Our first rugby match.

Craig:

The guys at my job love to give me grief about American football.  They think it is a joke.  Apparently it lacks the brutality and physical angst of rugby.  "Gridiron is for pansies... they wear pads!" is a popular comeback to any of my attempts to defend American football.  So last night Bridget and I had the chance to go see our first rugby match.  We wanted to go see what all the fuss was about.

We went with a friend from my work, Heath, who grew up in Hawke's Bay.  He was especially excited to go because it was his local Hawke's Bay team that was playing in the match versus the local Canterbury team.  Hawkes Bay Magpies vs. Canterbury Crusaders.  The Magpie is a great mascot I have to say.  The game started with a quick Canerbury try to put them out in front early.  (Here is a link to some rules and terminology of rugby: http://www.activenewzealand.com/rugby-rules.php )  Canterbury ended up scoring one more try in the half and did not show signs of weakness as they won the match 17-3.  Although the team we were going far did not win, it was a good showcase of all that rugby has to offer.  I think my co-workers are correct.  Rugby is a very tough sport.  The hits and tackles are very similar to American football, but they do not have pads on.  I would not last a minute in a rugby match with my body type. 

The rugby atmosphere is very cool but no different I think than any other sport.  Loud, drunk, rowdy fans are a regular scene at rugby matches, but I dont' think that is any different than American football games.  The opposing team's fans usually travel very well and generally will make their presense known.  Some rowdy Hawke's Bay fans sang the classic "Ole`" song pretty much the entire match. 

The halftime events were very cool as well.  They first had a zorbing race around some obstacles on the field which was very entertaining.  A zorb is basically an inflatable hamster ball that you propel by running in.  They also shot rugby balls at people dressed in Tui (a NZ beer) beer cans with a automatic machine (similar to a pitching machine for baseball).  The contestant had to catch the ball coming at them while dressed in a beer can costume... very funny! 

First half action

The halftime zorb race

Second half action

(The other side of the stadium looks empty because it is... that is new construction for the 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand.  Our side of the stadium was packed)

All in all, our first rugby experience was very fun.  Was it fun enough to make us forget about good old American football?  I don't think so for now.  Football stills holds a little place in both of our hearts!  Go Noles and Go Skers!

They grow up so fast!

Craig:

So when the main mode of transportation is your own two feet, you walk everywhere.  Walking everywhere affords you the ability to really take in all of your surroundings.  We have been in Christchurch for about four weeks now and we have walked along the same route many times.  One neat thing that we have noticed since day one was the abundance of ducks along the little river our walking route follows.  One such duck group has caught our special attention.  This group of interest is two ducks that just had a little baby duck (a duckling I suppose).  When we first saw them, the duckling was tiny and could barely swim or walk.  It was funny to watch because the current was too strong for the duckling and it was not able to keep up with the mom.  The mom would "quack" sternly as if to say... "keep up!"  Every walk past the river now included a stop to check in on the duckling's progress.  We have become so fond of watching this family that we have named them (Alfred, Henrietta, and little Teddy...pretty dorky names).  About a week ago, we walked by and did not see our duck friends and thought maybe the pressures of city life had proven too much for them.  Maybe they wanted to raise their duckling out in the suburbs where their duckling would be sheltered from all of the drunks, prostitutes, and deliquents?  But a day later our duck family returned to the same stretch of quiet and shaded riverbank.  Maybe they just took a vacation with the little one?  It was good to see them back again. 

And today, as I was walking down to the library I stopped to get a picture of our friends only to find them being harrassed by a stroller toting mom with toddler in tow.  I wanted to stop and tell the toddler to stop chasing my duck friend but thought better of it and viewed the chase from a distance.  Apparently this child was unaware of the importance of bread in a duck chase.  I was happy to see little Teddy maneuvering in between the bushes and grass clumps to avoid the toddler's grasp.  Little Teddy finally joined his parents in the river where he was safe from the little hands and the inevitable poor handling and petting.  I was very proud of him and smiled a little.  They grow up so fast.

Little Teddy is the fur ball by the black duck (Alfred)

Taylors Mistake

Bridget:

Yesterday was New Zealand’s Labour Day. Somehow, Craig and I both managed to find ourselves with the day off, so we were finally able to get out and do some sightseeing. We headed to the coast to do a short hike around the cliffs leading to a little beach called Taylors Mistake, a quiet beach nestled in between the mountains but still a popular spot among surfers. (Update:  I recently came across this on another NZ blog:  "I read somewhere that Taylors Mistake (Maori name "Te Onepoto") was named after Captain Taylor who mistook the little bay to be an entrance to Lyttleton Harbour or possibly Sumner Bay.")

We hopped on the bus to Sumner and then walked along the boardwalk or “promenade” to the Scarborough Beach area and on up the mountain. The trail follows the edge of the cliffs taking in some stunning views of the coast and spring wildflowers, then leads down to the small beach of Taylors Mistake.

View Larger Map

We were lucky with the weather…the forecast was calling for a cold front and rain, but that didn’t hit Christchurch until around 5 or 6 that night.   Most of the day it was sunny and around 13 degrees C which would be somewhere in the 50s F.  Here are a few pics from the trip:

Scarborough Beach and Bachs (Holiday Homes)

The view of Sumner looking back down from the first climb

Beautiful Cliffs

Wildflowers called “Pride of Madeira” -  we saw these everywhere along the trail.

View from the top of Scarborough Walk

(Taylors Mistake is tucked away just beyond the first cliff).

Wildlife!!! 

Ok, not really...the trail actually leads through someone's backyard who raises donkeys.  There is a gate and sign on either side of the property asking you to please shut the gate after passing through to keep the "stock" in.

A few quaint beach homes at Taylors Mistake.

Beautiful beach at Taylors Mistake.

Gorgeous wildflowers spotting the hills.

Craig and I on the "tramp" back.

A few surfers (in wetsuits, of course) catching waves at Scarborough Beach.

H-I-R-E-D

Bridget:

Hooray for jobs! Craig and I are now both officially employed in New Zealand. I have to say that the process of getting a job here is much different than in the States. Not only do most employers see you for an interview but then have you come in for a “trial run” where you basically have a couple hours to “show them what you can do.” Some places will interview you, do the trial run, and just when you think you’ve got the job……nothing. No phone call, no email, no nothing. Granted, being an American, most New Zealand employers know you will only be here for a short period of time, so that makes the process a bit trickier as well.

So, what are these jobs we landed? Well, Craig is mowing lawns for city parks, rugby fields, and cricket fields for Rangiora, a smaller town about a 30-45 min. drive north of Christchurch. He's got great hours, working Monday - Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and pretty decent pay. It's a long commute, but hey, it's a job. He is also working with some authentic New Zealand "good 'ole boys" who have been doing the same job for many, many years. Needless to say, he's been getting quite the Kiwi education so far.

I finally landed a chef job at a restaurant about a five minute walk from my house, so I'm pretty stoked about the ridiculously short commute. They have me doing the "larder" station, which we call "garde manger" in the States. Simply put, it means I'm in charge of all cold foods, like salads, appetizers (which they call entrees), and any garnish or part of the plate presentation that gets a cold food. They also have me learning prep, breakfast, and the other stations, which is fantastic for getting experience in the culinary world. So far so good...I love the restaurant and the people I work with are super friendly and helpful. I think the hardest part so far has been learning to understand their accent and slang, which there is a lot of. Even though Kiwis speak English, there are so many things they call a different name. My first night, the sous chef asked me if I wanted "curry for tea?" I politely said no, but thought to myself, "gross...who would ever put curry spice in your hot tea?" After seeing how perplexed I was, they realized what I was thinking and informed me that tea means dinner. So yes, I did have curry for tea that night (after the laughter died down), and it was delicious. :)

Five Little Reasons to Love New Zealand

Bridget:

So over the past week or so, Craig and I have been relentless in our search to find jobs. Until that happens, we have been trying to spend as little money as possible, in order to not deplete our funds too much without gaining any money back. What does that mean? Well, it means we eat ramen noodles, lots of vegetables, and peanut butter sandwiches. It means we rent $1 DVDs from the library instead of going out for $7 pints or dinner and a movie for our nighttime entertainment. It means we actually use the home phone. It means we have been getting our exercise! We walk to the store, the library, job interviews, etc. (we even took two trips and walked with bags on our backs to our new home on "moving day"). Most of all, it means we have had plenty of time to get acquainted with all the small things that make this culture different from ours. Yes, yes, they speak the same language, drive similar vehicles, and have mobile phones, just like most Americans do. However, the slight differences are what remind you that you are in a different country. So, I'd like to highlight just a few of the everyday things that Craig and I have found to be different, but very, very cool:

Number 5: The Electric Tea Kettle

Just fill it up, plug it in, and you have boiling hot water within about 60 seconds flat. A must for all that hot tea we've been drinking. "When in Rome..."


Number 4: A Fireplace (that we actually use)

Since most homes here do not have central AC or heating, and the nights can be quite cold, a usable fireplace is a must. Of course, the old house we are sharing only has one working fireplace located in the "lounge" or living room as we call it. Naturally, this is where Craig and I spent most of our time, burning log after log, and trying to warm up with all that hot tea. It's also fun to watch Craig chop firewood.

Number 3: Required Recycling

That's right...it's required, at least in our neighborhood. The yellow bin is for recylables (you don't even have to sort them), the red is for "rubbish," and the green is for organics.

Number 2: The NetGuard Secure Internet Banking Card

In order to access your bank account online, not only must you pass the account number and password test, but then you must take out your NetGuard card and input the correct letters for the randomly selected coordinates...just like playing Battleship. Everyone's card is different, and don't worry...this was just an example card. :)

Number 1: Creamed Honey

Perfect for spreading on toast, peanut butter sandwiches, or for melting in all that hot tea. I've died and gone to sweet honey heaven.

First week in NZ

Craig:

So after months and months of planning and eagerly anticipating the day, we finally got on a plane, flew about 21 hours, and landed in Wellington, NZ. Most of the first day was spent getting bank accounts, tax numbers, and visa papers in order but we did leave some time for a little bit of sight seeing. Wellington is situated in a bay with small mountains and hills surrounding it so it kind of looks like a bowl. We took the cable car up to the top of one of the hills to get a great view of the city.
The Wellington Botanical Gardens also sit atop this hill so we decided to stroll through those as well. The gardens were very colorful and we just happened to be there when all of their tulips were blooming. There was bed after bed of tulips...yellow, red, orange, purple, black, and white.

On the way back down we stopped at Old St. Paul's Church which is one of the oldest churches in Wellington. It is famous for all of the local timber that was used in its construction.

We also spent a couple hours in Wellington's most famous museum, Te Papa Tongarewa. It is a six-level national museum that highlights the NZ culture, history, wildlife, and geology.


After walking through most of the city we decided that we would rather start our job hunt in another city, so we bought ferry and train tickets down to Christchurch, NZ. We left on the ferry early Friday morning on the 3 hour trip to the South Island. The ferry goes right through the Marlborough Sounds which are a series of mountainous islands at the tip of the South Island.


We got off the ferry in Picton and boarded the Tranzcoastal train down to Christchurch. The train ride took about 6 hours but was packed with non stop beautiful views. The tracks run first through the Marlborough region which is the main wine producing area on the South Island. We passed by vineyard after vineyard of what I would guess was Sauvignon Blanc, which is what the region is known for. The train then followed the coast for about 3 hours with beautiful views of the ocean on your left and views of the Kaikoura mountain range on your right. The following picture was taken at the Kaikoura train station with the beach and mountains only steps away.


We got into Christchurch late and found our hostel. We went to bed early with the intention of hitting the flat and job hunt hard the next day.

We found a flat to stay in rather quickly. Here is the googlemaps street view link to our new living arrangement.

click here

The job hunt is a little more difficult and is still in full swing.

Week one went well. Hopefully week two will go the same.