Only in New Zealand

This time I will start with disclosure: It has been  a long time since I was planning to write a post about the uniqueness of this amazing place that I live in. However, the final idea and the inspiration for writing this post are totally credited to my Facebook friend Racheli Ben Haim-Faler.

Only in NZ a lost penguin or a seal can make it to the front page of main national newspaper and stay there for the entire week.
Only in NZ could the government pass a new legislation, "Mondayizing" holidays that fall on a weekend day, so Kiwis wouldn't feel robbed of their well deserved day off.
Only in NZ , on Monday to Wednesday, the main talk of the day would be about the past weekend experiences and on Thursday to Friday, it would be about the plans for the upcoming weekend. Life is busy making plans!
Only in NZ can you find quite impressive variety of Gluten Free options in every restaurant menu, but virtually nothing can be found for Diabetics. NZ is among countries with the highest incidence of Diabetes. Something (NOT) to be proud of!
Only in NZ you can cross the road diagonally on X-shaped intersections, creating seemingly chaotic movement of pedestrians at the intersection.

Only in NZ policemen are not carrying any weapons and are happy to give health advise (smoking is bad and so is speaking on the cell phone without speaker:-) with a smile to any passerby.
Only in NZ coffee culture is, at least, as good and developed as in Israel, making it very difficult to choose the next spot for coffee tasting. They are all amazing!

Only in NZ everything is served with butter on the side, no matter how sweet or sour the meal in question is.
Only in NZ when driver sees a road sign of a Kiwi bird, he/she slows down by 90%, to minimize the already minimal chance of driving over one of NZ's most precious symbols, a bird without wings, during the day light.

Only in NZ a traveler is made to clean his shoes at the entrance to/ exit from every National Park/ reserve, by a request sign and detergents provided, without any direct supervision. I have never seen anyone avoiding the duty.
Only in NZ you are requested to "Only leave your footprints" in all National Parks. And this is precisely how people act. (...Carmel forests come to mind, after Independence Day celebrations...hhmmm...)

Only in NZ can you find farmer's produce sold on the road sides and in rural areas with "Honesty Box" as payment method. A buyer is expected to leave the money in a box and take change if needed. The farmer won't be found anywhere near, he is busy with the important things!

Only in NZ people are often walking with their bare feet on streets and their feet remain surprisingly clean.
Only in NZ you can drive for 45 minutes on an absolutely empty gravel road, thinking that your are definitely lost, and then reach your destination and see a car park full of cars.

Only in NZ black color is the color of national pride rather then grief (Go The All Blacks, Black Caps, Ice Blacks, etc...!!!!!!!!!). On a national flag referendum one of the proposals for the flag is Silver fern on the black background.

Only in NZ bio-security is something that is taken way more seriously then civil security and dogs in the airport are for the purpose of sniffing foods, rather then explosives.
Only in NZ taxi driver will give you a free lift just because he was driving in your direction anyway.
Only in NZ can the boss at work admit his mistake and declare that his top priority is to keep his employees happy at their work place.
Only in NZ on the employment interview, the interviewer means exactly what he says, no hidden sub-contexts to be found (trying to silence my Israeli trained mind).
Only in NZ the ultimate point of reference for the progress in the world is either UK or Australia. Nothing else really matters.
Only in NZ ratio of sheep to humans is 16:1.

Only in NZ all National Parks, most of museums and many other tourist attractions are free of charge. (Australian Blue Mountains with 12$ per hour parking rate in the middle of the forest, come to mind...)
Only in NZ "Work- life balance" is something to die for(...or to live for, for that matter:-)!
Only in NZ "Mid-winter Christmas" was invented, because waiting for the real Christmas is taking too long!
Only in NZ can you find a church with a welcoming board stating: "Two of every kind are welcome."

Only in NZ the average age of nurses is 45, because there is no rush to work...or study...
Only in NZ you can't sue anyone for financial compensation due to injury, because national institution ACC covers all the expenses. So why take personal responsibility for anything....?
Only in NZ and two other countries in the world (Israel and Denmark) there is a health service for mothers and their young babies, called Plunket, because "prevention is the best medicine". (This logic got, unfortunately, lost somewhere ,along the way, in Israel).
Only in NZ sun protective lotion is offered for free use to public in every public place in the sun.
Only in NZ permitted alcohol level limit was 4 times higher then in the most western countries until just few months back.
Only in NZ when someone talks to you about his/her partner, you never know who exactly they are talking about: male/female, husband/wife/bf/gf/flatmate/business partner????????
Only in NZ average number of sexual partners for women is 23,4 and for men 16, in their lifetime (as per big Durex survey in 2012). This is when 'easy-going" and "laid back" culture gets an additional meaning.

Only in NZ I have chosen to raise my children and enjoy everything this wonderful country has to offer.