American living down under reveals bizarre things that shocked him about New Zealand

American Konner Marquez has noticed a number of differences between the US and NZ, with some Kiwi elements both bizarre and brilliant. Photo / Konner Marquez

This article was one of Herald Travel’s best-read stories of 2023

An American who moved to New Zealand less than three months ago has opened up about the things he finds baffling or different about Aotearoa that locals find completely normal.

Konner Marquez, 18, recently moved to Auckland from Hawaii earlier this year and has taken to social media to detail the culture shocks he’s experienced in his limited time down under so far.

He dedicated an entire video to the humble electric kettle, which is something most American households don’t have.

But he also highlighted a number of other differences, including the lack of dryers and how many KFCs New Zealand has.

Electric kettles are commonplace in New Zealand but surprised a recent American expat. Photo / @konner_m, TikTok

How Kiwis dry their clothes

Every home you visit you know there will be a washing rack to air dry your towels and clothing. But for Maquez, it came as a bit of a surprise.

Speaking to the Herald, he said he had to get used to hanging his washing up on a clothes rack, explaining it wasn’t common in the US.

“In America every home comes with a dryer. Not many people have them here and people say the bill would be too much.

“I’ve noticed a lot of homes here don’t come with dryers, it’s normal to hang-dry your clothes. That took some getting used to.”

KFC craze

Kiwis enjoy their KFC but according to Marquez, our obsession with ‘dirty bird’ is quite full-on compared to other countries.

After just days in Auckland, he explained he felt like there were KFCs eyeing him up.

“The amount of KFCs y’all have in New Zealand is crazy. I go to walk on any corner and I see one everywhere I go.

“There is not a day I go without seeing a KFC. We have them in the USA we’re not like OMG so hyped up by it.

“There’s just one KFC on the island of Hawaii. When you’re on the mainland there’s some but it’s not that noticeable. It’s not that popular. But when I came to Auckland there was a KFC on every street corner and it was always full of tradies. It’s quite funny.”

When asked if he liked KFC in New Zealand, the 18-year-old said “it’s mid”, meaning average.

Dairies

For us Kiwis, we have grown up with the dairy. It formed a part of our childhood memories biking to get a bag of 50c lollies.

But when Marquez heard the word dairy, he thought it was something completely different.

“I literally thought a dairy was an ice cream store. But it’s just a convenience store.”

Kiwi slang

Chur, nek minnit, chilly bin, and jandals might come to mind when you think of Kiwi slang words.

But it was the word “keen” that took Marquez by surprise.

“We do not say that in the US. It’s so funny to hear y’all say it every single day.”

He also said the term “sweet as” was a bit strange. “I’m still getting used to the slang,” he told the Herald.

School uniforms

It might come as a surprise but American schools don’t often enforce uniforms.

So when Marquez arrived on our shores, he wasn’t expecting thousands of school kids all dressed the same.

“Here in New Zealand nearly everyone has to wear uniform at high school. In the US you can wear whatever you want. I just think it’s weird you have to wear them for nearly every school here.

“I also find it weird that you guys call high school “college”. Our high school is called high school, whereas our college is university.

Great Kiwi foods

It wasn’t all wacky and bizarre! Marquez revealed his love for some of New Zealand’s most iconic food classics.

It might be an un-American thing to say, but the 18-year-old has firmly denounced Heshey’s chocolate and declared Whittaker’s is the ultimate chocolate brand.

“Whittaker’s chocolate is my favourite thing now. I’m so used to bad Hershey’s chocolate. I haven’t tried any chocolate in my life that is that creamy and milky. This is heaven.”

He also was surprised at how good our bakeries and pies were, especially considering it’s uncommon to have savoury pies in the US.

“I really like the mince and cheese pies. I went to a bakery near Western Springs and it was really good. Our pies are usually sweet pies like pumpkin or pecan pies. They aren’t savoury. The bakery was good too. Everyone raved about bakery food.”

In a trip to the supermarket, he was astounded at some of the items we have on our shelves.

In one visit, he found pankcake mix in a bottle, stating: “We do not have pancake shake in a bottle like this.” He said Wine Gums look like “cough drops for a sore throat” and that our cereal brands are “weird”.

Other Americans have also shared their surprise about New Zealand customs or objects.

Carly Koemptgen said she had been tripped up by another phrase used regularly in Aotearoa, while some have commented about their delight in an “attraction” many would consider a chore to visit.

This article was originally published on August 25, 2023