The last time Sheri and I were in Rotorua, we went to the hot springs in town and got ourselves a private bath (we were on our honeymoon, after all). The water was pretty toasty and it had a powerful effect on me; I became completely relaxed and felt almost disconnected from myself and all of the things I normally care and worry about. In my memories, I was happy, at peace, and I still feel a warm glow when thinking about it. To the outside observer, namely my longsuffering better half, the result was that I remained only slightly on this side of being a blithering idiot and she still teases me about it.
Ah well, that was then... this morning, we went to the same thermal spa, but this time, we paid admission for the "family" baths. I love being in the water and it would seem that my children do as well. No casual loafing around for me anymore, though. I am now a flotation device, a landing pad, a drum, and, occasionally, a submarine (when I'm not pretending to be something less functional like a plant-eating shark (the other kind are too scary) or something less fun like an annoying fence to the fearless boy). It's interesting, though, that this afternoon I'm left with the same warm glow as I think about how much fun the kids had and how much that makes me happy.
My initial orientation was set for May 4th (a Friday) and I kind of assumed I'd be at the University regularly, if not full time, for the following week. Sheri and the kids came downtown with me that first day, intending to visit the Auckland Domain (a huge park near the city core) while I was off getting set up at school. To help us make a plan, I popped in to the University office where my appointment was scheduled and asked how long to expect my orientation would take (I figured an hour or two). The ballpark figure was... 'Ummm... not long, man. Maybe 10, 15 minutes.' Okey dokey; I'm happy with keeping things simple. So, my family stuck nearby while I spent 5 minutes getting my Visa status updated in their computer system and then another 5 minutes picking up my student card. I guess a lot of students start without a visa and without a place to stay for the duration of their studies. Since I was already all set up on both counts, there wasn't much to get me oriented on. And, since I'm a graduate student, I guess they're counting on the fact that I can read a map and that I know how to ask for help when I need it (they shouldn't be so optimistic ("So I can open my own can of pudding, can I? Shows what you know, Marge."), but I've been managing).
We didn't have Internet or phone and, after that first weekend, we also didn't have a car. I eventually went to the University on my own thinking that I would use the student Internet to make contact with my professor and the grad student advisor. I quickly discovered, however, that I don't actually have any student privileges yet as I haven't been enrolled in my thesis paper. So, I'm a student, but not an active one, and that means that I can't get a bus pass, can't use the library, and can't use the Internet. I was eventually able to meet with the student advisor, but we weren't able to track down my professor that day (I settled for emailing him from the city library). In the end, though, it was apparent that they both wanted me to take my time. The one-year Masters program is very aggressive and it's apparently important to be settled in and ready to work. Since I can start at any time of year, they advised me to wait and focus on getting my family settled.
Without a car, the rest of that week was spent running, walking, pushing, and carrying as we tried to get around and figure things out (including why on earth we didn't have communication in our home, yet). It quickly became apparent that Auckland is not a place to have a family without a car. But how do you find a car when you have no local money, no Internet, and (chicken or egg) no car with which to go shopping? We bravely tried the bus once; it seems that a 3 year old has trouble with the concept of not really having any idea when your ride will show up. I think she would have preferred if it came on time (now there's a concept) and proceeded to handle the delay with the expected lack of grace... And she, of course, was the model of patience in comparison with her brother. Nevertheless, we did arrive at the grocery store we aimed for and proceeded to fill my backpack and our stroller with 50 pounds or so of groceries (milk and produce weigh a lot!). We hiked for 20 minutes to cut 40 off the return trip and, when the bus finally arrived, it wasn't stroller-friendly. We put on quite a show as I desperately heaved the stroller right to the roof and pushed it over the first row of chairs so that I could get across the yellow line. We then proceeded to unload the stroller's share of groceries into an emergency grocery bag so that I could collapse it and sit down. Aye carumba! We sure were glad to get home (it was another 20 minutes' walk from where we got off the bus)...
The next day, a phone technician showed up and it took him all of 5 minutes to figure out our problem and get everything sorted (sorry to our guy at the NZ high commission in Ottawa; you've been displaced and I have a new best friend (I know I'm fickle, but this was a big deal!)). So, we were connected and I finally felt comfortable with doing some Internet banking. It still takes some time for money to wing it's way from there to here, though, and we were now pretty well at Mother's Day. Since my legs were shot and I no longer had the 3 days I would need to walk everywhere to do Mother's Day right, I bit the bullet and rented another car for a few days. Wheels! Sweet, glorious wheels! Sadly, my wife thought I was just going to get the car and coming straight home. My plan had always been more ambitious (flowers, present, necessary kitchen appliances, special supper fixins...), but I didn't want to tip my hand. So, I got 'the glare' when I finally pulled into the driveway; I'm sure it started out as relief, but by the time I made eye contact... it conveyed a lot more than that and I knew, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that I was overdue. Ah well, I was shielded by a bouquet of roses and my girl has ever been the forgiving type (and I already mentioned longsuffering, didn't I?).
We had a great Mother's day. For the first time in a few years, I managed to pull off breakfast in bed! (In reality, it's a pretty small feat, but I still feel a pretty great sense of accomplishment.) With a car, we were able to get to church again (we really love it!) and then we had a quiet nap time (I was able to call my Mom; still Saturday for her, but I figured that it was Mother's Day for me and that I could be the first of my siblings to tell her how awesome she is this year) before heading out to climb Mt. Wellington (which is only a few kilometers from our home). I have to say that it's pretty cool to have an old volcanic mini-mountain in the middle of your city
(I highly recommend it over the Canadian alternative: a new garbage-y mega-hill). We drove most of the way up and then climbed to the crater's rim and hiked around it. The view over the city and out to the ocean was breathtaking! We tried to take some pictures and they simply don't do it justice (we fear that this may be a consistent problem with the photo-record of our time here). In any case, it was a fabulous outing and we followed up with a rib-roast at home capped by a peaceful evening and a romantic movie. My girl deserves so much more than I and the kids could ever give (or say) but it is pretty nice to spend a day honoring her; she is an amazing Mom!The next day, I went to school to meet my professor. I wasn't too worried about it as our email exchanges have revealed that he is enthusiastic, helpful, friendly, and caring (back in April, he even offered to pick us all up at the airport). Still, it was our first meeting in person and it went really well. I got to meet one of his undergrad students and he showed me around the lab and then introduced me to all sorts of people around the University. Apparently, I'll have access to a whole electronics team (for components, circuit boards, soldering, etc...) and a mechanical workshop for whatever we might need for our quad-rotor prototype. There's a basic model of the robot that's already being worked on by undergrads but my purpose is to take it to the next level (it's admittedly not at the first level, yet). I'll have a good chunk of desk space in the lab to call my own and may even get a cubicle somewhere (which I'm hopeful about... I need somewhere to stash my snacks (just ask my coworkers of the last 10+ years)). Then, my prof took me out for coffee and a muffin and we chatted both about my work and about life in New Zealand in general. I headed home that evening full of excitement and anticipation but had been cautioned again not to be too hasty.
Money finally arrived and we set about paying our rent and searching for a car. We have a pretty limited budget but we had seen even before coming here that older cars were generally still in good shape (no salt!) and often had fairly low kilometers. We didn't feel like we needed a minivan, but we had seen 7-seater Toyota Diesels online and figured that might be the way to go. After all, in Canada, diesel engines are known to last forever! Even when they're made by manufacturers of dubious quality (like Volkswagen (sorry Mark)), they can be expected to go for 300,000 kilometers at least. Now add in Toyota reliability, and how can you go wrong? We were pretty sure that was what we wanted and I found one that only had 140K on it... Sure, it was 20 years old, but still just getting broken in, right?
That one was a private deal and the owner couldn't meet with us right away, but there was another one with similar history at a large import lot, so we went to check that one out. We were met right away by a nice older guy named Greg who has grandkids about Annalise and Everett's age. He right away said that he didn't want to sell us a Japanese diesel. He said that they're actually pretty awful because the engines aren't purpose-built (like diesels are in North America). Basically, they just take a petrol (aka. gasoline) engine and put a diesel head on it. Their reliability is poor and they almost always have serious problems. I had seen comments like this from private sellers (e.g. a guy selling a petrol van saying that it was the better model than the diesel because it wouldn't have the "soft-head issues") but I kind of thought it was just a matter of opinion. Anyway, Greg said that a diesel van is okay for backpackers who just want to tour the country, but he wouldn't advise it for a young family. No problem, though, he pulled out a petrol van for us to try. It was functional, but, ... well... it was 20 years old and felt like it had been well used in that time. In any case, Sheri and I agreed that if we weren't getting the fuel economy of a diesel, we really shouldn't buy a van. So, we switched tactics and asked to try a station wagon. He said that he usually didn't have much to offer in our bottom-end price range but that we were in luck that day. We tried out a Toyota, a Mazda, and a Subaru. The Mazda drove the nicest and the Subaru felt the sportiest (complete with high-flow (i.e. loud) exhaust). In the end, though, it was pragmatism that carried the day. The Subaru had only 175K on it (compared to the Mazda and Toyota at 225+) and it had had a complete engine overhaul at 150K (with receipts to prove it): the engine had been pulled and the timing belt, water pump, idler pulley and associated bits had all been replaced. That should mean that the engine will hold up for the 13 months or so that we need. We were going to head out for a cup of coffee to talk it over, but the salesman then pulled what I'm sure is an old, old trick. He offered it to me for less than I expected, with fresh registration and Warrant of Fitness (WoF: required every 6 months in NZ), so long as I took it right then.
At this point, let me divert for a moment. My Dad was a man that had two traits that made him a wonderful person but a terrible negotiator. First, he had faith. If a car fit his budget (which was always very small) and his needs, it was almost certainly the one that God wanted him to have... he didn't generally need to spend a lot of time agonizing over car decisions because he counted on God to direct his path. Second, my Dad trusted people inherently. He himself was so determined to do good unto others that I think it rarely occurred to him that others might not be as eager to do the same to him. Everyone was a friend and he worried as much about giving the salesman a good deal as he did about getting one for himself. As a result, it seemed like almost every car we had when I was growing up was a lemon and I often wished we could just have a decent vehicle like everyone else. There's an Oscar Wilde quote that is often in my mind as I reflect on how I viewed my Dad when I was a teenager and how my children will view me: "Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes, they forgive them".
So, here I stood in a used car lot with a "good enough" car in front of me for the right price and a request for a snap decision. And I couldn't help but feel that I am just like my Dad and I understand now the difficulty of being responsible for such decisions. I knew I could walk away and would still be able to get the same deal later; I knew I should probably insist on an inspection; I knew I should probably go home and do a bunch of further price comparison. But I also knew that weren't likely to find something with the same repair history and the same offer of registration and WoF for less... and, somehow, I felt the same urge to have faith that my Dad must have had many times (after all, even if it is a lemon, doesn't the trying of my faith work patience?). And I wanted to make a deal with someone who had been so kind and helpful to us; surely he was a friend and not just a used-car salesman, ... right? Sheri and I quickly talked it over and agreed that we would take the car.
In any case, we have wheels! And we have a used TV that's happily connected to my imported PS3 (PAL format DVD's don't work, sadly)! We've also bought a used backpack child carrier and a playpen. (What's more important is that I now have a positive feedback rating of 4 on trademe, NZ's ebay/kijiji equivalent.) We've stocked our cupboards (somewhere in the middle of everything, we even managed to have a meal out visiting some of our new friends), we're figuring out our heating situation (simply put: we're getting used to being cold), and we're getting comfortable on the roads. We agreed that we're pretty well settled. So, we decided on this little trip to explore our new home, to seek out new hikes and new revelations, and to boldly go where our little family has never gone before (if only I had a theremin to play some appropriate music for you).
We will be home on Saturday and I am enrolled to begin my studies on Monday (May 28th). My future posts will hopefully be more bite-sized... Maybe a recap of our adventures this week will be next; stay tuned!
