Taking It Easy

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Our second day in New Zealand was pretty low-key, as we were were still all recovering from the long trip. We spent most of the day at the motel pool, letting Ronan splash around. We're getting to know the innkeeper, Kris (who's a transplant from Canada), his wife Tracy (a native Kiwi), and their two sons Aidan (8) and Luke (5). Kris' mother Gwen (visiting from Canada) was hanging out with the kids with us at the pool for much of the day, helping Sherry referee the action in the pool. Ro is still hesitant to get in water over his head because he hasn't learned to swim yet, but we plan to remedy that soon given the ample opportunity for swimming this summer. The other kids don't seem to understand much of what Ronan says, and vice versa, probably because their Kiwi accent is very thick. Or, should I say, because Ro's American accent is very thick!

Ronan enjoying the pool

Our motel's web link: http://www.cocomo.co.nz/index.htm

Ronan is adjusting well, and although he says he misses his dog, he's already started calling the motel room "home." There are a few quirks to living here that we've had to get used to. Mark has found nothing but cricket, soccer and the Australian Open on TV as far as sports are concerned. He's looking forward to rugby season (the New Zealand All-Blacks are one of the premier teams in the world), and anxiously hoping the Super Bowl will be available on TV here. He starts his work orientation on Monday; hopefully it won't last too long since the game will start at what will be noon on Monday here! Ronan has had to learn to take showers, since there's no tub, but he seems to enjoy them, happily sitting on the floor of the shower playing with the hotel soaps as if they were ships at sea...lol. The different food is probably the biggest adjustment for him, but we're trying to ease him into it gradually. Sherry wishes there was an oven, but there is a microwave and a two-burner range. The fridge is just big enough for a few essentials, like milk, cheese, and Steinlager. Storage space is at a minimum, so our winter clothes remain in our suitcases. The handles on all the doors are set much higher than in America (?a child safety feature?), and none of us are enamored with the separate faucets for hot and cold water in the bathroom, which merely ensure that you get to wash your face with ice cold or scalding hot water. There's a laundry room with just a washer on site, but we dry our clothes on the line out back.

Our living room

Our kitchenette

Driving has been a big adjustment, as well. Of course, they drive on the left here, like in England. Most major intersections seem to be traffic circles. Mark is having to get used to judging distance on the left side of the car, as the driver sits on the right. But the biggest driving adjustment has been trying to avoid turning on the windshield wipers when he wants to use the turn signal - they're on opposite sides of the steering wheel from American cars.

The weather here is absolutely delightful. Tauranga and the region it's in (the Bay of Plenty) is the sunniest spot in the whole country. We've had our windows open the whole time we've been here. Most homes don't have (or need) AC here. There aren't even any screens on the windows, as bugs don't seem to be much of an issue. The hospital, the park, and the grocery store are all within easy walking distance, but the beach is about a 10 minute drive. We may try to move closer when we switch to our next residence.

Since we've been used to short winter days, we've underestimated how late it's been in the evenings. We walked to the store to pick up what we needed for dinner around 7:30 tonight, and didn't eat until 9. Sherry made an admirably good spaghetti dinner considering the limited kitchen facilities, and we're polishing off a great bottle of local Pinot Noir as Mark writes this. Hope to get out and start earnestly exploring Tauranga tomorrow.