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New Zealand (at least Auckland) is plagued with flies. They are everywhere. At first, I thought it was just because our house is a mess, but they are everywhere. Even the middle of the mall is swarmed by flies. As disgusting as it is, the plague has really helped me to improve my reflexes. I'm like a ninja, I can reliably kill flies by swatting them out of the air. Yesterday, I believe I reached the pinnacle of human agility.

I killed 2 flies in one shot.

Interesting Article

I thought this was an intriguing read.

Predictably Irrational

The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions

by Dan Ariely

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
haha, I got to open my presents first

West Coast Coffee

This is where I work, West Coast Coffee. We have two kiosks in Sylvia Park - New Zealand's largest shopping center.



Get this, they serve coffee in real cups! That's not cardboard, and they don't have any lids. Kiwis are strange, no?


The inside of the coffee kiosk.

Advice for Travellers Visiting the US

This is advice from a Japanese travel agency to its customers visiting the States. Conceptions of America are very similar here in N(Zed).

I'm going back to the US for Christmas tomorrow! Yay!

My travel agent has, thoughtfully, seen fit to provide me with a pamphlet of helpful tips to make my overseas travel less of an anxiety-filled social minefield riddled with white people and guns. I got such a kick out of these that I wanted to share. (I picked most of the fun ones. There are a lot of boring tips too.)

* The yen is very strong against the dollar right now. This will make goods in America seem very cheap -- an excellent opportunity for shopping! However, remember to be polite in your use of money -- America is in the middle of economic malaise right now, and Japanese people with wads of money in their hand might be looked on with envy. Besides, if you are obviously wealthy in an American city, you may be robbed.

* For our valued customers who work in the automotive industry [#1 employer where I live], we advise discretion. If you must say where you work, the preferred phrasing is [English] "I work at the car company".

* Most Americans are very polite, particularly outside of the big cities. However, outside of the big cities, everyone owns guns. Inside the big cities, almost everyone owns guns. Let's be polite together!

* If you go shopping at an American department store, they will ask you if you want to open a credit card account. They are *not* asking whether you want to use a credit card. This may seem strange but it is an American custom to offer customers a credit card, in order to make them spend more money. We suggest politely declining offers of credit cards. You may have to politely decline several times. Don't think of this as rude, the Americans have to do it too.

* Most Americans think we look like Chinese or Koreans. Try not to be too offended.

* Most Americans will think that a Japanese person standing on the street is an American, unless they are holding a camera. If you are not comfortable speaking English, you might try bringing along a camera to say "I am a tourist, please don't expect me to speak English." Except, don't try this in the big cities -- tourists get mugged in big cities.

* Americans have a social institution called a "gratuity". Basically, the price on the menu at any place which serves food is not the real price. The real price is 20% higher. You have to calculate 20%, write it under the subtotal, and sum to arrive at the real price. Taxis work the same way. It is considered very rude not to pay the "gratuity".

* In general, Americans consider it impolite to discuss politics. However, this January Obama will become the new president, and many people are excited! If they ask you what you think of him, a safe answer is [English] "Obama is really cool." or [English] "Obama speaks so well. Not like me. Hehe." Be very careful when pronouncing his name. O BA MA, just like Obama City. [Ask me later. Hilarity abounds.]

* Most big cities have Japanese food available. You may have to look hard, though -- ask your hotel for some place to eat tempura. Restaurants which say they serve sushi probably only serve makizushi, like California rolls. (Americans think California rolls are [English] "sushi".) If a restaurant says [English] "Asian" they really mean Chinese. They are probably not really Chinese, either.

* Ladies: if you shop for clothes, ask for where to find [English] "petite". It means normal sized. Ladies who are petite may have difficulty finding clothes which fit in America, except at specialty shops.

* McDonalds: Has no teriyaki burger in America. Portions are bigger and food is cheaper. Sometimes the person taking the order does not speak English. Please relax! They probably understand the set menu, although it is called [English] "combo", and you can hold up the number with your hands as shown. [Snip of chart for how Americans count on their fingers, which is actually different than how Japanese people count on their fingers, hence the need for a chart.]

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish work and start packing. Toothbrush, shirts, camera, bullet-proof vest, wad of monopoly money (many foreigners don't think US currency is real), you know, the bare necessities.

From: ArsTechnica open forums

Fish

I recently discovered that the Pak'n'Save in Sylvia Park (where I work) sells fresh fish. Can you believe that I've been living on an island for months now, and I haven't eaten any fish? Well, as of a couple of weeks ago I am making up for lost time.

These are pacific saury.


Salt Grilled


And served on rice with stir fried bok choy.

Waiheke

A week or so ago we took the ferry to Waiheke Island. It's a 45 minute boat ride away from Auckland. I only brought my crappy camera so please don't judge...


Waiheke

We rented a couple of scooters and spent the day zooming about the island.




It was a lot of fun. Don't tell my mother, but I'm totally getting a motorcycle when I go home.





We left just as the sun set. It made for a lovely ferry ride back home.


I took a number of pictures, they are here.

Sheep

This is me trying to pet the sheep. They kept running away, so I tried to sneak up on them.



I will get you.





That's about as close as I got, we even tried attacking from both sides. They were just too smart for us. Plus, I felt kind of mean chasing them all over the park...



The rest of the Cornwall Park album is here.

Trip to the store.

A typical grocery trip:

We start at the Mad Butcher. I usually buy whatever's on sale that isn't sausage. I hate sausage.


Then I go to the produce store. I buy whatever fruit is cheap, usually oranges and apples (kiwifruit is out of season), and bok choy - my new favourite green vegetable. It's incredibly cheap, and it has a really interesting flavour. It's sort of like cabbage crossed with brussel sprouts and endives. Occasionally I treat myself to some avocados for my infamous guacamole.



Then I head across the parking lot to Countdown for my "other stuff." Usually I top off whatever I'm miss from a list of: pasta, pasta sauce, spicy fruit split muffins, brown rice, canned kidney beans, frozen vegetables, mobile minutes, chips and salsa, and that fruit spirulina smothie-esque drink.

Interesting things about grocery stores in NZ.


They have this weird security feature. The bars only swing one way, I think it's designed to keep overweight people from stealing, as it is quite easy to walk through sideways. Or maybe it's for trolleys...



They sell lots of dried goods and candy in bulk, which I love. Because among the typical bulk dried goods are wasabi peas!


Chips and salsa. Not nearly as popular here unfortunately. No giant jars of salsa, and the bags of chips are rather small... At least they have chicken flavored potato chips.


One of the greatest foods ever. And they are cheap here! When I first moved here, I was on a pack a day.

Rock Writing

The second coolest feature of Cornwall Park is the field of rock graffiti.





I felt compelled to contribute. The K was already there, but we improved it with the biggest rocks we could find. It cost me a several days of sun-induced suffering, but that K will last.

One Tree Hill

Towering above Cornwall Park is the 182m volcano called One Tree Hill.



On the summit of the hill is the grave of Sir John Logan Campbell surmounted by an obelisk. The obelisk was constructed in accordance with the wishes and provisions in John Campbell's will to commemorate his admiration for the Māori people. Before it stands a bronze statue of a Māori warrior. The stone obelisk was completed by 1940 – the centennial year of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi but the unveiling of the obelisk was delayed until 24 April 1948, after World War II was over, in keeping with Māori custom of not holding such ceremonies during a time of bloodshed.






When Auckland was founded as a colonial town a tree stood near the summit which gave the hill its English name. Two accounts identify it as a pohutukawa (metrosideros excelsa). This tree was cut down by a white settler in 1852, in an act of vandalism in one account,[citation needed] or for firewood in another.[2] It seems likely this was a different tree from the totara (podocarpus totara) which, as a sacred tree, had given the hill one of its Maori names. A radiata pine was planted in the 1870s to replace the previous totara.[10] John Logan Campbell repeatedly tried to grow native trees on the hill's summit, but the trees failed to survive - with only two pines, originally part of a shelter belt for the native trees, surviving for long. However, in the 1960, one of the two was felled in another attack,[2] possibly for firewood.[citation needed]



What's left of the One Tree.

The remaining tree was later attacked twice with chainsaws by Māori protesters (partly because it was not a native New Zealand species and thus considered an insult). The first attack happened on 28 October 1994, the anniversary of the 1835 Declaration of Independence.[11] A second attack on 5 October 2000[12] left the tree unable to recover even though substantial efforts were made, and so it was removed due to the risk of it collapsing.[2] The chainsaw used in the first attack was later placed on sale on popular New Zealand auction site, TradeMe in 2007,[13] but later withdrawn by the website after complaints and a poll of users. It was later listed on eBay.[14]

Partly due to uncertainty as to what species of tree should be replanted (a new pine or a tree native to New Zealand), the summit stands empty at the moment, except for the obelisk. A new nickname, "N(one) Tree Hill", soon became popular. Plans are ongoing to plant a grove of pohutukawa and totara trees at the summit, but concerns by local iwi over Treaty of Waitangi claims have so far prevented any actual planting.[15] The Council also had to remove repeated illegal plantings, usually of pohutukawa, over the last years.[16]

The view from the top is incredible.






This should look familiar - Remuera, home.


A kiwi in its native habitat!


A cool tree.



A monument.

Cornwall Park

I went to Cornwall Park/One Tree Hill a week or so ago with my kiwi friend Liz. It's a huge park just outside of downtown Auckland with sheep, cows, and a big obelisk on a hill. I think this picture sums it up best.

Cornwall Park is the legacy of Sir John Logan Campbell. Originally the land was a farm owned by him on the outskirts of Auckland. Upon his return from Italy in the 1880s he intended to build a great family residence on the slopes of the hill (where the current tearooms are) and planted many trees including olives on the slopes. Eventually he constructed a house closer to town (the land is now part of the Parnell Rose gardens). By about 1900 he realised that Auckland's suburbs were spreading at an alarming rate and he decided to leave the Greenlane property to the city as a park. Parts of the park, about 120 hectares (296.5 acres), are still run as a farm today, providing Aucklanders with access to an example of rural life in the heart of the city.^[5] The park was designed by the landscape architect Austin Strong and is based on Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.^[6][7]

The park lies on the slopes of One Tree Hill.

Campbell initially intended the name to be Corinth Park after the noted region in Greece. It received the name Cornwall Park because of the Royal visit to Australia and New Zealand in 1901 by the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V & Queen Mary). John Logan Campbell was asked to be honorary Mayor of Auckland during the visits, and he took the opportunity to gift the park to the people of New Zealand and asked that it be called Cornwall Park. In return he was knighted.

Acacia Cottage

Cornwall Park is home to Acacia Cottage, one of the earliest surviving timber buildings in New Zealand, and also the oldest extant in Auckland. Built in 1841, it was originally the home of William Brown and John Logan Campbell and located behind their store. It was relocated in 1920 from its original location off Shortland Street, in what is now the heart of the CBD of Auckland City. In 1956 moved again within the park to a more prominent location. It is listed as a 'Category I' site by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.^[8]

I don't think that's Acacia Cottage.

Stardome Observatory

The Stardome Observatory (previously known as Auckland Observatory), is also located within Cornwall Park, and contains two telescopes and a planetarium. The observatory has, amongst other research, discovered and named the asteroid 19620 Auckland. Its current functions combine entertainment and education (via the planetarium and via public access to the older telescope) as well as ongoing research with both telescopes. It is operated by a charitable trust.

-Wikipedia FTW (but the pictures are mine)

The end.

This is the door from the shower/bathroom to the kitchen and Taylor's room.

The Kitchen.

Taylor's room.

Roadtrip

I found this video, so I'm going to take a detour from the tour of our flat and show you what driving is like in rural New Zealand (which is about 90% of NZ).

This was filmed in the Waipoua Forest, the place with the giant kauri trees that I took pictures of a couple of months ago.

Chez Moi

Through the portal our paths diverge, straight ahead through the front door (to the right of above) is....

My room! This former living room/den has been converted into a comfortably messy bedroom. Once a staircase, The Ledge has become my combination bed, dresser, and desk. In case you were wondering that is my water bottle you see there next to my laptop. Glass tastes better.

The road more traveled by leads to the shower, the kitchen, and beyond.

The door you saw in picture number 1 is just out sight in this photo. This is our bathroom/laundry room/kitchen sink (since our kitchen sink is eternally clogged...something to do with tile grout apparently). Not for the faint of heart...