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)