New Zealand Report: Rob and Susie’s Adventure Down Under

Report 1.

Feb. 10-12. Took morning flight, Feb. 10, to LA to allow plenty of time to check in for 9:15p flight to Auckland. Flight from LA to Auckland was 12hr 45min, but it was not the ordeal we thought it might be. Slept some, read some, watched movies and NZ travelogues some, ate some, talked some, walked some, pottied some. Negotiated customs without incident and checked into motel near airport to relax and freshen up. We rented a car so this was our first attempt at driving on the left side of the road. Quite the sensation. One example: every time I wanted to flip on the turn signal, I turned on windshield wipers. Also, it takes a while to find the rearview mirror. And you darn sure better look both ways at an intersection. And be sure you consciously pick the lane you want to turn in to. I’m sure that about the time all this becomes natural to me, that will be the time we come home and adjust all over again. Oh, well. One benefit of this adventure, we tell ourselves, is to get us out of our comfort zones, so we got a quick start on that.

At noon (Feb. 12) we were picked up by Michael Taylor, our landlord (a retired chemistry prof), who took us to his house for tea (for which we were extremely grateful because there is no way we could have found our way to his house while learning to drive wrong-sided through Auckland traffic). We had been aware that his wife was seriously ill, but were shocked to find that she had died on Feb. 2 and her memorial service had been Feb. 10. She had been diagnosed with colon cancer 18 mos. prior and they had made the decision, citing their Christian faith and being concerned about her quality of life, not to treat it or undergo surgery. Tough decision (she was 67 at her death). We could share a bit about what it’s like to lose a spouse.

Michael took us downtown to see the townhouse we are renting from him. It’s not available until 3/15 (we thought 3/1), so he’s making other arrangements for us from 2/22 until then. Townhouse is what I’d call a standard modern 3-story townhouse, tucked between an industrial waterfront area and the trendy Parnell shopping district. Will be within walking distance to campus and shopping, but terrain is hilly enough that we will also check into bus travel. We’re buying Michael’s wife’s car, which we will sell back to Michael, but will use that mostly for weekend trips.

After returning to motel, we decided to practice driving. Made a large loop, mostly accomplished via left turns, and serendipitously got back to the motel and a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Enough for now. Love to you all. Susie and Rob NEXT T OF C