Day Two

This morning started early with Brandon waking up at 7am – a shocker since I’m usually the early-bird (early being a relative term.) Brandon ran across the street to a small “dairy” (corner grocer) to buy bread, nutella and some fresh NZ fruit. He brought back the biggest, sweetest kiwi I’ve ever tasted, which I preferred to the moist, spongy quality of the bread.
After a frustrating hour on the computer trying to figure out how to put a slideshow on the blog, we set out for Pt. Chevalier to look around at potential properties.
Sadly, it was a very cloudy day, but my skin is thriving in the warm humidity.
We walked around Pt. Chev. for about four hours, exploring the many shops lining the streets: everywhere you turn there is a new delicatessen or bakery or butcher or produce shop, not to mention the cafés. Throughout the city, in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any duplicate shops – every one is unique.
In the afternoon, we treated ourselves to mince and steak pies from a small pastry shop before making our first trek to the beach which is a mere 2km from a potential residence. And despite the cloud-cover, I was thrilled to finally see the ocean.
After following a raised plank footpath through dense vegetation, we reached the shoreline. The park and beach were deserted except for a young maori girl’s birthday party which was taking place at the playground.
It was low-tide, so the water was about half a kilometer from the shore. As we set out, I was surprised to find that, instead of sand, the ground was covered in seashells. Millions and millions of them. Every step we took resulted in the crunch-crunch of breaking shells. Sadly, we were running short on time and had to turn back before reaching the water, but the salty smell and the warm wet air were enough to sate my desire for the ocean.
We viewed two properties today. One was absolutely hideous: a mouldy bathroom, bubbling carpet, and dirty kitchen (the cupboards were lined with stale arrowroot cookies and grains of rice.) The second, well, let’s just say it was love at first sight.
Every window is decorated with stained glass in this circa 1940 house. A large veranda greeted us before we walked through the front door. Once inside we were awed by the 10-foot ceilings and the decorative moulding that covered them. The floors were all polished wood, and the walls were painted neutrally, except for a stunning feature wall the color of wine. The kitchen was clean and equipped with many tall cupboards. The bathroom, er, toilet, was also clean and white with room enough to spare. The master (and only) bedroom was easily a room and a half, again with polished wood floors and a wardrobe that reached the ceiling. (I’ll definitely need a footstool.)
So, we’ve received the application and will be submitting it on Monday, hoping to move in next week. And besides the lovely architecture and design, the house is three blocks from my school, and across the street from a grocer, butcher, and bakery.

Finally, after spending so much time walking, we returned to our hotel and went for dinner. We ate at a pizzeria called La Pancetta which was full to the brim. Our table was inches from the next, which was also inches from the next. The pizza was flavorful and explained the crowded restaurant and frenzied service.
Dessert was taken at The Chocolate Boutique. Mom, this would be your heaven on earth. We had a hard time deciding between the 10 pages of coffees, teas, cold drinks, ice creams, cakes, pastries, crêpes, and, of course, chocolates. We settled on sharing the Chocolate Pot.
The setting is a teapot of hot, liquid dark chocolate, two shot glasses, and a creamer. First, you pour some cream into the shot glass, then top it up with the liquid chocolate. After mixing the two with a miniature spoon, enjoy! With less cream the concoction was bitter, with more it was like drinking milk chocolate. It was amazing! Not surprisingly, the quaint boutique was filled with girls and women of all ages getting their fix of choco-therapy.

After another long, successful day, we were getting ready for bed when I caught a good look at the back of Brandon’s neck. It was beet red! Like a lobster. Utterly confused, we examined each others’ skin to find that we had each burned today. Brandon’s forehead was shiny and taught, and my back bore a white criss-cross from the straps of my shirt. This was our first lesson on the powerful effects of the UV rays here in NZ. Despite thick cloud-cover, which yielded heavy rain at points throughout the day, our skin had fried. I can only imagine the potential for burns when the suns rays beat down hot and strong. Starting tomorrow: sunscreen.

Until then…

Day One

Twenty-four hours have passed since we arrived in NZ, and what an interesting day it has been!
After a four-hour flight to LAX, a nine-hour Blitz-filled layover, and a fourteen-hour overnight flight to Auckland, we made it. But let me give you more details.
Our flight from Edmonton to LAX was delayed, so we spent from 4am-8am waiting around, exhausted, to board. Once in Los Angeles, we hunkered down for our layover, starting with food at Route 66 and coffee at Starbucks. We passed the time by playing Dutch Blitz (I won every game) and watching movies on my computer: “So I Married an Axe Murderer” and “Iron Man.” Boarding the next flight was arduous as there seemed to be a thousand people on the same flight. As it turns out, there nearly was. The plane from LAX to Auckland was a double-decker, something I’ve never flown in before. That wasn’t the first surprise: the meals we were served were delicious. Dinner was a choice of beef Bolognaise or grain-fed cayenne chicken with sautéed mushrooms. Oh yes, served with a choice of red or white wine. For free! We were also supplied with pillows, blankets and headphones with which to watch any of the plethora of films and TV shows. The flight staff were kind and accommodating. My only qualm was with the seating. Brandon had the window seat, which worked out for him, but I had the middle seat which did not work out for me. The woman to my right was a larger sort who happened to sleep like the dead, so most of the flight I tried to ignore how badly I needed to pee. Although I forced her out of her seat five or so times, I could’ve gone another five tines. Those of you who know me know that this is not an exaggeration.
Anyway, we landed in Auckland just before 5am on the 9th. We were ushered through customs and bio-security after collecting our baggage, which all arrived, thank goodness. Then we got our rental car, a Toyota Matrix, after the Budget employee informed us we would now have to drive on the correct side of the road. So, we loaded up and were gone.
Our first destination was Pt. Chevalier, the area where my school is. We made it, then drove right past it onto a freeway, which seem to come out of nowhere when you’re not looking, and seem invisible when you are. We ate breakfast (croissant for me, eggs Benedict for Brandon) at one of the many cafés and checked out a local grocery store (to compare prices) before heading downtown to the bank. There, we activated our accounts at Westpac and strolled through the downtown area. We also purchased cell phones (mobiles) and ate lunch at a side-street diner (falafel salad for me, beef sandwich for Brandon). During the four hours we spent downtown, I needed to change clothes, as it was a balmy 25C. Heaven!
Then we headed to our hotel, Parnell City Motor Lodge. Which isn’t as cute as advertised, or as large, and the wireless connection is so bad we have to sit outside to use the internet, but it does the trick. And it’s in a very cute neighborhood packed with award-winning restaurants, quaint cafés, boutiques, and historical buildings. We ate dinner at Oh Calcutta, an authentic Indian restaurant where Brandon was pleased to find he quite enjoys Indian food. After eating, we rushed to Avondale, another part of town, to view a property for rent. At 4km from school, and on a quiet street, it’s quite tempting. However, the bright paint colors are an item of contention which we are working out with the owner.
After all this, we arrived home exhausted, and slept soundly until birdsong woke us this morning. Paradise.
Or close to it.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far:
1. it’s not a washroom, it’s a toilet
2. it’s not a vacation, it’s a holiday
3. it’s not a cell phone, it’s a mobile
4. shoes are optional pretty much everywhere
5. kiwis aren’t as fat as Canadians
6. Edmonton is a beautifully designed city (Auckland is a conglomeration of many cities, each of which chose, at one point or another, what to name its’ streets. The whole shebang is one giant mish-mash of street and avenue and road and way and pass and trail names. There’s a Victoria St downtown, a Victoria Way a few kilometers away, and a Victoria Ave in another part of town. Also, the name of a road applies only to the patch of asphalt that is not intersected by another. So, on one side of a street, a road has one name, and on the other side it has another name. This goes on everywhere. It’s a bloody mess! More than anything else, this has been the true test of our marriage! Needless to say, we are seriously considering buying a digital navigator.)
7. Not all plugs are created equal. (We purchased numerous adapters/converters/transformers prior to leaving Canada, and I read all the confusing information about what to use when, but I still managed to blow the circuit in the bathroom and ruin my flat-iron.)

So that’s that. I can only imagine what adventures we’ll experience today.

And We're Off!

With less than eighteen hours to go, Brandon and I find ourselves a little lost for words. There are people we wish we could see, things we wish we could do and places we'd like to visit before we leave this country behind. But, as we had anticipated, the time to depart has come so quickly that we can't say goodbye in person to many people that we cherish. Also, the few big goodbye's have left us emotionally weary and anxious. And despite our excitement, we can't help but wonder if the journey we're embarking on with be worth the pain and tears. Since this time is so painful and tearful, it's hard to imagine that any one place could be worth it.
So, when the weepy haze clears, we'll be sure to let you know.

The next time you hear from us, I will be writing from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Kristen and Brandon