Across The Ditch: All Black Celebrations Roll On + Some Comments Aussies Make After Visiting NZ

Across The Ditch: Selwyn Manning and Peter Godfrey deliver their weekly bulletin Across The Ditch. This week: All Black Celebrations roll on, will the cheer ever end? + A light hearted yarn about some humorous comments Aussies have made after visiting New Zealand – Recorded live on 5/11/15. They’re Back! (ref. NZHerald ) The All Blacks still dominate the news and interest over here in New Zealand with tens of thousands of people lining the streets to get a glimpse of their sporting heroes. The All Blacks also were received back home with over two thousand people cheering at Auckland International Airport. Then around midday, over 25,000 people gathered at Victoria Park in the Auckland CBD to officially welcome them home. The event was live streamed throughout the country and head coach Steve Hansen said it was an honour to be associated with the team and a special honour to bring smiles to millions of faces back home. A more frosty reception greeted Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall after the aircraft they were travelling on had quite a rocky ride into the notoriously windy capital, Wellington. Apparently poor Camilla is a little afraid of flying and she looked rather shaken when navigating her way down the NZ Airforce’s Boeing 757 steps. A short time later she placed a ponga leaf (Silver Fern) on the tomb of the unknown warrior and joined the smiling prime minister, John Key for a reception at Government House. ITEM TWO: Perhaps a bit of light humour! Fairfax’s online outlet Stuff.co.nz highlighted a list of comments Aussies made about New Zealand after visiting here. The original list was compiled on Traveller.com.au. (ref. Stuff.co.nz ) Some of the comments include (paraphrased): “Not everyone drives Holdens, Utes don’t have roo bars on them, there’s no red dust, no smell of gum trees and most pubs don’t have Aussie beer on tap.” Another says: “Just give Auckland a miss – that’s my advice – it may be NZ’s biggest city but it is also the most soulless and poorly planned city in a so-called first world country.” “There’s nothing much that can kill you”. “Disagree – New Zealand bush can be deadly… They have been swept away by rivers, caught out by hypothermia, gotten lost etc.” “New Zealanders are in general friendly and accepting of other cultures. (But they talk funny) ” “Kiwis drop the ‘er’ at the end of words and end up saying (mother – motha, father-fatha, later-lata etc)” New Zealand has 30 million sheep and only 4.5 million people, so why is a lamb chop so expensive? Put it down to 15% GST on everything, including food and essential services. And slang featured… Much of the Kiwi slang is shared with Australia, but it does have some slang that is uniquely Kiwi, for example ‘mad as a gum diggers dog’ – Up in Auckland however we say ‘Dry as a gum-digger’s dog’. A completely different notion suggesting that all a grumpy old dog needs is a decent drink. LAST WORD: We’re all looking forward to the Australia V New Zealand Test Cricket match that starts this morning (Thursday morning) at the Gabba!]]>