As you'll know Bevs, plenty of Kiwis are talky to anyone type of people but it's usually on a very superficial basis and has no depth or meaning for a long, long time before any warmth or real friendship is extended. One can still be left feeling pretty lonely despite having hundreds of daily conversations with Kiwis. I met a lovely woman yesterday who had been in NZ for similar amount of time as me and honestly after ten minutes of conversation I felt like I had known her an age and she could easily become a life long friend - you will rarely strike up those instant kind of connections with Kiwis.

Hi BEVS

I am definitely British btw sorry for the confusion We did a lot of walking when we visited New Zealand and I just thought that it was a funny alternative to hiking/trekking and that this was definitely the place to use it.

I think the quote on talkativeness/loneliness was from escaped and not me and was relating to NZ. Whilst I agree that it is a very complicated and subjective issue as to how deeply you relate to people you meet, I guess it does create more opportunities to develop deeper friendships provided you have the motivation to do so.

Does anyone else have experience of this kind of superficial interaction in New Zealand or maybe different experiences int he opposite direction? I didn't get that kind of impression like in the US (Where people ask you "How are you?" with a smile on their face but are 100 meters away before you even have a chance to answer), but then I didn't really get the chance to bond with anybody in such a short time.

The only acceptable response in NZ to "How are you?" or "How is your day going?" is "Good" You quickly learn that nobody really wants to know or hear the real answer and they get a bit shocked if you elaborate or say anything more that the expected 'good'. LOL

pronounced "aarz it gaaain" down here in the south

Real friendships take time to develop. Someone you may initially feel a rapport with may turn out to be a stinker, while someone who seems a bit reserved at first might turn out to be the best friend you ever have. It takes time and frequency (meet ups, chats) to get to know a person beyond the level of superficiality. That holds true no matter which country you're in.

You're talking about casual greetings.
A polite Hi or G'day as you pass people
We all do it every day when we deal with folk, it's just being polite
Aren't you over thinking this a bit

I think it comes down to personal experience.I have been living in the UK on and off for more than 20 years and your comment above completely applies to my experience with British people.Meanwhile I am still in touch with a good portion of Kiwi friends met when living in NZ for 3 years.

I agree with that. Having returned back home to NZ after 20+ years away, it's lovely to meet up with those friends I made from years back who I share a history with. I was never able to capture that in the UK - not blaming Brits. They have their own friends. To be fair, I didn't try that hard because I'm pretty independent so it's not a big issue for me.