How to talk nicely with Aussies and Kiwis?

[NSWP]

23 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

Unnatural use,???? the Kiwis seem to think it is totally natural.

 

and yes a lot like siblings, I have seen my kids  hold each other on the floor by the hair, but let someone else look sideways at their sibling and they are right there ready to fight for their brother/sister. Aussies and Kiwis can be the same, sling off at each other all day, but if someone else does, straight to our ANZAC mates defence.

Indeed, we luv our Kiwi Cousins.

[kidzplay]

3 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

Of course I'll be myself, who else would I be? But, just for example, if you speak to a person in France without first saying bonjour they will be mightily insulted and take you for a boor. If you say ni hao to a person in China they will be pleased that you made the effort. That's what I'm talking about here. The little niceties that make travel more gratifying.

Just say "g'day" and I think you will find it all goes well from there, we are not a country of "airs and graces" so its pretty hard to offend anyone here unless you really try hard

[Docker123]

Just beware, the same words can have multiple meanings, especially slang. Context and nuance are crucial.

 

When I was 20 I was on one of those bus and camping tours in Europe that so many of us enjoyed. Various buses from different companies would intersect at camp grounds and socialising occurred.

 

At one stop I ran into a young American from mother group. He commented he hadn’t seen me at the last stop. So I told him I had been in bed with a wog. He smirked and congratulated me on bedding a local lass.

 

Had to explain that I had actually been unwell, and that is what wog meant in that context.

 

 

 

 

[rabbitoh_777]

 

 

Best to always arm yourself with some local sporting Knowledge.

 

Always remind Kiwis their Rugby Union Team are only ever as good as their last game.

 

Australian Wallabies defeat New Zealand All Blacks 47-26 in record Bledisloe Cup win...

 

 

note: this above post will self destruct 1 second after the weekends Eden Park match.

 

 

Ask an Aussie how the Cricket "Ashes" series of games are going against the Poms, then ask a Kiwi how those same cheating Poms dudded them out of a Cricket 2019 World Cup win. (This even after the good old big brother, big hearted Aussies provided the Kiwis Black Caps the absolute infallible means of winning that final game with a little underarm bowling and applied sand papering skills!)

 

Slow learners that mob over the dutch.

 

😜😎☠️

 

 

[NSWP]

On a couple of cruises in the past I tried to describe the honourable game of Cricket to North Americans,  I gave up.

 

Like..You can be out and not out, you can get a run but not run.  You can no ball but still be healthy.😆

Edited August 13, 2019 by NSWP

[lyndarra]

4 minutes ago, NSWP said:

On a couple of cruises in the past I tried to describe the honourable game of Cricket to North Americans,  I gave up.

 

Like..You can be out and not out, you can get a run but not run.  You can no ball but still be healthy.😆

Not to mention silly slips.

[Russell21]

20 minutes ago, NSWP said:

On a couple of cruises in the past I tried to describe the honourable game of Cricket to North Americans,  I gave up.

 

Like..You can be out and not out, you can get a run but not run.  You can no ball but still be healthy.😆

Actually it is quite surprising how many people in the USA are into cricket. When Warne and his mate Tendulkar did the tour over there with two teams of vintage players every game was a sellout.

[NSWP]

10 minutes ago, Russell21 said:

Actually it is quite surprising how many people in the USA are into cricket. When Warne and his mate Tendulkar did the tour over there with two teams of vintage players every game was a sellout.

Perhaps then US of A could establish a Donald Trump XI.   Greg Norman could be opening bowler and Hoges behind the stumps as invited overseas players.  Cricket could take over the Grid Iron and Superbowl. 🤐

Edited August 13, 2019 by NSWP

[lyndarra]

1 minute ago, NSWP said:

Perhaps then US of A could establish a Donald Trump XI.   Greg Norman could be opening bowler and Hoges behind the stumps as invited overseas players.  Cricket could take over the Grid Iron and Superbowl. 🤐

Like Trump did with Miss Universe? No thanks.

[oskarNZ]

5 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Unnatural use,???? the Kiwis seem to think it is totally natural.

 

Oh shush.  

Head on back to the billibong; your billy is boiling.  

[lyndarra]

A strong New Zealand accent can toss me at times. When my late wife and I were there a few years back she would sometimes have to translate for me even though she's not a kiwi she had a better handle on it then me.

The last time there, 18 months ago, we learned how to peddle a waka.

[Chiliburn]

30 minutes ago, oskarNZ said:

Oh shush.  

Head on back to the billibong; your billy is boiling.  

Well done,LOL

[SinbadThePorter]

2 hours ago, NSWP said:

On a couple of cruises in the past I tried to describe the honourable game of Cricket to North Americans

 

Until about the 1850's cricket was more popular spectator sport in the US than baseball, especially in New England.

 

The first international cricket match was in 1844 between the Toronto Cricket Club and the New York St Georges Cricket Club.

 

When baseball regularised it's rules and went professional, a lot of the top American cricket players moved to baseball. During the Civil War cricket basically disappeared and baseball took off.

[Docker123]

The elder son of some Chicago friends went to Haverford College in Pennsylvania.

 

He became a member of the then only competing university cricket team in America. There is some sort of league around Philadelphia and New York.

 

I think a lot of Indian, Pakistani, and West Indian background players.

 

 

[wally_bushy]

9 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

Of course I'll be myself, who else would I be? But, just for example, if you speak to a person in France without first saying bonjour they will be mightily insulted and take you for a boor. If you say ni hao to a person in China they will be pleased that you made the effort. That's what I'm talking about here. The little niceties that make travel more gratifying.

We also speak English (American 🤣)

[oskarNZ]

10 hours ago, IslandThyme said:

 

Is there no tipping at all, under any circumstance, or is it just for exceptional service?

 

I can quite honestly say that I’ve never tipped in NZ and don’t intend to anytime soon.  

 

I always tip in the States as it’s part of your culture, but it’s not a practice I like or want to see become commonplace in NZ, so I stand firm against it becoming the norm here by not tipping.  

 

That’s not to say that you won’t come across situations where it seems like it might be expected.  This will mainly be at touristy activities and in touristy towns (eg Queenstown) where they are so used to getting tips from overseas tourists that it’s sadly starting to become expected (for example, you might see a place on the bill where you can add a tip if you want).  While I (and probably the majority of kiwis not in the tourism industry) will hope you don’t tip, the server will probably be hoping you do.  

 

Here’s the thing, no one can tell you what you should do, as only you can decide whether to support the immediate picture or the bigger one.  However, can I suggest that if the pull to tip is so strong, you’ll be overcome by guilt if you don’t tip, perhaps compromise by just tipping a little bit (eg 5% instead of 20%) or even better, tell the server they were awesome and you’ll be leaving a good review. 

 

Lastly, because NZ is mostly a cashless society with people paying for everything by card, you will not find many restaurants bringing you the bill in a folder for you to leave cash at the table.  At most restaurants, you walk up to the till at the end of your meal to pay.  I will usually glance briefly at the total to see it’s right and if there’s a bit for tip (again, becoming more common in touristy areas), I conveniently act like I haven’t seen it and hand over my card to pay.  

You will not get a server in NZ pointing out the tip part and reminding you to add to it.  If you do - definitely DO NOT tip them.  

 

I hope that helps.  

[Bpos]

Overseas visitors to Australia should bone up on the following thread to enrich and enhance their visit downunder. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2362723 Couple of years old now but still relevant today.

[Obilix]

Chiliburn, at least until next weekend, we all have leave to ask any Kiwi how the All Blacks are going in the Rugby.

 

In fact, if you are an Aussie, it's mandatory.

[Chiliburn]

6 hours ago, Obilix said:

Chiliburn, at least until next weekend, we all have leave to ask any Kiwi how the All Blacks are going in the Rugby.

 

In fact, if you are an Aussie, it's mandatory.

Yes ,a great team that makes kiwis deservingly proud 

Edited August 13, 2019 by Chiliburn

[Bubbeh]

As per most replies, I would start by acknowledging your good intentions by asking about our cultural differences.  I would never say 'good morning', 'good afternoon' or 'good evening'.  I will say 'g'day' irrespective of the time.  When I retire to bed, I will just say 'night' not 'good night'.  If you ask me how I am, I'll say 'good' whether I'm sick or well.  I won't push past you in a queue but rather stand back and allow others first access. Having said that, I'm at good queuing for the loo and other things but I do expect to have my turn with it arrives and would not be happy for somebody to push in front of me (unless there. was a child or another urgency).  The  toilet is often referred to as the 'ladies' 'lav' or 'loo' and you may hear someone refer to it as the 'dunny' but this is a bit coarse. 

 

Also, we shorten words that are long or have more than one syllable and lengthen words that are short, invariably this includes the addition of an 'e' or an 'o', eg, Dave becomes Davo and Scott becomes Scottie.  But this practice is not limited to names.  Check out this link, while its advisable not to use it as your bible, it certainy can't hurt to have a gander  http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html  .

 

Do NOT tip; I can't stress this enough.  The remuneration relationship exists between employer and employee, not the employer's customer.  In our culture it can be viewed as a demeaning practice and changes the equal footing relationship of the customer and the employee.  It is encumbent on an employer to pay their staff a pre-determined living wage and each side of the equation knows and expects this.  If you receive absoulutley exceptional service you may feel inclined to tip but, when and if you do,  thank the staff member and let them know exactly what was so brilliant in their performance (as opposed to their colleagues) that has inclined you to pay more than you should for your experience.

 

If you're unsure ask and somebody will put you right.  Oh by the way, we don't tend to wear our hearts on our sleeves and discussions about deeply personal stuff (religion / politics etc) can cause offence.  Sport on the other hand you can discuss until your little heart bleeds.

 

Above all, smile and enjoy yourself. 

 

[lyndarra]

17 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

Oh by the way, we don't tend to wear our hearts on our sleeves and discussions about deeply personal stuff (religion / politics etc) can cause offence. 

 

That part reminded me of what I was told when I started work in a bank 55 years ago.

"When dealing with customers never discuss religion or politics". The reasoning still applies today but often not followed.

[Bubbeh]

4 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

That part reminded me of what I was told when I started work in a bank 55 years ago.

"When dealing with customers never discuss religion or politics".

Oh for the day when a human being interacted with me at the bank.  I've tried to be nice to my local ATM but no matter how much effort I put it, the damn device remains mute .

[flick_au]

We are pretty informal, just treat everyone with respect and politeness regardless of their job, appearance, gender or ethnicity, use please and thank you, and a simple hi/hello/hey at the start of any conversation is more than acceptable. Probably be aware that if any conversations turn political - Australians in general seem to have pretty opposing views to Americans on guns, Trump etc, so you might be in for a friendly debate depending on where you sit.

 

It is correct we don't tip, our minimum wage is a lot higher than many countries and it is not part of our culture. That being said, if the service is good, I always round up when paying cash in a taxi (e.g. $17 fare and I give a $20) and if there is a tip jar in a cafe, bar or restaurant I will put my coin based change for the order in (or if I am part of a group I feel has been unnecessarily taxing/ difficult  I will put a bit more in). I have only been on one cruise, but tipped our room steward and will in the future assuming the service is great.   

 

Have a great time !

Edited August 14, 2019 by flick_au

[mr walker]

1 hour ago, Bubbeh said:

In our culture it can be viewed as a demeaning practice and changes the equal footing relationship of the customer and the employee.  

 

Whilst I accept that our local 'culture' is that we are not a tipping society, & I would not like to see this change, I have never in my life come across such a scenario as you suggest here.

 

BOT, as many have suggested,  in communications downunder just be yourself - we are polite and understanding peoples, and speak versions of English ie Kiwi & Aussie that are mostly understood 🙂

 

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

That part reminded me of what I was told when I started work in a bank 55 years ago.

"When dealing with customers never discuss religion or politics". The reasoning still applies today but often not followed.

I started in the bank a bit later than you but the same applied, together with smile before you pick up the phone