The Trump Presidency

[ApolloEnthusiast]

Hey, welcome to our part of the world!

Thanks!

As long as you understand that, as a Kiwi:

1. You're going to get ragged by us Aussies (and you get to rag us in return); **
** This will include, but not be limited to:

a. Arguing over whether pavlova is an Aussie or Kiwi invention;

Based on my trip to NZ a couple years ago to scout it out, it seemed like it was unanimous that pavlova is a Kiwi invention...

2. You're going to have to learn to love cricket, rugby union (easy, given the All Blacks are one of the best teams in the world), and the Commonwealth Games;

I don't know about cricket, but I started watching rugby a couple years ago and I'm loving it. I've been watching the All Blacks, Black Ferns, Super Rugby Pacific, and Au Piki. I've kinda gone all in!

3. You'll be swearing allegiance to an actual king, rather than a wannabe king;

and having more liberty with a monarch than what will be happening in the US. 

4. You'll have the opportunity to watch Rocket Lab launch its Electron rockets.

That is really cool, and I'm going to have to look more into the details!

[jfb]

Did the local No Kings protest this past weekend.  Attached is my meager contribution to the discussion.

[Peter B]

Did the local No Kings protest this past weekend.  Attached is my meager contribution to the discussion.

Nice and succinct. Good on you!

[rocketman]

but I started watching rugby . . . Super Rugby Pacific

I can't keep track of that one, the way it keeps changing every few years.

[Kiwi]

I realize that because I don't post much none of you really know me at all, but I've been lurking for years.

I just wanted to share that my visa was just approved, so my wife and I will be moving to New Zealand in January. While I feel bad about abandoning the people here who aren't fascist collaborators, I honestly feel like the USA is irretrievably gone. It will take generations to rebuild what's already been torn down, and I have to take care of my, and my family's safety first.

I'm looking forward to joining the Kiwi culture!

And a welcome from me too when you get here. Got any thoughts about where exactly you might be settling? I'm on the coast, west of Palmerston North, and always keen to meet any other Apollo enthusiasts. Just a few days ago I asked on our local Facebook page if there is anyone in our community who would like to learn more about the manned moonlandings and posted a few details about what materials I have. I watched Sputnik 1 pass over here at 8:06pm on 9 October 1958, although I now know that we would have actually seen the rocket that put it up, rather than the tiny satellite in its highly elliptical orbit.

Depending on where exactly you live now, you might find that our night skies are a bit clearer, and I'm pretty certain you'd be able to view the green flash of the setting sun more often too, due to NZ being surrounded by water, instead of land with all the smoke, dust, insects, birds, pollen and other pollutants in the air. Mind you, our Aussie neighbours send as a fair bit of the smoke from their forest fires at times. Plus there are fairly good reasons why they call NZ "the Shaky Isles". You might have to become accustomed to the odd earthquake.

[ApolloEnthusiast]

And a welcome from me too when you get here.

Thanks!

Got any thoughts about where exactly you might be settling?

We'll be starting just outside of Auckland, and we'll probably be there at least a few years, but I think our long term plan is Hawke's Bay.

I'm on the coast, west of Palmerston North, and always keen to meet any other Apollo enthusiasts.

That's a bit far for spontaneous meetings, but I'll have a couple weeks off between each school term, and I'll be eagerly exploring the country in those intervals, once we've settled in, of course. So I'd definitely love to arrange a meet up!

Depending on where exactly you live now, you might find that our night skies are a bit clearer

We currently live in New Jersey, so the NZ skies are a huge upgrade. When we visited a couple years ago I was very excited to show the southern hemisphere starscape to my wife.

Plus there are fairly good reasons why they call NZ "the Shaky Isles". You might have to become accustomed to the odd earthquake.

Much more preferable than the political earthquakes happening here, and from what I understand, at least in the Hawke's Bay area, the more frequently the little shakes happen the better. It's relieving the pressure and preventing the type of tension from building up that causes a big one.

[Peter B]

Got any thoughts about where exactly you might be settling?

We'll be starting just outside of Auckland, and we'll probably be there at least a few years, but I think our long term plan is Hawke's Bay.

For what it's worth, one of my nephews lives in Tauranga, where he's a high school teacher.

[Obviousman]

And when you want to visit Australia, be sure to look us up. You'll know you'll have accommodation and a guide.

[ApolloEnthusiast]

And when you want to visit Australia, be sure to look us up. You'll know you'll have accommodation and a guide.

I will definitely reach out! We will for sure be visiting just for the sake of seeing Australia, but if I remember correctly, the next Rugby World Cup is being hosted in Australia, and that may demand some of our attention!

[Kiwi]

I will definitely reach out! We will for sure be visiting just for the sake of seeing Australia, but if I remember correctly, the next Rugby World Cup is being hosted in Australia, and that may demand some of our attention!

Just to keep up the usual Aussie/NZ banter, :-) in that case, you'd better rewatch that excellent Aussie movie "Crocodile Dundee" (1983). I watched it again recently because it was on TV so I got out my DVD and had many good laughs without all the ads. It will alert you to plenty of Ockerisms so you can understand the lingo when you get there. But it also shows (especially at the beginning) what one of my Aussie flatmates told me roundabout 1969 or 70 about driving around Australia: "It's all just fenceposts, power poles and gumtrees." He much preferred New Zealand where the scenery can change dramatically with only an hour's driving.

And speaking about The Trump Presidency, a few weeks ago I heard on Al Jazeera that Trump had claimed, to my astonishment, that he had recently stopped eight wars. As one Al Jazeera correspondent said, somebody needs to check the numbers. Has he yet provided a list of precisely which EIGHT wars?

[ApolloEnthusiast]

Has he yet provided a list of precisely which EIGHT wars?

The next time he attempts to substantiates any of the nonsense that comes out of his or his lackeys' mouths will be the first time.

[Kiwi]

The next time he attempts to substantiates any of the nonsense that comes out of his or his lackeys' mouths will be the first time.

I had a sneaking suspicion that that might indeed be the case. In fact, I even wondered if there was ever a day went by without him telling a terminological inexactitude.

[grmcdorman]

The next time he attempts to substantiates any of the nonsense that comes out of his or his lackeys' mouths will be the first time.

I had a sneaking suspicion that that might indeed be the case. In fact, I even wondered if there was ever a day went by without him telling a terminological inexactitude.

He's like Nobby Nobbs in Terry Prachet's Discword: you can tell he's lying because his lips are moving.

[Peter B]

And speaking about The Trump Presidency, a few weeks ago I heard on Al Jazeera that Trump had claimed, to my astonishment, that he had recently stopped eight wars. As one Al Jazeera correspondent said, somebody needs to check the numbers. Has he yet provided a list of precisely which EIGHT wars?

Well, there's: Armenia-Azerbaijan; Albania-Azerbaijan; and Armenia-Ababaijan for a start.

[Peter B]

Just to keep up the usual Aussie/NZ banter, :-) in that case, you'd better rewatch that excellent Aussie movie "Crocodile Dundee" (1983). I watched it again recently because it was on TV so I got out my DVD and had many good laughs without all the ads. It will alert you to plenty of Ockerisms so you can understand the lingo when you get there.

Sure, the movie is good for a laugh, but it's also worth remembering it presents an Anglo-Aussie's view of Australia as it was 40 years ago. It would be like judging New Zullund based on "Footrot Flats" comics... :-)

Perhaps a better insight would come from the sub-genre of videos on YT of the insights of USAnians (or Poms) who have visited or moved to Australia in the last few years.

But it also shows (especially at the beginning) what one of my Aussie flatmates told me roundabout 1969 or 70 about driving around Australia: "It's all just fenceposts, power poles and gumtrees." He much preferred New Zealand where the scenery can change dramatically with only an hour's driving.

Yeah, Australia is large - as large as the contiguous 48 states. Driving all around Australia is pretty spectacular, but it's something generally reserved for the Grey Nomads. You can still have an amazing experience of Australia by sticking to a couple of the capital cities and their hinterlands.