From Carolina to Kiwi

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Tramping, anyone?

Nope, it's not something beer-swilling frat boys do on Friday nights in Athens. It's what one does on the weekend in New Zealand- or at least it's what we did today. We headed out to the Waitakere Ranges about 30-40 kilometers west of Auckland.

First stop- Fairy Falls.

Is that a hobbit?

Lion Rock

This is Lion Rock- the star feature of our journey today. As the guide book says, "with some imagination" you can see a lion looking out over the Tasman Sea.

I think she likes it here!

Lemon?

Well yesterday was my first experience with Paul driving the car....it is just so unnatural! He does a fine job though despite the car's efforts to thwart us. It's a 2003 Volvo station wagon (bright red!) and although we look totally rad in it, we've noticed some funny things with gear shifts. So yesterday we drove it over to Saint Heliers to take a look at the beachy suburb we've heard so many good things about. Well we parked the car to get out onto the beach to soak in some scenery and when we got back in the ignition would not go beyond the first notch. Unreal! AAA equivalent came out to our rescue and the result is the bottom cover for the steering shaft is now removed as if we've hotwired the thing! We'll sort it out... In the meantime - enjoy these shots we took on the beach in Saint Heliers yesterday afternoon. That peak beyond Paul across the water is Rangitoto Island. This is the most recent and largest of the dormant volcanos of the Auckland Volcanic Field. Rangitoto is Maori for 'Bloody Sky'.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Join me in the loo

Most toilets here have 2 options- "big flush" or "little flush." This is a shot of the toilet in our room here at The Quadrant.

* I am slightly ashamed to admit how much entertainment this "water feature" has provided me. Jesse continues to wonder what the giggles in the bathroom are all about.

** note the toilet seat in its correct upright position

Can I get a White Wiiiiiiinnneee

Well it was only a matter of time before I commented on the extraordinary selection of white wines and snacks here in New Zealand. I find it ironic that I have landed myself near to what is arguably the finest Sauvignon Blanc growing region in the world. Oh the joy! These kiwis surely love to kick back and have a crisp glass of wine or perfectly frothed pint of beer after a long day at the office or walkabout. Check out the "box wine aisle" at the grocery store! But really, I've noticed how proud and community oriented this place really is. They prefer to consume homegrown before imports when it comes to food & beverage and are very proud of anything kiwi! The fruit is phenomenal and the bread - oh the bread!! Ciabatta is the specialty and it rocks our worlds each and every day. The coffee is a little harder to praise as there is an entire section of ... can I even utter the word ... Nescafe. BUT we've still managed to find some decent drip and there is no shortage of the corner cafe. Prost!

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

That's right- her headband is made of opossum

My wife is so beautiful she makes roadkill look good!

Devonport - yay or nay?

Same address different country

It came as a welcome surprise (although maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise at all) that the first place I would feel comfortable here would be "in theatre" (aka the operating room). Seeing the patients for the first time today made me feel like I was back at the Baptist! New Zealand neck incisions look the same as North Carolina neck incisions I guess . . . more to come . . .

Go America!

Happy LATE 4th of July USA! It's the 5th here and there are still no signs of American independence. Yesterday was just like any other day and the hills were just as steep. On the walk back to my hotel from getting my morning "flat white" there were people walking toe first down the hill! But I digress. So Paul seems to have enjoyed his first couple of days of work. I've walked him "to school" the past 2 mornings, it's been fun. We found a fabulous short cut through the city's oldest park, the Auckland Domain which is the crater of a very old volcano. It is now a huge beautiful green space containing gardens, trails, cricket fields and the Auckland War Memorial Museum which sits up on the rim overlooking the entire city. Still grinding the pavement finding out where the best spot is to place ourselves for the next year. This city has a lot to offer. Devonport seems to be really neato but it's across the harbor and might be a bit tricky for Paul to get back to the hospital on the rush. Will post a couple of pix - tell me what you think.

Sunday, July 03, 2011

First thoughts

Our hotel has flat screen TVs in all the elevators with techno music and wildlife movies playing (mostly penguins)
Coriolis was right! Coriolis effect
New Zealand has its own version of Netflix called Fatso

First day of work tomorrow- wish me luck!

The first days

Well we are into our 2nd day here in Auckland! This is such a neat town. It's very hilly which was a surprise and extremely lush even in the middle of winter. Everywhere you walk there is a beautiful flowering bush or a Lord of the Rings inspired wicked looking tree or an exotic tropical plant. The temp stayed in the 50's yesterday but with the humidity level the wind was bone chilling in the shade. Our hotel is fabulous and the best part is we're up on the 19th floor so the view is incredible. To the left the famous sky needle peers over the buildings and straight out ahead and to the right is the Waitemata Harbor dotted with sailboats and surrounded by hilly land covered by homes. Yesterday we strolled through the city centre which contained all kinds of shopping, cafes, banks etc then made our way over to the inner suburb called Parnell which has been a standout as a potential area for our permanent residence. It was up on a hill with amazing views of the water and a long (HILLY!) street filled with art galleries, super cute restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping. Today we need to fetch our new wheels after we summon the courage to drive it on the "wrong" side of the road. I hope to catch a ferry across the harbor over to Devonport which is another standout for permanent digs. More soon!! We miss and love you all so much!!