Part 4 - A Few Tips on New Zealand
A few tips about New Zealand…
Finally…after many days of hopelessly waiting, we have found an internet connection. I will now be able to make regular updates, as opposed to the quick/pathetic “sorry for no updates” update. Let me catch you up on what we've been doing these past few weeks… Nerding Out
That's right. To all my fellow Tolkien nerds out there: Wellington, New Zealand was the location of all three premiers of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. These premiers took place at the Embassy theater, just a walk away from where we are currently residing.
In all of New Zealand's grace, the Embassy theater decided to play the trilogy, 1 movie per Sunday, all the way through March. So, you know that Jayme and I, I turned my wife into a Tolkien nerd..muhahaha, we just had to check this out. It's everything we ever thought it would be. The theater is decked out with the greatest of sound systems, as well as some very comfortable seats. I was sure to sit in the labeled seats of all the cast members…y'know, just because…I thought…the movie was pretty good. Mt. Victoria
As discussed earlier, Jayme and I walked up to and back from Mt. Victoria. This, needless to say, was quite a walk. As stated in a previous post, the sun went KFC on me and toasted me to a nice, fine crisp.
Accommodations
I believe I discussed this earlier, but I'll state it again for effect. If you are wanting to find decent accommodations in Wellington, you better get ready for some stiff competition. Early mornings, busy signals, and a lot of money… this is their world. Just be prepared. Get a paper, find a phone, and bring it to 'em. 'Nuff said. Air conditioning seems a bit non-existent here. That's doable, it doesn't get very hot here anyway. However, central heat is non-existent as well. So, we figure that in the winter they'll be a few electric blankets covering our apartment. Traveling
Jayme and I are very comfortable with our decision not to buy a car. Car prices are fairly reasonable here (Gas/Petro prices are of course very high), but in Wellington, you can pretty much walk anywhere. Not to say that a car wouldn't have been nice on our self-toasting trip to Mt. Victoria, but for the most part it is not needed.
Prices
My favorite subject (check the sarcasm). The prices in New Zealand….are high. Jayme and I have found that the best way to go is raw foods. No, I'm not talking sushi…I'm talking fruits and veggies. Don't buy these from the Supermarket however…wait until Sunday, when the lovely farmer's market arrives. The farmer's market remains pretty much the only thing cheap we've found. Get a juicer…wait till Sunday…and vegg out. Books are very pricey as well. Being both heavy readers, Jayme and I have taken quite the liking to the Wellington Central Library. 3 stories of reading goodness await you in that beautiful building.
Office Supplies are ridiculous. Being a productivity ninja (in training), I require a bit more office supplies than the average joe—however, I'm having to revamp my system a bit. Prepare yourself if your a GTD nut like me.
(My wife told me to write this part) Feminine products are very expensive. Consider bringing a year's supply or so. Next…?
Broadband
We've decided to go with Orcon for our Broadband goodness. We've heard a lot of complaints about the New Zealand powerhouse phone company, Telecom. They seem to have a monopolistic grip over New Zealand. So, we've found that although you DO have to get your phone line through Telecom, you do not have to get your broadband from them. So far I'm happy with Orcon…I'll keep you posted on that. They better treat me well..
Television
We aren't huge television watchers here. But our apartment came with “SKY TV.” But, it isn't as amazing as it sounds. Our Sky TV has 13 channels, four of which are duplicates, so…yeah. But hey, it has the occasional Simpsons episode. See section on Library above.
Diet
Jayme and I are some health nuts. So, we naively expected to find the same “sugar-free” products or their equivalent in New Zealand….forget it. The whole low-sugar diet hasn't really caught on here, so expect to make a few life changes. But with all the walking most people do, it doesn't seem to be as necessary. We are starting to feel at home here. The U.S. of A. seems so very distant now. I had to ask my Father about news…simply because we are so separate from it. It's kind of nice really…I was surprised however to find that the Super-bowl was Sunday…I had no idea. You see, American Football (or Grid- Iron as the kiwis call it) really isn't important here. Actually, nobody cares about it at all. It's all rugby here baby..
