When we first moved here, we were walking on a beach and we saw a man with a Pittsburgh Pirates hat on. I ran up to him and asked what that was about. Turns out he was from Pittsburgh. He was married to a Kiwi and lived in New Zealand now. We had a nice chat.
Then I saw another Pirates hat. And another. So I started taking pictures of folks wearing Pirate hats.
I always ask if they know what the “P” stands for. Most do not know. One man told me his daughter bought it for him because his name was Pete. Another told me he had no idea what it meant but he liked the hat. So he bought it.
Then I started to notice Steeler wear. Not as much, but certainly there.
When I ask people if they have heard of Pittsburgh, some say yes, some no. The Steeler fans are more likely to know the team and the game they play.
Black and gold is the color of a local professional soccer team. The team made it to a playoff game and there were a lot of people in downtown Wellington dressed in black and gold team colors. I stopped a man and asked about the colors and said I was from a place in the U.S. where black and gold is the team colors. His friend said, “Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers!”
Enjoying the Pittsburgh revelry at a Fat Freddy’s Drop show– my picture with a Pirates fan above and she knew who the Pirates were–I was completely perplexed that a man was wearing a Phillies shirt.
I went up to him and asked him if he knew what the Phillies were. He said he had visited Philadelphia and bought the shirt. He was not sure what sport they played.
And then good Lord, there was a Phillies hat. I may have to draw the line on Philly teams. Sorry John and Michele.
Overall, Pennsylvania seems pretty popular in NZ. Alas, I have yet to see anyone in Penguins gear. And no Baltimore hats either. I will update this with more photos as I see them. It is kind of fun talking to people about that “P.”.
A Yank Among the Kiwis 