Australia vs. New Zealand

Australia vs. New Zealand

We have been asked by some of our New Zealand friends to compare NZ and Australia. Hmmm. Ok here goes.

New Zealand Wins in the following

Better food
Better drivers (except for idiots on motorcycles)
Nicer people (by a hair)
Shorter distances to drive
Bigger mountains
Nicer museums
Great staff at tourist centres (really really good staff)
No snakes (although personally I like snakes)
Able to buy beer and wine in the grocery stores in most places
A reality based view of the world and their spot in it
Almost no traffic lights
Much cleaner cities
More consistent climate overall
Their coins are not as massive as the Australian ones
All pay phones accept any credit card

Australia Wins in the following

Cheaper in general
Real Pubs (almost all the ones in NZ have become upscale bistros)
Lots more wildlife (although much of it is motionless on the roadside)
Better shopping choices
Smoother roads
Big city hustle and bustle (if you want that kind of thing)
Really wide-open spaces
Most of the people on the roads are not tourists driving on the wrong side
If you are lonely, Australians will not let you stay that way
If you like long road trips then Australia is the place
Authentic bush is a very long way from anywhere

Ties

No Tipping!
All prices shown include taxes
They both have plastic money that flips out of your pocket.
Many things are more expensive then Canada (even taking in the exchange rate)
Way too many US based fast food places
Not nearly enough free wireless access (at least five years behind North America)
Many things like pay phones are massive bulky things that look like something from the Dr. Who TV show

There I hope that helps everyone.