Knitting and Jazz and Turning 31

Blogging slowed down this winter because I didn't have much to write about. Now I have the opposite problem - we have been too busy doing things to write about them!  We have been out of town three out of the last four weekends, and we're both working full time and taking care of the apartment/ourselves/our stomachs, while also catching up with friends during the week since we're gone on the weekends and planning more upcoming trips.  It sounds exhausting, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

The last weekend in August we drove down to Napier so I could attend Knit August Nights, which involved a couple knitting classes, a market and a tour of a yarn factory! Rob spent the day wandering around Napier and then joined me for KAN dinner, which included a knitting-themed trivia night - Robert and the Spinsters came in second place!  We were able to spend some time wandering around Napier together, and have decided to return in February for its famous Art Deco Festival. We fully plan to dress up and can't wait for the Gatsby picnic!

The only thing worse than looking at someone's vacation photos is looking at someone's yarn factory tour photos!

The first weekend in September we flew down to Wellington to celebrate Rob's birthday at the Martinborough Jazz Festival. We rented bikes on Saturday and spent the day biking back and forth between wineries and jazz venues (including jazz performances at wineries). 

Top right: Some interesting New Zealand wine facts; Bottom right: The tiniest vineyard in Martinborough - these people only have four little rows of vines in their front yard!  Also known as inspiration for our future front yard.

Saturday night we had tickets to see a Peggy Lee tribute act. I mentioned to one of the winemakers that I'd loved Peggy Lee ever since her performance in Lady and the Tramp, but wasn't sure if He's a Tramp would make its way into the show. Imagine my surprise when Miss Peggy Lee not only sang it, but dedicated it to me! This pretty much sealed Martinborugh's status as my favourite little town in New Zealand.

Red, white and blues!

Sunday we had another delicious breakfast in Martinborough and then headed back to Wellington to spend the afternoon before our flight back to Auckland.

Scenes from the Wellington airport - Peter Jackon's Weta Workshop is in Wellington, and they donated these to the airport. Also pictured: our instructions for picking up our rental car after hours.  We're definitely not in Chicago anymore!

Winter in New Zealand

I haven't posted much over the last few months - mainly because I haven't had much to post about. I wrote about the week we spent in Australia in June and the weekend we spent in Queenstown in July, and that's about all the exciting news to come out of this winter.

Winter in Auckland is very different from winter in Chicago - it rarely drops below 40*F at night, and snow is a once-every-72-years Event. Instead of air so dry your lips crack, winters here are wet. Back in June/July it rained every day for three weeks, stopped for a few days, and then rained for another three weeks.

Winter here also means darkness - the sun rises after it's time to get up and sets before it's time to leave work. The combination of short days and gloomy weather means that although winter may not kill your soul, it can be very demotivating for adventures.

To complicate matters, the houses here are rubbish. I believe I've alluded to this before, but to be clear - our apartment does not have heat or any real insulation. And lest you think this is because we live in a crappy apartment, let me assure you - my friends who have shiny, new, custom-built, half-million dollar houses ALSO do not have heat. Those that do have either fireplaces or "heat pumps," which are kind of like A/C window units, but for heat. The rest of us bundle up (in my super awesome Hogwarts bath robe) around small space heaters that double the electricity bill.

Houses here are also very damp - in part because of the lack of heat. Every week there are new articles about houses making people sick (mainly due to mold). The same articles suggest cracking windows to alleviate the dampness, but that just makes everything colder. This dampness also makes drying clothes nearly impossible (we don't have a dryer), and we have started taking monthly trips to the laundromat.

I'm not looking for sympathy or trying to claim that Auckland winters are in the same class as the Polar Vortex, but navigating the cold, damp winter without the amenities we have always taken for granted has been one of the harder adjustments we've had to make here. Fortunately is hasn't dropped below freezing mold doesn't seem to be an issue in our apartment, so there's no threat to our health, but it's still been an exercise in adaptation.

Thankfully, winter here is much shorter than we are used to, and it's already starting to feel like spring.  The days are getting longer and there are multi-day-spans without any rain. This weekend was sunny and warm, and there's a sense of excitement in the air - one that we definitely share!

Beach lunch earlier today before Doctor Who season 8 premier - summer is coming!

This weekend marks the beginning of five months of fun, so hopefully we'll have more to share going forward. Next weekend we're heading to Napier for the first of six trips between now and mid-January, and that's just the beginning of summer!

One Year Down!

Yesterday marked one year since arriving in New Zealand, and what a year it's been. It has gone by so quickly, but we've filled it with so much.

And now we have a list of our favourite things about New Zealand and the life we've built here over the last year:

1. Vacation, all I ever wanted

If you mostly keep in touch with us through this blog and Facebook, it is easy to forget that we both have full-time, high-pressure corporate jobs. We work nights and weekends (although not as much as we did in Chicago), and are expected to be at a place working for at least 40 hours a week.  You may be wondering how we have the time for all these adventures, and I think there are three components to this:

1a. Mandatory annual leave, plus holidays
The New Zealand government requires employers to give their employees four weeks of paid annual leave a year, plus 10-12 days of stat holidays.  Our work allows you to purchase an additional two weeks of annual leave a year, which we did this past year and plan to do again this year. You also get up to 10 paid sick days, so if you're sick, you don't have to use vacation time to recover.

1b. An attitude adjustment
Before moving, we made a promise to ourselves that we would spend every spare penny we make on travel and adventure. We learned how to cook, stopped shopping, and started drafting itineraries.

Our attitudes weren't the only ones that underwent an adjustment - we found the workplace to be surprisingly supportive of our new life plan. Corporate America has a strange perception that if you want to take vacation, you're obviously not devoted enough to your job. The attitude over here is completely different. Partners will take off a whole week without any access to email, and when you tell them you're doing the same, they get excited for you and ask where you're going. The entire work/life balance culture is completely different, and it is most apparent in the attitude toward taking time off.

1c. The proximity of adventure
Many of the things we have done were over a weekend, and didn't require any additional time off.  There is so much adventure within a 3-4 hour drive that it makes it easy to squeeze it in to a weekend.

2. The Vespa

We don't talk about this as much anymore, but we still ride our Vespa nearly every day to and from the ferry that takes us to work, and we love it every single day - even when it's cold and rainy and windy (a ski jacket really helps).  We are really looking forward to summer so we can take it out for longer rides along the shore.

3. The night sky
Despite living a 10 minute ferry ride from downtown, we can still see dozens of stars from our driveway. But the sky really starts to shine outside the city. After driving for just an hour you can see thousands, if not millions, of stars (you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye!).  We're still learning about the Southern Hemisphere sky, but you don't have to be an astronomer to know that it's stunning.

4. Oh the places we've gone
We've been so many amazing places in New Zealand that it's hard to pick just one favourite, so here's a whole list!

4a. Devonport
We moved to the town of Devonport in January, and we love it. Despite being really close to the city, Devonport has the feel of a seaside resort town, making it easy to forget about all the worries of work as soon as we step off the ferry. The town has plenty of restaurants and bars and even a micro-brewery. We are a 10 minute walk from multiple beaches and there's scooter parking everywhere. Oh, and the views from our apartment are like a postcard - we wake up to the sun rising over Rangitoto (a dormant volcano) every morning.

4b. Waiheke Island
Just a 45 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland and filled with wineries and beaches, this island is an instant vacation. We enjoyed a day of wine tasting at Waiheke our first month here, but fell in love with it over Christmas, when we rented a beach house with friends. Our Scooter Camping trip in April was one of the best weekends we've had in New Zealand.

4c. Martinborough 
Once called the "Stars Hollow of New Zealand" (by myself), Martinborough is a lovely small town outside of Wellington surrounded by vineyards. We spent a couple of days there over Christmas, and are heading to the Jazz Festival in September to celebrate Rob's birthday.

4d. Whangaui River
Our canoe trip in April was another one of the best weekends we've had here. The river is one of the most remote places I've ever been, and there was something magical about being out there with just a canoe, some friends and seven hours of paddling between us and the emergency radio to the outside world. It was also one of the hardest, most exhausting weekends of my life, but it was well worth it and we're already planning to do it again.

4e. Waitomo Caves
Black water rafting in the glow worm caves was at the top of my to do list on our arrival in New Zealand, and we finally got the chance at Christmas. It was even better than anticipated. This is one thing that is completely unique to New Zealand, and there's a reason it shows up on so many global Must-Do lists.

4f. Queenstown
A recent addition to the list, Queenstown stands out as one of the most beautiful and adventurous towns in one of the most beautiful and adventurous countries in the world. Our winter weekend there gave us just a taste of all that Queenstown has to offer, and we've already planned a trip back there to celebrate Christmas with Rob's family.

Long Time Gone

Today marks the 1-year anniversary of when we left Chicago. That means tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of our arrival in New Zealand, and while we do have a celebration planned, I think it's as important to remember what we left behind as it is to revel in all that we gained.

So for today, I present a list of the things we miss most about the home we left behind us:

1. The people
I feel like this one is the most obvious one. In the last year we've missed births, deaths, engagements, weddings and a Geist weekend. But that is nothing compared to all the more mundane things - happy hours after work, board game nights, hugs, kisses, laughter, lunches, brunches, dinners, and everything in between.

2. The food
Chicago is a foodie town. Auckland is not. I miss the Publican and Goose Island and Cheesie's and Big Star and Chipotle and Jimmy John's, but what I really miss is living among people who love food as much as I do. Most Aucklanders struggle with the question "what's your favorite restaurant."  Not because they can't narrow it down, but because they can't come up with even one. We've found some favorites, but they can't compare.

2a. Iced tea
Kiwis don't understand the concept of iced tea, so you can't get it anywhere. In theory Starbucks has it, but the baristas have no idea how to make it, and always ask if they should leave room for milk. Thanks but no thanks.

2b. Poutine

3. The availability of everything
New Zealand is a tiny country with a tiny population that is really far from everything. This means consumer goods are really, really expensive. Worse than that though - it often means things aren't available for any price.  I've been looking for grey tights for at least three months now, and they are nowhere to be found. While this helps minimise our consumerist spirits, it can also be extremely frustrating. Special mention to Amazon and Zappos.

4. Target

5. The housing
Our apartment is small (550 sq ft), has no heat/dryer/dishwasher, and gets so damp in the winter that condensation drips down the inside of the windows. When I tell Kiwis this, they don't understand that this statement is a complaint, because that's just how housing is here.  I miss Burnham Pointe!

6. My books
I brought about 20 books with me, and we've accumulated two shelves' worth since arriving, but I miss all the books we left in storage - and finally feel justified in owning as many as I do! Having a limited selection means I don't have a book to suit every mood, and I'm often left without anything to read for days while I wait for my next pick to come in through the library (books are way too expensive to buy, and my Kindle just isn't the same).  To me, going multiple days without a book to read leaves me feeling lost and friendless.

7. The people
This adventure is something that was always going to happen.  No matter what, I was always going to leave. But when I first made that promise to myself decades ago, I could not imagine what I'd be leaving behind.

We left behind a group of people that I always thought only existed on screen and in novels. Friends who accept you completely for who you are - not despite your oddities, but because of them. Friends who are more than family - friends who are home.  We miss you more than books and Amazon and Publican and iced tea and poutine and heating combined.

Kiwi Ingenuity: Upholstery 101

One of my favourite things about Kiwis is their DIY spirit. Being so far away from the rest of the world means things are expensive, so people re-use and refurbish as much as they can.

I have wanted to try my hand at upholstery for years, and the opportunity to learn arose back in May.  I took a one-day course with Voodoo Molly, turning a couple pieces of wood, some webbing and some batting into a lovely upholstered footstool.

Upholstery workshop class

When we first moved here, I found a lovely little rocking chair that was in desperate need of some TLC, and after my class I finally felt ready to tackle it.  I used a $15 hammer instead of a $150 fancy air-powered staple gun, and I had to hand sew the entire back because I couldn't find any metal tack strips, but I think the effort was well worth it.

Quite the transformation!

In process - stripping off the old fabric and stuffing and replacing with new foam, padding, webbing and finally - fabric!

Skiing in Queenstown

During our July long weekend in Queenstown, I wanted a taste of the famed New Zealand ski fields. Having grown up in the US midwest, saying you're skiing the local "mountains" is a bit of a nudge and a wink affair, and therefore was very much looking forward to what Queenstown had to offer.

Of the four commercial ski fields within reasonable driving distance (Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone), I decided to go with Coronet Peak given it is the closest to town, has a good mix of beginner (30%), intermediate (45%) and advanced runs (30%), and is known for its recently upgraded and high quality lift system.

When I first got onto the slopes around 9:30am, I was surprised to see the huge amount of fog that had settled in among the mountains, making for some picturesque views.

As the sun rose over the mountain, the fog started to dissipate and reveal the truly awesome vista of the Southern Alps.

One thing which most impressed me was how not busy, relatively speaking, the mountain was (again, this coming from a midwesterner). Run after run, I found myself with plenty of space, often with few or no other people in sight. Given the size and variety of runs (the longest being 2.4km), this really set a new standard for me, and I can't imagine wanting to go back to glorified hills ever again.

Taking a breather and enjoying the view back towards Lake Wakatipu.

Decent views.

Enjoying the 'pride of the South' from 1649m

Can't wait for my next ski trip to see what else NZ has to offer, and with any luck will have some company next time! (wink wink Mark and Erin).

** p.s. for those curious, Megan took a spa day today, so we were all winners here.

Our Trip to Winter

Last weekend Rob and I headed down to the South Island for a weekend in Queenstown, which is a ski resort town nestled in the mountains on a lake. More so than anywhere else we've been, it's filled with tourists from all over the world.  And with good reason - not only is it a jumping off point for many of the South Island's best adventures, it's also one of the more beautiful places we've seen in New Zealand - and that's saying a lot!

A friend from Southern California once explained to me that to him, winter had always been a destination, not a season. This year, I finally understand what he meant by that. It flurried our last day in Queenstown, and unless it snows in the States in October, that's likely to be the only snow we see all year! A bit different from life in Chicago - even without the Polar Vortex. We're planning to spend Christmas 2014 in Queenstown with Rob's parents and brother, and we can't wait to go back in summer.

On our second day there, Rob did some skiing while I slept in, went to the spa, and spent some quality time knitting while drinking tea and wine.  Be on the look out for Rob's post about his ski day on Coronet Peak!

Left: Welcome to Queenstown! Right: Views from our hotel room at dawn and dusk.

Queenstown also has a luge! The tracks aren't as good as those in Rotorua, but the views are stunning - I may have even talked myself into trying paragliding at Christmas!

At the biggest ice bar in New Zealand - complete with ice sculptures and an ice hockey table. For those of you keeping score, I beat Rob 1-0! He promises he didn't let me win.

Top left: Rob has finally found a backpack big enough for all my tramping 'necessities.'  Bottom right: warming up at the Winery after the Ice Bar by wearing all my knit things - I made that hat, cowl and sweater!