Daily Photo – The Local Swimming Hole

One of the best things about reconnecting with small towns in New Zealand is the sheer, quintessential Kiwiness of the things you find. Drive through any New Zealand town and you’re liable to find oversized pieces of fruit doubling as both local art and a nod to the agricultural richness of the region, while also providing a mandatory photo-stop for tourists who pretend to be holding it in one hand. You might call in at the local dairy that has a heavily faded Tip Top sign outside, where you can buy a “single scoop” ice cream that’s the size of your head for a mere $2. You can read the community bulletin board, with handwritten notes for “Free firewood, delivery $5,” or “Missing ginger cat, last seen August 1982,” call in at public toilets that double as the town’s architectural masterpiece, or pass by fences made out of boots, bras or bicycles that have long since become national icons.

There is always a bridge with a river running underneath and a sign saying “No bungy jumping allowed,” or walk a well-worn path to the local swimming hole where the river is wider and deeper, with a rope swing precariously dangling from a leaning tree on the riverbank. It’s DIY entertainment. Shoes are optional, wearing anything more than a T-shirt and shorts is overdressed, and if the river is high, you’re more than welcome to join in and have a go, as long as you remember the local, unwritten code of ethics when lining up: no invites and no cuts allowed.