What to do when night falls?

[zemien]

When I mention to people that I'm moving to NZ, they invariably ask, "But what will you do at night?" They also have the perception that NZ is still stuck in the 70's ("You mean they have IT companies there?"), but that's another topic altogether!

If we exclude pubs and clubs, what can one do outside after work? I realize this will be a culture shock for me, coming from a place where shopping malls open till 10pm and some eateries run till the wee morning.

I can only think of the gym, so far. The cinema would be a weekend luxury I guess.

What else?

[ourquest]

But what will you do at night?"

(1) Possum hunting with only your wellies and a piece of number 8 wire. This'll keep you busy for hours mate.
(2) Correct-spelling-spotting on TradeMe. Extra ponts if you can finds a lsting with the goodest use of cAPITAL letters.
(3) Cuddle up with a new friend in the fridge (it's warmer in there at night).
(4) You could always sleep, but you might miss something.
(5) Buy some goodies at your local. Most locals won't mind selling you something as they know the shops are all closed and they can smell a profit.
(6) Fly somewhere. It's quicker at night because trying to sleep on an aeroplane is easier than on the ground when your house's windspeed is 70 knots.
(7) Pretend you are in England. Then you can actually phone someone and not wake them up.
(8) If the phone rings, it isn't an invitation to a dinner party. It's someone in England pretending they are in New Zealand. Answer it in your best Kiwi accent.
(9) Host a dinner party. Try and invite a local and convert them.
(10) Watch some re-runs of the All Whites not losing a game at the 2010 SWC.
(11) Eat some carrots. (see number 12 below).
(12) Plant some weed in the neighbour's bush section without using a torch.
(13) If it's Sunday night, mow your lawn.
(14) Leave your car idling in the driveway and get that warm fuzzy feeling every 15 minutes when you check on it and it hasn't been stolen.
(15) Make a list like this one. It's taken about 15 minutes so far, so it should be quite long by morning.
(16) I'm resisting suggesting getting addicted to something nasty, although I understand a lot of people have done this and they no longer worry about what to do in the evenings.
(17) Provide some immigration advice to someone living in a different timezone and then keep an eye on the clock to see how long it takes for NZIS to arrest you.
(18) Look out of your window and count how many neighbours haven't closed their curtains. Don't look too carefully, you might catch a glimpse of Shortland Street.
(19) Push some whales back into the water. Remember that they are difficult to see in the dark (refer point 11 above).
(20) Order a personalised plate online ready to impress your friends in the morning. I suggest "WDIUHG". Get it? Hey it's better than some I've seen.
(21) Drive as far as you can along SH1 until you've found the funniest personalised plate driving in the opposite direction (you'll need one of those really powerful 1000000000 candle power torches). Do a u-turn and then tailgate the car as far as you can before arriving home in the wee hours.
(22) Turn into a werewolf. OK, that's just a silly one as I'm getting tired now and couldn't remember any of the other things I've been doing recently.

Sorry it's not a very long list. I'll think of some more soon.

[JandM]

Remind me where you're going to be living?

LOL, Ourquest!

[zemien]

Ourquest! Lol! I might take up possum hunting, but probably not turning into a werewolf. Most girls are into Team Edward anyway.

Jand: i'm undecided but it'll either be Akl or Chc. But would like to get a feel of what everyone else does to pass the time (that doesn't involve TV)

[JandM]

Only talking about Auckland because that's where I've looked around...

I'm interested in music and theatre, and I could be out every night of the week at a different venue seeing/hearing/taking part. Places for Tai Chi and snooker are also numerous. There are clubs, not just of the social/drinking sort, for huge numbers of different activities. It's possible to get a picture of what's going on by Googling the name of the activity you're interested in, plus the name of the place (with Auckland being so large, try several different districts within it). Then, once you're there, watch out for posters at the roadside and within shops and pubs. Once you go to any event, if you talk to people, you'll soon get a network to keep you in touch with more related things.

[zemien]

Excellent advice, thanks!

[JandM]

Oh, and another thought - the local libraries (and there's an excellent library network in NZ, many services totally free) have details of what happening is in their immediate area, too.

[Aquarian]

[menki85]

I'm sorry, I just can't stop laughing at ourquest. I look silly laughing alone in front of my laptop.

[benandclare]

You're not alone in that