A Tramp in the Bush

As you may have noticed, it has been a week since our last post, but I can assure you we are fine and well.  The last week has been rather busy looking for a flat and jobs, but after about two weeks of business, we finally made it a point to get out of the city and see some of the amazing nature that brought us to New Zealand in the first place.  It delivered in spades.  On Sunday we went to the Waikatere Range, which is about a 30 minute drive west of the Auckland CBD and it is absolutely gorgeous.  Aucklanders need consider themselves lucky for having such a vast and unspoiled place so close to their city.  The range is home to large tracts of native forests, empty rugged beaches, and large beautiful waterfalls like this one.

As you can probably tell, I'm totally unhappy to be here.

Needless to say it was a great first look at the wilds of New Zealand and kind of a teaser since we will be staying in Auckland for the next 3 months or so while we work away the winter.  We'll likely be frequenting the range on the weekends as there is plenty left to be explored.  

Our search for jobs and rooms has not been fruitless either.  We are officially moving out of the hostel on the morning of the 28th to move in with our new kiwi roommates Eden and Ryan.  It's a cool little house just off of Ponsonby Ave.  They're quite an awesome couple and we look forward to some fun times (photos likely to come).  The neighborhood itself is quite nice as well, plenty of bars and cafes to keep yourself busy and within walking distance to the CBD.  

I just had my first interview today with a recruitment agency and did quite well on the simple tests they administered.  I have another interview with another agency tomorrow and Kayleigh was recommended by Eden to a cafe she used to work at, so prospects for the both of us seem promising.  

Here are some more kiwisms for you.

The letter z is pronounced "zed"

Hiking is called tramping

The forest is called the bush

Adjective + as = very (sweet as! crazy as!)

Downtown is called the city business district (aka the CBD)

Backpackers 101

Today we had to put Velma in the shop for some minor tune up work which left us with a day to explore, so we decided to go the Auckland Zoo.  During our walk to the zoo we passed through a park where we saw a small child with a loaf of bread almost get mauled by a group of very colorful native birds and a pair of very large black geese or swans.  (No children were harmed in the making of this blog, he threw the bread just in time).

The zoo is a fairly small one, with the highlights being the Australian walkabout section and the section devoted to native New Zealand flora and fauna.  I can't remember a time when I've seen a kangaroo in person, and the New Zealand kiwi bird and eels were awesome.  I didn't get a picture of the eels, but they were HUGE.  I've heard that kiwi birds are quite hard to see in the wild, being that they're nocturnal and shy. However that's what they said about the Puerto Rican koki frog, and I found one my first try with a photo to prove it.  We shall see…

The elusive Kiwi bird, Icon of New Zealand

Anyways, Velma is now in tip top shape (well, mostly) and we have reinstalled the bed and stocked her full of camping gear.  We have everything we need now, from camping chairs to gas cooker and we're ready to take New Zealand head on.

Until then however, we'll be staying in Auckland to find work over the winter.  Being that Kayleigh and I have visited quite a few neighborhoods now on our walks, we're starting to get a general feeling for the city.  If you like food or coffee, there is something here for you.  Every main thoroughfare is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants with cuisine from all over the world (though still no mexican :( ).  I certainly wasn't expected such a cosmopolitan city before arriving.  There are quite a few types of cuisines that I never saw around the bay, including Laos, Cambodian, Malaysian, Turkish and non sushi Japanese food.  I can't wait to try them all, and I already feel like a whole new world of food is being opened up.  Kayleigh and I have already fallen in love with Indian food since we've got here (I know you can find them at home, but they're EVERYWHERE here).

Speaking of food, it seems like everyone in the hostel knows how to cook really well and do it on a budget.  I've seen all sorts of gourmet looking pastas, sandwiches, stews, and even home made breads and granola bars! Not only do they cook well, but it has that presentational flair.  Kayleigh and I are definitely going to have to learn a thing or two.  

So to wrap up, here is a very brief list of kiwisms 

-Saturday is kind of like Sunday in the states, and Sunday the country pretty much shuts down

-WiFi is charged per MB used, like data on a phone (which is why we have not done any videos yet!)

-Coolers are called chilly bins

-A hostel is called a backpacker

P.S.

I'm trying to convince Kayleigh write her first blog so it won't just be me yammering on here, and shout out to the biggest fan of our blog, Noah ;).  

Revving Up

Boy, have we been busy since we got here.  In one week we have managed to apply for our IRD numbers (aka social security number), get new NZ numbers for our phones, open a bank account AND…(drum roll please)…buy a car!  That's right, we officially have a new car.  Well, maybe not "new", she's actually almost twenty years old, but new to us.  Her name is Velma, and she is going to be home sweet home for us for the next 350 days or so. Here's a nice picture of us all.  

In light of some new information and a brainstorm on our choices, we have decided we are going to stay put here in Auckland and make it our temporary home for the next three months.  The next steps for us are finding work and a flat to live in for a few months.  We have been talking with so many people we have met and have heard of so many amazing things.  It seems New Zealand has it all, waterfalls, forests, swimming holes, rivers, beaches, volcanos, mountains, hot springs, fjords, caves, you name it.  And best of all, there is not a creature to be found on the islands that can harm you.  We just can't wait to get out there.  

So I think I am going to start ending these posts with a list of odd or funny things that Kiwis say or do a bit differently than in the states.  So here goes the first:

-You pump your gas before you pay for it.

-Cars don't stop for pedestrians

-Driving on the left hand side of the road! (First time was yesterday)

-All directions of traffic stop at intersections to allow people to cross, and people walk right across the intersection diagonally.  

-You get to choose your seats in advance when you buy movie tickets (oh, and movie food is much cheaper)

-Hillbillies/rednecks are called boguns

-You don't have to tip at restaurants

-Tax is included in the advertised price

-Flashlights are called torches

-There are no police anywhere

-Mexican food (isn't really mexican food)

Call In the Exorcists!

Tuesday turned out to be the first day since we've been here with sun and clear blue skies, so we took advantage of it and went into downtown Auckland.  Between Monday and Tuesday we've managed to get through all the red tape surrounding opening a bank account, applying for an IRD number, and getting new mobile phone numbers and saw Iron Man 3 to boot.

   

We also moved from our private room into an 8 bed dorm and met a cool couple from Ireland named Ryan and Laura and a girl from Michigan who just got to New Zealand after a year long intensive language study in Japan.  We talked for quite a few hours before nodding off.  Then we were awoken around 2am by the blood curdling screams of a girl across the hall.  Apparently she had a psychotic episode of sorts and believed herself to be possessed.  She was carted off to the hospital, and needless to say, it was very creepy and it put an uneasy mood about the hostel.  It took about another hour before everyone could shake off the feeling enough to get back to bed.

Today, however, was a very lazy day, as the rain returned and we spent the day loafing about talking with our bunk mates trading stories and getting advice.  Our next step is buying a car, we have decided to drive on down to Wellington once we get said car where we plan to find a room to stay in and look for a job.  

Top of the Morning To You, Auckland

So this morning we woke up at 6am to more pouring rain, but it started to clear out as the morning went on just long enough for us to do a short "tramp" as they call it here. We went up to the top of Mt Eden which supposedly is the best view you can get of Auckland city.  

Just as we made it back to our hostel it began pouring again, and let's make one thing clear, California does not have rain like this.  It's like a mini monsoon.  In fact, the weather here seems rather schizophrenic.  It will be brilliantly sunny and within 5 minutes the sun will be hidden behind clouds and it will began a torrential downpour only to have the sun peak through again in another 5 minutes.  It's going to take some getting used to wearing sunglasses while it's raining, and our rain jackets have already proved to be invaluable.  

All in all, it seems like Auckland could be a US city really.  It looks and feels a lot like the northwest, but with bay area temperatures and maybe throw in some exotic Hawaiian birds and plants for good measure.  The differences are in the details, not the broad strokes. Some things we've noticed so far are that french fries are called chips, cookies are called biscuits, ketchup is tomato sauce, they put sweet beats or something like that onto hamburgers (delicious by the way) and peanut butter is in no way as sweet as in the US.  Jelly is no longer optional.  

Leaving North America

Well, we are about two thirds of the way through our journey to New Zealand, just having landed in Fiji after a 10 and a half hour flight that granted us little, if any, quality sleep, so we're running on excitement alone (helped along with a little coffee of course).  Only one three hour flight remains between us and our ultimate destination.  

It still hasn't sunk in that this is anything more than a weeklong vacation, however in this whirlwind of emotions that the final week leading up to this trip has been for us, I have already learned (or been reminded rather) of something vital.  That is, never take your friends and family for granted.  Walking into SFO and watching the car drive away left me reflecting on everything I'm leaving behind, and anticipating every new experience to come.  It was a somber moment, but an unbelievably exciting one at the same time, and of course a little intimidating and scary.  

So, as we said last time, we are extremely gracious of all the love and support we have received from everyone, and we miss you already.  Just as many of you are thinking of us, have no doubt we are thinking of you too.  We are bringing you on this adventure with us.