One Month Down!*

*Yes, I know today also marks Rob's 30th birthday, but that will get its own post, complete with a birthday weekend slideshow of our trips to Hobbiton and Waiheke Island. Happy birthday husband!!!

It’s hard to believe that we have been living in New Zealand for a month. The majority of our initial “to dos” are complete. We have local cell phone numbers, bank accounts, tax ID numbers, library cards, steady paychecks, a place to live (complete with internet), and some small things to make our apartment feel a bit more like home.

We have walked across the city, been running in the Waitakeres (well – Rob has), walked along Piha Beach, had a pint at the Green Dragon Inn in Hobbiton, tasted wines on Waiheke Island, climbed multiple volcanoes and made a few friends.

Most importantly, we are finally starting to feel as though we are not living out of suitcases or in temporary housing. I’m not sure that it has completely set in for either of us that we are here for the long haul, but we’re both pretty pleased about that prospect.

For now, here are some quick first impressions of our new home:

New Zealand: This country lives up to the hype. We live in the middle of a big city, but within a couple of hours there are beaches, mountains, wineries, lakes, thermal springs, rainforests and even a desert. We haven’t been many places, but what we have seen has been pretty stunning.  Things are much more expensive here than in the States (especially toiletries!!), but our apartment is so small that we don’t have room for anything extra anyway.

Auckland:  More international than expected. We assumed there would be a heavy British influence (which there is), and we knew that there was a large Asian population, but we are surprised by the number of Europeans here – especially Italians. Why would anyone leave Italy – even for New Zealand?

The People: The people also live up to the hype. Everyone has been extremely friendly and welcoming. Most are obsessed with sports (did you know that NZ and the US are competing in a big sailing competition this week? Neither did I before I moved here), and no one seems to mind that the internet is a joke. Everyone seems to be very well travelled, and most people our age have spent some time living overseas (especially in London or Australia).

The Food:  The only bad things anyone had to say about New Zealand were food-related, and I kind of understand where they’re coming from. We have had some excellent food since we got here, but we’ve also had meals that are not so great. The ingredients here are all super fresh and tasty, but Kiwis combine them in strange ways.  I guess that’s just more motivation to cook so I can combine them myself (also – food is expensive here).