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Certainly nobody would think that there is anything unusual or odd about it. Do kiwis not feel the cold, or do they pretend that it is not cold? Or are they just determined?

During fieldwork, I started to reflect on the above questions and discussed them with my research participants.听An economic explanation can be ruled out since this seasonal culture is not limited to certain parts of society. So is it about being tough? Or are the reasons more pragmatic?听听

鈥淚 wonder if it鈥檚 part of our psyche, a kind of a resistance to the to the season? 鈥�_{听Research participant}

There are three types of footwear that are culturally deeply engrained and somewhat loosely associated with seasons:1) Barefoot, no footwear. Mostly during summer but also observable at other times of the year; 2) 鈥淛补苍诲补濒蝉鈥�, it is the choice when extra underfoot protection is desired, can be seen at any time of the year; and 3) 鈥淕耻尘尘颈别蝉鈥�, mainly a winter footwear choice but also to be seen at other times of the year.听 Another research participant points out the fact that kiwis certainly have a non-conformist culture when it comes to footwear, this could not be anymore the case then it is on the Coromandel, a region known for its 鈥榣aid-back鈥� attitude:听鈥淏asically we live in a place 鈥� culturally and seasonally 鈥� where we can wear shorts and jandals all year round, or, you know, be bare feet. It's kind of a celebration of where we live.鈥�

"I remember when I was in high school walking to school in bare feet and a shirt on the coldest day to somehow, you know, show that I was tough you know."听_{Research participant}

Culture versus profession

But what if a dress code requires a different option, a choice that is less 鈥榣aid-back鈥�, footwear that is neither jandal nor gummie? Increasingly, it seems, there is a rift opening up between the seasonal cultures of footwear and professional dress codes.

鈥淲hen I started out as a teacher it was still kind of okay to be at school in bare feet鈥�听听_{Tim Sitnikoff, High School teacher}

The question is if it is acceptable for a teacher or a doctor to be barefoot? Or in jandals or gummies? These are as much cultural questions as they are seasonal and practical. For professions where a dress code is increasingly expected in today鈥檚 world, a problem for hard-boiled Coromandel folk presents itself. Another local school teacher interviewed explained that it used to be common for teachers to be barefoot but 鈥渘owadays they鈥檙e trying to, you know, tell us that shoes are part of being professional. I'm missing the point but most people say, yeah, yeah ah, I agree.鈥�

And so, employees are left with identifying footwear that is less seasonally cultural. And possibly less practical. Anyone who has tried wearing nice city footwear on the Coromandel in winter will attest. On the Coromandel, winter conditions mean first and foremost muddy: 鈥淭here'll be to be two or three months where there's just mud鈥�. The clay-based soil becomes like porridge. On top of that, it is very wet. "In winter it is so saturated, you just have to wear gumboots鈥�. And some might agree that it is also cold. Summer conditions are the opposite: 鈥渂ig fluctuations between dryness and saturation鈥�.

What do you do when your profession demands more professional footwear but the conditions make this challenging, especially in a rural context? A research participant explained that this means that she has to take the car: 鈥淚 can tell you that I don鈥檛 wear nice shoes unless I'm taking the car. I can鈥檛 wear nice shoes in the rain and the mud鈥�. The same research participant explained that she drives to work in winter even though she could walk 鈥渙nly so my shoes don鈥檛 get ruined鈥�. So in a way, the profession requires removal from seasonal cultures in order for employees to conform to the dress code.