Kiwi -The icon of New Zealand-

by Kent Morishita
(Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan)

What I think about NZ is that it is a place where the kiwi lives. Do you know the Kiwi?

It is a very little bird. They can’t fly, but they can run fast. They cry “kiwi,” like a whistle, so they have been named "kiwi."

The Kiwi is a national icon of NZ. A famous fruit “kiwi fruit” is named from this bird, which looks like a kiwi.

Why do I think NZ is a Kiwi Place? Because when I was child, my father bought me a stuffed kiwi toy from NZ. It had fluffy brown hair and a cute beak. When I was in Kindergarten, I slept with that stuffed toy. So, when I think about NZ, my first impression is that it is a kiwi’s home.

Now I research about NZ and Kiwi, and I find an interesting article. The word “kiwi” is used as an adjective which means “New Zealand.” So we can call people in New Zealand “kiwi” like people who live in Japan are called “Japanese.” In addition, in international exchange the NZ dollar is known as the “kiwi dollar.”