> From a brief talk with my in-laws about their exciting 35 day stay in New Zealand and Rarotonga, or The Cook Islands, which are freely in association with NZ (even though they're nowhere near NZ :-). A number of impressions come to mind:
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> > 11. If you rent a Kawasaki motorscooter with which to tour NZ, make sure to dismount on the left-hand side of the cycle. Dismount on the *right-hand* side, and you'll get second-degree burns on your right leg from the hot muffler.

That would never happen on a Cushman. You can get off and on from either side. However, the custom of mounting and dismounting on the left reflects the days of horses. I've found that horses will give you a dirty look, a hoof, and maybe a horse cuss word if you try to mount from the right.
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> 12. It was surprising how many people in the Auckland Airport were walking around with bandaged right legs.
>
That's because they weren't riding a Cushman.

> 13. Local mail in NZ towns is delivered house to house by bicycle.
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And the mail person doesn't barbeque a leg.

Tell me about the cost of renting a scooter in New Zealand. Everywhere I've been they cost way more than a car. And I've been to a lot of places where motorscooters are the primary means of transportation.
Howard