Hobbies of the Kiwis

To define what each person likes to do in their spare time is very hard, as there are billion of different options, and depend very much on individuals. But there are a few hobbies that we can site that are very common among the Kiwis. Watching TV doesn’t count, because it’s a world wide past time, so lets go to the others….

Gardening is probably one of the popular things to do for those who are above 40, especially the retired. A house with a garden that is not very well looked after is reason for shame, as well as devaluing the house, and for that reason the market in the landscape continues to grow. Hiring someone just to take care of the garden is only for the very rich, which is a minority. In the old days the woman looked after the garden, but now it has turned into a unisex activity. Shops that sell gardening equipment and products are very busy during the weekends. Gardens and the weather have some things in common. Apart from one needing the other, both are national obsessions. It can be seem in most NZ towns, as if the mayor doesn’t not build and maintain good gardens in the towns, he/she will probably not be re-elected. When you travel to any town, the first thing that you will notice are streets very well maintained, with all grass nicely cut, no rubbish on the streets, and you will see many gardens spread across the town.

DIY which stands for Do It Yourself is another national craze. The Kiwi works the whole week, and when they have their free time they like to spend it fixing or improving their homes. Making picture frames, spice racks, cupboards, building a fence, shed etc…The Kiwis do a little bit of everything, especially when it saves them money. When they cant do something by themselves they call on the services of a “Handyman”. Like the hardware and garden shops, these handymen have most of their business on the weekends. Other Kiwis spend their weeks working on their cars, boats etc. The DIY is popular for the simple reason that they don’t have enough money to pay for the services of someone else, and even if they did what fun is there in that?

Fishing is another hobby that attracts thousands on the weekend. New Zealand has one of the biggest indices of boats per head in the world. Fishing is a popular activity because it is also a very social. Going out with friends and family is all part of the fun, as well as the possibility of catching your own dinner of course. Fishing gear is pretty cheap to buy, and it is an easy activity to do and very accessible, making it very popular with kids and women as well. But of course there are some fishing rules that everyone has to follow such as species, sizes and numbers allowed (bag limit) which are all regulated, If you are caught with undersize fish or over your quota you might be slapped with a pretty big fine. To fish in the sea you do not need any licenses, but in some lakes especially if you are fishing for trout, a license is required. Licenses are cheap and are sold in the many of thousands fishing stores spread across the country. You cannot sell any type of seafood (including fish) that you have caught without a special type of license, if you are caught doing so you probably are looking at a very heavy fine or even jail time.

Other hobbies which are popular with the Kiwis are the game of Rugby, Cricket, boat and car racing, and snow skiing. These activities are described in our sport page.

Roger Verga use to think play Rugby was an easy task, until he found out the ball is oval.

Web

Portal