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new zealand:
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Here's some basic slang and lingo for your travels to New Zealand...
ACC - Accident Compensation Commission
ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corps
Aotearoa - Maori for New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud
bach - beach or weekend cottage (pron. "batch")
beehive - Parliament House in Wellington
bottleshop - liquor store
BYO - bring your own
capsicum - red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers
choice - good, proper, sweet
chook - chicken
Coaster - resident of the West Coast of the South Island
college - secondary school
crate - wooden box full of beer
crook - sick, not feeling well
dairy - corner shop or grocery store
DOC - Department of Conservation
docket - receipt
eftpos - electronic funds transfer at point of sale; pay over the counter using our ATM card
flat white - coffee; a long black with a dollop of milk
godzone - New Zealand, as in God's Own
greenstone - a type of nephrite jade
gumboots - rubber boots
haere mai - welcome
haka - traditional Maori war dance
hangi - traditional Maori feast
hapu - Maori sub-tribal group; several hapu make an iwi
hongi - Maori greeting; the pressing of noses and sharing of life breath
hokey pokey - NZ's favorite ice-cream flavor; vanilla with round toffee-pieces
hongi - Maori greeting performed by pressing noses together
hundreds and thousands - sprinkles
iwi - largest of Maori tribal gatherings
jandals - thongs, flip-flops
kai - Maori word for food
kete - traditional basket made of plaited flax
kia ora - traditional Maori greeting
kumara - sweet potato
L & P - a soda from Paeroa in the Coromandel region
lemonade - lemon-flavored carbonated soft drink
long black - espresso with hot water
Maoritanga - Maori culture and custom
mana - Maori term indicating status, esteem, prestige or authority and in wide use among all Kiwis
marae - a sacred meeting house
moko - a type of tattoo on the face and lips
OE - overseas experience
pa - fortified Maori village
pakeha - term for those of European descent
paua - abalone, a type of shellfish with an iridescent shell
pavlova - meringue dessert with a fruit and cream topping
pipi - calm-like shellfish
pounamu - the Maori name for greenstone
puku - Maori for stomach
ocker - Australian
OE - overseas experience
section - block of land
Shortland Street - long running NZ soap opera
Sky TV - satellite television
ta - thank you
tall poppy - someone who excels; Kiwis often suffer from "Tall Poppy Syndrome" where overachievers are brought back to earth
tangi - mourning or funeral
tapu - sacred; forbidden; taboo
te reo maori - Maori language
tiki tour - guided tour
tramping - hiking, walking
varsity - university
waka - canoe
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