It's the same every time.
"Where are you going this weekend?" A coworker asks.
"We're heading to <insert my best attempt at pronunciation here>."
"Where?"
"<Repeat slightly differently>."
"Where's that?"
"It's near <insert another poorly pronounced place name>."
"Oh, you mean <blur of syllables in Kiwi accent>?"
"Yes! That place."
I try hard, I really do. But in the end, even if I'm pronouncing the vowels correctly, there's a different inflection, or a twist of Kiwi accent that makes the actual place name completely different from my careful articulation.
If you think I'm exaggerating, or that this is a problem everywhere and I'm making a big deal out of nothing, let me show you an actual place name in New Zealand. This is the name of a hill in Wairarapa:
Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu
It is the longest place name in the world.
Tramping in NZ can really spoil you! Our hut was equipped with a camping stove that included fuel, a woodbox with a supply of wood, vinyl-covered mattresses like the style used on boats, and running water inside. Very posh. Keep in mind, though, that huts here run the entire spectrum of fancy to ramshackle, bare-bones shelter, so it pays to read up on the particulars of the hut you're going to. |