Our much-loved Filson umbrella didn’t fit into the suitcase and so awaits back in Brattleboro. But the Kiwis know a thing or two about rain and wind. Enter the Blunt, shown here shielding this fine penguin at the Auckland Museum.
Gala
When some of the original invitees cancelled, Lee and I got to join my new friends at HealthLink for the gala awards banquet hosted by Air New Zealand for businesses that export stuff… increasing exports is a national economic priority.
The dinner was fun, although like all awards ceremonies it went on too long… the emcee Kerre McIvor was a hoot, the food was better than I had any right to expect, and the after-dinner entertainment was good too, if slightly surreal: a local guy of Polynesian descent belting out rat pack / goombah favorites. Mambo Italiano… there, now it’s in your head too.
HLK came in second in the small service business category, losing to another software house. The entrants were heavily slanted toward agri-business. In fact, all three entrants in the large business category were dairy producers. I was glad not to be in competition with the firm that exports bovine artificial insemination training materials, including a life sized, anatomically correct cow nether parts.
I’m still waiting to get photos of us from other people and will add those later. I had to rent a tux, since mine didn’t fit in the suitcase (or all that well around my waist, truth be told). So, don’t blame me for the clip-on tie.
Broadband!
It took a couple weeks, and the fibre connection will take a few more, but as of yesterday we’re back in our own century! #addicted
Somewhere
Now that Lee is in charge……
Next door
This house, built in 1904 for a former Mayor of Auckland, is next door to us. And across the street is a big old house owned by some portion of the Unification Church… the Moonies. But for the most part, the old houses have been turned into multi-family dwellings of various types. Like ours.
La Cigale
Some local entrepreneurs have created a little bit of Provence down the road from us, with a couple of decor shops, a cafe/bistro, and a weekend market.
Next time, we’re trying the paella…
Besides all the prepared foods, there’s also a very nice fresh produce stand. We got a few things, including a couple tamarillos, which tasted like a tart kiwi fruit to me, and a little bit like tomato paste to Lee… Prov, we need your expertise on this one!
I’ve looked at clouds
from the front window.
A fine kettle of water
I remember hearing as a child / youth that American coffee and American beer were both terrible. If you wanted good coffee you went to France or Italy, and for good beer you went to Belgium or Germany. And, to a large extent I think those stereotypes were right… we mostly had watery boring beverages at that time. It’s all different now, of course… good – great – coffee and beer have become American obsessions and are widely available.
Here in NZ, it seems like people are of two minds about both drinks. You can’t find drip style coffee anywhere, and people recoil in horror at the idea of “a pot of coffee.” You can buy a perfectly good espresso drink at Subway. However, for people at home who don’t have an espresso machine or the patience to use one, it’s quite normal to use instant coffee, which has all but disappeared from US stores. And of course, the British heritage here means tea drinking is still more prevalent than in the US.
And so to this picture of the vast array of electric kettles on sale… suitable for tea, instant coffee, and even to fill the hot water bottles that seem to be common here. Who knew that simply boiling water would require so many options??
Pigging Out
In the world I grew up in, for the most part anyway, meat comes from the grocery store in styrofoam and plastic wrap packages. And that’s true in NZ as well.
However, there’s a big Chinese market nearby, and they like to see their meat in a less processed state. So there’s a truck like this and a big guy who hoists pigs off the hook and over his shoulder and marches down the street to the front door of the store. These carcasses hang in plain view for however long until they are butchered and sold.
Tofu, anyone?
Ponsonby
a) Ponsonby is a cool neighborhood
b) new iPhone 7+ camera is really really awesome… this is unedited. Yes, Carol, I know your phone has been able to take pictures like this for years.
Things That Are Backwards or Must Be Relearned
Cars, of course. Not so bad when they’re going straight, but when they turn right it’s totally alien.
Keep left while on the sidewalk or stairs.
Northern exposure means sunny.
English. OMG.
Light switches (down is on).
The winter solstice today.
The metric system.
Making change (they gave up pennies and nickels, and there’s a 20 cent piece instead of a quarter)
Flat white.
Birds, trees.
Pies are mostly savory.
Healthcare is part of the deal.
I have a thick accent.
Stars.
The high price of just about everything. And that’s a price usually quoted by the week, not the month.
Taxes. Automatically withheld by your bank, so most people don’t have to file a return.
“Average” weight. A crowd of people here is built about like the US crowd that would be running a 10K.
As far as I know, however, water in the toilet swirls down in the same direction.
Lee’s new commute
Is mostly a walk through the Auckland Domain.
Even the bonsai trees are big here.
Afternoon sun on the Auckland Museum.
Posh
You know there’s a housing bubble when, in the same block, there’s a guy who can afford a Maserati but not a garage…
and another guy has the same problem with his McLaren!
Morning has broken
We found the local equivalent of Brattleboro’s train tracks yesterday morning: fog horns! Apparently the fog was thick enough for ships in the harbor, er, harbour, to need a little extra navigation help.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 
