Away at the Beach

Nothing much of interest happened in the first half of last week and because of ANZAC Day (Public Holiday kind of like Remembrance Day in the UK) being on Thursday 25th we only worked the first three days.  As the better half's birthday also falls on ANZAC Day it means she always gets it as a day off.  We made the most of this and both took Friday off work so we could get away for a couple of nights.

It turned out we picked a fantastic time to head to the beach as the sun shone all weekend.  We drove out to the East Coast and a tiny settlement called Castlepoint.  Apparently it was one of the first places Captain Cook saw when he came to New Zealand and he named it for the enormous rock.  It was an idyllic spot and we stayed two nights in a little cottage 100m from the beach.  As there is no land between the East Coast of NZ and South America (unless in the thousands of miles of empty ocean you're lucky enough to hit Easter Island) the sea can be a touch wild.  The water is also chilled by a southerly current and I only ventured in once (that was enough).  We instead went for some great walks along the beach and up "the rock", relaxed at the cafe and pub, read books and generally chilled out.  Whilst there we were treated to clear skies and a full moon rising over the lighthouse - a truly magical sight.

On the Saturday we drove back to Wellington via a place called Matakona Beach.   We only stopped there to see some strange geological formations along the beach.  Something to do with different sediment layers being eroded I think.  It looks completely surreal.  We also stopped for another short walk at Rewanui Forest Park.  Once again, in beautiful sunshine, we followed a well marked trail through native bush and enjoyed some close encounters with native birds.  One particular Fantail flitted around us for about 5 minutes but must have been camera shy and  it wouldn't stay still for more than about 2 seconds.  I am pleased to say on this occasion the walk took less time than predicted and there is no epic tale of wilderness survival to tell.

What was strange was the sensation of disappointment leaving the coast and the sea to go home, only to realise that we were heading back to a house which overlooked the sea.  Still can't quite get used to that.  Back in Wellington on Sunday I made use of this fact and went sailing again.  With winds gusting 35 knots it was a wet, choppy and exhilarating ride.  I have now made my mind up to sign onto a crew for the winter series racing which starts in June (can't wait).

So, until the next instalment...

We're Still Here!

Firstly I need to apologise for the lack of blog over the last two and a half weeks.  This was due to a number of factors.  For nearly a whole week of this time I only had intermittent internet connection (for still unknown reasons).  When I rang my service provider they essentially ran me through a set of possible issues, all of which I had already discounted before calling them.  The technical helpdesk at the (unnamed for fear of libel action) service provider was also unable to help. Their closing comment was, "Well it's not a fault at our end so we can't help you."  I eventually remedied the problem and restored internet access through a mixture of magic and inspiration from my family I.T. helpdesk - you know who you are.

The second reason for the absence of waffling loquaciousness (it that a tautology?) on my part is work.  I have now completed three weeks at the regional council as an Environmental Protection Officer.  Most of that time has been spent trying to get my body adjusted to a regular eating and sleeping pattern, and getting my brain adjusted to training, learning and application of this to a new job.  I have enjoyed it immensely so far.  It is a friendly place to work and the team I am on has been very patient with me.  This week I had my first three days on call and have been doing site visits by myself.  It's a little scary but I am relishing the challenge.

With so much of the days being taken up with work (and so much of the evenings taken up shouting at the computer and trying to coerce it into behaving) There has not been a great deal of time for much else.  The Wellington winter has started to creep in and it has rained almost every day for the last week with the temperatures steadily falling.  New Zealand, for the most part, has not embraced the space-age concept of central heating.  Therefore, we have had to invest in a number of electric heaters which we are trying to hold off switching on until it really gets cold.  In amongst the rain, and the cold, we did manage a day trip out to a place called Makara Beach on the coast to the north-east of Wellington.  We did a beautiful walk along cliff tops then back along the foreshore (and we only got rained on once for about ten minutes).

I have managed to get out sailing on Wellington Harbour for a couple of hours the last two Sunday afternoons.  I even persuaded the better half to come along on one trip (she didn't get wet so I count it a successful adventure).  I'm now searching for a place on a yacht crew for the winter racing series.  I have also been getting down to the local climbing centre a bit more and am slowly building back up the finger strength and making a few friend to climb with.  The other half (even as I write this) is looking for horses to ride.  She has had offers from quite a few horse owners and hopefully will be able to find something to suit her.

Last Saturday night we were invited along to a "Murder Mystery" dinner at my team leaders house.  There were sixteen guests in all and the whole evening was based around 1940's Casablanca.  Everyone had been given characters and had to dress in appropriate 1940's style clothing (no I don't have any photographs). With food and wine helping us along we got into the spirit of it.  By the end of the evening, with all the clues, alibis and evidence presented, we all had to name our suspects.  We all got it wrong (it wasn't the gardener in the library with frozen haggis) but it was good fun anyway.

I can't think of any other news or items of note (this is the issue with not blogging regularly).  I will do my best not to leave so long between updates next time.  I will leave you with a photograph of one of the many animals which have decided, in the worsening weather, to crawl into our house.  This one (a 70mm long Tree Weta) made its way into the laundry basket and had to be forcibly evicted.

Bush Trials

So the process of settling in to life in New Zealand continues.  I started work for Greater Wellington Regional Council last Monday and had the luxury of only working a four day week.  So far, so good at work.  The team and managers are very friendly and helpful.  I still haven't got my head around exactly what I will be doing day to day and have a steep learning curve ahead of me.  Each day brought new questions and an ever growing list of information that I need to know.  The best experience so far was on Tuesday when I got sent on a induction day to the Wairarapa to meet various workers from different departments of the organisation.  The day showed me very nicely how I fitted into the bigger picture (plus I got a tour of the district and a fish & chip lunch).

This Easter weekend the better half and I decided to do some exploring of the area so we headed off on a mini road trip.  Friday we headed north up the Kapiti Coast then through Manawatu Gorge near Palmerston North.  Having missed out on equine activity for nearly two months we had booked on a short ride with rural horse trekking company.  By lunch time we were mounted on Blacky and Buddy and riding through bush, farmland and rivers on the edge of the Tararua Mountains with Cameron, our guide.  It was a relaxing way to see the countryside and the weather (as it has mostly been since we arrived in NZ) was perfect.  We did have one iffy moment when, having emerged from fording the river, unexpectedly and without warning, Blacky decided to roll in the sand, still with saddle and rider on.  Thankfully, the better half scrambled clear as he went down (not sure I would have been so quick) and horse and rider were okay.  Following our ride we had a late picnic lunch and headed to Palmerston North for the night.

    

Saturday we had a relatively lazy day and after a late, delicious and very large breakfast in a cafe in Palmerston drove back through Manawatu Gorge and into the Wairarapa region.  The Manawatu Gorge is a "water gap" (geological term apparently) and was formed as the two mountain ranges, Ruahine and Tararua, were raised under the existing river, which continued to erode through them.  It is also unusual as a river which completely crosses a dividing range.  We spent quite a while exploring little country roads (and in some cases the word road is used loosely) eventually ending up at Pukaha - The National Wildlife Centre.  Pukaha has a collection of rare New Zealand birds and has a big captive breeding programme, releasing birds in its own reserve and others around the country.   The big attraction is a extremely rare white Kiwi (apparently not an albino but still a genetic anomaly). They also have Hihi (Stitchbirds), Kakahi (parakeet), Takahe (an extremely rare water fowl) and Tuatara.  There was a pleasant walk through the native bush with aviaries housing rare endemic species and other wild birds all around.  For our lunch at their cafe we were joined by a Kaka (a bush parrot) who was completely fearless and sat on the back of the chair next to us looking longingly at our food.

    

In the afternoon we drove on to Martinborough, again via some little gravel tracks (which Scooby, the car, handled with ease), and to our B & B for Saturday night.  Martinborough is the wine centre for the Wairarapa and we will definitely be returning to tour the vineyards.  At the B & B, set on the outskirts of the village amongst dairy farms and vineyards,  we received the usual friendly Kiwi welcome. The evening was spent with the locals in the pub, cheering, and drinking, the Hurricanes (Wellington rugby team) to victory.

Sunday was to be an epic day (not necessarily in a good way).   I had picked out a walk in the Waiohine Gorge area to explore some pristine bush in the Tararua Mountains.   Following a delicious breakfast (including home made feta cheese scones) we drove, again along gravel tracks, into the gorge and to the start of the walk.  I had planned a 4hr walk which was roughly an equilateral triangle on the map (each side being 3-4km).  We crossed the 50m long "swing" bridge high over the gorge and headed up hill into the bush.  After approximately an hour of climbing through native forest the path levelled off and the rain set in.  It was not particularly heavy so we pressed on.  Sure enough after 2hrs we reached the first apex of my triangle and the highest point of the walk.  It was still raining but, having done what I thought was all the ascent, we carried on.

    

 

I won't go into detail over the rest of the walk but suffice to say it took a total of 7hrs to complete our bush trial. The rain was persistent throughout, the second side of the triangle was barely a path with stream crossings (swollen with rain water), the gentle descent was actually many short steep up and downs (contours on maps lie) and the third side of the triangle involved wading across a raging torrent that passed for a stream on the map (good job the temperature was relatively warm). The most amazing thing was that we came across other people on the same route - who also believed it was only a 4hr walk. Suffice to say we were elated to get back to the car (damp and exhausted) and drive back to home, sweet home, Wellington.

Pinnacles, lighthouses, seals and Scooby.

I write this sitting in our living room doors to the balcony open, sun streaming in, view of the hills beyond and a gentle breeze blowing.  Last weekend we didn't have any of this.  For the first time since we arrived in New Zealand we had proper rain.  Sunday it was howling a gale and drizzling constantly.  Overnight for the next couple of days we had proper downpours.  Despite this, not enough rain has yet fallen to bring us out of drought and we still have water shortages and hosepipe bans.

Thankfully, before the rain set in last weekend we got up to Lower Hutt (just north of Wellington City) to a road lined, from one end to the other, with car dealerships.  We spent most of Saturday gazing at our reflections in shiny bonnets, test driving various makes and models, and generally trying to work out what cars we could afford.  In the end we didn't buy on Saturday but looked at some private sales through the start of the week.  This resulted in a new addition to the household  - "Scooby" (A Subaru Forester 2.5x - for those who are interested.)

With the weather so variable this week we had to wait until the weekend for a decent walk. On Saturday we headed out to the Putangirua Pinnacles near Cape Palliser for a walk with some of the better half's work mates.  It turned into a beautiful day.  We had to drive there over the Rimutaka Mountains (great windy mountain road through native bush) and then head through the Wairarapa (lovely rolling meadows and vineyards) to the coast.

    

 

For the geologists, the pinnacles are an example of sedimentary deposit over an alluvial fan which has then been eroded by streams and rivers to form "hoodoos" or badlands.  The erosion happens very quickly (in geological terms) and the oldest pinnacles are reckoned to be 125,000 years old and the youngest approximately 7,000 years old.  It was a great walk through a surreal landscape (which was also used during the filming of Lord of the Rings - prizes to those who know which scenes it was in!)

We finished off the day with a quick drive down to the Cape Palliser light house, a look at some of the seals basking on the rocks and an icecream.  There was supposed to be a rock pool with hundreds of pups but we couldn't find it so had to make do with some grumpy males and their long suffering harems.  The day gave us a sample of the ease with which we could get out into rural New Zealand and hopefully we will be able to do more at Easter weekend.

    

The Adventure Continues

So last time I started by saying I didn't have much to report then rambled on for five paragraphs. This time there is actually some proper news but I'll come to that after I have attempted to bore you with other scribblings.

On Monday this week I finally made it to a climbing centre. Two hours later I realised over six weeks without climbing had left me with weakened fingers as I repeatedly fell off climbs I felt sure I should be able to do. (They do say use it or lose it.) Looks like I will have to start re-training for when all my climbing friends come to visit. The good thing was the centre was reasonable and the staff very friendly. I then, on Thursday, got to try out the second climbing centre in Wellington (this time with other people to climb with). This too had reasonable facilities and friendly staff. It also had the added advantage of being half the distance from home. I was still falling off repeatedly though. Must try harder!

So to the big news of the week. After the job interview last Friday I received a follow up phone call asking if they could contact my referees. I was then invited back for a second interview on Wednesday. This "interview" turned out to be an informal chat with the manager in a cafe over a cup of coffee. They obviously weren't put off by my description of myself as "mental" and I have been offered the job. I am therefore due to start as an Environmental Protection Officer for Greater Wellington Regional Council on the 25th March. Scary!

Today I got out for a good walk - 15kms or so through the Te Kopahou Reserve (which is the area on the opposite side of the valley from our house). I walked up to a radar dome on the ridge through an area that was burnt in a scrub fire two weeks ago. Once up on the ridge I then headed through the reserve and down to the coast, then along the beach and back home. It turned out to be a very windy day (Wellington living up to its nickname) and despite the sun it was quite chilly. The forecast had said winds of 30-40kph but down on the sea front, with the funnelling (or maybe katabatic) effects of the steep coastline, there were gusts of 70kph+. It was actually difficult to walk and I was periodically covered in grit, sand and sea spray. All in all it was best described as invigorating and I did get some great views over the reserve and Wellington from the ridge tops.

I'll leave you with some pictures from the walk (there is a full album on Facetube)

 

Mental!

There is not a huge amount to report from this week.  Following on from the previous week the majority of my efforts have gone into trying to secure gainful employment.  Before I come to the job interview saga I'll round up on the rest of the weeks events.

The house is slowly filling up with furniture.  Wednesday our lounge suite arrived and on Saturday we received a washing machine and an unexpected television (given to us free by a colleague of the better half who had upgraded).  This, of course, means we can now waste our evenings, slumped on the sofa, watching re-runs of naff English and American TV shows. (This is marginally better than watching the TV made in NZ which makes Hollyoaks and Channel 5 feel sophisticated.)  It also means we will have a choice of clean clothes again.  The, admittedly limited, number of items we packed had dwindled to very few clothing choices and partial nudity was looking a real possibility by the middle of next week.

In amongst all this I was offered an interview for a job as an Environmental Protection Officer for Greater Wellington Regional Council.  They called me to tell me this on Wednesday and the interview was on Friday.  Cue a hectic Thursday of a) tidying up my appearance, b) getting my head in gear for an interview, c) checking, re-checking and triple checking the bus timetable, d) frantically wracking my poor brain for good examples to back up the skills and experience I claimed to possess on my CV.

It all worked out, I made the interview on time (actually I made it early and went to a cafe for a soothing green tea to calm my nerves),  the panel were very friendly and I remembered most of what I had revised to say.  I actually quite enjoyed the experience (I'm really not a masochist).  My only moment of slight panic was when I opened my mouth without first thinking and answered the question, "How would your former colleagues describe you in one word?", with "Mental!".  Thankfully, the interviewers laughed and I did get a chance to explain that this was due to my predilection for hanging off the side of mountains.  They seemed generally impressed (not just with the fact I was mental) and promised me a call next week.  Fingers firmly crossed.

         

After the excitement for me on Friday, and a busy week at work for the better half, we have had a very relaxing weekend.  Saturday was spent chilling out, enjoying our balcony and  a good book (there may have been a few bottles of beer as well).  Today we went for a short walk through the Tawa Tawa Reserve and up to the Powhenua (Maori boundary marker).  We had planned something slightly longer but the onset of a sore throat and sniffles for the other half meant we chose a shorter route.  We enjoyed the sun, fresh air and some good bird watching.  Now we are relaxing with yet more time on the balcony and maybe another beer in the sun.

One month on

So it has now been over a month since we touched down in the Land of the Long White Cloud.  It seems like a long time ago I wrote about that moment.  We have achieved a huge amount in that time.  The blur in which a month has gone by is in stark contrast to the leisurely pace at which the last week has passed.   We are slowly adding furniture, kitchenware, bathroomware and other essentials.  Whilst the better half dutifully goes to work each morning I have followed a daily routine of job searching and applications, walks and runs, and trips to go shopping for much needed essentials.

Those of you who are following me on Facetube or Twaddle will have noticed the fairly constant stream of photographs and status updates over the last week.  For the rest of you here is a summary of roughly what we have been up to.

Saturday 23rd Feb -  The day was spent in various homeware and furniture stores across Wellington.  Money was spent, arguments over the colour of a toilet brush were had,  but in the end the bulk of essentials for our house were purchased.  We spent the evening on our balcony relaxing on our new wicker chairs enjoying a well deserved, and much welcome, beer.

 

Sunday 24th Feb - More of the same trawling of shops for essential items that didn't make it onto Saturday's list. Followed by a walk along the coastline close to the house to try and grab some relaxation time before the better half had to return to work on Monday.

 

 

    

   

Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th Feb - Job hunting, filling in applications, unpacking (there are still items in suitcases), shopping for odds and ends.

 

Wednesday 27th Feb - Having spent two days writing, refining, rewriting, proof reading, checking, rechecking and actually submitting job applications, I gave myself a day off and went for a long walk.  Now for the history lesson.  In 1840 the New Zealand Company (who were running Wellington) thoughtfully set aside an area of land surrounding the settlement for "public use".  This became known as the town belt.  Approximately 70% of it still remains and although the modern city limits are well outside this belt, it provides vast green areas in the midst of the the modern city.  The walk I did follows the town belt from Island Bay (home) right into the heart of the city through various parks and reserves.   Thirteen kilometres of marked paths mostly keeping off the roads.  They thoughtfully provide you with a topographical profile of the route which shows that despite the high point being less than 200 metres above sea level the total ascent and descent is over 1000 metres.  All good fun, lots of interesting birds, plants and views - a fantastic walk.

 

    

    

  

Thursday 28th Feb - The hottest day we have had since we arrived.  No wind either (very unusual).  I returned to the routine of job applications whilst the better half was at work. In the evening we took a wander along the beach front and had dinner, al fresco, at a fantastic little cafe overlooking the sea.  Note to self - on days without wind in the summer don't forget the mosquito repellent.

 

Friday 1st March - More of the same job hunting/application refinement.  The bonus of the day was we finally got our phone line and broadband installed.  We finished the day with a tasty meal and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate one month in New Zealand and one week in our new home.

Saturday 2nd March - Off to a seminar organised by Settlement Services Wellington called Welly 101.  Lots of useful information for migrants and we got to meet loads of people in the same boat as us.  We also manged to find time to spend a couple of hours in Te Papa Museum (the National Museum) and to drop in on a furniture store and order a sofa.

Sunday 3rd March - What else would we do on a Sunday but go to watch some cricket.  Specifically, Wellington Firebirds v Auckland Aces in the Ford Trophy One Day Series.  The Basin Reserve will host the second England v Blackcaps test later in March.  It definitely does not feel like an international venue as one whole side of the ground is just a grassy bank (very comfortable though).  It was a fantastically relaxing day despite a nail-bitingly close match. Wellington lost though - Auckland needed 4 off the final ball of the innings and Kyle Mills, in style, hit a six back over the bowlers head.

So that brings us up to date.  The better half is at work, I am trawling more job websites and this week's routine is underway.  Apologies if I have waffled on, but there was a lot to catch up on.  Writing this is as much a form of therapy for the chaos in my mind as it is to entertain and inform the reader. I know it is a fine line between interesting and mundane.  I'm just not sure where the line is.    I shall, in future, endeavour to hover somewhere in the region of quite interesting.