First Week in Auckland

Hello Everyone. Thank you for being patient with me on posting. Due to the fact that I am still using McDonald's wi-fi, this post will be short and lacking of pictures. We have taken quite a few, but the connection is slow....

A lot has happened this week.

When we first landed Mike's boss met us at the airport and took us to his favorite coffee house/pub (depending on time of day) for a cup of coffee. We were so happy to be off that plane and the first place we went was on the beach. St. Heliers is the name of the area. From there he took us to our apartment for the next two weeks. Very nice by apartment standards. We stayed up as late as we could manage and still woke up at 4am the next morning. I would say though by Thursday everyone was on schedule.

Mike went to work on Tuesday and the kids and I spent the week looking at houses and touring the area. I got use to the driving pretty quickly. I still have moments of panic, but all in all it was much easier to pick up than I expected. Also, getting around is really easy. The road signs here are great, so getting lost is almost impossible. Now, that's in the Auckland area....I have no idea what it's like once we venture out. We climbed a volcano (I forgot the camera) and swam A LOT while Mike was a work.

In looking at houses I have found that we are going to have to get a fridge and washer. Most people don't use a dryer, they hang their clothes out. I know, it's like...the 70's or something. I will do my best, but I would imagine that I will also be buying a dryer to go with that washing machine. We finally found something on Saturday. It's back in St. Heliers the first town we went to. It's a walk to the beach and shops....beautiful home and patio area. There are 5 bedrooms so for those of you who wish to visit, come on we have the space. I think the biggest selling point was the pool table. Mike and the kids have high standards when it comes to home selection. They saw that and it was over.

The biggest difference here so far as the every day life goes is the food. Most people shop for just a few days. Food doesn't have preservatives and what not, so it spoils very quickly. It's wonderful and Mike and I have already lost some weight. (well that and the fact that New Zealanders think it's funny to put the bathrooms at the top of land masses......so the trudging I am sure has had something to do with it.) Almost every town has a fruit market, butcher and fish monger. There are grocery stores which I found out the hard way are in the malls. Weird. Over all the food is amazing. Our biggest struggle has been the measurements for the kids insulin. Assuming that they even put serving sizes on the packaging, it's all in metric. I have been displaying my prowess in metric math by dumping out the entire container of whatever and measuring it in cups and dividing it by servings. The kids are amazed or ashamed, one of the two.

The other big difference I have noticed right off the bat is the amount of exercise everyone gets. I have to say that the Northwest is probably the most active area in the US (yes even more so than Va. Beach), but New Zealand puts it to shame. Everyone is out running, biking, rollerblading, walking, hiking, sailing, surfing...it's just a way of life. And when I say everyone, it's everyone. Not just people between the ages of 18 and 28. Mike and I discussed how we feel like the "fat Americans", but I am sure we will get over it soon. I think it's just more that the people here take the time to enjoy their lives. For example, Mike's school locks the doors at 9pm during the week and 5:30 on Fridays. There is no going in on the weekend to catch up, or staying late. When you leave, you leave.

The winter here is very mild. It's much like the Seattle summers, well except for the last week or so. (Can't believe the heat in the Northwest!!) We are wearing long sleeved shirts and sometimes a jacket with the wind. But it's been absolutely beautiful. The beaches are clean and the water is clear. I can't wait until I can go swimming.

The biggest sight seeing we did this week is on Sunday we went to Devonport. It's a seaside town across the bay from Auckland. We toured the town and went through the fort. Very cool and beautiful. And they put the toilets at the top....

Once we get moved in to the new house, I will have internet and will be able to keep up with the blog better. I will most likely just do a posting of pictures, so you can catch up. If anyone has any questions or things they would like for me to write about, please feel free to let me know.