Post

NZ is full of mad fitness fanatics, they are everywhere running, power walking, cycling, surfing, it makes me exhausted just watching them from the comfort of a freshly baked muffin and a flat white. Well it seems the latest "thing" to do if you are a fit Kiwi is to become a postie. Wellington, in particular, is very hilly and I've heard that posties apply to be fit delivery bods so they can use the hilly delivery routes for training. It is certainly the case for the 2 or 3 posties I've seen in Island Bay. All are dressed as if they are about to do the marathon and run or powerwalk everywhere. I live on a steep hill and talking to our postie the other day I discovered he likes to time himself delivering up our street. I must remember to order some heavy parcels to make sure he gets enough of a workout......

Another odd thing about the post in NZ is ((A) its efficient.....unlike the UK) that everyone has odd little post boxes outside their houses by the roadside, instead than a traditional letterbox. Some are quite funky or retro such as an old milk churn or a bird house. There is always space for letters, a parcel and a rolled up newspaper. I'm still not completely sure why they don't have letterboxes in the front door like most people, it could be because NZ houses are badly insulated enough that they don't need the extra draught a letterbox brings, or it could be most houses are up a huge hill/ down a long drive/ up a massive flight of stairs so for ease of delivery they are by the roadside.

The trouble is some of these roadside letterboxes just look like some of the litter bins and poop bins you see on the streets of London. In the first few weeks of living here I nearly posted a nice warm "parcel" of dog poop from Monty Dog in the odd letterbox. Now that would have made me popular with the locals!