KEY POINTS:
Ever wanted to wear your Jandals to work? Well, today you can as New Zealand celebrates its first-ever Jandal Day.
Kiwis are being urged to kick off their shoes and slip on their thongs to pledge their support to surf lifeguards, who are holding their inaugural appeal day today.
Hundreds of businesses throughout the country have registered to take part, involving about 60,000 people, but that figure doesn't include thousands of individuals taking part.
Californian Matt Fiori, 30, yesterday told the Herald he'd never heard the term Jandal. He calls his favourite footwear flip-flops.
"I love them, I wish I could wear them all the time."
Mr Fiori said he had one pair but tended to wear them out, saying he would "wear them till they died".
They were "very popular" on the beaches in California, he said.
And it seems he's in good company. Surveys show Kiwis love their Jandals so much that 80 per cent have a pair, and more than half own two pairs.
Jandals are considered so Kiwi that 90 per cent of us even consider them a national icon.
Money raised from Jandal Day will go towards public education, increasing the access of lifeguards to beaches and purchasing equipment.
