Based off of the couple days that I have been in Auckland, here is some terminology to help an outsider get accustomed to New Zealand life.

“Kiwi” – New Zealand’s national flightless bird, but more commonly referenced as a person who is native to New Zealand. I’ve only met a couple kiwi students so far, as most students don’t come back from their winter break until next week, though the few I have met are great, and it’s always nice to have some insider advice.

“Flat White” – A standard coffee that is (or at least was when I had one) particularly foamy. Two days ago my fellow UVMers and I had the pleasure of meeting with Kenneth, the guy in charge of International Students and their programs here at AUT, who showed us his favorite coffee place and gave us all free coffee vouchers. The place is nothing more than a whole in the wall, a quick jaunt up some stairs that may not be noticed from the main street, a hidden gem for a warm start to the cold days New Zealand Winter brings.

“Sweet As” – An expression that is equivalent to “righteous,” in reference to something exceedingly awesome that has occurred.

“Mean” – Similar to “sweet as” pretty much meaning, “awesome” or “cool.”

“Mate” People just say mate as a common acknowledgement to another person “hey mate” “excuse me, mate.” Where are you from Mate? Oh the United States? Me too! (There are actually a lot of people here from the United States, particularly San Diego as they have a large program for students too.)