Happy Holidays

The Holidays are upon us! Its hard to believe that we will be celebrating our second Christmas in New Zealand and how quickly it has come. We are a little behind on our Christmas cards so we hope this reaches many of you in time to say Happy Holidays! As the Kiwi's fire up the barbe, we hope you are at home cuddling by the fire and enjoying the gifts of the season. We will miss many Christmas traditions from home, but if you want to see some more about we will be enjoying as we celebrate a Kiwi Christmas, click here!

New Zealand Purses

Recently, my friend Holly (above with her Mom) introduced me to a line of wallets/purses called Hunter and Pike that I had to share! I'm always on the lookout for unique and beautiful New Zealand handmade goods and these definitely are some of my favorite.

They are customizable so that you can choose the size, color and add or subtract the strap.

They can be worn as a purse, wallet or even a clutch.

And, they are so on trend... I'm thinking of going hands free a la Rachel Bilson etc.

For more, check them out at here!

Goat Island Marine Reserve

We went to Goat Island Marine reserve this weekend to enjoy some of the best weather of the season. Armed with wetsuits we were able to snorkle and see some great fish!

On the way to Goat Island we saw this funny sign at a local bar:

My Mo Bro

Movember has come to an end... but Mat already can't wait till next year to grow one of these again:

North Head

Today we explored North Head in Devonport which is, in our opinoin, one of the best places in Auckland. North Head is an old volcano, strategically positioned above the shipping channel. Historically this area was a defence position and the old gun emplacements and underground connecting tunnels are open for exploration. The views are fantastic and there are beaches nearby which makes it a great way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon!

Weekend

This weekend we had beautiful weather in Auckland, perfect for going to the French Markets and visiting the festival of roses in Parnell. Here are a few pics of what we were up to:

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

Things are getting a bit hairy...

Yep, thats right, its THAT time again and guess who is participating? Will be sure to post the progress soon.

Feeling Patriotic

Living so far away has allowed me a different lens through which to view my home country; I have learned a lot about the way Americans are perceived both good and bad. To view the election from half way around the world, surrounded by non-Americans, was a particularly special vantage point and was an experience I will certainly never forget.

Not only was it a historical day in American history, it was a day that I'll never forget personally for the indelible effect it had on my patriotism. Election coverage was broadcast for almost the entire day on New Zealands national TV channel and many Kiwis followed it closely; at about lunch time, the polls were closing so my team took a break to watch the states turn blue.

I was so proud to see Obama in Chicago and show my Kiwi friends; as an expat it was truly remarkable to see how the hope of a nation was infectious and touched the world yesterday.

I even brought in some patriotic cookies for the occasion which have been affectionately dubbed "Nutty Americans".

Music Update

It’s been a while since I updated the New Zealand music info here on the ol blog. I’ve got two newbies for you to check out:

1) High time I featured a kiwi lady and this one is particularly lovely. Sarah Brown has one of those honey like voices that coat each word and no matter what the subject matter, it sounds soft and kinda sweet. Check out her website and have a listen over at her myspace page if you are so inclined. In May, she will be in Auckland and I would love to see her play at Stonyridge Vineyard on Waiheke.

2) It’s almost obligatory that I mention the other artist I’m featuring today. Tiki Tane has gotten so many accolades this year that he is one of this countries most talked about people. I don’t love all his stuff, but this song will be sure to remind me of New Zealand long after I’m gone.

Its the little things...

For those of you who know me, you know my affinity for the Food network, more specifically Everyday Italian's Giada De Laurentiis. Much to my dismay, New Zealand doesn't follow American celebrity chefs very much. Their favorites are Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson; but after 12 long months they finally realized what this country is missing...

Giada is on every Wednesday night and for 30 minutes I feel like I am home again :)

Best of Sydney Shopping:

I’m a bit starved for quality retail experiences living down in New Zealand and our trip to Sydney only made that more apparent. Many kiwi’s go over to Oz for shopping trips as their Aussie counterparts have more selection and in my opinion a better selection of wares. It is nothing against Auckland, but shopping here is not their strong suit.

Sydney on the other hand has a plethora of options if you want to indulge in some good old fashion retail therapy. Here is a quick overview:
I would suggest hitting the Paddington Markets if you are in Sydney for a weekend. Saturday from 10-4 this market is bustling with local artists, jewelry, antiques and clothes. The atmosphere is part bohemian part hipster- overall fantastic.

I picked up my favorite souvenirs of the weekend while shopping the markets. A set of antique coasters and a pair of brushed silver stud earrings from a very adorable local artist.

Across the street from the markets are tons of boutiques with all kinds of clothes and little cafes. I was so excited to see Kiehls and eat the cup cake bakery!

You could spend all day shopping in that area, but if you are looking for more options go back into the CDB and you can hit the Pit Street Mall or Paddy's markets which are close to Chinatown. One store that blew me away (which again made me realize just how deprived of shopping I really am) was Lululemon. I love this line of attractive yoga wear and active gear but had never visited a store before. Being in the brand experience biz made me appreciate all the little details—the store feels like a tranquil yoga studio and every person working in store had on yoga clothes. On top of that there was a person doing yoga in the window, a huge display of all the yoga studios in the city and even an offer of a free session at the yoga studio of the month with purchase. Mat practically had to drag me out of this store.

We could definitely have spend more time shopping than we did, but the weather in Sydney really beacons you outdoors which is why we ended up doing this instead:

Best of Sydney- Sights

Without a doubt, the Sydney Opera house was what surprised me most. Although it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, the ubiquitous pictures of it gracing the harbor do not do it justice. Naturally, there are lots of cafes and bars around this area so we grabbed a drink, slipped on our sunnies and watched the world go by for a while. If you look closely, you can see adventurous tourists walk along the top of the bridge.

We came back to the harbor at night to take in the Opera house and Harbor Bridge lit up, check out The Opera Bar at night for great people watching, live music and a magnificent view.

A must do is getting out on a boat into the harbor. To experience Sydney at its best is to enjoy the sunshine out in the harbor, even if it is just on a ferry. We did precisely that, taking the morning ferry over to Manly Beach (only 15 minutes on the express) and it was an awesome way to see the skyline from the water. Manly Beach is what I've always thought Australia would be- beachy and bawdy, sunshine and surfers.

We are the happiest as tourists just walking the city and Sydney was a great city to explore on foot. Starting at Hyde park in the center of the city, we walked through a great outdoor photography exhibit:

Saw St Mary's Cathedral: And then went on to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Along the way we had at least 3 interesting animal sightings:

This last pic is of the grey headed flying fox. They are the worlds largest bat- no joke and there were hundreds of them.

There were so many sights that didn't fit into our short weekend. When we go back we want to also do: Bondi Beach, Blue Mountains, Sydney Aquarium, Barracks Museum, and the Hunter Valley Wine Country just to name a few!

Best of Sydney

(thanks National Geographic)

Lots to catch up on; most notably, Mat was away in Sydney for business last week so I got to fly over and meet up with him for the weekend!

Our first trip across the ditch was awesome; Sydney was a wonderful host- beautiful weather, beautiful beaches and beautiful people.

Check back in the next couple of days as I'll recap the best of Sydney. With only two days there was a lot to do and not enough time to do it all so I'm already planning to do when we go back!

Earth from above

New York City is going to host a free exhibit of works by photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand in May 2009. The collection of large scale aerial photography titled, Earth from Above, is visually stunning and purposeful; Arthus-Bertrand hopes the images bring awareness to our earth's fragility as well as beauty.

I was captured by these images that a friend sent me today, check them out:

Worker resting on bales of cotton, Thonakaha, Korhogo, Ivory Coast. Cotton crops occupy approximately 335,000 square klilometers worldwide, and use nearly one quarter of all pesticides sold
Icebreaker Louis Saint Laurent in Resolute Bay, Nunavut Territory, Canada
Icebergs and an Adelie penguin, Adelie Land, Antarctica. Antarctica, the sixth continent, is a unique observation point for atmospheric and climatic phenomena; its ancient ice, which trapped air when it was formed, contains evidence of the Earth's climate as it has changed and developed over the past millions of years.

Behind the Lens, Albert Park

Summer Heights High

I have bemoaned the limited selection of NZ television for almost a year now. However, I now have Sky City to thank for introducing me to my new favorite TV show. Summer Heights High is a dark comedy mockumentary series parodying life in a fictitious Australian high school.
Comedian Chris Lilley is an absolute genius; he plays the part of all three main characters. Below is a quick sketch of each:

Jonah Takalua:
13 year old pacific island boy
Known for scrawling his graffiti tag "dicktation" around Summer Heights High and for phrases such as "I'm not dumb, I'm just choosing not to be smart at the moment"

Ja'mie King:
16 year old girl
Pampered and manipulative, she is taking part in a swap scheme to bridge the gap between public and private school but is having a tough time leaving her pampered and privileged past

Mr G:
Drama teacher extraordinaire
Known for writing musicals for his students including one called Tsunamarama, based on the events of the 2004 tsunami disaster, set to the music of Bananarama. He is relentless in creating an arena spectacular school musical

By far one of my favorite scenes was when Jonah performed a rap song at the school's Polynesian day, click here to watch a clip.

The series has been bought by HBO and is scheduled to broadcast later this year in the states so keep your eye out!

Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2008

The 2008 Air New Zealand Fashion Week has come and gone. Yes, that’s right; New Zealand hosts its own fashion week in Auckland each spring. Yet, unlike the other fashion weeks being hosted this time of year by glamorous cities across the globe- Auckland’s is far more accessible by both location and ease of attendance (cheap tickets are sold online and in some cases at the door and off you go—try that in Bryant Park) The shows highlight the quintessential quirkiness that I have come to understand is a mark of pride by native New Zealanders. In their fashion and in life- eccentricity abounds, nothing is taken too seriously and a glass of bubbles continues to be the most covatable accessory.
Without further adieu I give you a quick recap of this years looks that I’ve aptly categorizes into the good, the bad and the ugly…

The good
Trelise Cooper- the darling of New Zealand fashion came out with a collection inspired by her travels which featured beautiful prints and theatrical flare.

The bad
Zambesi- the perennial favorite of the hip and cool Auckland set has me baffled yet again.

The ugly
Lucie Boshier