Just spent the last 16 days in Waimauku, helping out two different
families with their house/farm/children in exchange for food and a place to
stay. I had fun, families were very welcoming, the work wasn't too hard and go
to know New Zealand people a little better. Things that stick out from that
experience were how laid back New Zealanders are, how while we all speak
English, different accents and the use of different words makes some
communication surprisingly a bit more challenging. Another example: Brits. I
also got a glimpse into the future with getting kids ready for school, dealing
with them fighting with their older/younger brother, family meetings and other
grown up activities. It is something that I am certainly looking forward to but
am surely in no rush to get involved in.
Friday the 7th of June was my last day with them, got a ride into
Auckland, checked into my hostel, had a few beers while watching Game 1 of the
NBA finals. Then, walked over to the movie theatre and watched The Hangover 3
while drinking beer that you can buy legally at the counter. Being able to buy
beer at a movie theatre just makes sense.
 |
| Favorite NZ beer so far |
After that, went back to my hostel, roamed around the city, and
returned to a bar I had been to before called Tyler Street Garage that plays
good music and is a good crowd. A big difference I see from going out in Canada
and here is that people are bit more friendly and open to coming up and
starting conversations. On that night, 5 different sets of people came up and
asked my why I was alone, where I'm coming from and generally just being really
nice. If you go out alone in Canada, people kind of look at you funny and think
you are some sort of creep. It also might have helped that I was wearing my
suit and look like a fun time.
The next day I took a ferry a 15 minute ferry to Devanport port, a
really beautiful small town that has a naval museum that I didn't go to because, well, that seems incredibly boring, tons of book shops, coffee places and
restaurants. I may or may not haven eaten an amazing bagel there. Also, climbed
a little mountain and took these pictures.
It was perfect weather for a bit of sight seeing and got me ready
for my first rugby match, New Zealand vs. France. People love rugby like Canadians
love hockey. The All-Blacks are like a team sent from the heavens and everyone
loves them. Found tickets online and went with people I met while working with
one of the families in Waimauku. Walked from their house to a bar that was
close by. The couple that I stayed with, Kevin and Claudia, got interviewed by
one of the newspapers because he is French and she is from New Zealand. (I
smell a sitcom...)
I'd never seen a game before so they had to go over the rules with
me beforehand, and this was a rematch of the World Cup Final two years ago with
the All-Blacks winning by just one point. I was surprised at the amount of
French people at the game, probably close to 15% of the fans were supporting
the French side. The stadium is new and well designed so even with being in the
cheaper seats ($65) it still felt like I wasn't that far from the action. The
stadium was packed, France scored first even though they were the underdogs.
Here are the highlights if you are interested:
Before the match starts, the All-Blacks do the Haka, a traditional Maori dance to intimidate their opponents.
The game went by fast, I had a fun time but rugby isn't a sport I
would really get into. The guys who play are certainly men who you wouldn't want
to start trouble with. Going to anything that involves tickets, a great
atmosphere and friends is always a good time. Concerts, comedy clubs, plays,
anything to do with sports and drinking; it's just plain fun and something
that I missed while living in Asia. 13 days till I start work on the hill!
"An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered."
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
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