The Trip, Part I: California

The controversially oversized flag at Trump National Golf Course

The unfortunately lame interior of the international terminal of LAX.  No Pinkberry, no art, no WiFi.  So sad.

A flight straight from Toronto to Auckland would have required at least 20 hours on a plane.  I did not enjoy this idea so much.  Add to this the fact that I was giving up the bliss and warmth of summer, after it had barely started, and you can see how a couple of extended stops in hot places might be (very) tempting.  Using kayak.com to book flights independently (for an even better deal than combined) I ended up with 12 hours in Los Angeles, and 29 hours in Papeete, Tahiti.  A little sun, a little swim, and some sleep in a bed!  Fantastic!

Step 1: LA.
After a 6 hour flight, sitting far too close to the washroom, I arrived in  Los Angeles just as the morning mist was burning off.  Thanks to the hospitality of extended family I was not stuck in LAX for the day.  The Coombs picked me up and showed me the highlights of LA.  First off was a meandering drive along the coast, driving past beach after beach.  It was no secret that my appetite after airplane food was ravenous, and so our first stop was at the best burger place, In-N-Out Burgers. Love those burgers!  And the cherry of the place was a big serve-yourself glass jug of home-made iced tea (which could be mixed with a bit of lemonaid), soo good!

In the afternoon I was keen to see a bit of the beautiful California outdoors, so we took a walk along the coast through the massive Trump National Golf Course.  I was quite a slack-jawed goof, stopping to look at cacti, splashing in the waves, and just soaking up the hot California sun.  After we had worked up an appetite, it was time for a magnificent meal of ribs, which was followed by the terrible task of trying to stay awake by any means possible (holding out for an 11:45 pacific time filght required all my training of all-nighter essay-writing).  Still the best feature of the day was getting to know the amazing Coombs family, so kind, superb sense of humour, and huge hearts.  It was such a fantastic day, filled with fantastic people, and my only regret was having to leave so soon.  I will be back someday!

Welcome to my new home!

My home, visible through the bare winter trees from the Auckland Domain park.  Very close to the park, and to the trains.

So, here I am 13,907.057km away from home.  This little place, dropped off the side of the road is where I am settling into.  It is quite a beautiful location, but for a while I did fear being homeless.  Finding a place to live in Auckland was an extreme challenge.  First, as with everywhere the renting market was ramped up from economic events, but adding to the problem is the upcoming Rugby World Cup.   Many listings I looked at were for a limited availability, kicking you out in September and October to make $1000/week from tourists.  So the pickings were a bit slim.

Still, someone was looking out for me.  I arranged a viewing for a place in Parnell before I left Canada.  These people were interviewing potential roommates at 6:30 the day I was to arrive.  And so a little over 3 hours after I landed, I set out to meet the people who were to become my new roommates (or flatmates as they prefer, since they do not actually share a room with me).  I suppose sleep deprivation is a look that suits me, because I made the cut.

Move in was not for another week and a half though, so I visited my old GYLC buddy in Hamilton and then used CouchSurfing.org to gain a temporary home for a few days (have to say, CS has regained my faith in the kindness of strangers.  Those guys were fantastic!).   Finally, a week into school it was time to move in.  With only two suitcases, it was probably the simplest move I have ever accomplished.

A couple things I have learned about New Zealand homes since this time:

1. Central Heating does not exist. Anywhere.
2.  Home insulation is equally lacking (though a bunch of advertisements pushing to change this)
3. A piece of furniture pressed against a wall has the potential to cause both the wall and said furniture to rot.
4. Towels do not dry indoors.

Still, it is beautiful around here.  The massive city park, the Auckland Domain, is at my doorstep with all its jungle-like fauna and cheeky birds.  On Saturday it’s just a tumble down a 80° hill to one of the best farmers’ markets in the city, the French Parnell Market.  It may be winter, but when the sun comes out you can make a fantastic day of it.   So I'm off to see what I can do.

TTFN