You may get a strange look if you use Kiwi slang in New Zealand, but it may be used inadvertently to in conversation. If you don't understand just ask and most New Zealanders will explain.
"Gumboots" - A.K.A. Wellington Boots or Rain Boots
"Barby" - Short for barbeque
Bro (pronounced more like "bru") - Short for brother but used by males to address other males.
Bush - Forest. Usually meaning a native forest as opposed to a plantation forest.
Choice! - Cool, great.
Chur - Thanks or Choice. Sometimes used as Chur Chur, which can also mean Christchurch.
Cool bananas! - "It's good." Hardly used. If it is, it's usually directly at young children.
Sweet as! - Cool, good thing, No problem. Often abbreviated to just 'sweet'.
mint - in tip top condition.
chicks - girls.
oi - hey. Can be meant as a warning or jokingly, derives from punk usage.
eh - sometimes used at the end of a sentence to phrase it as a question, similar to Canadian usage.
Lindi - Lindauer Brut (popular wine in New Zealand)
pash - french kiss.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about New Zealand
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in New Zealand - updated Apr 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount New Zealand hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
New Zealand Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
