Here we are!

I am here! I am here in the first country in the world to see the rising sun each day, the first country to give women the right to vote, and a country that is 100% nuclear free despite its production of the scientist who first split an atom. Auckland also happens to be a city that can sustain flora from just about any region you could want. We've seen wisteria in full bloom beside palm trees beside blossoming cherry trees planted near sidewalks lined with kauri trees and gardens of yucca and camellias. The trees in the city parks are ginormous and people just walk past them as though it were completely normal to have thousand year old trees lining your path.

Maggie and I finally arrived in the city around noon on Friday after many hours in the air. We had to land in Christchurch because of fog in Auckland, then wait, then fly back to Auckland. Maggie and I embarrassed ourselves with a minor panic about how we would now have to reschedule everything to now start on the South Island, forgetting that Qantas OBVIOUSLY can not just leave us in Christchurch. We weren't thinking clearly.

After we got into the city we found our hostel and spent the entire day wandering around, forcing ourselves to stay awake until a reasonable bed time. We made it until 8:30. We found the International Exchange Program office, which we thought would be like a desk with brochures, but turns out it is a really nice office with tons of computers and bulletin boards and people to help you figure out where to go. It was absolutely teeming with young travelers, none of whom were American, and it seems like it will be really helpful. It's great to feel like you have a place to go where someone will actually help you. Though most everyone we've encountered has been really friendly. Especially a bank teller who changed money for us, but also told us about every cell phone company, every bank, every internet cafe, etc. The people in line were not as thrilled with our friendly helper as we were, but we were glad to have him.

The hostel that we are staying in right now is kind of like a creepy youth club farm. That doesn't make sense. So it is right in the center of downtown on the hipster cool shopping street, in a high rise that seems really nice. But it is completely geared toward being young and cool and wanting to stay out late and drink a lot and see party-auckland. Maggie and I are in a small room with 6 boys that smells like a small space with 6 boys. We haven't met all of them yet, but we did wake all of them up when we got up at 6:30 this morning after a great 10 hour sleep. (As you can imagine, none of them were there when we went to bed at 8:30.) We were unimpressed with one a few minutes ago who told us that he has been here for 3 months and worked 2 days, but now lost his job and just took a "boring road trip." Hm. The others seem perfectly nice, but we spent much of the morning scouting out a new hostel for tomorrow. And we found a great one, outside of the city center with a sweet French man running it who let us make the reservation on a promise, since we didn't have a phone number, address, or money to give him. We're looking forward to the move.

So far we've found 2 music guardian angels. The first was yesterday, when we passed a man playing a banjo, the second was at a farmer's market this morning when a guy was playing the guitar and singing James Taylor. Oh, I forgot about our third! We also found a group of Hare Krishnas dancing their way down the street. Maggie was so excited by our find that she started giggling and dancing and singing with them. It was sweet as pie.

Maggie keeps forgetting that this is not West Africa, so everytime we buy something she is really suspicious and demands to know the return policy. She just bought minutes to top up her cell phone and the clerk was really confused when she asked about a return policy since they just give you a receipt with a serial number. When he said there isn't one she almost yelled, "well then will you put the minutes on my phone right now?!" I pulled her away as the man promised that it would work. Hope it works.

This morning we found a farmer's market and bought apples, oranges, bread, cheese, and a pastry. I also found God in a container of homemade olives, sundried tomatoes, feta and olive oil that we bought from an Israeli man. If it wasn't perfection it was remarkably close. We've walked everywhere, which feels great. So far the cheapest food we've found is Subway, which is a disappointment indeed. Oh! Except for dinner last night we were wandering and found a little booth on a corner surrounded by Asian people who turned out to be Korean, buying Korean pancakes. Maggie and I bought veggie pancakes that tasted infinitely better than they sound. Turns out, Korean pancakes are delicious! They even had a sign on the booth stating that "for health reasons they only use olive oil or grapseed oil." And they are even cheaper than Subway.

We think the plan for now is to hang out in Auckland long enough to figure out our car situation, then head to a farm about 20 minutes outside of the city to stay with a couple named Gilly and Greg who sound perfectly wonderful in their emails. After that, we are thinking of heading to the South Island until summer peaks in the North. But who knows what will really happen.

Hope everyone of you is happy.

REF