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Published: July 29th 2009
Cutie-Pie
Keira picking flowersMonday, July 27th
We've started to set an alarm so we're able to wake up before 8am. Crazy thing to do when one's on holiday but hey... It's the only way to get used to the new time-zone. This morning we just couldn't get out of bed so the alarm was turned off and we stayed in our warm bed a while longer.
We've found that Keira loves Ferdi. We suspect it's because he's such a softy and she can "bully" him into pretty much anything. Whenever she sees him she shouts his name and laughs. Sometimes she just walks around shouting "Ferdi! Ferdi!" over and over. She has this ritual where she pushes him into her play room, empties her jar of plastic animals, plays with her dog and doll and generally makes a mess. After about ten minutes she loses interest and wanders off to be cute some place else. Talita called Keira "Skattie" a few times and now Keira calls Talita "Skattie" all the time. She's very very cute!
We've been struggling to get used to the normality of NZ life. It's so different from the Asian lifestyle and "the shock" is only now setting in.
We've had a wonderful time staying with Nicol, Mel and little Keira. Their hospitality knows no bounds and we'll be forever grateful, but we're itching to hit the road again. The gypsy in us is getting restless.
We spent the morning researching more rental companies and backing up our photos. Ferdi found Nicol's guitar and had a blast playing for the first time in months. His fingers had gone soft so it was almost like playing for the first time.
Just before lunch we walked to the shops to buy a few things. On the list was a bottle of wine for a celebration. Today is the one year anniversary of Nicol's arrival in NZ. We enjoyed the wine with dinner, which were huge home-made burgers.
Today's highlights:
1. Playing guitar again.
2. Finding a good van rental company.
3. Burgers and wine celebration.
Impressions of NZ:
The "boy-racers" are a bunch of young guys that gets these souped up cars and races them all over Auckland at night. You'll often see "donuts" on grassy patches and in parking areas. Tuesday, July 28th
Nicol took the day off work so we all piled into their
car and headed to the west coast. The first beach we visited was Karekare, about an hours drive from Browns Bay. We sat on the beautiful charcoal colored beach, enjoying ham 'n' cheese and cheese spread sandwiches, followed by ginger beer, banana bread and kiwis.
We took a different route off the beach by following a little stream. A few ducks were cruising along and a brave male started waddling after us. By the time we got to the car a few more ducks had joined the party, hoping for some bread. We had a few slices left and Talita fed the ducks while also trying to give the other small birds a few crumbs. The ducks might be cute, but when it gets to food they're ruthless.
After the ducks were fed we headed to Piha beach, a few kilometers to the north. On the way we stopped at a viewpoint and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Piha area. We walked on the beach and just enjoyed the surroundings, dreaming about owning one of the vacation homes in the area. Later we headed home to prepare for our night on the town. While everyone else was
Shady lane
to Karekare beach getting ready Ferdi put in a bid on a guitar on Trade Me (a site like eBay but for NZ residents only), just to see if he got lucky.
We dropped little K at friends, then headed into Auckland city to meet Nadine at the restaurant where she works. We had a few beers and a wonderful meal. It was great to be out sharing food and drinks with friends.
When we got back home Ferdi saw that he'd won the bid and that the guitar is his. Then he had to figure out how to pay and get the guitar before we leave...
Today's highlights:
1. Road trip to the west coast.
2. Seeing Karekare and Piha beach.
3. Great night out.
4. Winning the bid on the guitar.
Impressions of NZ:
You pump your own gas here. Just pull up, fill up, and go pay inside when you're done. Wednesday, July 29th
This morning we walked to the nearest bus station and caught the bus to Auckland central to pick up our campervan. In the end we'd decided to rent with Escape Rentals because they had the most basic vans at the best
prices. Plus, all their vans are uniquely painted and have their own names. We signed the contract and were shown around the van. It's a 2002 Toyota Hi-Ace called Three Sisters.
We found our way out of the city without any problem and headed back to Browns Bay. Shortly after arriving home Mel phoned, asking us to come help jump-start her car cause the battery had run flat. Good timing hey? While Talita did some washing Ferdi drove off to help Mel. Her car started with no problems and we headed back home.
Just before lunch Ferdi emailed the ten best post-production houses in New Zealand in the hopes of meeting some influential people and learning about the local industry. Two hours later two companies had come back to him. One of the companies that responded was very interested to meet up the following week. We were very excited and luckily we're flexible, having our own camper and all.
We had to pack all the gear we need from our backpacks into our tote bags because, although there's a lot of storage space in the van, our backpacks won't fit in the storage compartments. With that done
we read up on the do's and don'ts of the van, checked the coupons we’d received, and explored our route for the next week. Dinner was make-your-own-tacos and a beer. If we don't get out of here soon Mel and Nicol will have us rolling off instead of driving off!
Today's highlights:
1. Getting our camper.
2. Invitation to meet a local production company.
3. Tacos for dinner.
Impressions of NZ:
The bus system here is really easy to navigate and the supporting website is great!
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Leon
non-member comment
Nice karretjie
Ek smaak julle pimp-my-ride bussie! Hoop jullle het baie happy travels in hom/haar. NZ lyk heel oulik, net so bietjie min son. Stuur groete aan die Smit gesin!