Size does matter.

First of all. Get your mind out of the gutter. I know you all clicked on that title as soon as you saw it. Second of all, I am referring to the population of New Zealand as a whole, not the size of certain objects that may or may not "enhance" you life. Enough said.

But here is something where size matters. The size of my thumb. Yes. I have taken to "hitching" around New Zealand. On the advice of many people I have thrown all caution to the wind, freed myself from the ordinary and put my destiny in the hands of complete strangers. And I am not going to lie that I am enjoying every minute of it. (not to mention saving lots of money). Now before you freak out (mom and dad) read on. I wouldn't dream of this if it were not New Zealand. There is amazing trust here among everyone that you find nowhere else. And perhaps we can learn a thing or two from it.

Take Bryce for example. Bryce is a 26 year old Kiwi who works in the NZ film industry. He happened upon me on the Junction of 80 and 6 after my hike up to Mueller Hut. Bryce was returning a catering truck (go figure) back to Queenstown (which is where I needed to go) and I gather he was just bored and needed someone to talk to. He was very intelligent, owned a research company on the side, had lived in California for a while, and he also worked for the film industry. So we had a lot to talk about. We talked about everything from the fact that the US government actually aided Al Qaeda before 9/11 to the fact that it is really easy to pick up Kiwi girls. (not that I would know first hand). He even offered me job on a Bollywood set for a day or two which I might take him up on. I learned more about what it means to be Kiwi than I would ever riding a bus.

Or take Sally for example. She was the "open hearted" Kiwi I met at Mueller hut. After spending only one crowded night together in the hut she gave what most would call back in the states a "complete stranger" (me) her camping stove upon hearing that I would be doing a track that has huts without burners. Her logic you ask? "Awe..just return it to me when you come and stay at my place in Nelson". "And if you don't make it to Nelson just send it to me in the mail!". Not to mention she gave me a ride to the intersection where Bryce picked me up. So not only do I have a back country stove to use, I have few nights stay in Nelson which I wanted to go to anyway.

Or take "Last Resort". The hostel I had such a hard time leaving in Queenstown. Sometimes you just find a place that speaks to you, the people and the atmosphere and you end up spending a few extra days. I have been a bit taken a back at the hostels in NZ. They are really great, but there is something "institutional" about them. And I didn't figure it out until the Last Resort. They are all too big. Not the Last Resort. It only had 18 beds, a great common space(with an amazing flat screen and movie collection), and a wicked manager named Heather (from Dublin) that had the driest sense of humor. People met each other her because it was small. Coming back after Mt. Cook to watch the inauguration and to spend a few extra days I really did feel as if I was coming home.

Or take the fact that it is actually illegal to sue someone in NZ. Or the fact that at most stores when you don't have the right amount of change they usually say " no worries" and that tea that was going to cost you $2.50 now costs you $2.00. Or when I hitch and I offer to at least buy them a coffee for giving me a ride. They actually laugh at me.

My point:

Size really does matter. New Zealand's population's is roughly 4 million people. That is only half the people who live in New York City alone. At some point when populations get to a certain point, people start to forget that other people are "people" too. Kiwis are so laid back as a result of their low population. When their are too many sheep in the pasture there is no more grass to graze (or little for a lot of sheep) and the sheep start looking at each other as the competition.
We humans may be animals but we don't have to act like them. A Kiwi wouldn't harm a hitcher or do harm at all because everyone would know immediatly who did it.

There are always exceptions to the rules and this is a generalization. But those exceptions come from individuals and rarely the mentality of a whole society. For Kiwis its just the way it is. To be kind to the environment around them. And that includes people. They are lucky. They have inherited one of the most beautiful places in the world. And perhaps their is a correlation there. For I see the beauty of this place inherent in every Kiwi I meet.