On sunny Sunday (31/8) I moved into the cottage at 94 Pendarves St.  Judi, my landlady, gave me a key to the main house in case I wanted to get a DVD or watch TV on her bigger screen (I have my own plasma and DVD). "Just come in any time you want," she said.  And then she told me to use one of her cars, a baby Land Rover, anytime I need to. Really.  Later in the day, we went over a check list of things about the cottage, trash day, and other minor points.  Then she told me about the television crew from the BBC that will be here next week filming a reality show.  A family from Scotland moves into her house  and she will be staying elsewhere for the week.  The show is about people escaping the British Isles for a new life down under. The camera follows them as they try to get accustomed to a different place, look for jobs, and find their way about.  At the end of the week, I am told, the adventurers make a decision to stay or flee.  Should be an interesting experience.  And because of the "inconvenience" of all this, Judi insists on not charging me rent for that week.  I insisted she should but the point seemed closed for further negotiations.

Monday was a work day but I got early release and took a long ride on a bike the lab guy, Ivon, brought for me.  He also offered to take me cart racing at a nearby track.  He has two carts and for $10 one can use the track all day if desired.  He doesn't yet know it but I could do that all day. 

At lunch time, I walked to town needing to mail a letter ($.50 NZD) to NZ immigration that informed them of my home address.  Afterwards, I was ready for lunch but fell into a clothing store first.  I felt the need for a coat a little less conspicuous, one that did not brand me as a tourist.  I brought a sailing coat with me of dark blue and a screaming yellow sure to get one noticed when found floating face down in the water.  Better yet, it has reflectors on the sleeves, shoulders and chest lest someone needs to do a night recovery.  Comfy, rain protection it is; subtle, not so much.  Here black is the preferred color for clothes. It is worn everywhere, so I opted for a black wool jacket with the design company's subtle logo embroidered on the breast.  After my big purchase, I found a new place in the CBD that had great food.  I had noticed it last Friday night as I walked home after the rugby game.  That night it was a popular place and so it was today. When the waitress asked for my drink order I said, "do you have iced tea?" assuming the answer would once again be no.  You'd think the recipe for the drink would be self-explanatory but apparently it is not as she said she didn't know how to make it. But the manager overheard me and after getting my place of origin said he'd make one right up.  While I waited for a veggie burger and fries to appear, the US Open (tennis) was on the tele via USA Network, but it did not hold my attention.  My eyes wandered off and I saw a sign on the wall offering a package deal for the home rugby games, just like the gritty Icons bar does.  A ticket, two beers, and two bus rides for $25 - a good deal I'll try out.

After lunch, I hit the ATM again and saw the Customs Office across the street.  A few days ago I had looked at ordering some dental supplies.  From the same company I used in California, pieces that cost $1 USD in California cost $5.50 NZD or about $3.85 USD here.  That is a serious rip off so I began to wonder about importing these supplies, maybe create a little business, get the price down and make a buck.  Today I waltzed into Customs and asked about it.  Only one man was on duty but I was the only client so I got my questions answered in five minutes.  There is no duty on dental materials but 12.5% GST (general service tax) is payable on the cost of the product, the shipping, and the insurance.  When those are resold to dental offices, you must collect 12.5% from the dentist (imputed into the selling price).  However, you get your original 12.5% back after submitting the forms; no double taxation.  Class dismissed.

So back to that bike ride. First off it was a spectacular day with hardly a cloud to break a perfectly blue sky. I started with a cruise up the boardwalk, then a circuit around Fitzroy and next to the club house of the Fitzroy Golf Course.  The links stretch along the ocean, have views to the horizon and back to downtown, and abut a huge park.  I talked to the starter/manager to find that a round of 18 costs $15 if you are a member of any club in the world and a whopping $20 if you are not.  No, it gets better.  For $395 per year you get unlimited golf without any additional green fees.  And those are NZ dollars.  Finally clubs are available to rent for $5 and he offered me a free round to try out the course.  Golf is hardly my game, just ask my friend Gary who still hasn't totally forgiven my desecrating his wedding weekend with numerous slices, hooks, and wiffs. But who knows, maybe I'll hack my way through this course. 

Next, I rode through the adjacent Peringa Park which reaches around a lake and stretches to the beach, followed by a tour through some nice residential streets of the Glen Avon suburb. On the return, the chain broke. Walking it a few blocks to a bike shop in the village of Strandon, right next to Fitzroy, they had me back in action in minutes at no charge.  It seems that bike people are nice wherever you go and I would probably get the same treatment in Auburn. 

View Google Map

Returning to join the traffic of the city, I pulled to a stop at Blockbuster for a hand full of movies ($1 each on Mondays).  I figured I would need to fill out an application for rentals and I was right.  The passport and the Cali driver's license I had with me did the trick.  The manager asked me about the states and then the the other girl working the counter, resplendent with tattoos on her arms and purple hair, said she was headed for New Orleans soon.  I mentioned that might not be the best destination given the approaching hurricane.  At that point the manager shifted our conversation towards US politics, a topic that is beginning to seem patently insane the longer I am here.  She had a willing ear and we shared our mutual outrage.  She put it best however saying that NZ and the world in general watched aghast as the most powerful and richest nation neglected its own citizens after the storm.  And I could not agree more.

Tuesday I had car keys in hand courtesy of my landlady Judi.  The day started with some clouds that dissipated by the time I left the driveway on today's quest; the circumnavigation of the mountain.  Heading south, I followed Highway 45, The Surf Highway, through numerous villages and the surf destination known as Oakura.  A grouping of pretty beach homes, called bachs here, ring a shallow bay.  After rejoining the highway, the settlements thinned out until reaching Opunake (Oh poo na key), a town that is becoming something of a beach community for Aucklanders.  After parking, I wondered through an antique store that held a vast variety of interesting bits and some that should have been hauled to the curb.  The woman in the shop recommended a lunch place, The Sugar Juice Cafe, a block and a half away.  Interesting, well done offerings but surprisingly expensive for a town so far away from civilization.  Opunake has a couple beautiful beaches, a water-side park, a surf club, and a boat club.  And if one turns 180 degrees away from the ocean, it has a panorama of Mt Taranaki.    I was taking the coast road but a map in the village of Opunake showed a more inland route, one that would shave kilometers off the trip.  I headed closer to the base, made a right turn, and then a left aimed me for the town of Stratford.

Stratford is a dull town currently undergoing a labourious rebirth.  They want to forge a connection with Stratford-on-Avon and the images of Wm. Shakespeare are well flaunted.  It's going to be a hard sell.  In spite of the town's redoing the sidewalks in a beautiful brick paving, it really is a bit of a dump with neglected buildings and no natural charm other than sitting at the base of the mountain, somewhat of a gateway to its exploration.  Of course there are other routes up the mountain and missing Stratford will leave one having missed very little.  Sorry Bill.

It was only twenty minutes from Stratford to the CBD of New Plymouth and the kilometers flew by.  After a stop for petrol and a few items at the store, I went to the office to see if my All Black tickets for tomorrow night's match had arrived by courier.  I drove into the parking lot and within ten seconds a car with its side painted to advertise a business pulled along side of me.  It was the owner of The Sugar Juice Cafe.  I told him this was weird; I had eaten at his place two hours before and now he was coming to where I work, on my day off.

Back home, I told Judi about this coincidence and she said she had seen him, Jared,  in town.  Make that very small town. 

Today, Wednesday, is a triple anniversary, well at least a double and a countdown.  Today is my third wedding anniversary, at least it is on the NZ calendar, and I wish we were together - here. Secondly, today makes one month in country.  A couple weeks back I was not certain I'd make it this far, now I know I will and want to continue my stay.  Thirdly, one month from today Kathryn arrives, a reunion I am very much anticipating. 

Tonight is the All Black's match against Samoa.  I hope the nice weather holds for it.

Haka video is from an earlier match (Tri-Nations vs. Australia 2008)

The ticket for the game last night never arrived, at least not yet, but I was determined to go to the game regardless.  Judi had said that going to an All Black's game was listed in the book 100 Things To Do Before You Die, so checking it off the list was a bonus.  I arrived at the box office and yes they did have a couple tickets available and no mine had not reappeared in spite of the seller of the ticket's efforts.  But I wanted more, I wanted a good seat not the General Admission ones that remained.  I left the booth hoping to find someone with a ticket to sell.  As I looked around there was only one group of folks outside the gate.  I asked if they had an extra ticket to sell.  They did, but it was for General Admission.  When I said I was looking for a seat he said the ticket was mine, for free.

So in the end I was a groundling.  The stadium was filled to capacity and then some.  In a metropolitan area of 71,000 people, 22,000 were at the match. People sat on the grassy embankment of one end zone, and rows of people stood behind them onto the walkway and up the slope on its far side.  I walked around here and there looking for a decent vantage point but found nothing much. Then the pre-game introductions started.  First the visitors, the national team of Samoa took the field to polite applause.  The All Blacks came running in and the place erupted.  The national anthem of Samoa was sung first, in its native tongue, followed by the Kiwi anthem with the first verse in Maori and the second in English.

The Haka is an indigenous dance to the Pacific Islanders and one made famous around the world by the All Blacks who perform it just before the start of the match.  It's group chant with menacing, war-like poses, and the showing of tongues and bulging eyes is intended to worry the opponents.  The Samoans had first crack at intimidation then the Kiwis had their turn with fireworks skyrocketing from both sides of the field at the conclusion. Given the outcome, The Kiwi's Haka must have overpowered the Samoans as it was not a game, it was not a friendly, it was a clubbing. 

All Blacks 101 - Samoa 14

September 3, 2008

Yesterday (Friday) was beautiful weather again with a late afternoon view of Mt. Tarnaki that made me wish I had my camera with me.  The New Plymouth International  Film Festival started up two nights ago.   It is in its 32nd year and runs for two weeks. Last night I went to see the animated movie Persepolis, a mostly black and white film in French with English subtitles about life in Iran from before the fall of the second Shah to more or less present day.  An interesting look but I was ready for the final credits to roll long before they did. 

Today is a Chamber of Commerce day; fantastic, and I plan on a bike ride to new areas. 

Well that was the plan but the damn chain on the bike broke again.  Two strikes and your out.  I took the car!  Drove out to the suburb of Bell Block and had a fine lunch at the strip mall there, a place called Eden.  As soon as I sat down, a special song for Kathryn and me came on the sound system - a good omen.

I was talking to my buddy Larry about the food in NZ.  He too has visited here, crawling over both island for three weeks if memory serves.  He remembered the food as being lackluster and I agreed.  I now wish to retract that.  For the most part it is not lackluster it is just treading over a well worn path and therefore familiar.  Occasionally you will fall into an excellent dinner, and pay the price for it, but if you are just looking for a meal the food is pretty basic.  And that is okay because the meals also are always fresh, perfectly prepared, and nicely presented; not flashy, not cutting-edge, just simple well done standards.  And there is not a vast range of choices.  Every town has some Indian, some Chinese, pizza, pub-grub, maybe Thai.  Still no Mexican, and that would make everything all right.

In NZ, today (Sunday) is Father's Day.  This was probably the prettiest day of my visit so far.  A few clouds from time to time but mostly nothing but blue skies.  Temperature was warm enough for a long walk in shorts and a shirt--fabulous.  Today's route wound through some suburbs of old homes and then along the ocean boardwalk.  I also made a quick tour of the Puke Ariki Museum and it is a fabulous resource for the geology, flora, fauna, and history of the region.  Did you know some penguins are as tall as a human?!  I plan a full viewing with Kathryn.

The BBC has arrived with the Scots giving New Plymouth a go.  I have not yet met them as I was leaving as they were filming.

Tonight was another offering at the Film Festival.  I will need to get to these screenings earlier as this one was sold out and I got a seat well to the front. The Counterfeiters, in German, is about a group of prisoners in a concentration camp printing money: pounds and dollars.  It is based on the memoirs of one of the counterfeiters who takes a moral stand to sabotage the efforts so the Nazis cannot fund and intimately win the war.  Interestingly, the main character (and in my eyes protagonist) was not the memoir's writer. Of course the delaying tactics puts him and others at odds with the captors, on the the horns of a dilemma: do we print the money that will help the Nazis win the war or do we condemn ourselves by subverting their orders? It was intense and very gritty a la Schindler's List. The film makes one wonder how  human beings can mutate and casually dole out that kind of cruelty to others because of the propaganda that has swept around them. 

Nothing of interest to report.  A rainy day all day.  Getting busy at work.  Damn.

The last few days have been a mix of sun and rain, sometimes three seasons in one afternoon.  On the whole, I'd say much more nice than nasty with some days suitable for shorts and a shirt.  Spring starts on 1 September in NZ, so winter is over!

The BBC reality show was pretty light on experience for me.  I never saw them after the first Sunday as they did most of their filming out and about the area.  I did talk to the two adults who seemed fairly taken with moving to NZ.  The man received a job offer and the eldest kid was pitching a bitch about leaving her friends. My only other take-away from having them next door was that neither parenting nor Ritalin seem to be in vogue in Scotland as those twin boys were the wildest and loudest kids I've been around for some time.  And remember I am the dad of Nik!

Work is work, but the patients are pleasant and the staff a joy.  The lab guy and I drove around town yesterday (Friday) delivering cases and seeing sights.  We ended up in a downtown cafe for a coffee and a chat.  Weather permitting, tomorrow (Sunday) will be at the kart track.

I took a drive south (Thursday) through the town of Hawera and ending at Wanganui.  Hawera must be a dairy farming center as there is nothing else visible for miles around it.  It is a good sized city that could be plucked right out of Nebraska or Iowa (at least from movies seen as I've never seen those states).  The town's buildings were once interesting but now their facades are showing old and the retro-fit awnings that cover the sidewalks call out for a sign painter to get a brush and freshen them.

But Wanganui was an interesting small city that appears bigger than New Plymouth's CBD.  It lies along a river that is navigable and an unimpressive beach.  I saw beautiful parks, lakes, nice stores and restaurants on my short tour.  I was just talking today (Friday) to Judi who said she got a call from a friend about seeing her car in town with some bloke driving it. Wanganui is two hours away!

Today (Saturday) was a splendid day of warm sun and moderate breezes.  Tonight is the Tri-Nations final test match, All Blacks vs. Wallabies (Ozzy) at 10 PM.  I'm hoping to make it but it is well past bedtime for me.

Sunday became a golf day.  Ivon from the office called me up and we drove off to Fitzroy Golf Club.  Not only is it cheap, it is on the honor system: put $20 in the slot, take a serial numbered sticker, write the number in the log, and put the sticker on you or your bag. The day was beautiful, windy, and a perfect venue to demonstrate a total lack of talent.  Stupid game.  Afterwards, he gave me a Tiki Tour, a name people use for a quick lay of the land cruise around town.  Great views and an introduction to some new areas.

For those keeping score, the Tri-Nations test was won by NZ in a very close and tense match that was not decided until the very end.  But I never saw it.

Today is Monday and unless something interesting happens, this will be the final entry of this page.  On to Sept 16-30