
There is a time in every ones life that you NEED to run out to the store and get some cookies at 1am. (No? Is that just me?) Anyway, when things like that come up its nice to know that there is a 7-11 or some sort of 24 hour place just waiting with open arms for you to come in. What's not to love about shopping at Walmart at 1 am just so you can have the whole place to yourself...(No? That's just me again?) I have learned that in small town New Zealand there is no such thing as 24 hour ANYTHING. You're lucky if you can find a gas station open. Forget about such silly things as making a Walmart run or maybe even getting a Snickers bar after 10pm. You will be Snicker-less.
I know, this sounds ridiculous. And it is. It is a silly complaint but a valid observation.
This is what I have observed about our stores in small town New Zealand:
Weird Hours
The major grocery store chains have respectable hours. From 7am-10pm. That is legit. Sucks for you if you have late night cravings. Most other stores like clothing stores, bookstores, etc will close between 4-5pm. I have seen store owners locking doors at 4:50. You may not get the extra 10 minutes. You gotta be sharp and do some goal directed shopping cause the lights can and will be shut off at the stroke of 5. Some places don't even pretend to want to get to 5pm. I actually called a store recently and was told they close at "a quarter to 5pm". This is the best way to ensure you and your staff will be home by 5. And if you are lucky, you can tear outta work and get to another store before they close at 5pm.
"Late Hours"
This is my favorite misnomer. During the holidays many stores will advertise "Open Late for Christmas Shopping!" This will make you THINK you have an extra 5-10 minutes to hang out at work, getting stuff done and then head to the store but "Late Hours" will only buy you time until about 5:30..6pm IF they are feeling extra generous. There was quite a buzz started recently because one of our two department stores in town stayed open one night until 11pm! Everyone in town was talking about it and pretty much half the town was there at night. Mostly staring at each other under the bright neon lights, chatting and having a late night social party. Stuff like that only happens in small towns and once a year. It is on my calendar this year.
Just Plain Closed
This has to be the oddest thing I've ever seen. There is a nice coffee/brunch place in town. I had been there once before with a friend and was looking forward to going back with my family for a nice Saturday brunch. After packing up the little one and driving the whole 5 minutes into town we get to the restaurant and were greeted by a nice, handwritten sign hanging in the window that said:
"Sorry, we are closed for a holiday. We will be back in 3 weeks. Thanks again for you business and see you soon"
I stood there, reading that sign over and over again completely baffled by this idea. How does one close a restaurant for 3 weeks to go on vacation??? I couldn't imagine somewhere like Chipotle or good forbid, Chili's closing for 3 weeks. I'm sure the US would be plunged into anarchy and darkness until they reopened. On the flip side how cool is it that you could take 3 weeks of vacation and NOT loose your livelihood when you returned. I wasn't too sure if that would be possible but sure enough, 3 weeks after the sign went up, the owners returned, the doors opened and they were full and popular again. No one seemed annoyed by their vacation time. Novel idea.
Winter Hours
I didn't know this was a thing but I can totally understand. I am not nor have I ever been a Winter girl. I can't stand the gloomy days, the cold the long nights and seemingly endless darkness. Ugh! Seems like I'm not the only one. Being closed during the Winter totally is a thing here. There have been many restaurants and shops that will just lock the doors and turn on the answering machine for the whole of winter. I cannot tell you how many times we have made plans to go out only to find out something is "Closed for the Season". I totally dig that idea. We should all just jump in some flannel PJ's and snuggle up on the couch for the entirety of the winter months. That would be awesome.
So even though I complain (in jest) I have to admit, I love the fact that you can actually slow down and NOT be expected to be in a 24 hour, fast paced society. This is part of our process in becoming expats. To adjust our expectations and to embrace the norms in our adopted country. For us it means that we have to go into town and shop like everyone else between the magic hours of 9-4. It also means calling a business before heading out to see if they are indeed open (or possibly closed for Groundhog's Day) and more importantly it means stocking up on cookies and Snickers bars because Lord knows when the late night snack craving will hit you...and there is no such thing as a Late Night here. :) Goodnight!
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