Well, the drive from Auckland to Taupo's reign at the top of my list of favorite stretches of road lasted all but two days. After a lovely three-hour ferry ride from Wellington to Picton, I was South Island Drivin'. And, oh my goodness!
First, let's start with your basic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, with lush pine forests. Next, overlay the meadows with a patchwork quilt of hundreds upon hundreds of rows of grapevines. Then, for good measure, sprinkle in a few wide-open, verdant, rolling fields, dotted with little puffs of white grazing sheep. This landscape then slowly morphs into one of towering volcanic-rock slopes covered in dense tropical forests, with the odd waterfall poking through every now and again. Oh, and did I mention all of this was just what was on the right side of the road? To my left there was the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, crashing ashore no more than 15 meters away.
I only drove 160kms today, as my destination for the evening wasn't too far south. That being Kaikoura. You see it's Thursday, and Thursday night in Kaikoura means trivia night at The Whaler. You know me and my love for trivia. I'll look in and see if I can find Kim and his buddies. Maybe they'll let me join their trivia-night team, The Big Wakas. If I find 'em, Katy, I'll be sure to tell 'em you say "hello."
And now for some Scattershooting.
Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Scott Fletcher. Here are some more random thoughts, observations, and general whatnot.
-It seems the defacto uniform of the European backpacker is a Che Guevara T-shirt. I've hardly gone a day without spotting several. I find it amusing, however, to know that intrepid capitalists the world over have for years made a mint off selling t-shirts emblazoned with the image of the iconic communist revolutionary.
-I need a thesaurus. I think I've used "defacto" in my last three or four entries.
-I spotted some fresh road kill, and an even fresher center stripe, on the highway yesterday. The striping crew, apparently uninterested in removing the carcass, simply painted a bright yellow stripe across its back.
-My cap is adjustable. I wear it at two different "settings." Up to the fourth little peg for everyday wear, and up to the third peg under high-wind conditions such as for the Auckland Harbour Bridge climb and the Wellington to Picton ferry. It gives me a headache, but it keeps my cap from flying off.
-On the afore-mentioned bridge climb, our guide pointed out the navy base and said the following: "So there's our navy base. As you can see, it's empty. BOTH our ships must be out at the moment. We'll cross our fingers that Fiji doesn't use this opportunity to invade."
-Shaving no more than once a week has done wonders for eliminating the in-grown hairs that have plagued me since puberty. The down side is that my beard has never been full enough for me to have that cool unshaven look. Rather, most of the time I just look like a scruffy homeless person, which, technically, I guess I am.
-Is there another word for thesaurus?
Cheers!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
On the road again
And by "again" I mean for the first time--excluding my epic 22km journey to Albany (northern suburd of Auckland) a couple of weeks ago.
After installing a third new second-hand engine, the garage finally got my Chariot back in working order. The first engine was the wrong kind. Oops. The second had a stuck ring on one of the cylinders that, despite all efforts, absolutely refused to budge. Try again. Well, third time's a charm I guess.
Loaded up this afternoon and said goodbye to my most gracious hosts: Andrew (the guy I did some work for a few weeks ago); his domestic partner, Andres; and their English Bull Terrier, Martha. Hit the road by 5:00pm, destination Taupo, some 320km away. Would the Rattler (still my Chariot's name even though she's sans rattle now) make it all the way? Hell, would the Rattler make it 5km? She performed like a champ I'm happy to say. We cruised along at a leisurely 100 and enjoyed the drive. And what a drive it was--WOW! Absolutely gorgeous! Prettiest drive I've ever done. Even prettier than Highway 149 in Colorado, which, until today had been my favorite stretch of road. And to top off the evening, when I arrived in Taupo and stopped in for dinner and a beer at a local bar, The Everley Brothers were playing on the juke box. I smiled inwardly (and outwardly, for that matter) that the first music I heard on my first NZ road trip (The Rattler has no radio) was the defacto soundtrack from EVERY roadtrip my family took to Colorado when I was a kid. "He's a dog. Oh what a dog." Great memories. Love you, Mom!
Some of the things I saw on my drive:
-The actual end of a rainbow. Alas, no pot of gold.
-My father's name all over the place, relatively speaking. I'll explain. My dad's name is Leighton. Not a very common name to be sure, and it's not often one comes across it. Well, how about three times in 24 hrs? Not four blocks from Andrew and Andres' house I crossed Leighton Street. Then, not twenty minutes later, I passed a road construction contractor truck with the name Leighton Works written right on the side. These two sightings came on the heels of meeting an actual Leighton (one of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Climb guides) not 24 hrs before. Weird huh? Love you too, Dad!
-More pine trees than I've ever seen in East Texas.
-A cemetary built on the side of a hill--coolest looking cemetary ever. Hundreds of headstones dotting a pretty steep incline.
-Beautiful rolling hills that only lacked Julie Andrews spinning through them.
-A town, Tirau, that prides itself on being the Corrugated Metal Capital of Central North Island. I'm not making that up. They have a sign that proudly proclaims that very thing at the entrance to their little burg. Burg? Berg? Burgh? I don't know.
-And just a rough estimate, but about 47,582 dairy cows.
Looking forward to an equally leisurely, and hopefully as beautiful, drive tomorrow. Destination: Wellington.
Cheers!
100kph is only 62mph for those of you thinking I was lead-footing it down the highway.
After installing a third new second-hand engine, the garage finally got my Chariot back in working order. The first engine was the wrong kind. Oops. The second had a stuck ring on one of the cylinders that, despite all efforts, absolutely refused to budge. Try again. Well, third time's a charm I guess.
Loaded up this afternoon and said goodbye to my most gracious hosts: Andrew (the guy I did some work for a few weeks ago); his domestic partner, Andres; and their English Bull Terrier, Martha. Hit the road by 5:00pm, destination Taupo, some 320km away. Would the Rattler (still my Chariot's name even though she's sans rattle now) make it all the way? Hell, would the Rattler make it 5km? She performed like a champ I'm happy to say. We cruised along at a leisurely 100 and enjoyed the drive. And what a drive it was--WOW! Absolutely gorgeous! Prettiest drive I've ever done. Even prettier than Highway 149 in Colorado, which, until today had been my favorite stretch of road. And to top off the evening, when I arrived in Taupo and stopped in for dinner and a beer at a local bar, The Everley Brothers were playing on the juke box. I smiled inwardly (and outwardly, for that matter) that the first music I heard on my first NZ road trip (The Rattler has no radio) was the defacto soundtrack from EVERY roadtrip my family took to Colorado when I was a kid. "He's a dog. Oh what a dog." Great memories. Love you, Mom!
Some of the things I saw on my drive:
-The actual end of a rainbow. Alas, no pot of gold.
-My father's name all over the place, relatively speaking. I'll explain. My dad's name is Leighton. Not a very common name to be sure, and it's not often one comes across it. Well, how about three times in 24 hrs? Not four blocks from Andrew and Andres' house I crossed Leighton Street. Then, not twenty minutes later, I passed a road construction contractor truck with the name Leighton Works written right on the side. These two sightings came on the heels of meeting an actual Leighton (one of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Climb guides) not 24 hrs before. Weird huh? Love you too, Dad!
-More pine trees than I've ever seen in East Texas.
-A cemetary built on the side of a hill--coolest looking cemetary ever. Hundreds of headstones dotting a pretty steep incline.
-Beautiful rolling hills that only lacked Julie Andrews spinning through them.
-A town, Tirau, that prides itself on being the Corrugated Metal Capital of Central North Island. I'm not making that up. They have a sign that proudly proclaims that very thing at the entrance to their little burg. Burg? Berg? Burgh? I don't know.
-And just a rough estimate, but about 47,582 dairy cows.
Looking forward to an equally leisurely, and hopefully as beautiful, drive tomorrow. Destination: Wellington.
Cheers!
100kph is only 62mph for those of you thinking I was lead-footing it down the highway.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wide world of sport (part 3)
Today we're going to talk about (imagine this next line in Keith Jackson's voice, or in Brent Musburger's if you must) "the granddaddy of them all" when it comes to sport in New Zealand. I am of course talking about Rugby.
Rugby is pretty much the defacto national religion in New Zealand. And, in my opinion, it's not too difficult to understand the appeal. While I'm not clear on all of the rules, and have a difficult time understanding all the little intricacies of it's play, rugby is an incredibly fun sport to watch. It's fast-paced and really violent. What's not to love?
A little history.
Rugby started back in England in the 1800s at where else? Rugby School. It's seems one spirited young footballer decided to pick up the football and run with it--ingenious! Over a period of time rules were written governing all aspects of the new sport's play. Then a schism (didn't I tell you it was like a religion) in 1895 seperated the game into two different codes of play: Rugby Union and Rugby League. Both still in existence today.
Of the two, at least in New Zealand, Rugby Union is far and away the most popular. Rugby League is played mostly around the Aukland area, as the country's lone professional team, The Warriors, are based there. The Warriors play in Australia's National Rugby League, and they are the only non Aussie team to do so. The Warriors get little attention in New Zealand in comparison to their Rugby Union counterparts, of which there are five professional teams: the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Highlanders. These five teams play in what's known as the Super 14 Union, along with five teams from South Africa and four from Australia. The Super 14 is like the NFL of this part of the world. I went to a preseason match, between the Auckland Blues and the Otago Highlanders, a couple of weeks ago with my new friends Brooke and Aaron, and it was so much fun. I've also watched two other matches on telly at local pubs, and I have to say I'm getting hooked!
The All Blacks
From the five local Super 14 squads, the best of the best are called on to be All Blacks! The All Blacks are New Zealand's National Team. If Rugby is the national religion in NZ, then the All Blacks are its gods. They are easily the biggest celebrities in this country. One guy in particular: Dan Carter. The fellas love Dan Carter because he's considered by many to be the best rugby player in the world. The ladies love Dan Carter because he's really really dreamy, or so I've been told. He apparently does underwear ads for Calvin Klein if that tells you anything.
Their name. Back in the late 1890s, when they were first formed, their uniforms were...can you guess? That's right: green and purple. NO! They were all black, silly. The unofficial moniker stuck and has since become their official name, complete with trademark and copyright protections. I didn't get expressed written consent for this blog entry, so shhhh. Amusingly, New Zealand national teams in most other sports have also adopted all black uniforms and play off of the All Blacks' name. The national field hockey team: The Black Sticks. The national cricket team: The Black Caps. The national junior rugby team: The Small Blacks. And, my favorite, the national basketball team: The Tall Blacks.
The season. All Black play gets underway at the conclusion of the Super 14 Series, sometime in June I believe. Annual matches include play for the Bledisloe Cup against the Australian Nation Team, The Wallabes; and the Tri-Nations Series, against the Wallabes again as well as the South African National Team, The Springboks. Just like the All Blacks, the Wallabes and the Springboks are composed of the best of the best from Australia's and South Africa's Super 14 squads. Think of it as if the NFL had teams from three different regions and each region had its own all-star team. The All Blacks also host matches against several European teams and go on a European tour as well. This year, I believe the All Blacks are hosting matches against France, Italy, and Scotland. One thing I absolutely want to do while I'm here is to see an All Blacks game in person. I'd really like to see them play France--those cheese eating surrender monkeys!
The Haka. Perhaps what the All Blacks are most famous for is their pregame ritual, the Haka. Hakas are traditional war dances originally performed by the indigenous Maori people. The All Blacks perform the Haka known as Ka Mate, and it is a sight to behold. Do a YouTube search with the words All Blacks and Haka and see for yourself. It's pretty intimidating if you ask me, which is precisely the point. It's performed right before the match directly in front of the opposing team, and meant specifically to intimidate them, thus giving our heroes the psychological advantage. I can't imagine standing ten yards in front of such a display without my knees absolutely turning to jelly.
Rugby is pretty much the defacto national religion in New Zealand. And, in my opinion, it's not too difficult to understand the appeal. While I'm not clear on all of the rules, and have a difficult time understanding all the little intricacies of it's play, rugby is an incredibly fun sport to watch. It's fast-paced and really violent. What's not to love?
A little history.
Rugby started back in England in the 1800s at where else? Rugby School. It's seems one spirited young footballer decided to pick up the football and run with it--ingenious! Over a period of time rules were written governing all aspects of the new sport's play. Then a schism (didn't I tell you it was like a religion) in 1895 seperated the game into two different codes of play: Rugby Union and Rugby League. Both still in existence today.
Of the two, at least in New Zealand, Rugby Union is far and away the most popular. Rugby League is played mostly around the Aukland area, as the country's lone professional team, The Warriors, are based there. The Warriors play in Australia's National Rugby League, and they are the only non Aussie team to do so. The Warriors get little attention in New Zealand in comparison to their Rugby Union counterparts, of which there are five professional teams: the Blues, Chiefs, Crusaders, Hurricanes, and Highlanders. These five teams play in what's known as the Super 14 Union, along with five teams from South Africa and four from Australia. The Super 14 is like the NFL of this part of the world. I went to a preseason match, between the Auckland Blues and the Otago Highlanders, a couple of weeks ago with my new friends Brooke and Aaron, and it was so much fun. I've also watched two other matches on telly at local pubs, and I have to say I'm getting hooked!
The All Blacks
From the five local Super 14 squads, the best of the best are called on to be All Blacks! The All Blacks are New Zealand's National Team. If Rugby is the national religion in NZ, then the All Blacks are its gods. They are easily the biggest celebrities in this country. One guy in particular: Dan Carter. The fellas love Dan Carter because he's considered by many to be the best rugby player in the world. The ladies love Dan Carter because he's really really dreamy, or so I've been told. He apparently does underwear ads for Calvin Klein if that tells you anything.
Their name. Back in the late 1890s, when they were first formed, their uniforms were...can you guess? That's right: green and purple. NO! They were all black, silly. The unofficial moniker stuck and has since become their official name, complete with trademark and copyright protections. I didn't get expressed written consent for this blog entry, so shhhh. Amusingly, New Zealand national teams in most other sports have also adopted all black uniforms and play off of the All Blacks' name. The national field hockey team: The Black Sticks. The national cricket team: The Black Caps. The national junior rugby team: The Small Blacks. And, my favorite, the national basketball team: The Tall Blacks.
The season. All Black play gets underway at the conclusion of the Super 14 Series, sometime in June I believe. Annual matches include play for the Bledisloe Cup against the Australian Nation Team, The Wallabes; and the Tri-Nations Series, against the Wallabes again as well as the South African National Team, The Springboks. Just like the All Blacks, the Wallabes and the Springboks are composed of the best of the best from Australia's and South Africa's Super 14 squads. Think of it as if the NFL had teams from three different regions and each region had its own all-star team. The All Blacks also host matches against several European teams and go on a European tour as well. This year, I believe the All Blacks are hosting matches against France, Italy, and Scotland. One thing I absolutely want to do while I'm here is to see an All Blacks game in person. I'd really like to see them play France--those cheese eating surrender monkeys!
The Haka. Perhaps what the All Blacks are most famous for is their pregame ritual, the Haka. Hakas are traditional war dances originally performed by the indigenous Maori people. The All Blacks perform the Haka known as Ka Mate, and it is a sight to behold. Do a YouTube search with the words All Blacks and Haka and see for yourself. It's pretty intimidating if you ask me, which is precisely the point. It's performed right before the match directly in front of the opposing team, and meant specifically to intimidate them, thus giving our heroes the psychological advantage. I can't imagine standing ten yards in front of such a display without my knees absolutely turning to jelly.
Hope all your rucks and scrums go your way.
Cheers!
Cheers!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Auckland's best
After spending close to a month in Auckland, I've come to know the city rather well. And before I leave, I thought I'd spend a few minutes and compile a list of Auckland's best. Enjoy.
-Best burger: The Hamburghini w/ cheese from Burger Fuel on Queen Street.
-Best meal value: Tie. Bolliwood Cafe on Ponsonby Street: all curries just $10 every day at lunch. And, Father Ted's Irish Pub on Wellesley Street: $15 steak dinner on Monday nights--the steak was juicy, tender and about the size of your head.
-Best sushi: Yummy Sushi on Victoria Street. Their sign don't lie--it was yummy!
-Best kebab: Shesh Besh Mediteranian Cafe on Ponsonby Street.
-Best way to watch a movie: At Sky Cinemas Gold Class Theater--plush leather recliners and waiters to bring you your choice of premium beers.
-Best way to spend an afternoon: Tie. Taste of Waiheke Island winery tour: 40 minute ferry ride out to the island, followed by a bus tour that stops at three wineries and an olive grove. Taste three wines at each winery (along with a couple of beers at the second one) and an olive oil tasting at the olive grove. And, Sail NZ Adventure. Two-hour cruise around the bay in an America's Cup-class racing yacht. Work the grinders to raise the sails, take your turn at the helm, and then sit back enjoy a great afternoon out on the water.
-Best gelato: This one you can absolutely take to the bank. I make it a point to stop at each and every gelato place I encounter and sample the fare. Having tasted the gelato from at least eight different places, I can say that Valentino's on the Quay is hand's down, no question about it, the best gelato in town!
-Best place to spot a whole herd? flock? school? pride? (not sure of the proper group name) of transvestite prostitutes: Karangahape Road Overbridge after dark. Yikes!
-Best place to find a used car: Trademe.co.nz (New Zealand's version of craigslist). Learned this one the hard way by going to the Backpacker's Car Market. Buying a car off someone who's about to leave the country is probably not the best option. Live and learn, huh?
-Best Walk: a meandering one through the Auckland Domain nature park all the way to the Auckland Natural History and War Memorial Museum. And tour the Museum once you get there.
-Best street performer: There are dozens of people on various street corners that perform for pocket change. Most sing or play some sort of instrument--from the harmonica to the banjo. But one girl, who according to her cardboard sign was the something or other school's chess champion in 2006, has a board set up right on the sidewalk and offers to play free games of six-minute speed chess with anyone willing to give it a go. This inevitably draws a crowd and she only asks that those who stop and watch give a buck or two. I gladly gave her five one day after watching her dispatch an overly confident and quite smug challenger in something like six moves.
If you ever find yourself in Auckland, feel free to use this list as a guide, or better yet, just have fun compiling your own "best" list!
Cheers
-Best burger: The Hamburghini w/ cheese from Burger Fuel on Queen Street.
-Best meal value: Tie. Bolliwood Cafe on Ponsonby Street: all curries just $10 every day at lunch. And, Father Ted's Irish Pub on Wellesley Street: $15 steak dinner on Monday nights--the steak was juicy, tender and about the size of your head.
-Best sushi: Yummy Sushi on Victoria Street. Their sign don't lie--it was yummy!
-Best kebab: Shesh Besh Mediteranian Cafe on Ponsonby Street.
-Best way to watch a movie: At Sky Cinemas Gold Class Theater--plush leather recliners and waiters to bring you your choice of premium beers.
-Best way to spend an afternoon: Tie. Taste of Waiheke Island winery tour: 40 minute ferry ride out to the island, followed by a bus tour that stops at three wineries and an olive grove. Taste three wines at each winery (along with a couple of beers at the second one) and an olive oil tasting at the olive grove. And, Sail NZ Adventure. Two-hour cruise around the bay in an America's Cup-class racing yacht. Work the grinders to raise the sails, take your turn at the helm, and then sit back enjoy a great afternoon out on the water.
-Best gelato: This one you can absolutely take to the bank. I make it a point to stop at each and every gelato place I encounter and sample the fare. Having tasted the gelato from at least eight different places, I can say that Valentino's on the Quay is hand's down, no question about it, the best gelato in town!
-Best place to spot a whole herd? flock? school? pride? (not sure of the proper group name) of transvestite prostitutes: Karangahape Road Overbridge after dark. Yikes!
-Best place to find a used car: Trademe.co.nz (New Zealand's version of craigslist). Learned this one the hard way by going to the Backpacker's Car Market. Buying a car off someone who's about to leave the country is probably not the best option. Live and learn, huh?
-Best Walk: a meandering one through the Auckland Domain nature park all the way to the Auckland Natural History and War Memorial Museum. And tour the Museum once you get there.
-Best street performer: There are dozens of people on various street corners that perform for pocket change. Most sing or play some sort of instrument--from the harmonica to the banjo. But one girl, who according to her cardboard sign was the something or other school's chess champion in 2006, has a board set up right on the sidewalk and offers to play free games of six-minute speed chess with anyone willing to give it a go. This inevitably draws a crowd and she only asks that those who stop and watch give a buck or two. I gladly gave her five one day after watching her dispatch an overly confident and quite smug challenger in something like six moves.
If you ever find yourself in Auckland, feel free to use this list as a guide, or better yet, just have fun compiling your own "best" list!
Cheers
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wide world of sport (part 2)
Today we're going to talk about Cricket.
Cricket is a ridiculously overly-complicated sport, a version of which can have games that last for up to five days. There are wickets and bowlers and innings and overs and batters (who can score centuries--100 runs in a single at bat) and about 2,679 names for the different fielding positions. You can win by runs, unless you win by wickets. You can retire the batting side by getting them all out, unless you retire them without getting them all out. You can bowl as many overs as you want, as long as you don't bowl two in a row. Like I said, ridiculously overly-complicated. The New Zealand national team (lovingly refered to as the Black Caps) recently played a best of some odd number series with Australia. I read the writeup in the New Zealand Herald after the series to see who had won. I read the entire article and tried to decifer the box scores as best I could, but I still had no idea who won. The article was indeed written in English, but the words seemed to be arranged in nonsensical ways that made absolutely no sense. See for yourself. Here's an except from the article:
New Zealand were a cautious 27 for two after five overs, but then Neil Broom and McCullum took 16 off one Hilfenhaus over. That included a blistering McCullum six over cover which replays showed bounced just short of the rope.
The pair added 61 off eight overs, Broom hitting 36 off 26 before he skied one, leaving McCullum as the anchor.
The required rate climbed, and a two-run over from Hilfenhaus left New Zealand needing a steep 55 off the last five.
Stand-in Australian captain Brad Haddin batted first on winning the toss on an overcast, cool night and labelled 160 as a par total.
Captain Daniel Vettori led the way for his new-look New Zealand side to keep Australia to 150 for seven, taking one for 23 off four overs and two excellent outfield catches.
Say what?!?
After spending about an hour on Wikipedia trying to learn about this silly silly game, I went back and re-read the article. It still didn't make a whole heckuva lot of sense, but at least I was able to determine that Australia won the series. Better luck next time, Black Caps.
May all your wickets be sticky, dear readers. Or not sticky. Whichever way is the good way.
Cheers!
Cricket is a ridiculously overly-complicated sport, a version of which can have games that last for up to five days. There are wickets and bowlers and innings and overs and batters (who can score centuries--100 runs in a single at bat) and about 2,679 names for the different fielding positions. You can win by runs, unless you win by wickets. You can retire the batting side by getting them all out, unless you retire them without getting them all out. You can bowl as many overs as you want, as long as you don't bowl two in a row. Like I said, ridiculously overly-complicated. The New Zealand national team (lovingly refered to as the Black Caps) recently played a best of some odd number series with Australia. I read the writeup in the New Zealand Herald after the series to see who had won. I read the entire article and tried to decifer the box scores as best I could, but I still had no idea who won. The article was indeed written in English, but the words seemed to be arranged in nonsensical ways that made absolutely no sense. See for yourself. Here's an except from the article:
New Zealand were a cautious 27 for two after five overs, but then Neil Broom and McCullum took 16 off one Hilfenhaus over. That included a blistering McCullum six over cover which replays showed bounced just short of the rope.
The pair added 61 off eight overs, Broom hitting 36 off 26 before he skied one, leaving McCullum as the anchor.
The required rate climbed, and a two-run over from Hilfenhaus left New Zealand needing a steep 55 off the last five.
Stand-in Australian captain Brad Haddin batted first on winning the toss on an overcast, cool night and labelled 160 as a par total.
Captain Daniel Vettori led the way for his new-look New Zealand side to keep Australia to 150 for seven, taking one for 23 off four overs and two excellent outfield catches.
Say what?!?
After spending about an hour on Wikipedia trying to learn about this silly silly game, I went back and re-read the article. It still didn't make a whole heckuva lot of sense, but at least I was able to determine that Australia won the series. Better luck next time, Black Caps.
May all your wickets be sticky, dear readers. Or not sticky. Whichever way is the good way.
Cheers!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Scattershooting
Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Kurt Rambis. More random thoughts, observations, and learnings:
-Cargo shorts are fan-frickin-tastic! So handy!
-Fully one third of the population of New Zealand lives in Auckland. 'The city with the second most Kiwis in it?,' you ask: Sydney, Australia.
-I got stopped on the street the other day and asked directions by an obvious tourist who was obviously lost. I not only knew exactly where she was trying to go and how to get there, I escorted her the seven or so blocks myself.
-My new favorite soda is one of the local varieties. It's called Lemon & Paeroa, or L&P for short. The closest thing I can compare it to from the States is Squirt. I not only like its taste, but I appreciate their company's sense of humor. Their tag line reads: "World famous in New Zealand."
-Frosty Floats from Wendy's are fan-frickin-tastic! So tasty!
-Do you remember those old 7-Up commercials from the 80's? The 'Feels so Good Coming Down' ones, where it was always raining even though the sun was shining? It's rained like that four or five times since I've been here. It's quite refreshing.
-I wish ipod ear buds were just a little smaller. They hurt my ears.
-I've read my first (and last) James Patterson novel--atrocious.
-Atrocious is my new favorite word.
-I saw the following on a sign above the door at an Irish pub: "May you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead."
-You know how sometimes a step or a curb isn't quite as high as you first thought and when you step off your foot hits the ground much sooner than you expect it to? That's the worst!
-In a country where people drive on the left-hand side of the road, it's critically important as a pedestrian to remember to look to your RIGHT first when crossing the street. I cannot stress this enough.
Cheers!
-Cargo shorts are fan-frickin-tastic! So handy!
-Fully one third of the population of New Zealand lives in Auckland. 'The city with the second most Kiwis in it?,' you ask: Sydney, Australia.
-I got stopped on the street the other day and asked directions by an obvious tourist who was obviously lost. I not only knew exactly where she was trying to go and how to get there, I escorted her the seven or so blocks myself.
-My new favorite soda is one of the local varieties. It's called Lemon & Paeroa, or L&P for short. The closest thing I can compare it to from the States is Squirt. I not only like its taste, but I appreciate their company's sense of humor. Their tag line reads: "World famous in New Zealand."
-Frosty Floats from Wendy's are fan-frickin-tastic! So tasty!
-Do you remember those old 7-Up commercials from the 80's? The 'Feels so Good Coming Down' ones, where it was always raining even though the sun was shining? It's rained like that four or five times since I've been here. It's quite refreshing.
-I wish ipod ear buds were just a little smaller. They hurt my ears.
-I've read my first (and last) James Patterson novel--atrocious.
-Atrocious is my new favorite word.
-I saw the following on a sign above the door at an Irish pub: "May you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows you're dead."
-You know how sometimes a step or a curb isn't quite as high as you first thought and when you step off your foot hits the ground much sooner than you expect it to? That's the worst!
-In a country where people drive on the left-hand side of the road, it's critically important as a pedestrian to remember to look to your RIGHT first when crossing the street. I cannot stress this enough.
Cheers!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wide world of sport (part 1)
When it comes to sports...err I mean sport in New Zealand, you can sum it up in three words: sailing, cricket, and of course rugby. And like Metallica says, 'nothin else matters.'
This will be the first of a three-part series looking into sport. Today we'll talk about sailing.
I happened to arrive in Auckland (The City of Sails, as it were) during the inaugural 'Louis Vitton Pacific Series' regatta. An upstart event, but featuring the absolute best of the best sailing teams from around the globe nonetheless--including current America's Cup holders (and the Kiwi's arch rivals): Team Alinghi from Switzerland. Which of course begs the question: how is it that a land-locked country in the middle of Europe has the best sailing team in the world? But I digress. After eight days of racing, all comers had been properly dispatched by the two favorites, and the finals were set: the Kiwis vs. the Swiss. It really couldn't have been scripted any other way. I mean these two teams are the bitterest of rivals. Think Texas/OU or Cowboys/Redskins. Well, the winds ultimately favored the home crew, and the Kiwis put down the hated Swiss 3-1 in the best of five final series. And there was much rejoicing!
Interesting note: Did you know that sailing crews don't use the same boat for every race? There are simply two boats available, and the teams draw before each race to see which team will use which boat. For this regatta the boats were NZL89 and NZL91--supposedly the two newest, fastest, most high-tech America's Cup-class racing yachts in the world.
Two of their predecessor boats, NZL40 and NZL41 (both having raced in past America's Cup regattas) are available year round in Auckland's harbour for bookings. Picked up a brochure on it today. They say you can "Take the helm, exert energy on the grinders, or simply sit back and enjoy the ride." I'd absolutely love to do this before I put Auckland in my rear-view mirror. I mean how many people can say they've sailed in an actual America's Cup racing yacht? Well seeing as how it looks like I'll be here another few days while my car gets a new second-hand engine (how's that for an oxymoron?) installed, I'm gonna go tomorrow and sign up for a sail around the bay! Starboard is right and port is left, right?
Cheers!
This will be the first of a three-part series looking into sport. Today we'll talk about sailing.
I happened to arrive in Auckland (The City of Sails, as it were) during the inaugural 'Louis Vitton Pacific Series' regatta. An upstart event, but featuring the absolute best of the best sailing teams from around the globe nonetheless--including current America's Cup holders (and the Kiwi's arch rivals): Team Alinghi from Switzerland. Which of course begs the question: how is it that a land-locked country in the middle of Europe has the best sailing team in the world? But I digress. After eight days of racing, all comers had been properly dispatched by the two favorites, and the finals were set: the Kiwis vs. the Swiss. It really couldn't have been scripted any other way. I mean these two teams are the bitterest of rivals. Think Texas/OU or Cowboys/Redskins. Well, the winds ultimately favored the home crew, and the Kiwis put down the hated Swiss 3-1 in the best of five final series. And there was much rejoicing!
Interesting note: Did you know that sailing crews don't use the same boat for every race? There are simply two boats available, and the teams draw before each race to see which team will use which boat. For this regatta the boats were NZL89 and NZL91--supposedly the two newest, fastest, most high-tech America's Cup-class racing yachts in the world.
Two of their predecessor boats, NZL40 and NZL41 (both having raced in past America's Cup regattas) are available year round in Auckland's harbour for bookings. Picked up a brochure on it today. They say you can "Take the helm, exert energy on the grinders, or simply sit back and enjoy the ride." I'd absolutely love to do this before I put Auckland in my rear-view mirror. I mean how many people can say they've sailed in an actual America's Cup racing yacht? Well seeing as how it looks like I'll be here another few days while my car gets a new second-hand engine (how's that for an oxymoron?) installed, I'm gonna go tomorrow and sign up for a sail around the bay! Starboard is right and port is left, right?
Cheers!
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