Hongi

David Beckham is now in NZ! Pictured above is Becks giving a traditional greeting (called a hongi) to a local Maori dancer as he arrives in Wellington.

A Nation of Hairy Philanthropists

Movember, formally known as the month of November, is a very popular annual charity event held in NZ. Movember participants register at the beginning of the month with clean shaven faces and subsequently are dubbed, mo bros. Mo bro’s then take upon themselves the daunting task of growing and grooming a spectacular mustache and raising money for men’s health issues. This hairy undertaking culminates with Gala party events in Auckland, where it is rumored that, “Tom Selleck and Richard Hadlee look-a-likes battle it out on the catwalk for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title.”

Nearly every morning on their news (the Breakfast show) they talk about Movember; they are keenly chronicling the hair growth of one of the news anchors. Viewers have been treated to a play-by-play of the mo growing process.

A dedicated mo bro also wears mo gear, a collection of t-shirts and paraphernalia that supports their cause. My personal favorite is this lovely gem, the mo ho necklace:

http://www.movember.com/nz/souvenirshop/product.php?productid=16154&cat=0&page=1


As this Movember is coming to an end, I have noticed an overwhelming presence of hairy philanthropists in my midst. Why today I saw 3 mo’s just in the Starbucks! Despite my overwhelming desire to document this phenomena, better manners have prevented me from taking pics of the mo’s roaming the streets of Auckland. I will leave that to your imagination….

On December 16th we will be moving out of temporary housing into our new apartment. Space may be a little tight, but who needs a bathroom when you have good views, right?
We will be lucky to enjoy views of some of Auckland's most famous landmarks. Skytower is the space needle looking building which is only a block away and we can also look out to the Auckland bridge which goes north out of the city. Our apartment is not well suited for those afraid of heights; being 24 floors up in a space that is 1/3 windows you are well aware of how high you are.
Best of all, Mat will be able to walk to work. We are right off of Queen Street which is the main street in the CBD (central business district). Queen Street is a busy area with lots of shops and cafes, but perhaps most importantly it is partially covered so that in the rainy season you can walk for blocks without getting wet. We are anticipating come NZ winter (Junish through August) this will be a major bonus since their winters are supposed to be very rainy and chilly.
We continue to anxiously await the arrival of our container which has all of our furniture and personal belongings in it. As we go on week number 6 living out of a suitcase, I cant tell you how comforting it will be when that sweet ship comes from America. Our container is supposed to land at Auckland's port on December 16th and then could take days or weeks to clear customs. Therefore, we will be living in the new place without anything for a little while. We are hoping for a Christmas miracle, it would be so nice to have a holiday with some stuff in our apartment!
I continue to find NZ is challenging to adapt to in ways that are difficult to quantify and explain. The nuances of the kiwi culture and the subtle day to day things that make me feel so far from home are starting to add up. In speaking with other Americans here in Auckland, I discovered that we are not alone. Nearly everyone we have talked to who moved here from the states gives us a knowing smile and uses a sympathetic tone when they say they understand.
Conversations with other Americans usually go like this:
"Ya- I know isn't it so weird?"... "Highly bizzare"..... "Christmas is not really Christmas, its a barbe on the beach"...... "Don't worry, you will get used to driving here".... "No, coffee is not really coffee"...."Nope, there is not shopping here, just forget it"...."If someone asks you to tea in the evening, they mean dinner".....you get the idea
Mat is in Manila for a week on business. He arrived safely despite the looming typhoon and yesterday called to tell me he experienced his first earthquake. No worries, he says business as usual went on and he is doing just fine.
http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.leanderson/NewApartment

North of Auckland

Over the weekend, we rented a car and explored north of Auckland. Our trip marked a number of firsts; our first time outside of the city, our first glimpses of the famed NZ beaches and the first time driving on the left side of the road.

As New Zealand became a British colony in 1840, many kiwi traditions and customs are hallmarks of their English background. Tea, fish and chips and driving on the left are all part of New Zealand life!

Mat was an excellent driver, his only instructions by the rental company were, “keep telling yourself to stay left”. We repeated the mantra over and over as we made the first couple turns and then before we knew it, we were out of the city and onto the 2 lane “major highway”.
We explored a few small towns, a couple beaches, a vineyard and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Please follow the link to view our pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.leanderson/November

The NZ countryside is beautiful with rolling hills and lush fauna. It is particularly striking how few people inhabit this country once you are outside of the city. New Zealand’s population is about 4 million total and about 1/3 of those Kiwi’s live in Auckland. Therefore, as soon as you leave the city you see more livestock than humans by far. (Fun Fact there are nearly 10 sheep for every human in this country).

We found it amazing that there were so few people at this amazing beach!

Overall, it was relatively easy to get out and explore. The adventures we had this weekend only made us more excited to have visitors……. Hint hint!

As promised, I would like to elaborate on my previous mention of Food Alley. It has become a running joke that this is Mats favorite place in Auckland; if given the chance he would eat there every night.

It is conveniently located directly across the street from our temporary apartment and it is comprised of booth after booth of asian cuisine.

For those of you who know me, I love trying new food. For those of you who know Mat, he loves his food courts. Therefore, Food Alley is one of our favorite finds! (BTW Mats co-workers think we are highly bizarre because of this)

Before our first visit to Food Alley we read about it in our guide books and thought it sounded exactly like the places Anthony Bordain would visit in his no reservations guide to Auckland. That's exactly what you get- authentic cuisine, no frills. (OK OK, by this I mean its pretty dirty, you sit on benches and you feel like you are in China)

I have attached a video for you to get the full idea! Enjoy!