Tag Archives: new zealand

Rat King at Otago Museum Is the Stuff of Nightmares

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At the Otago Museum, they have a rat king, and it’s probably not what you think it is. The truth is more terrifying and disgusting than you might believe. Rats as a species are said to be intelligent. Science uses them to solve mazes and replicate human tissues. While the reality of being a king in the Middle Ages may be romanticized, royalty is still thought to be the haven of luxury and opulence. In the animal kingdom, a “king” is something huge and magnificent. The lion is the king of the jungle. King penguins are the second largest penguins; they stand tall and regal in their Antarctic kingdoms. A king cobra is dangerously beautiful as it unfolds its hood and sways its lithe form. A rat king is something else.

What Is a Rat King?

In one of the most disturbing displays at the Otago museum, there is a rat king preserved in a bottle of, what I assume to be, formaldehyde. Eight black rats attached at the tail fell from the rafters of shipping company shed. They were discovered and killed. The tails show signs of broken vertebrae, signifying that the rats had tried to free themselves from the entanglement. These eight rats were tied together by the horse hair of their own nest, and they lived that way for an unspecified amount of time.

Why Is It Terrifying?

I just keep imagining two scenarios. The first is “what if the eight rats had combined their intelligence and started working together?” They could meld their particular strengths together and create a superior rat being – a true rat king. The second is “what would it have been like to be one of those rats?” The panic sets in, you can’t think, you’re squeaking, the rats around you are squeaking. Everyone is running in a different direction. You strain, the bones in your tail audibly crack; the pain shoots through your back and into your brain. All of the sudden, you’re falling and a giant black shape pounds hard against your comrades as their movements cease until it’s your turn. Neither of those things appeal to me.

After they were killed, the rat king was preserved and sent to the museum. Apparently, rat kings are seen as a bad omen in Germany. They portend the plague, which makes sense because the fleas of rats are responsible for the black plague. When the rats die, the fleas find human hosts and transfer the disease.

What Is the Happiness and Wealth Connection?

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In Mary Holm’s “Rich Enough? A Laid-back Guide for Every Kiwi (affiliate link),” Holm starts off by questioning why people want to get rich. More specifically, she directs the question to the reader: Why would you like more money? The answer may seem like it’s a no-brainer. People want more money, so they can live better and be happier. If that’s true of you, then Holm’s points out that “having more [money] doesn’t necessarily make us happier.” There’s a point, past which more money may even lead to less happiness.

While more money may not lead to more happiness, the opposite seems to be true. More happiness leads to more money. In fact, Nick Powdthavee, author of “The Happiness Equation (affiliate link),” found that happy people were more productive, more creative, healthier, and more likely to become financially successful.

Holm quotes Albert Schweitzer to bolster her point: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you’re doing, you will be more successful.” Holm doesn’t deny that grumpy people may do well financially, but the money won’t change their disposition. At the end of the day, they will still be grumpy.

Mary Holm is described as “New Zealand’s most trusted money expert.” She has worked as a financial journalist in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.

So, why do you want more money? Is it to acquire more things, more prestige, more power, or is it for another reason? Leave a comment to let us know.

New Zealand: Otago Chocolate Company Takes Chocolate to Art

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The Otago Chocolate Company makes some of the smoothest chocolate bars available in New Zealand. The chocolate is silky, satisfying, and full of flavor. When combined with other flavors of New Zealand, you have a winning chocolate experience that few other companies can match.

The metallic stickers on the cardboard outer wrappings have an upscale look to them and clearly state what’s in the bar and where the chocolate beans come from. Some of the wrappers feature images from Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum. The horopito and kawakawa berries chocolate bar makes use of the natural spice in New Zealand’s flora. The beans are single sourced from Papa New Guinea. The farmers receive a fair price for their work.

Those familiar with manuka honey will enjoy the Beekeeper. The beans are from Papa New Guinea, but this 70% dark chocolate comes with honey, bee pollen, and puffed amaranth. That’ll kick up the health factor of this treat a notch. It’s good for “growers, makes and eaters alike.”

The Otago Chocolate Company (OCHO) makes their chocolate in Dunedin, and you can find it in local stores and at the Royal Albatross Centre. You can even get it at the airport, so be sure to look in the gift shops while waiting for your flight out. This is one treat you’ll want to enjoy no matter where you’re from.

New Zealand: The Penguin Place Photos

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The Penguin Place was paired with Monarch Cruises. Here penguins are rehabilitated, and a sanctuary has been set aside for the rarest of penguins – the yellow-eyed penguins to roost. If you head over to our Etsy shop and adopt a flat friend, we will donate $1 to the Penguin Place.

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