Red Left Returning?

 For some reason, the red channel markers are on the left side in New Zealand when headed into the harbor, rather than on the right as in the United States, so the mnemonic that I was taught in sailing class, "Red Right Returning," is exactly backward down there. A Kiwi yachtie on the dive boat was amazed that we thought it should be on the right. He said that everywhere he'd been, the red markers were on the left when returning: including extensive cruising in Micronesia. Maybe it has something to do with driving on the left, or being upside-down. Actually if you think about it, the New Zealanders drive on the right, if you account for the fact that they are upside-down. I'm not sure how that turns red into green and vice-versa, but I can roll with it.