WELLINGTON

South to WELLINGTON, NZ capital. There's one house of parliment (no senate) and it's housed in the building called THE BEEHIVE for its architecture. Wellington is often wet as it is this day as seen from Mt. Victoria.

The arrow-like structure is the Byrd Memorial which points south to the next closest land mass- ANTARCTICA! Imagine having Antarctica as a close neighbor. The Antaractic Treaty declares the area south of 60 degrees south to be a region devoted to peace and science.

And then there's TE PAPA, NZ's national museum, where I snapped a pic of the only exhibited COLLOSAL SQUID!!!

RAINBOWS & GANNETS

August 19, 2010

Winter still has hold of us in Auckland. It rains every other day although spectacular rainbows are the reward. Yet, days are getting longer and the gannets are nesting. Yes, gannets!

A gannet colony exists above the wild, western Murawai Beach. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STUFF!!!! They mate for life, fly to Australia for months, then return to find their mates.

Volunteering, Online Writing & Sheep

I have a volunteer job! It's through Volunteering Auckland, an organization that places volunteers in over 400 charities and community organizations. It's only one day a week but, hey, it keeps me off the streets. I'm helping them write their annual report then making a video on how to ask for money.

Guess what? I am now the New Zealand Travel Examiner at Examiner.com. I'm imploring EVERYONE to subscribe to my articles by going to the following webpage:

www.examiner.com/x-57822-New-Zealand-Travel-Examiner

SHEEP, SHEEP, EVERWHERE A SHEEP. Well, it's not true!

I've seen very few sheep and a lot of cattle, of all things. Apparently all those NZ sheep are frolicking around the South Island, not the North Island where I am.

SHOPPING CARTS & MISSION BAY

Kia Ora (Welcome or G'Day!)

A trundler is a shopping cart. Not a golf cart, 18 wheeler truck, baby stroller or peddler of wares as some of you guessed. If you guessed correctly...good on ya, you're an Honorary Kiwi! If not, well...you're a confirmed Yank.

And now for more on the HOOD...MISSION BAY!

A mere twenty minute walk from the house is a lovely shop-lined street with a beach and a bay called MISSION BAY. You can see the iconic landmark island named RANGITOTO, the youngest volcano in Auckland and home to 200 species of native plants including 40 ferns.

Overhead in the next pic of the bay is the signature cloud which prompted the native Maori to name New Zealand, AOTEAROA, meaning "the land of the long white cloud."

THE HOOD and a SIGN

THE HOOD...I live at 259A Kepa Road in Mission Bay, Auckland with Tony, and flatmate, Louise, whose house you see in the picture, and her two cats McFluffy and Miko. We live very close to Eastridge Mall which has a grocery and coffee shops and video store, and where the bus thankfully comes (since driving isn't going so well).

A GUESSING GAME FOR ALL...

Can you guess what the sign "No trundlers beyond this point" means? If so, you get to be a HONORARY KIWI!!

Cheers for now!

The first rule, ALWAYS LOOK RIGHT!

When you try to drive on the "wrong side" you discover just what a creature of habit you are.

At all times, think SKINNY left (turn) and WIDE right (turn).

Go clockwise around the ROUNDABOUTS, yield to the cars coming at you from the right, signal left to go straight through, left then right to turn right. JEEZ...

And here's the rub, EVERYTHING IS OPPOSITE, not just driving. When you walk on the street, you need to walk on the other side so as not to run into people.

The lock on the "loo" turns to the left not the right. Even pencil sharpeners are turned the opposite way!

It's all part of the BIG ADVENTURE!

Of Fiji & Fiddles

G'Day Mates!

This past Saturday, it was out on the Gulf in a launch (that's powerboat to you) to watch the famous Auckland to Suva, Fiji sailboat race. We were in good company with the spectator boat from a past America's cup race. O Canada started last but is represented here catching first place boat, Wired in a downwind start.

And hey, I'm not the only immigrant. Sundays we are regulars at the Irish Pub, THE BOG, which features a jam session of fiddlers, flutists, guitar pickers, drummers, banjo players, mandolin strummers and what have you. After all, as Oscar Wilde said, "Work is the curse of the drinking class."

Aroha (love)

Greetings from Auckland!

When the weather is good, it's called fine, and when it rains the sun can shine. I know, I've seen it. You can never be sure if it will rain or shine and rain in Auckland. On Saturday, it poured, I mean cats and kiwis, thunder and lightning over the Hauraki Gulf as we prepared the boat called Woolly Jumper for racing in full foul weather gear. Then, at the start, the sun started to turn blue for the race.

Woolly Jumper (a jumper is a sweater) is a beautiful 50+ boat racing this Winter Season (yes, WINTER) every fortnight (every 2 weeks) by a crew of how ever many show up. Saturday it was 13. See the picture of Tony, owner Marty and Patrice. It's a cruising boat really with galley and salon but we had her up to 9 knots in a low breeze. Shall I admit we were 7th out of 17? And then I got to drive her back to her slip!

Cheers!

Lisa Lewis sits in the old gum tree,
merry, merry Queen of the Bush is she...

WAIT ONE MINUTE! That's Australia, not New Zealand.

Picture a trip to the wild shore of the west coast, PIHA, one of many great surf beaches.

Then an hour bush walk to see Kitekite Falls and the largest tree stump I've ever seen.

Zena Warrior Princess kind of stuff.

Am settling in and learning fun facts about New Zealand such as...according to the news, New Zealanders are among the fattest in the world. And as I have yet to pass up a bakery, I know how it can happen. But since I now weigh only 10 stones I don't feel so bad.

There are no snakes or bears in NZ and only a spider is poisonous.

Tomorrow I take a driving lesson to learn how to drive on the "wrong" side of the road and then it will be on to streets with names like Karangahape and Te Henga.

Sailing on the Hauraki Gulf in a raceboat begins on Saturday.

So until then, friends...

"...in the bonds of love we meet,

Hear our voices we entreat,

God defend New Zealand."

-May 10, 2010

THAT'S BETTER, the NZ national anthem.