I’m an American woman living in New Zealand, here are the most confusing differences I’ve noticed since moving

An American living in New Zealand has shared some of the differences she has experienced since moving – with statements like 'up the Wahs' completely confusing her.

Kayla, who moved from New York City to Auckland in August, has been documenting her move and life abroad on TikTok, with some things taking a little longer than others.

In a clip posted in the video sharing appKayla explained some of the words and phrases she's come across on Google since moving abroad. She admitted that learning the local vernacular is more difficult than she thought it would be.

The first thing Kayla, who moved after getting a job in the country's North Island earlier this year, said she saw the phrase: “Up the Wahs.”

“The first time I just let it go, but then I saw it on this billboard and at this school and then I went somewhere and it was the name of the Wi-Fi,” she exclaimed.

'The final straw was when I moved into my new flat and two of my new flatmates posted it in the group chat and I thought, OK, we need to learn what this means, so I Googled it.'

She continued, “It's just the tagline for the [Warriors] rugby team. But I think a lot of people are fans.'

The next word is 'arvo', which she heard while looking for an apartment to live in.

“I went to see a flat and the girl who showed it to me said, 'Can you come right over?' she said in disbelief. 'I do not know maybe?'

“Like what is arvo?” she continued. But luckily a simple Google solved her problems.

“It means noon,” she explained.

Another obstacle Kayla has faced is the different names for certain things, such as sweet potato, which she says is called a kumara in New Zealand.

“This is a little different because this isn't actually English,” she explained.

“But I had a coworker tell me about the food she was getting and she said 'kumara' and I was like, 'what is kumara?'” Kayla recalled.

“She told me what it was, but it took a while [to remember what it was called],' she laughed. “It means sweet potato.”

Kayla explained that kumara was the Maori word for sweet potato.

“That one was fun, I enjoyed learning that word,” she said.

The other word she Googled is “tramping,” which she admitted was one of the more crucial words she learned.

“This is important for me to know because I plan to do a lot of this in the coming weeks while I'm in New Zealand,” she said.

“Treading is walking, but if I ever mention something like a walk, people know what I'm talking about,” she assured her international viewers.

In a later video, Kayla pointed out more of the strangest differences she's encountered since the move.

“First of all, they drive on the left side of the road here and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car,” she noted.

'I haven't raced in New Zealand yet and I'm scared to do so. But I have crossed the road many times.

'IIf there's anything that will kill me while I live in New Zealand, it gets hit by a car.”

She also mentioned public transport, admitting she never had to physically hail a bus before moving to Auckland.

“I was sitting at the bus stop and the bus I was supposed to get on just passed by,” she recalled. 'I was so confused. I thought I was at the wrong bus stop or something.”

Kayla continued, “Once I was able to get on the bus, I realized that people wanted to hitchhike the buses when they wanted to get on.”

Her other key differences include people parking on the grass instead of the curb, and the difference between flying domestically.

Finally, she outlined the dining experience as another major difference, explaining that when you pay to a server, the check is not brought to the table, but customers pay the bill at the counter.

'The server dIf you don't bring the bill to you, you have to go to the front to pay on your way out,” she explained. “I'm sure it has something to do with not having to tip.”

She also mentioned using the metric system, elevator numbering, and turning electrical outlets on and off as other things she had to get used to.

Although admitting she misses Trader Joe'sstooping, and friends and family, Kayla loves her life in Auckland.

“I've always wanted to travel and live abroad,” she explained. “I love the city and the energy, but when it came to the things that really make me happy in life, New York made it really hard to achieve those things.”

“I wanted to move to a place where there was a lot of access to nature,” she further explained, saying New Zealand gives her access to the hikes and camping trips she always wanted close by.

'New Zealand has all the travel and adventure opportunities I could wish for.'