Both the Netherlands and New Zealand are located near a sea or ocean, this gives them both a sea climate near the coast, with moderately warm summers and mild winters. The more inland part of the Netherlands experiences a few degrees warmer temperatures in the summer and it can get a little colder there in wintertime as well. All of the country gets plenty of rain year round and can have a little bit of snow in the winter. If the temperatures get quite high in summer, close to, or higher than 30 degrees celsius, thunder and lightning often follow to cool it all down again.

New Zealand has many different climates and weather types next to their sea climate. The southern part of the South Island is a cold rainforest area which gets more rain than the Amazon does a year. The Alps on the South Island will get lots of snow in winter time, sometimes causing roads to close. There are also parts that hardly get any rain, and seem to be more like a desert with hot days and cold nights. The northern part of the North Island is almost tropical with very warm summers and mild (wet) winters. Whatever part of New Zealand you’re in though, the sun is always warm and, especially in summer, you need to put on lots of sunscreen to prevent sunburn due to the bright sun here. The hole in the ozone layer is no longer a hole, but it is not fully recovered yet either, so the sun is more dangerous in New Zealand than in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is quite small, but has a few pretty beautiful places. The Wadden Islands are one of a kind in the world, where you can cross the sea to one of the islands at low tide. It has the Veluwe, a nature park with deer and dunes and forest. The Netherlands is next to the North Sea which is a bit grey and foamy, but it has a long beach and further inland it is very green due to frequent rain. It is also super flat; there are no mountains, barely any hills, and not even canyons. It’s a very practical space and with a big population it has been organized very efficiently. Which leaves little room for nature to do it’s own random pattern of blossoming life. 

New Zealand, as a remote island with way less people and more space, has an unfair amount of natural beauty. It has pretty much every type of landscape you can come up with: mountains, volcanoes, white beaches, black beaches, dunes, rainforests, wetlands, hills, gorges, glaciers, farmland, caves, waterfalls, sounds, and forests. There are many national parks and with well-taken-care-of tracks through them there are a lot of ways to enjoy all the different landscapes New Zealand has.

In the Netherlands everyone is obligated to have basic healthcare insurance, you can upgrade this with extra packages if you want to but insurance companies are allowed to deny you an upgrade based on your health and medical history. This healthcare system covers quite a lot, including surgery, pregnancy, physical therapy, GP visits, emergency care, prescribed medication and most treatments deemed necessary for your health. The costs of this insurance is a substantial amount each month and increases even further with add-on extra care. Most insurances have an excess that you can increase or decrease to offset the premium.

In New Zealand, as a citizen or resident you get to enjoy healthcare services for free or a reduced price as the healthcare system is heavily subsidized by the government. Waiting lists can be long to receive this type of care so there is also an option to get private care and pay for this. There are also health insurances for private care, but in my experience they cover a lot less than the Dutch insurances, although they also cost a lot less. If you get into an accident, even if you cause the accident, you get treatment for free, regardless of whether you are a citizen, resident, or a tourist.

The Netherlands has a pretty good variety in vegetables and fruits available year round, fresh meats and dairy products and it is well known for its quality cheeses. Most supermarkets also have a nice variety in meat replacements, vegetarian alternatives that are made to resemble meat in taste and texture. Supermarkets are plenty and can offer fresh baked bread, on-site squeezed orange juice, or free coffee/tea. Also, Dutch bread is really good and they offer a very wide range of meat for sandwiches. At all supermarkets you can do self checkout or go to a cashier, and you turn in empty soda bottles for a small refund.

New Zealand has about the same variety in vegetables although they seem to be a bit more seasonal in what they have, sometimes certain vegetables are not available year round. They do offer a few different ones from more exotic regions like yams, silverbeet, different breeds of kumara, and paw paws. New Zealand seems less of a sandwich-for-lunch country than the Netherlands with their bread being a bit dryer and having only a few options for meat cuts to put on sandwiches. They don’t seem to have many vegetarian alternatives to meat (or we haven’t found them yet), but do offer a different variety of on-site produced goods. Some of the things they offer here are eco-friendly refill stations for shampoo, soap and laundry detergent, freshly ground peanut (or other nuts) butter, a fill station with a big selection of nuts, dried fruits, and rice/quinoa. Beer and wine is more expensive here than in the Netherlands, with specialty beers going for $8 a can, while deer/venison and lamb is less expensive than in the Netherlands. The more fancy grocery stores have people to bag your items for you at check out and will print you a discount receipt for refilling your gas. There are no return stations for empty soda or beer bottles as they don’t seem to reuse these.

Both countries are very proud of their national team and athletes, the Netherlands’ own sports color is orange and the New Zealand national rugby team is referred to as the All Blacks, as black is their color. While both countries are very supportive and idolize their athletes, they do have different national sports. In the Netherlands the single biggest sport played is soccer (or football disregarding the american term) and at the Olympics they do well in swimming, ice skating, and dressage. The biggest sport in New Zealand is by far rugby, although cricket is also quite popular. New Zealand as a nation with a small population has sent fewer people to the Olympic games, with rowing, athletics and sailing winning them the most medals.

New Zealand’s population is quite active outdoors; we see lots of mountain bikers and hikers in our area and we’ve come across a great number of outdoor stores and shops dedicated to fishing, hunting and camping. While in the Netherlands sports are usually done in the form of a membership, sports here seem to be arranged more casually. You can go golfing without a membership card or diploma, you can get a single horse riding lesson or trail ride, and if you don’t like it you can do something else next week.

In the Netherlands the first language is Dutch, and its citizens are also called Dutch. In school they start teaching English in schools at an early age though so a lot of Dutch people know basic English. The Netherlands has a province in the north with its own recognized language, Fries, or Frisian, which is the Netherlands’ second language. In New Zealand they speak English and Māori is the second language. Māori is a very different language in its grammar than the English language, unlike Frisian,which originated close by under influence of the German and Danish language, and has more in common with Dutch.

While Frisian is only taught and mostly spoken in the northern province of Friesland, Māori is present throughout New Zealand, although it is more common on the North Island as more Māori people live there.

The Netherlands has a huge public transport network throughout the country, although the coverage and service is much better in the western, more urban part. Public transport includes one of the densest train networks in the world, busses, and major cities having trams or underground metro’s, or a combination of these. A more recent development in public transport now also includes bikes you can publicly use to get around faster. The Dutch railway network is also connected to neighbouring countries Belgium and Germany, allowing international travel by high-speed trains to Paris or Cologne for example. Public transport takes a while to get you somewhere, but strikes don’t happen often and service is quite reliable with many transporters providing up-to-date information through apps, Google and digital signs. If public transport is not your thing, the Netherlands also has a high quality, but crowded network of highways. People drive on the right side of the road and the roads are well maintained, excellent quality with the feature of absorbing water during heavy rainfall. Traffic jams happen all the time in the western part of the country with rush hour taking up about 3 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. Parking is pretty much always paid in the cities with Amsterdam charging ridiculous amounts to park your car in or near the city centre. 

New Zealand has some public transport; there is a train network on both islands, but service is less frequent and not as busy as in the Netherlands. The trains are rumoured to have gorgeous views though. We haven’t tried them out yet but will do so in the future. Major cities have different lines of busses and this seems to be the main form of public transportation in the cities and sometimes between cities as well. Other forms of public transport include ferries, and both Auckland and Wellington have a suburban rail system. Public transport is not used a lot and most people prefer the comfort of their own car, driving on the left side of the road. Gas is a bit cheaper than in the Netherlands and driving yourself will get you to your destination a lot faster. While the Netherlands has many multiple lane roads and highways, in New Zealand many are just one lane and make use of so-called ‘slow vehicle bays’ where the road is temporarily wider to allow faster traffic to pass slower vehicles. Roads are subjected to more natural violence in New Zealand and there will often be roadworks. While roads are of decent quality, there are also still many dirt roads with gravel and sand/dust as well as some roads you’re not supposed to enter unless you’re in a four-wheel drive. Traffic jams are rare however and only Auckland seems to get these sometimes. During rush hour in the major cities it can be a bit more busy but traffic in general is a lot less than in the Netherlands. Parking will also cost you a fee in the bigger cities. A lot of parking places also have signs for how long you can park there, some you are allowed to park at for just 5 minutes and others you can stay for 240 minutes.

Living in the Netherlands often means you live in an apartment or in a ‘rijtjeshuis’ which means it is on one or both sides attached to another house of the same style and size. With a high population density housing is expensive as there is not a lot of available space. Houses are well-insulated with double glazing, insulated walls and a lot of homes have a central heating system that supplies each room with warmth. A typical family home features 2 floors, and an attic on top, a small garden with a shed for bikes and garden equipment. Most houses feature just 1 bathroom to share and are made of concrete, brick and are stuck in place through long concrete poles into the ground. Houses all look similar in the neighbourhood and people are not allowed to make their home look very different from their neighbours by the city council. 

New Zealand has a lot more space, but building materials are expensive to import, and with a shortage of builders, more people moving to the country, and foreign buyers for vacation homes, houses are very expensive. Houses are usually built on bigger plots and have more space than Dutch houses, having a garden around your house, not being attached to your neighbours house, and many featuring a garage and an ensuite 2nd bathroom. Insulation is not very widely implemented with many people opting for carpets everywhere to keep the cold out a bit. Houses are built from a variety of materials, often with wood, and are not often more than 1 story high. Every house here looks different as you can decide freely what color or style you want your home to be.

In the Netherlands most households need electricity, water and sometimes gas (for hot water or cooking). Water from the tap is excellent quality and sometimes better to drink than bottled water. There is no chlorine flavour and you pay for the amount of water you use and for the maintenance of the water network at the end of the year. Electricity and gas are supplied through a network of underground cables and pipes. Solar panels are common and people with solar panels can also supply power back to the electricity network and get a discount on their power bill. Internet in the Netherlands is very fast and reliable through fibre being installed in more and more places with the best coverage in the western part of the country. Cell phone network coverage is also very good with 4G and good reception almost throughout the entire country. There are only a few small regions where you can find yourself without reception. 

Meanwhile in New Zealand, cell phone reception is often missing in remote places and internet is very slow compared to the Netherlands. We’ve been waiting for over 3 months to get fibre and have been on a flaky ADSL connection with our home wifi. 

Electricity is transferred over land through a network of tall poles and gas is supplied through a gas tank on your property if you need it. Water tastes differently in different places, even though New Zealand has some of the best fresh water springs in the world. For us in Christchurch the water tastes of chlorine but is safe to drink from tap.

As the Netherlands is such a densely populated and small country, online shopping orders are usually delivered the next day with often no or small shipping costs. Some companies even offer same day delivery. There are many international franchises and brands that have shops both online and offline. With Ikea around, furniture is affordable. Delivery of big furniture pieces will take a bit of money, but usually also a lot of time. Showroom models are just that and unless you get everything at Ikea, you will often have to wait a couple of weeks for bigger furniture pieces to be ordered and delivered. Shops often close at 17:00 or 18:00 except one evening per week, where they can be open until 21:00.This ‘shopping night’ is different for each city but is often on a Thursday or Friday. During the weekend opening hours can be shorter with some shops being closed on Sundays. Supermarkets are often open until late, especially in the bigger cities, but hardly any stores are open 24/7.

On the other side of the world things are a little different, with deliveries taking a bit longer and shipping costs being very high. Most goods here are imported and that’s certainly reflected in the price of many items. Especially larger items like furniture are very expensive. Ikea is not present in New Zealand currently and finding affordable furniture will often lead you to secondhand stores or Trademe (an online marketplace for people to sell and buy used goods from other consumers). Even on Trademe and at second hand stores, you will still have to pay quite some money for furniture and its delivery. Shops are generally open until 17:30 during weekdays with different hours on the weekend. Most grocery stores in the city will be open until late (23:00 or 00:00) with some even being open almost 24 hours a day.

In the Netherlands there are a couple of neat species that live in the wild. Some have been reintroduced and others are being monitored and controlled. Although their numbers are few and they are not easy to find, if you are lucky you can spot deer, wild ponies, boars, Scottish Highland cows, foxes, beavers, and since 2019 also wolves. A more common sight is cows and sheep grazing, hares and bunnies, a large variety of (water) birds and some reptiles like frogs, toads, turtles and the occasional lizard or snake. The North Sea at the northern part of the country is home to a seal colony and there is also a seal creche for washed up and injured pups.

New Zealand has only 1 native mammal species, a bat. All other mammals were brought in, either on purpose for food such as sheep, cows and deer, or by accident on ships of colonists such as rats, possums, stoats. Due to being separated from the rest of the world for a long time, nature has developed a bit differently and this has resulted in a large variety of native birds. Many of these native birds are endangered and, due to the particular evolution of species here, are not equipped to survive the rodents that have been thriving here since they arrived with the first colonists. Some unique birds include the well known nocturnal kiwi, the lovely melodic tui, the smallest penguin: the Blue penguin, the super smart alpine parrot kea, and the world's largest parrot species the kākāpo. A lot of effort is being made to prevent these species from going extinct and includes eradicating the wild rodent population, breeding programs, predator free areas/islands, and in more rural areas informing people with cats on the dangers these could pose as well. 

Off the shores of New Zealand the oceans are full of wildlife, with different and even some unique species of dolphins, whales and albatross birds to be seen close by and almost year round due to deep waters just off the coast and the presence of lots of food.

When you ask someone what comes to mind when they think of the Netherlands they will most likely mention Amsterdam, tulips, cheese, wooden shoes and windmills. While this is certainly what the gift shops are offering you for sale, the Dutch mostly prefer sneakers over wooden shoes and their ‘rijtjeshuis’ over a windmill dwelling. Most tourists can be found in Amsterdam. It is the country’s capital and with its idyllic views of the canals and the old and crooked houses lining narrow streets it is never quiet and you’ll find a lot of people touring the canals, visiting Anne Frank’s house, walking through the red light district, or trying out a coffeeshop (which does not only sell coffee). Another popular place for tourists is Volendam where the Dutch historic clothing and building style has been preserved and a place where many Dutch singers are from.

In New Zealand, it is estimated that at any time, without border restrictions due to the coronavirus, a quarter of the people in the country are tourists. Tourism is the biggest export product of New Zealand, accounting for 20% of total exports. As it is such a versatile country it is very popular for road trips with campers and camper vans and with backpackers. Some of the most famous tourist spots are Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, Hobbiton, Queenstown, Franz Josef Glacier, Rotorua, Mt Cook and Wellington, the world’s southernmost capital city.

The Netherlands is built partially below sea level. A system of dikes and water pumping management keep the water out and people dry. While they have modern and advanced technical equipment for monitoring the dikes, there is a risk of rivers flooding and part of the country being submerged if it all goes wrong. The northern part of the country has seen an increased amount of earthquakes due to gas extraction from the ground but generally speaking no earthquakes happen in the Netherlands. It is quite safe from natural disasters with no tornadoes, volcanoes and earthquakes being known to wreak havoc. New Zealand on the other hand is in a much riskier place. The country is located on the ring of fire, a location with geothermal activity, active volcanoes, and earthquakes, which happen quite often. While deadly natural disasters are rare, in 2019 about 14 people were killed at the White Island volcano eruption and 185 people lost their lives in Christchurch after an earthquake hit in 2011. New Zealand experiences about a 1000 earthquakes a year with the majority being too little to be noticed by humans. With earthquakes happening not only on land but also underwater, New Zealand is also at risk for tsunamis. Many signs near the beaches inform people on what to do if a long or heavy earthquake hits and there might be a chance of a tsunami forming.

You made it all the way here, yay! This article got a little out of control as I was writing it and got excited to share about these two great countries. There is undoubtedly so much more to write about them, but I will stop here, confident I’ve given you a lot to compare already. I don’t think one country is perfect in every way, I think each country has their pros and cons and deciding which is ‘the best’ depends on what you value most and will always be a subjective decision.