Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

Now that we have established a place to stay and getting in the groove of living in the city, now we are exploring the area. We typically walk down into Newtown daily for groceries and to browse the shops. But one day, we went out the back door, and instead of heading into Newtown, went the opposite direction.
As soon as we stepped off of the Pickled Parrot Lodge's property, we saw a trail.
That's right a trail. Among trees. A footpath. Among foliage! AND TREES!
And it is literally in our backyard.
But oh where will it take us?

Into Kilbernie of course.
What's that blue? Why, it's the BAY!


You might notice from the pictures that everything is green and ... not dead. It's WINTER.



It's about 50F every day since we've been here. It gets close to 60 on nicer days. There has been some rain but most days are simply GORGEOUS.

It looks like I photoshopped this photo but I didn't!




Winter in Wellington. They complain about the weather here... I think kiwis are spoiled!

First night in the ol' Pickled Parrot Lodge (and the day after)

We lay there in the dark room breathing in turpentine fumes (no, we were not huffing, it just smelled that way strongly) when it occurred to both of us – really at the same time, which of course led to one of those goofy sitcom moments where two of the characters turn to each other and say the exact same thing even down the inflection and tone – that there was a perfectly good lounge area where we could presumably lounge around (a.k.a. sleep) until the next day and perhaps even the next night as we were not going to be IN the room until Sunday and it was Friday (for a couple more hours anyway).

So we made sure our stuff was secure and safe and we snuck upstairs from our basement hidey hole and into the lounge were we proceeded to make ourselves comfortable – or at least as best we could (as both “couches” were more like those little couches that they give children than actual couches).

Now we're a bit warmer and not breathing turpentine, so we're feeling even better! But as tired as we were, we were not to get too much sleep as we were far too excited to finally be in Wellington.

That and it really is difficult to fall asleep on a couch the size of a large cat bed.
The next day, we checked on our stuff (all okay) and decided that we are going to go down and do some townlunking (which is like spelunking, but above ground in a town).

This town is very awesome. And I mean in the classic sense of the word: as in inspiring awe. There is quite a bit to see, but we haven't brought our camera down to the CBD quite yet – though we shall soon. We explored a small slice of the city, eat at a tiny little Cafe/Sandwich Shoppe and made our way back home to rest our weary legs.

As we arrived, we were greeted by Paul who informed us that he had a room for us to stay in Saturday if we liked.

If we liked?

Why, yes, thank you we'll move our stuff right away! And we did. That very second.
Huzzah! We have a room! With a bed (double)! And a desk! And a dresser! And PILLOWS!

As the parlance is now: whoot.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Huka Falls

That's Huka as in "hooked" not "hookah." My mistake.

Fate happens.

SOOOOOO....... what to do now?

We have a place on SUNDAY, but the car was due back that very day. Where would we stay until then?

Some would crack under the pressure in this (or a similar) situation.

But we did not. We soldiered on.

This is probably because as we were getting the Sunday accommodations resolved, our new landlord, Paul tells us that if we were willing, he would let us sleep in a little basement utility room – or at the very least put our stuff there.

This was wonderful news!

Our plan until that moment was to keep our little car for one more day so as to sleep in it if no other form of accommodation presented itself. Now we wouldn't have to pay for another day for the car, as that would eat into an already straining budget.

We quickly and excitedly agreed to this, for despite it being a tad drafty and lacking in a true bed, we were beggars – as it were – without a begging cup to catch the change (metaphorically, of course, thank you very much – we weren't to THAT point physically). But we were enthusiastic beggars. Very, very grateful and happy beggars.

All this to say that we now had a roof and a building over our heads until Sunday, in which case it would be just a roof.

Paul shows us around what will be our new place and we meet a couple of the other tenants. All very nice so far. On the way out we see a lady shifting stuff (a term, I have come to understand is synonymous with moving stuff) to a room in the building we will soon be staying in.

Being the helpful people that we are, we quickly asked if she needed any help, and as there was quite a bit of stuff to move, she quite quickly accepted our offer.

As we were carrying various boxes of nick-nacks, paddywacks, and house plants, Paul stops us with an:“Ah, just the people I was looking for!”

Uh oh, I think, he may ask me to “take care of” somebody and seeing how he's been such a nice guy I may have to agree to it.

It turns out all he wants us to do is put some heaters together. Whew, that is much better. Plus he promises to take us out to lunch at his favorite pizza parlor once we're done!

We get that knocked out pretty quick (again, we are enthusiastic) and then we're whisked off to the nice pizza restaurant right down the hill.

I think at this point it may be prudent to explain to you what “down the hill” entails by way of showing you where we live.



Directly across the street.


Can you spot the New World grocery store?


Looking down the street.


Looking up the street.

Wellington is a compact city. We live a short bus ride into the city center, known as the “CBD” or Central Business District. This is where the “heart” of the city lies – from the busy nightlife to the corporate headquarters of this and that, to the best shopping and arts vibe in the country. It will take us less than an hour to walk across the whole CBD from where we live. We are equally close to the Bay, which boasts a beautiful walkway and actually has a real live beach. There is a bus stop (with a roofed bench and everything!) one block away from our home. 4 blocks down the hill are the Newtown shops - a variety of stores from a butcher to consignment shops and “dairy's” (fast-food if you will), to the New World grocery store, and much more.



This is why we love New Zealand. Just look at this place - in the middle of the 'big city' of Wellington, the second largest city in the whole country – trees, birds, flowers, foliage! And as I mentioned the bay is right next to us - though we've yet to see it. Savvy readers, you already realize this is foreshadowing.


Foreshadowing (doo doot doooooooo)


Once we return from our delicious and delightful lunch (we met Paul's dear wife) we moved our belongings into our new, if purely utilitarian, digs (in fact our room puts the 'utility' in 'utilitarian'). Then we dive in the car and wind our way up town to Ace Rentals, to drop our adventurous Nissan Sunny off – we have 15 minutes to get there before our two-day contract expires, but we make it just in time.

We walk back home due to accidentally getting off the bus at the wrong stop and not wanting to waste money on another bus fare. But it's not far, and besides - the weather's fine and we don't have anywhere we need to be.

We check out the shops along the way, pick up a scant few necessities (such as food) and finally make our way to our new home.

We lie in the darkness on our makeshift bed – the smell of turpentine and paint in the air – and all we can feel is happiness.

So now we have a place to stay. Now all we need is to get jobs.

And then we will be able to afford to eat at the pizza place on our own dime.

One of the best things about New Zealand is that even if everything costs money, kiwi kindness is all over the place and it's usually free.


Just over the top of this hill...


Saturday, September 6, 2008

Homeless for how long?

Newtown, Wellington

So now that we were in the country, now that we were fresh kiwis... glowing with the crisp fresh air and growing tired from jetlag...
we realize
that we are homeless.
And tired.
And hungry.
And we have a small amount of cash to survive until we get jobs.
The stress hits us.
We need to find a place to stay.

I look up the cheapest Backpackers that has internet: Downtown Backpackers. We drive (on the left side of the street you know) through the big buildings of the Central Business District to find our way there. The hostel is a big one, and luckily we were able to get a room.

But what is a blog post without a dose of kiwi kindness? Jason was so frazzled from driving that his wish was a simple one - a wish for a beer. The Backpackers gives each guest a Buy-2-get-1-beer-free coupon for the bar next door. He went to the bar, had a beer, and a kiwi gentleman struck up a conversation with him. Next thing he knew, the guy bought him a beer, made Jason's day - and he was able to cash in his third freebie. Jason was happy and although his dinner was liquid, with a full stomach, went to bed.

We had to be out of bed by 7:30am the next morning because the free street parking ends at 8:00am. We have to be on the road, but where to go?

The advice I had read everywhere was not to line up a rental beforehand from overseas, because when you get there you may hate it. You need to see it first.

Turns out that was bad advice if you are on a budget, because if you can't afford to stay a week at a hotel while you find "the perfect house," then you are going to lose all your money and sanity trying to find a place to not be homeless.

We needed accommodation right away. I had contacted many people for apartments but everything was taken or not suitable for couples. One listing however had promise, and we were convinced that if they had an open room - and we prayed that they did - that we could stay there. It was cheap, suitable for couples, and it said "fully furnished - just bring your bag."

So we went to the address and found the place.
The Pickled Parrot Lodge.
But the office was empty. And nobody was answering the phone.
We waited around for a while, and finally, dejected, left and drove up the street. But it was a dead-end. So as we turned around and approached the building one last time, I suggested we go back up the driveway and check one last time.

There was a truck parked there. It wasn't there before.

I screamed to Jason "pin him in!" with the car, so he couldn't get away.
I jumped out of the car and went towards the office, and the fellow in the truck rolled down his window, and asked if he could help me?

I asked him if he was the owner. He nodded.
Nervous, excited, and immensely hopeful, I said "We really, really need a room."

He said he is "chockered full" but he will have a room available Sunday.
It was Friday - we could sleep in the car for 2 nights if it meant we had a place to stay come Sunday!
We followed him into the office.

He showed us his chart of rooms and dates. It was a poster-sized chart, packed full of tiny rows of text - row after row after row. And a tiny little white space which started under the column entitled "Sunday." Chockered full, he was right. There was one room available.

And it was now ours.

Or rather, it would be come Sunday.
So what would we do until then?

Wednesday, September 3, 2008


Auckland Airport makes St. Louis Airport look like LAX. It is awesome. Big, shiny, full of friendly and helpful people, and... smoothies!
Here is just one example of how awesome the airport is, and the first clue that we really are in New Zealand:
Maori carving in Auckland International Airport.


So now that we are exhausted from 14 hours of flight, we push around our baggage (which luckily, we had no problems with getting) trying to figure out what to do next. We had planned to take the Overlander train down to Wellington but they only run on weekends during the 'off season.' So we set towards the car rental kiosks, but on our way there we ran into a friendly Security guy who asked where we were going. He insisted on calling his friends over at Rent-a-Dent when he heard we were looking to rent a car. That was the first taste of kiwi kindness and certainly not the last we would encounter. Unfortunately all the car rental places, including Rent-a-Dent, were all booked thanks to the Rally going on.

So we got desperate. We went to the Freephone in the International Terminal, where tons of pamphlets for rentals, accommodation, and sundry other services lie in wait for the desperate traveler. Long story short, we got a car, and cheap too.

So now that we had wheels, our next task was to find a place to sleep for the night. We went to a Backpackers but the prices were higher than we had anticipated. We spent 1/4 tank of gas just trying to find our way around Auckland to find somewhere to rest our weary heads, to no avail.


Auckland. Nice place to visit, horrible to drive around in!

We stopped at a gas station, got a liter of cola, and drove south to Hamilton, where my Backpackers guide promised a variety of cheap accommodation.

We found J's Backpackers 10 minutes before closing, and finally, finally, went to sleep.


J's Backpackers in Hamilton

In front of the Backpacker's. I love New Zealand.

J's Backpackers was quite nice and the owner was friendly and helpful. But I think we left our towel there.

In any case, at sunrise we set out once again on the road. They drive on the left side, you know.


Hill with sheep.

I must mention here that when everyone says New Zealand is synonymous with sheep, I've always rolled my eyes, because I thought it was a South Island thing. But no, it's a New Zealand thing. We saw this beautiful scenery for hours.

Hill without sheep (I think they're on the other side).

Hill with sheep.

We pass rural areas and more sheep, and gorgeous green countryside. A large building with a metal sign and a creative shed read "Corrugated Creations." Little did we know they must have supplied all of central New Zealand with signs, because nearly every business had a corrugated metal sign (and they were creative).
We get hungry so we stop at a cute little town called Tirau.
These corrugated creations caught our eye and we ate at a delicious and cheap cafe right across the street from our new, giant metal companions.
Mom, I know you're gonna love this one!!

Wouldn't you know it, more sheep?

Sitting at the table next to us is this little feathered friend.


Ronnie's Cafe, I want to go back there! My sandwich was yummy, had beets, tomato, pineapple, and avacado, and was only $2.50 (that's less than $2 USD).
Back to the streets.


We see a sign that says "Huka Falls, 200m"... we figure that's close by so we stop. I'll be uploading the video on the next blog post. It was incredible.




It's winter here, can you tell?


Okay enough sightseeing. Next stop is Lake Taupo, the biggest lake in the area. Here we are approaching the town of Taupo.


The weather was perfect, the sky was bright and the air was crisp. The birds love the lake, and so do the trees.
Off in the distance is a mountain!


A budding tree, is it spring? I am so confused.


You knew that was going to happen.

I would be too.

Back on the road again...

Slow down around this turn...
Or we'll run into a snow-covered mountain.
IT'S AN ACTIVE VOLCANO!

Where are we, the alps?
Or the desert?
We are in the desert. This is where the NZ Army trains.
We start seeing green again. It is getting cloudy!
The sun is starting to set as we meander along the bay... into...
Upper Hutt, WELLINGTON!
And into the Lower Hutt, Wellington!

And we are there. Wellington, our new home.
Now we just need to find a home.
And jobs.
And food.
What will fate have in store for us?