Maori Planting

I woke up early this morning, ate quickly, and packed my raincoat. The walk downtown to the bus station was white with fog and I became slightly disoriented coming off the overpass. I caught the bus with time to spare, but the bus driver didn't know what street I was talking about - Kitemoana? I don't think it was just my pronunciation. A random guy on the bus knew what I was talking about, especially after I told him I was going to the Orakei Marae. So I payed and sat down, knowing I was at least heading in the right direction. I chatted briefly with the guy that knew what was going on and then watched the water and boats slide by. When we started nearing my destination the bus driver finally realized what I was talking about and let me off directly across from my street - just like the computer directions told me it would.

I meandered up the curvacious road, taking pictures of the skytower rising out of the fog - looking like a UFO about to land in the city - and of big black birds that reminded me of overlarge ducks with chicken legs. The birds had a beautiful blue sheen to parts of them. I had no problem finding the Marae, though a couple in a car with their children stopped and asked me for directions before I'd even arrived.

So at 9:20am I was 10 minutes early for the planting and reforestation of this native land. I looked around at the park-like expanse of green overlooking the sea and then headed back to find somebody that knew what was going on. A nice lady walked me over to where other people were also waiting to start work. I talked to a man with a clipboard and found out that he was the instructor for the group of young muslims enrolled in a leadership course. This was their community service and last class. The boys kicked a soccer ball around, the girls stood aside talking to themselves. I talked with the leader (originally from Egypt) for a while and then found myself with a soccer ball going past me. I made the comment that "I'm not that quick" as an excuse for not kicking it back. That got one guy to introduce everybody (I won't even try to remember the names) and I found myself included in the circle of soccer ball kicking. The girls had been coaxed into it too. It was fun to watch the boys try to do all their soccer tricks, and I didn't manage embaress myself to much.

Eventually enough people had arrived that we were gathered together and given a welcom in Maori. We were then led to a large area of ground that had some large plants already thriving, but many more small plants laid out waiting to be planted. Our mission was to plant 11,000 marsh plants in an effort to restore the land to habitat for birds. I was worried that the boots I had finally taken out of the hostel (no returning them now!) would not be up to the match of working in a wet land - the people that had done this before were in "gum" (rubber) boots. However, the land was muddy, but not soggy. We were given a quick demonstration of what height to plant the harakiki (unsure of spelling) and then we were each given a set of gloves and a spade. I spent the morning talking with various volunteers and planting the flax foliage that would later be harvested for native weaving. I met many happy people and never needed my rain jacket. It was a very beautiful day.

In my conversations I learned that I was actually standing on Bastion Point! Bastion Point was always Maori land, but had been loaned to the government during WWII. The government, of course, never gave it back. 30 years ago the government was set to start building rich houses on the land and the people of the land weren't going to stand for it. They set up camp and started a protest. The Auckland library has a gallery of pictures and enlarged newspaper articles displayed to commemorate what happened 30 years ago. It was neat to put a location to the name I'd seen.

Near the end of the planting (they actually had to bring 2 more cart loads out because we had planted the 11,000 in less than 3 hours! - There were a quite a few people) I met a lovely elder lady. She pretty much adopted me, calling me Miss Mel and telling me about the best planting to come to - during a moon cycle when they do the food up in the ground (similiar to Hawai'ian cooking, but also different). I rode back to the buildings on the back of the cart with Elizabeth and her granddaughter. I ate lunch with Elizabeth, I was included in a group picture with Elizabeth and her Japanese group, and I exchanged contact info with Elizabeth so she can have me over for dinner some time. She was such a nice lady - half Maori, with a lovely granddaughter - half Japanese. She was at the Bastion Point protests.

I was offered a ride by a woman I had talked to during the planting, Christine. We exchanged contact info too. By the time I left the Marae I had many flowers tucked into my headband - they had been given to me by Elizabeth's granddaughter.

blog comments!

I was just messing around on my blog and found - I have comments! Wow. That's pretty cool. It would be cool if I got an e-mail when someone left a comment, but now I'll just have to randomly check.

Hey, I think I know who Cube 1811 is!! I can't actually confirm their identity, since they don't have profile with any details (which I can understand), but based on the mention of 3 kids, wife, and the fact that I've gotten an e-mail from him via blackberry (his favorite way to post blogs) I'm pretty certain I'm related to this Cube. Someday I may even be able to get a connection where I can download his podcast (wow, I've never known a podcaster before!).

Awesome. A big thanks to those that have commented, and a really big thanks to all that have e-mailed me telling me you like the blog. I try not to think about what people do and don't want to hear, and just write what sounds good to me. I just try to keep it honest and PG - though I had to use some astricks just for humor in one of my last blogs. I'm not sure that any of my GOTR girls get to read this, but if they what kind of example would I set using naughty words?

Smiles, rain, and giving away money

I have had a smile on my face for the last couple of days. I can’t give you a reason. I just do. I’m happy. I went to a café with Bobbie and the barista looked at me and said “You look very pleased with yourself”. I was surprised. I told him it must be because I was going to have a chi tea. When we left his comment bothered me a little bit. It sounded like I was full of myself or something. But then I decided that it was a sad comment on the state of his clients – does nobody smile in the this town? In the end, I decided just to be glad that I my inner happiness was shown on the outside.

That isn’t to say that I don’t have my bad moods too. This morning, for example, I was incredibly irritable and just wanted to cry. I had planned to couch surf this evening until Tuesday, but I had forgotten about my “date” with Bobbie – to see the rolling stones movie, “Shine a Light”. I really like Bobbie and she had no one else to go with, so of course I wasn’t going to flake on her. I was really disappointed when my host didn’t want me to come back so late. I’m so tired of making people’s beds and was looking forward to having a free couch that I let my disappointment make me cranky and unhappy. But on the upside, I am going to spend time with a friend and have someone to talk with in the evenings for a few more days.

It rained this morning, which didn’t help my mood, but then the sun came out. I made the decision last night to buy the car I drove yesterday. Then I saw a van for super cheap and tried to look at it. They were out of town, but offered to show it to me tomorrow or Sun. That cemented my decision. I walked over to Flavio’s hostel, kicked the tires, checked the engine, and told him I would buy his car. It was a good deal for both of us – he doesn’t have to advertise, I don’t have agonize. We cemented the deal with a hug. I left walked back up the park with a HUGE smile on my face.

I walked down the main drag looking for a store (which I never did find – I am the most unobservant person sometimes, I can’t see the things right in front of me because even when I’m looking for them, it really crack’s Bobbie up). I checked out a souvenir shop and thought about all the things I could send to Kristi – a stuffed Kiwi, a moveable animal alarm clock – but didn’t buy anything. I walked on and then stopped and gave a homeless guy my change (<$3). That put another smile on my face and made me feel good. I then ran into a guy on the street with a clipboard. We all know we don’t want to deal with it. But I have nothing better to do really and they usually have a good cause – I signed a petition to bring some Chinese big wig to human rights court the other day. So in the end I became a member of Greenpeace! I didn’t feel pressured per se, though I did try to get out of it at first. But then I decided it is just money and money is meant to be spent. For the most part Greenpeace is a good organization, though some of their actions have given them a bad name. I ended up talking to the guy for a good while. He’s just back after 2 years of traveling abroad. We talked about Morocco mostly. He told me about the Dohner kebab (though it’s not spelled like my name, I’m not sure how it’s spelled). I walked away with another big smile on my face.

I headed towards the library. I saw “Queen’s Street Kebabs”. I was the only customer. I asked about the Dohner Kebab, he asked if I was German. He made me a traditional kebab (lamb, hommus, etc) and we talked about Alaska. I was surprised when he didn’t start shoving meat on a stick. I thought I was getting a kebab! It turns out that there are two Turkish kebabs, the one I was getting is more like a wrap. Huge and yummy! Everything was wet from the rain that had come and gone while I was talking to the Greenpeace dude. So I wandered around while eating my delicious kebab. I watched a guy that is probably homeless with a mental disorder throw his bag around. I checked out what other events are happening (an opera – La Boheme – that I might go and see). I finished with lettuce at my feet and yogurt on my hands.

Despite it’s rocky start (involving WAY to many pieces of chocolate after making beds), the day has turned out really good. I am happy to have helped several people in this city sleep better tonight.

Driving on the left side

I DROVE TODAY!!! It was kind of crazy. Every time I tried to use my turn signal, the windshield wipers started! And I’d never get them fully turned off, because I was to busy making sure I didn’t run into something, or using my left hand to get in the proper gear. My passenger, and owner of the car, Flavio, would turn them off for me – as he’s telling me to “move over, you’re really close to the parked cars.”

It was pretty funny. At one point, Flavio pointed out to me that I was on the wrong side of the road! But only once. Right after I’d done a 3 point turn around. I just started driving down the little lane as if I was in America. I assume I would have figured it out when I saw cars coming towards me, but it was nice not to have that panic added on. We got a good laugh out of it. Luckily he couldn’t blame me much. I didn’t realize that Italians and Germans (not sure about the rest of Europe) also drive on the right side of the street – like us! So driving on the left was new to him too! Weird, I just assumed everybody except us pound and mile loving Americans drove backwards.

I haven’t given him a definite yes on buying the car. But I’m really leaning towards it. My parents and sister got a letter asking for advice. I really, really don’t want to go to the car market.

AMAZING Priscilla

Priscilla was AMAZING. It was everything I was hoping it would be – and more. There were dancing paintbrushes, dancing cupcakes, and a real bus with sides that flipped open to see the action inside. There were queens on the red carpet (see pics below) and queens on stage. Our seats were amazing. While we couldn’t actually see their faces from our heightened view, we had an obstructed view of the entire stage and all the glorious choreography. We were at the top of an aisle, so we didn’t even have seats in front of us!

The venue was gorgeous – The Civic. Bobbie and I were wowed by the intricate architecture and a “starry” ceiling when the lights went down. While I probably could have gotten a few pictures of the performance, I honoured their request for no photos – they would have been blurry without flash anyway. It was better to just watch, laugh, sing along, and dance in my seat than to try to worry about a camera.

The stage performance fit the movie almost exactly. There was no flash back to Tick’s wedding, but there was a flash back to a Lay girl performance. The ending collage of dance number was beautifully handled and the ending song brought out pretty much costume from the movie – including the ostrich, lizard, Koala, and a couple kangaroos. Of course they had the didgeridoo version of I will survive – complete with outlandish circle feet costumes.

The only disappointment was finding out that here, as well as in the UK, playbills are not provided! You have to purchase them on top of purchasing your ticket. I am such a spoiled American! $20 for a playbill! Well, yes, it is worth it for a Priscilla souvenir (I have a large stack of FREE playbills to remember all of my other theatre performances. The $10 strawberry daiquiri was also worth it, for the light up martini glass I got to keep! Yep, I’ll be sending home a package in the near future!

Ah, what a great night. Ha ha ha, I get all giggly just thinking about it this morning.

I got my picture with drag queens!!!

(Quick note – is it only the NZ/AUS version of MS Word that spell check gives you the correct spelling for didgeridoo? Or does the US version also provide it? NZ Word also gives all of my words an extra “u”; i.e. colour, honour, etc.)

Tuesday morning

Good Morning.

It’s been a couple more uneventful days here in Auckland, a few more days of being antsy. I spent all Sunday in the hostel. I know it sounds lame, but I had a TON of beds to change and then my laundry to do. It started raining in the evening. So I got quite a bit of reading done!
Yesterday I had only a few beds to do. I finally picked up my bank card, and they convinced me to open a savings account; so I didn’t have all of my “eggs in one basket” (yes, she said this). I wondered around my old neighbourhood of Parnell, and then it started raining again. I was smart enough to bring a raincoat with me, so I didn’t get to wet. I stopped at a Starbucks during the heaviest part of the rain. I purchased a very intense sugar rush – white hot chocolate a triple choc. cookie. I’m surprised my stomach didn’t ache or my head didn’t hurt after all that! Unfortunately, their WIFI wasn’t working – at least the free one wasn’t. I wasn’t about to pay $10 for an hour!!

On my way towards the library I ran into a guy taking a picture of his car, in front of another hostel. I asked if he was selling. We talked. I rode with him to get his WOF (warranty of fitness – all cars must have, they won’t give them to you if something major is wrong; i.e. brakes, windshield, tyres, etc – yes, that is how they spell tires here!) They didn’t have time to get his car in for WOF when I was there, so Flavio drove me to the library and we talked about the car. It’s okay, but I’ll definitely keep looking – although I’ll probably test drive it today, it will be the first time I’ve driven here!!

While my day will not be to exciting – no idea what I’ll be doing after I finish maiding – my evening will be excellent. I’m going to Priscilla!! Opening night!! I can’t wait to see how people dress up. I can’t wait to see the show! My roommate is quite excited too.

All details will be posted tomorrow!

Gardening Tips

I went to the Britomart Farmer's market today. I saw some HUGE cauliflowers and celery larger than I've ever imagined. When I commented on this to the vendor, all she had to say was "horse manure". I imagine lots of sun went into the equation, too. So if you are looking to win the prize for largest vegetable - start shoveling your neighbors horse sh**. :-)

I didn't post anything yesterday because it was a boring day not worth reading - maiding, bus ridinging, dropping off an application that I won't hear back from, and library. I ended the night wondering the streets of Ponsonby (the district I'm staying in) and then playing a card game with a couple girls in the hostel (the 2 I went to the cinema with). It wasn't a bad day, just nothing note worthy - as I imagine most of my coming days will be.

Life here pretty much just consists of waiting (for my tax number to come through). I'm starting to get a bit antsy about traveling. I walked down the street last night and fewer than 5 people made eye contact with me! That's the city for you - no matter where in the world you go I expect. I'm starting to think more about purchasing a car. I'll need to drop a lot of weight during overnight hikes, might as well be some where waterproof and relatively secure. While I could bus to most places, I'd still have to pack everything around and then getting to the "gems" of the country would be more of a hassle - I promised my parents I wouldn't hitchike and I intend to keep that promise.

I'm spending more money than I like lately - eating out for dinner, going to cinemas (though Indiana was WAY worth it). Another meal WAY worth it was a takeaway (to go) Nepalese meal I had a couple nights ago! I've never had Nepal food before. It would have been fantastic, except that most of the goat meat still had bones attached! Still, it was nice to try something different. My roommate ordered something also, a favorite meal in Nepal apparently - it too was tasty. I really hope to make it to Nepal someday!

First, I have to make it to the rest of NZ!

Indiana Jones

Spent all morning rocking out to Gogol Bordello as I did my maiding (yep, I made it a verb).

Then I meandered around the hostel for another hour or two, reading and lunching until it was time to head to the cinema. My roommate, Robbie, invited me last night. She and another worker of the hostel were going. Of course I said yes. Time with girls and a movie on opening day!

Just finished watching the new Indiana Jones - it's excellent of course. Won't give anything away, but it was hilarious.

The girls and I split ways so I could check my mail before heading back. Yes, I am that addicted! I also wanted to print my resume from an attachment I sent out, but since my laptop uses 2007 everything, the computer here couldn't open it! Of course, I didn't bring my laptop to the cinema, so now I have to go back and save it as an older version (I hope 2007 lets me do such a simple thing - I hate microsoft sometimes).

Now, if only the library computers would quit eating up my time trying to load stupid pages. Ugh, I have not patience.

Today is a better day

I had a lovely dinner with Alison, a lady I contacted through couchsurfing. We met in a Border's cafe and had tea and sandwiches. She had lots of interesting things to tell me, and gave me some idea of what islands would be best to ferry to. She also walked me over to the public library (across the street). I was able to set up a temporary account and can now use the library computers for free, about 1/2 - 1 hour at a time. Yay! It doesn't solve the picture upload problem, but at least I can check my e-mail. Also, I did not realize that both New Zealand and Australia still answer to the Queen of England! They have a governor proxy that makes decisions in her place! Wierd - Queens birthday is celebrated in two mondays (although here birthday is in April, it's to close to Easter to celebrate then).

When I arrived back to the hostel, I met one of my roomates - Robbie, a sweet young girl from the UK islands. We chatted for a bit. Made me feel more comfortable there. She and my other roommate work for Vodaphone (mobile phone company) full time. This morning I woke at 8, had breakfast, walked through the park just below the hostel, and then started work. I made 10 beds today and vaccumed both floors and several rooms. It was nice to be productive, but I do miss having my mornings available (the ladies I've been volunteering with at Eden gardens meet today). Once I get a new pair of headphones I should be set for being a maid. It's certainly not a profession I plan to continue with, but since I'm doing "loos" I don't really mind the work. As I said, I like being productive. I like getting free board too!

So today has been much better. Chatting with Alison and Robbie last night really helped. Getting a good nights sleep helped a lot too. I get so emotional when I'm tired. Free internet is a load off the mind too. I want to check out Auckland tramping clubs. I found a government job office where I can search for jobs online. I checked out how they organize their CVs around here; I'll need to tweak mine a bit.

I have been checking messages while typing, in between erros of sending that is - Argh, it just did it again. Thanks for everyone's lovely support, it is much appreciated.

Out of touch

Greetings to all my overseas readers,

I'm afraid to say that I may not be blogging much anymore. The cost of internet connection at my new hostel is $2.50 per 1/2 hour. Across the the way, where I am now, it's $2 per 1/2 hour! What a rip, and there's no WiFi. I might be able to use my thumb drive to get picture over though.

I made the treck to the hostel - my pack was carriable, it was the messenger bag on my belly that was hard to maneuver around. But I made it. Didn't even sit down once. I will definitley be starting my hiking boot search again though - I think my tail shoes probably lost 1/2 an inch from all the weight (40 pounds total maybe?). Made beds and vacuumed today. Shed a couple tears for leaving my old "home" and still not knowing anyone. Guess it's just all catching up to me, particularly with not having the constant internet to escape into to. I may not be able to talk directly with anyone, but the contant e-mail still makes me feel less lonely. I've really appreciated all the responses I've gotten from my mass e-mail. Unfortunately I didn't get some of the undeliverable addresses sorted out before losing my free stuff.

I am more pleased than ever to have a coffee date set up tonight. I don't expect a long term friendship, but someone to chat with will be fun; and tomorrow will be a better day.

Cheers to you all, I'll try to share happy news soon,
mel

Eden Garden

Yesterday morning the skies were a very dark grey. I packed by bag with a raincoat and my BSU jacket. I headed up the street with a cool breeze in face. It was perfect walking weather, particularly when wearing jeans and a T-shirt (rather than the thin, cool pants I've been needing to wear). I arrived at Eden gardens at 9am. Thanks to a city map I'd been given by a German girl from my hostel, I had no problems finding the place again. The gates were open, but the volunteer squad wasn't there yet. So I wondered around, exploring and taking pictures.

Eden Gardens is a great name for this place. Obviously it's named for being at the base of Mt Eden, but it really could be a miniature garden of eden. The 5.5 acres used to be an ugly old quarry, but today it has paths and sculptures draped in foliage. The paths criss cross everywhere, so I'm not sure I've fully explored the place. I made my way to the top of the garden and was treated to a fantastic view of the city and lush garden. Mt Eden was just behind me bit further up. Unfortunately, improper drainage from the mountain caused a slide that closed the loop path back down the mountain. So, after sighting my volunteer leader in my camera, I headed back the way I came. I did not run, as the dead leaves on the ground and the damp paths could have left me with a few extra bruises, but I didn't dally with picture taking either.

Soon, I had met up with the 3 ladies I had worked with last week - Diane, Julie, and Natalie. We occupied ourselves until Jeff showed up with a truck load of soil and then we started the mass potting of tulip bulbs. It really is much easier work than back home. Since we are putting bulbs in a pot with soil from a truck, we don't need to kneel on the ground digging hole after hole. Of course, they will have to dig many, many trenches to plant the pots in this week!

Again, we broke up the work with a morning tea accompanied by biscuits (crackers) and homemade fruit chutney (very interesting stuff - goes great with the NZ cheese they served). It took us another couple hours to finish potting the thousand plus bulbs and use the entire the truck bed of soil. We were then treated to lunch. I went with salmon and asparagus quiche (excellent) this time, which I'm glad off. I'm sure the pumpkin soup was lovely, but a little to odd sounding for me. Diane gave me here address and phone number so that I could put here down as a reference on applications. I very much appreciate this, as I all my other contacts are in the states. I also have a letter of recommendation I can provide with my applications.

Despite the black clouds that greeted the morning, it never did rain. It wasn't near as warm as the past few days, a stiff breeze kept the sunshine from getting my back to warm and the many clouds made me glad I had a jacket to wear during lunch. All the women agreed that even the locals can't predict Auckland's weather, they all expected rain also.

I concluded my last major business item last night. I bought a mobile phone (pronounced mobe-eye-el). It's pretty much going to be used for potential employers to get hold of me. I'm not really giving out the number, as it costs NZ$0.89 per minute - that's within NZ and to the US! The beauty part is that I don't have a contract. I just call in and "top up" minutes on the SIM card, and I'm good to go. I did use it once last night, set up a time to meet a local woman for coffee this evening. I'm really looking forward to that.

Today, I move hostels. I repacked so that all my stuff is in my backpack. I still have to figure out how I'm going to carry my laptop/messenger bag with the pack. I'm a little nervous about the walk across town, I really don't want to find out what poor shape I'm in. The upside is that my bag does have several things in it which are unnecessary, and therefore slightly heavier than when what it will be for tramping. The down side is, that gear probably weighs less than the tent and food I'd be travelling with. I am slightly disappointed to still be in Auckland, as I had planned to be moving up the north coast, but I definitely need the time to get my hiking legs back. This hilly town should be perfect for that purpose.

Antarctic Experience

Day 5 comes to a close. It was a good one. I'm not sure how far I walked, but it was all in sun and I have the rosy cheeks to prove it. I know, I know I should be wearing sun screen here in the land of the ozone hole. But, I don't. I can't stand greasy stuff on my skin, and I sweat so much I would have to apply it 5 times a day. So, skin cancer and age spots here I come - just give me another 20 years please. I still need my looks to eventually snag a man :)

Wow, anyway, moving onto my day! I walked through Parnell district, across the bay and around a couple points to reach Kelly Tarltons Antarctic Experience (http://www.kellytarltons.co.nz/home/). It's basically an indoor aquarium with fish tanks, a walk way beneath a shark/fish/ray tank, and penguin breeding facility. It was awesome. Way worth the NZ$30 to get in. They have a free "cat" ride (simulated snow cat) in which you ride around the penguin enclosure. It was great fun. I took a ton of pictures, some of which are actually not blurry. Of course, I can't upload right now, maybe tomorrow night.

The gift shop (through which you had to travel to exit, of course) had the usual cool junk, but they also had amazing jewelry and excellent souvenirs. I bought my first souvenir yesterday at the farmers market (my german bunk mate laughed at the fact that I've only been here 4 days and already had something to send home). But I couldn't resist, you could only buy the handmade object if you bought their food product (which I did, an lovely pepper and lime infused oil). I still haven't decided who will be receiving this item; mom and dad or Kristi. I found a ton of things at the aquarium I'd have loved to send - but I kept my money in my pocket. Maybe when they come to visit they can pick out their own items. Or maybe I'll get an employee discount and buy all the junk I want. No, I'm not hired yet (and now that I've put my hopes on paper - er, cyperspace? - I probably won't), but I did pick up an application and they are hiring. I should get the app dropped off with my CV by Wed - after I learn how to make the beds in my new hostel.

On the way home I sat and read some of my travel stories in the park, then another malnutritious meal at the hostel (bread & PB, tea, and potato - disappointingly not a sweet purple potato like in Hawai'i), and then sucked into a movie on the telly (Chuck and Larry - pretty funny really).

Anyway, my 1/2 hour is done. Tomorrow - Mt. Eden gardens: working and viewing. I'm really looking forward to doing something productive.

It was fun while it lasted

Well, I guess my roll of constant communication is over. The WiFi at the hostel has gone out and will not be up again until Monday. They still have the land based connection (that I'm currently using), but with 20 people and 2 computers, time is limited. Obviously, without WiFi I cannot get the photos from my computer onto the web either. :(

Today is an extremely boring day anyway. It's Saturday so I went to the farmer's market and bought some fruit, oil, bread, and purple potatoes (I hope they are as good as the Hawaiian ones - I miss those so much). After that I came "home" to shower (it's warm and sunny and an uphill walk from town) and wash clothes. I check out of the hostel on Tuesday morning and plan to volunteer at Eden Gardens again on Monday (this time I will actually tour the gardens and take lots of pics - which I may or may not get uploaded).

The good news is, I have found another place to live after Tuesday. I e-mailed a ton of hostels in the Auckland area this morning to see if any of them needed workers in exchange for a bed. Almost all of them said they were set or didn't do that. However, one replied back telling me I had perfect timing. They needed somebody to start Wed!!! I'm totally stoked. The hostel is located in another residential area so lots of parks and quiet nights. Their website (http://www.verandahs.co.nz/welcome.php) even shows a hammock on the grounds. I'm relieved to find a place to crash for the next couple weeks - definitely staying until June 1st- and will be happy to have something to do with my time here (though cleaning chores should only take a few hours). It also give me a place to have my IRD card sent! I'm extremely happy to not be spending $20 a day just hanging out too. I haven't given up job searching, but it will be more of a pain without WiFi. Wow, I really became addicted to the internet! I don't think this new hostel has WiFi either :( But, beggars can't be choosers.

Well, better check on my clothes. I'm lonely already without constant online stuff to geek on :(

Business and harbors

Photo's not yet uploaded - obviously:

I'm sitting in the hostel lounge, watching America's Next Top Model! Apparently America ships it's crappy TV overseas too. When I first arrived at the hostel, there were people in the lounge watching Dr. Phil!

Anyway, it was another beautiful day. Despite my late night I didn't sleep the day away. Over breakfast I talked with a couple from America and then I called IRD (Inland Revenue Department). All paperwork here in NZ is SO much easier than in the US. It's like the rules are just guidlines for them. I had to take a bus to get to the IRD department, but luckily I ran into the American couple on my way out and they told me about a website to find exactly what bus to take to get to your destination (think mapquest for bus routes).

The bus ride took about an hour. I disembarked at a mall and had no idea where I was. I decided to walk through the mall before asking for directions. I saw a sign for a carpark off of the street I was looking for. Sweet. So I went out and figured I'd worry about finding the cross street when I was a bit further from the mall. Imagine my surprise when I finished passing the outdoor restaurants and came face to face the IRD building! Super Sweet!

I decided to browse a bookstore on my back through the mall. I was quite surprised when I set off their theft alarm when I walked in! The cashier was nice about it and told me to come on in. I couldn't find a good star book. The one I have at home isn't great, but I wouldn't mind having it now. I found a book or two I could send to my mom, but not for $25 or $39. Sorry mom, your just not worth it ;) I also considered buying some wildlife/plant guidebooks but didn't want to spend the money or carry the book around while tramping. So when I went to leave the store, without buying anything, I stopped at the cashiers and apologized for the upcoming beeper going off and then swore that I did not steal any books. To all of our surprises, the beeper didn't go off this time. Wierd.

I rode the return bus to the very end of the line - the Britomart. Wierd name huh? It's a transportation depot for trains, buses, and ferries. So I decided to explore a part of the city I hadn't seen yet. I walked down the ferry terminal to the Maritime Museum. On the way, I came across these bags of art. Quite interesting. I didn't actually go into the museum. I'm sure it's very interesting museum, but not worth $16 to me. So I looked at the beautiful sailboats and yachts lining the docks. On the other side of the harbor were the working boats. I loved seeing this blue fishing boat. I'm afraid the AK doesn't stand for Alaksa though; I couldn't find an American flag on it :( On my way back down I saw this guy climbing his boats mast and saw it was in perfect composition with the sky tower.

I took a self portrait on my down the harbor, the sky tower is in the background. After further wandering I found the art museum. It was a small exhibit, since they are gearing up for a contemporary Maori art display, but it was still interesting. Next I wandered through a park, where I found a bunch of mushrooms growing in a magnoia tree. I also saw a black bird and a native rodent, but the images turned out kind of fuzzy :(

It was a good day, but I am exhausted. I'm not real sure why. I haven't been walking around that much! Although, I must be really getting some exercise. Many of my leg muscles are sore and my shoulders feel bruised from carrying my laptop everywhere (it may not be as heavy as my real pack, but it's good training the the shoulders). Guess I should eat some dinner and head to bed - but first, who's going to get eliminated from Am. Next Top Model??????

First night out

I headed up to The Bog, an Irish pub. Got a pint of guiness, read the paper, and then listened to the Dodgy Bastards play music. Since I've never been to Ireland, I will have take everybodies word for it that it was authentic. It was really fun. There was a lady there that used spoons as a percussion. It was great, they pulled her on stage for one song. She reminded me of mom. She was all smiles and happiness and 3 girls (daughters?) followed her to the stage and took pictures of her with the band. It was super cute.

I had one more pint, along with some water and then headed downtown. I wandered down Beach street and down Grove until I came to Queen. I wandered up Queen, looking at the lights and buldings. There are some beautiful buidlings in this city. I was kind of looking for a bar to pop into and use their toilet, but I finally came across the Town Hall. The doors were wide open, so I went in. After using their facilities, I found a playbill. Apparently is was a world premier! There were still people milling around, but I didn't stop to chat.

In an effort to keep from getting lost, I headed back down Queen street the way I came. I was entertaining myself with miscelleaneous things to make me smile - tyring to click my heels together (irish style), tyring to hit a sign when jumping, etc. I passed by a shop with lights so bright that I had to look towards the street. I just barely saw the sax player messing with his equipment in the doorway. A half block later the sax player started playing. I sat on a bench and listened to the music echo down the buildings. It was such a city sound; the traffic on my right, the saxaphone blues reverbing down the street. The only thing that didn't sit right, was the incredibly beautiful building across the street with golden McDonald arches all over it. What a waste. I went back and put some money in the sax man's case.

I continued down the street, eventually turning back onto beach street. Somewhere down the way, I got an "oi" and a thumbs up as someone drove by. I have no idea, but I raised my hand in acceptance of the props - it must have been the BSU jacket. Ya, that's it.

I wandred back up to Parnell street towards the pub. On my way, I came across a small park with a swing set. I had myself a swing under the moon and stars. After the swing, I got off and took a non-moving look at the stars. I made up seeing the hook of Maui attached to Scorpio. But really had no idea. I wandered further down the road. I saw a man coming out of the pub and asked if he knew the constellations. He was from the northern hemisphere too, so he was of no use. I then rounded the corner back towards the hostel and saw one of the men from the band. He recognized their one dedicated clapping audience and said hello. I asked if he knew the constellations. He didn't really, but he did show me the southern cross. No wonder that "kite" looked so familiar. I haven't seen it in 4 years, and then it was just barely over the Hawaiian horizon. Tonight it was half way up the sky. I'll have to buy a star book before to long.

All in all, it was a great night.

Day 2.5

Pretty mellow day. I still got up pretty early - 5:45. Did some stretches, ate some breakfast, and then geeked on the net until 8:30. Walked into town to open a bank account. National Bank is very local bank that caters to rural NZ farmers in particular. It seems that you generally have to be a Kiwi to bank there, but since I'll be here working for a bit they let me in. My morning was marred a bit when I found that it would take them a month to clear the cashiers check I had brought with me - for the express purpose of opening a checking account. I was so mad at my ID bank for talking me into using that kind of check rather than the traveler's checks I had asked for. They will be getting an e-mail from me expressing my extreme disappointment in their disinformation.

So, after that I needed the 1/4 mile walk back to the hostel to cool down a bit. I geeked a bit more on the computer and had a cup of tea. I tried calling my parents but got the message machine. I preferred reaching the machine instead of calling when mom wasn't there and talking only to dad. I would have felt bad for mom if that happened.

After a small lunch (wow, I don't eat much when I'm required to cook! Peanut butter on a pita bread! Hey, I was full afterwards.), I headed back towards town. On my I had to take a picture of the crazy tree and it's seed pods. The pods seem to be full of air and then apparenly break with white fluff attached to the seeds. Wierd.

I stopped in and checked out the Auckland museum for a bit, but didn't really get that into it. They do have some nice displays, I was just feeling a little to antsy to read everything. The Maori exhibit is amazing - of course.

I then headed to the tramping store I was at yesterday. I bought the pants I had set aside, but put several items back - since I wouldn't be seeing any money right away. Mom will wire money from my US account, so I'm not living on pennies, but it's a bit disconcerting to know that I am in a country all by myself and have only a couple hundred dollars. I know, I know - I'd be rich in some places.

Anyway, after buying the crazy cheap tramping pants I headed back to the hostel. I'm kind of burnt out on wandering the city aimlessly I guess. I passed an Irish Pub on my way back "The Bog" and saw that they have live music tonight at 9. I decided that would be fun to check out. Hopefully I can make till 9! I've been crashing out so early these last few nights. I tried taking a nap this afternoon after talking with my parents (yeah, I caught both of them at home), but I just feel like I have so much to do that I couldn't sleep. So I've been geeking some more. Vaguely looking for jobs, trying to find a couple couches to surf after I leave the hostel (http://www.couchsurfing.com/profile.html?id=461GA8F), and talking with my bunk mate about buying a car.

I absolutely hate the idea of owning another car and supporing the oil industry, but apparently it is the best way get around NZ, not to metnion finding all the hidden spots. So I'm dreading putting down the cash for that. Really makes me feel that I need to get a job sooner rather than later. I actually contacted an advertiser from http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz/. It was a position as a personal assistant in NZ. I would rock at that. So we'll see if I even hear back from her.

So my day has been mellow but somewhat stressfull. I could really go for a fun night out.

Rainbows, mushrooms, and work

Had a great first full day in NZ. Up at 5:30, walked through the park under the hostel, had breakfast, and headed out of the day. I had vague ideas of where I was heading (Auckland Museum, banking, etc), but never really ended up there. I wandered into several parks, they seem to be everywhere around here, which is really nice. It's a fun town to walk around in. It's built on the reminents of a bunch of volcanoes, so it's got hills - and great views - everywhere. The houses all look like they reside in little private jungles and the playground equipment is awesome!

After coming out of a neighborhood dog park, I looked up to find a beautiful rainbow! What a lovely thing to see first thing in the morning!

After coming out of the next park, I looked down and found a stump of tree with many mushrooms growing out of it.

I wandered up and down the steets (literally - hill after hill) for a bit. Stopped to pick up a chai latte and sat in a mini-park (Lundmans Green) between bustling streeets. 8:30 am and adults are going to work, children are going to school, and seagulls are looking for food.

I again started wandering the streets, still with vague ideas of things to do after everything finally opened, I even wondered if I could find a city map and walk up Mt. Eden. One street led to another and one direction would call to me more than the other. At 10 till 9, I had to make a detour to get off the street I was walking. It was crowded with boys of all ages headed to their school. I could see their beautiful school church on the hill ahead, and they all looked quite nice in the thier matching uniforms, but I just couldn't handle walking with all of them for another 5 blocks. This detour led to more hills and winding streets, eventually leading me to a sign pointing to "Gardens". I headed up that way. The two people at the curve of the road were quite friendly, the lady asked if I was there to work. I asked, quite surprised, if they had work. They had only volunteer work. I asked if I was looking at Mt Eden behind them, I asked how I could there. The man was heading out that way and offered me a ride. It turns out I could have easily walked, but I enjoyed the brief tour he gave me (pointing out the grand house where the Power Rangers was filmed - sorry now pics, but it was a huge estate with pillars and a tennis court).

Mt. Eden was beautiful. You can drive to the top, but I enjoyed walking the trail and passing the cows. Once at the top, you can look down into the crater of the old volcanoe. It's not far, and I had planned on taking the path to the bottom, but on my way around I found a sign asking that the sacredity of the crater be respected by not walking in it. However, the view of the city from the top is spectacular, of course.

I then took a shortcut back to Eden Gardens, via a set of stairs from one level of the mountain to the other. What a reminder of Juneau!

At Eden Gardens, Diane was very pleased to see me. I had come to help them plant tulip bulbs. How many tulip bulbs I planted is hard to say. They have 4,000 to plant, and we made a very good dent in that number today. It was easier than it sounds, since we were just putting them in pots and soil. The pots will then be planted, so they can be removed easily when the blooms are gone. I didn't get any monetary compensation for my work, but I did have fun talking with the ladies. They also served us tea, biscuits, and cake around 10 and then lunch at 1. It was a lot of fun listening to these ladies gossip in their accents over tea. I felt like I should be in London. I had planned to wander around the gardens when I was done working - it's 5.5 acres! - but I did want to get some things accomplished that I'd set out to do.

Diane gave me a lift to the trecking store all the ladies agreed was the best to visit. I came very close to purchasing new boots and some clearance item clothes, when I remembered I really didn't want to use my credit card overseas to much. It was a great reason to sleep on my purchasing decisions. Unfortunately I didn't have enought time in the day to find a bank and set up an account. I was so lost! I really had no idea where I was, where I had come from, and how to get back to Parnell. It agitated me a bit, mostly because I really do want to get a bank account opened. But I decided to let it slide, do it tomorrow and ask for directions. Oddly enough, I soon found that I was in front of the same store I had wanted to visit earlier this morning when it was closed - Macpac. I perused their items (why can't they put prices on their gear? is it really that expensive? how much could a fleece ear-flapped hat cost that they don't want to display the price?). After getting directions I remembered that I had seen an electronics store nearby this morning (again, it was closed when I was there because NZ working life is 9-5).

While walking up the street, the rain started. Not just the misty drizzle we had a couple times while potting tulips. This rain had a bit of substance! Not that it was pouring, but it actually made my hair wet while I was walking. All of the locals had umbrellas or ran from awning to awning. Me, I've lived in Juneau. It may be raining, but it was still fairly sunny and there was no breeze. I just wandered down the street as if the sun were out.

The rain had stopped when I left the electronics store (with a much needed cable, allowing me to charge my computer on a outlet). I followed the directions back to Parnell and found myself back where I had started my day - just under 12 hours earlier.

I have arrived!

I'm here! I'm in New Zealand. A year after applying for a working holiday visa and 2.5 years after moving back to Idaho to save for this trip.

It's really wierd to finally be here. I'm not super stoked. I'm not unhappy. I just am. I'm currently sitting on the top of one of 3 bunk beds in a med-large room. I'm sharing this single bed with all 1/2 my luggage at the moment. I have Hawaiian sand and Chilkoot grit on the bed sheet from unpacking by backpack. You can never fully get the inside of those things clean.

It's hard to believe that a little over 24 hours ago ( 31 hours to be exact) I was saying good bye to my family. They took it pretty well - until I got into the security line. My sister started crying. It made me feel pretty bad to see here teary face pressed against the glass divider after security. Her hand pressed against the glass if she were a child missing her mom :(

I talked to her 5 hours later, when I was in the armpit of LAX (Tom Bradley International terminal - ugh), she was feeling much better.

I spent the next 20 hours on a plane or in an airport. The 10.5 hour flight to Fiji provided me with dinner and lunch, as well as many entertainment options. I generally pride myself on sleeping on every plane I get on, but I had a really hard time sleeping on this overnight flight. Eventually I drifted into a deep dream. Just when the karate scenes were getting good, the intercom came on announcing breakfast. We landed in Fiji in the dark, but when we took off several hours later, the large mountains were glowing green and luscious. 2 hours later I was eating my second Air Pacific breakfast. Apparently the New Zealand ban on outside meats and egg products is taken very seriously. While the breakfast plate of egg log (like the egg round on fast food products), sausage, and fried potatoes was basically the same - the New Zealand destination flight was far uckier. I generally don't have much against airline foods. It's not great, but it's generally edible. I'm not sure that the meat log they called sausage was even edible. In looks and texture it reminds me of a vienna sausage. I'm not sure when I last ate a vienna sausage, but this particular piece had a flavor I can describe only as "unappetizing". However, the fresh fruit bowl, with yummy pineapple made up for the less than satisfying meal.

Finally, At 11:30 AM of Tuesday May 13th, I got my first glimpse of NZ.

Within 1/2 an hour of landing I was already through customs! They had so many agents ready to go that I had no wait in line. The visa process took 1 minute, they didn't even check to see that I had the required items for a working holiday visa (health insurance, sufficient funds, etc); heck, he didn't even want to see my travel visa!

So once I was out of the airport, a very nice shuttle driver put my gear in his van where a nice

Canadian girl was already waiting. When the van we full, we headed off to Auckland. The Canadian and I talked about the oddness of driving on the opposite side of the road and how neither of us had seen push button gears before (push R twice for reverse). I firmly believe that shuttle drivers in any country are scary. They tailgate, they speed, and they always seem to be half in the other lane. Add to that the driving on the opposite side and I was only slightly more worried than when we were being driven around in Mexico (only 2 months ago?).

I had to wait an hour for the hostel owner to get back from lunch, but I got checked in. I was told by the shuttle driver and Irish traveler returning from Fiji, that most all shops and restaurants close at 5 here. So I put off taking the a much needed shower (airplane air, 24 hours in the same clothes - I was feeling icky) and headed downtown. I wondered around for a time - found a couple banks I'll check out tomorrow and also an outdoor gear store (where I perused the clothes, but forgot to check for an outlet adapter! - to charge my computer!). Then it was back down Quay (pronounced "key") Street to the foodtown market and some supplies.

I managed to allow myself to look like a tourist in order to take a couple pictures of some downtown Auckland landmarks: The Sky Tower (Auckland's version of the space needle) and a Bungy contraption.