January marks the second, ‘official’ month of New Zealand summer. We Kiwi’s are comfortably settled into the annual, seasonal slow-down we look forward to every year. The kids have chilled out after the excitement of Santa’s visit, Mum’s everywhere have celebrated ‘un-decking the halls’ and returning Christmas to the boxes in the garage and everyone sadly mourned the last slice of festive ham and wedge of Pavlova.
If you missed the mania of the Boxing Day sales, tragic New Year’s Eve jandal blow-outs were easily rectified by those crazy enough to brave the malls and give the beach a miss for at least a couple of hours, joining those shoppers equipping themselves with everything they need to smash their NY resolutions once and for all.
The Summer of 2018 is definitely shaping up as one to remember. In true NZ style, the weather has given us highs and lows (!! lol !!). The gaudy, golden sunshine and blistering temps of the week before New Years gave many campers revelling in #ThatTentLife a false sense of security, as evidenced by the appearance of many quintessential Kiwi behaviours, only exhibited when the mercury begins to rise;
What happens in New Zealand when the temps rise above 23°?
- An unwritten law in NZ requires many to revisit the ‘Togs, togs, togs……undies rule’ each summer. If you’re unsure or have forgotten the accepted rule of thumb for ‘how far is too far’ to wear a speedo from the water, then please watch the public service announcement in the link above.
- Unlike togs, there is less regulation around jandals ie, you can wear them everywhere for the period December-March (Summer here in New Zealand), and then again from April-November.
- Here in New Zealand, we punch above our weight 24-7 – but if you’re talking about the ozone layer……..yeah we have none. Hot times put everyone at risk of Coconut Ice Sunburn. This kiwi fave is only acceptable when talking fudge, NOT tan lines so slip, slop, slap constantly.
- No-one is too old for a swim in a paddling pool. No-one.
- Chilly-Bin ownership is mandatory, as is taking your chilly-bin everywhere with you in Summer.
- Similar to birds flying in formation, New Zealanders possess a synchronicity that sees us switch from ice cream to ice blocks as soon as the temperature hits 23°. This proven phenomenon is backed up with retail stats and the age-old debate surrounding the Best Fruju Flavour of All Time. Of course, the big talking point amongst those participating in Summer this year, is the irresistible mash-up of Kiwi icons Fruju and L&P, firing up the Fruju-flavour-frenzy even more!
How Our Frozen Summer Faves got even BETTER
Like most parents, Dave and I are becoming more and more aware of how the food we feed the boys affects their health, mood and wellbeing. Nixies shortened GI tract following Hirschsprung’s surgery means food moves through his little system super fast and adverse effects on his mood and behaviour become apparent really quickly. Avoiding those dreaded artificial food additives can seem daunting but is made infinitely easier when you know that one company has eliminated all the baddies from their entire range of yummy products!
Who? Tip Top that’s who.
The commitment to only using natural flavours and colours is a big deal, especially when you do a tiny bit of research about the alternatives. You can’t really talk ice cream without thinking about chocolate right? Tip Top has replaced dodgy additive E155 – Brown HT (made from coal tar, a suspected carcinogen and mutagen that is banned in the US, Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Norway, Belgium) and is now using simple, caramelized sugar to achieve that rich chocolate brown colour we all expect in our fave Trumpets. There are super-cool, and surprising, alternatives in place throughout the Tip Top range that sees beetroot, spirulina, gardenia and turmeric extracts replace the synthetic dyes and coal or petroleum derived additives that other companies are still using today.
We Kiwis are the best at just about everything we do, so we want our awesome, NZ made products to reflect that. Gone are the days of ‘numbers = colours and flavours’, we are discerning consumers with a growing consciousness towards what we put in our bodies. As we make better choices we are expecting the producers of our favourite foods to do the same. It’s pretty awesome to see Tip Top, a name synonymous with New Zealand, take the lead and make our summer treats #GoodtoShare for everyone.
This post was made possible by the good peeps at Tip Top!
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