A scenic drive

I took a spin out on Scenic Drive today in the West, on the edges of the Waitakere* Ranges.  It passes through dense rain forest full of vine-draped tree ferns unchanged since prehistoric ages.  Scenic Drive makes for a memorable trip.  The Ranges are steep, craggy, and tortuous veins of ancient lava flows, thickly blanketed in their rich, green riot. 

Building a road through them must have been no easy feat.  If you were concerned with travel efficiency and the bending of nature to human will, you would go in with a bunch of dynamite and bulldozers and engineer a level, straight-line pass through.  But if you're concerned about getting there while having an experience along the way, not to mention if you're a number-eight kind of person, then you work with the hills.  You wind the road around the ridges.  You unfurl it to follow the path of least resistance through the valleys and around the errant cones.  You sculpt a little jog to preserve the thousand-year stand of kauri pine.

Speed limits on the my drive ranged from 70 to 15, depending on the topography.  Lanes were narrow and there were no shoulders.  To say it was curvy was an understatement; I got to exercise my steering wheel's full range of motion.  Portions were on a bus route.  With a surprise around every bend, driving didn't bear too much thinking about.  Driving was just about doing. 

Despite piloting a decidedly non-performance family sedan, when I was done I felt exhilarated, as if I'd been testing out a new sports car.  And when I parked, I took a moment to stretch my tight shoulders and flex those white knuckles.

*Why-TOCK-er-ee
 

The parallels keep adding up

We went to a new Market this weekend (this one a farmer's market + French bistro) and what did we find?  Pasties!  Cornish pasties. 

We had spring vegetables in one, lentils in another, and Indian potatoes in the third.  They were not exactly like Mom used to make.  Real good though, and definitely pasty-like.  They were a nice little unexpected deja vu.
 

Dad, here's something for your big day

We love you too.
 

Amiri eats the world's biggest slice of pizza

 

Yeah.  It's big but not actually insanely so-- it only looks that way because of the perspective.

What we have here is a Sal's New York pizza with olives and capiscum.  New York style, Wisconsin mozzarella, California tomatoes.  Sal's is fantastic.  And look LOOK at the menu:  free delivery.  They bring your pizza on Segways, no joke.  Every time I see a Sal's delivery guy speeding down the sidewalk, I hear someone exclaim, 'Look!  Sal's pizza!  Oooh, we should get one tonight!'

OK, half the time it's me saying that, but still.
   

A trip to the farm

We had Monday off for Labour Day, which is the unofficial start of summer here.  We took advantage of our free time and our wheels to visit somewhere previously inaccessible:  Ambury Farm, a regional park with a working farm that's home to plenty of gentle livestock that like to be petted.

It was a really beautiful day.

The boys visited with some cows and even got to see a BULL, ohmygoodness.

 

And we saw Jack the Goat!

There was a very exciting sheep-herding demonstration with a sheepdog who could jump over fences and put all of the sheep into their pen quick-snap.

After that, we did some line-of-sight navigating to drive right up to the very tippy-top of One Tree Hill.  Arram fell asleep, so Daddy waited in the car with him while Amiri and I did some exploring.  He had a sudden attack of the Bashfuls.

The rugby menus

As can be expected, the major fast-food chains have jumped on the Rugby World Cup bandwagon and released Kiwi-centric menus.

Now, I'm not going to link to their websites because these hamburger concerns don't exactly deserve my free advertising.  But I can tell you that the organisation known locally as Macca's serves a Kiwi Burger that features NZ beef, a fried egg, and beetroot.  And a Brekkie Muffin that has a hash brown inside it, and fancy tomato relish (um, ketchup?).  And to finish, frozen L&P.

The establishment that serves square burgers and has a Kiwi spokesperson purporting to be named 'Dave' has a Rugby Burger also topped with egg and beet.  You can get that with sweet potato fries (except they should be kumara chips if they were being authentically Kiwi), a hokey pokey shake, and a pavlova.
 

The crumpet

On my last pass through the grocery store's bread aisle, I noticed that the crumpets were on sale.  Wait, do I know what a crumpet is?  They bring to my mind images of dainty tea parties.  They looked kind of like English muffins. 

Well, they're on sale, aren't they?  Into the basket!

Here is a package of six crumpets.

And here's a crumpet relieved from its packet.

They're made of yeast dough and cooked on a griddle, without flipping.  Their bottoms look like pancakes.  Their tops are full of nooks and crannies.  They are savoury, not sweet.

Here's my toasted, buttered, Vegemited crumpet.  They have a gorgeous chewy texture.  The kids liked them too, although they preferred them with jam.  I think I'm going to have to go back to the store for some more.

History in the making

As I mentioned, it's the Rugby World Cup final today.  The New Zealand All Blacks are playing France.  The atmosphere associated with this game is like nothing I've ever experienced, except for maybe that one time I stumbled into the soccer-related jubilation in Barcelona where EVERYTHING was closed and EVERYONE was yelling.

They've had the streets closed to vehicles and barricaded for foot-traffic-only since Friday.  When I went out for my regularly-scheduled haircut this morning, it was already unusually busy with lots of people dressed in black milling about.  I stopped by the grocery store after the salon, and all of the BBQ foods-- prepared cuts of meat, buns, etc.-- were nearly sold out.  Not to worry, though, I saw them restocking the beer.  Priorities, you know?

And when the train pulled up at the station to whisk me back into the city at noon, I had to firmly muscle my way in amongst the seemingly-solid mass of eager fans who were already packed into the seats, aisles, and the spaces up against the doors.  Here's everyone de-training, filling up the entire platform as we slowly extricated ourselves and streamed upstairs.

Everyone had one destination:  Party Central.  We're looking north on Queen Street here-- Britomart on the right and QEII Square on the left.  In the center is an inflatable rugby ball fanzone (its real purpose:  temporary enormous sports bar), the Cloud fanzone (enormouser sports bar), and only one of the three cruise ships moored in our harbour.

I stopped to finally take a picture of the RWC Countdown Clock that's been stirring up anticipation for nearly a year:  twelve hours to go until the champion is crowned!

There's been lots of noise, excitement, and shenanigans right here in our back yard.  I think half the country has come to celebrate here.  No, RIGHT HERE.

Here are two examples of the Supporters making themselves known.





(Did you hear the hecklers too when the French noisemakers went by?  Ha.)

Now.   The match is on TV in front of me! 

The rain that was threatening all day decided it just wasn't worth it, and the night sky is clear.

The match is being played at Eden Park, about 4 km away from us.  I don't know if I can hear the noise from the stadium or not.  But I can certainly hear the live simulcasts on the big screens at Party Central.  It is quite odd to watch the plays on live TV, hear the cheers coming from the screen, and to also hear them, much louder, outside.

The boys were too excited to sleep, and since the shenanigans evolved to include impromptu fireworks, there was really no chance they would go to bed any time soon.  So I let them come and watch the haka and the opening play with me.  Amiri told me he doesn't want to play rugby.  Arram told me he would show me his haka tomorrow.

When you watch the Superbowl, the announcers are generally balanced with their tone and comments.  But this is a New Zealand game, with New Zealand commentators.  Their pro-AB bias is very clear.

I cannot believe they play this brutal game with no helmets or pads.  Well, you do see the odd fellow here and there who wears a soft, flexible helmet.  I think that's mostly to guard their ears and to prevent abrasions... in terms of head injuries, it's got to be about as effective as wearing a hat when you're being hit by a 100-kg athlete at full speed.

New Zealand scored the first five points by carrying the ball to the end.  Then they got another three by kicking the oblong ball through the goalposts.  Almost immediately after that, France did two running moves that scored seven points.  Since I don't know rugby rules, terms, or how scores are assigned, this is as exact as I can be.

So it's pretty close right now, coming up to the half.  The game is brilliantly exciting.  The Boys are playing full on.  These men are aggressive as.  The staunch supporters cheer their every move.

Go All Blacks!!

UPDATE 10:42 pm:  I just saw a street brawl!  I heard some shouting and went out on the balcony to investigate.  About fifty people were in the street below, pushing and getting in one anothers' faces.  Then someone threw a punch and the group split into three packs.  I saw at least four people take some bad hits, including one poor dude kicked in the head.  I called 111 and they got right on it.  It wound itself down when two officers ran up.

UPDATE 10:46 pm:  THE ALL BLACKS HAVE WON THE RUGBY WORLD CUP.

Final score NZ 8, France 7.  They held them off.

To put this in perspective, this is like when the Carney girls won the state championship.  Except if the whole COUNTRY were Carney.  Small but mighty.  Rawr.

Gonna be a loud night.  Those are the yachts in the harbour you hear making all that noise.  Even the cruise ships are bellowing.


UPDATE 11:12 pm:  They've awarded the Cup and sprayed the champagne.  It's all back-slapping and cheers on TV.  There are fireworks outside and it is bedlam (happy bedlam, at least) below.  I can't even imagine what it must be like on the Wharf right now.  An ambulance came for the two guys who were in bad shape from the fight.  Our little guys are blissfully asleep and unaware. 
 

Our second anniversary

Today marks the day, two years ago, that we made our move across the sea. 

And now, it's home.  Look at these little Kiwis showing who they support in tomorrow's match, and even doing their own version of the haka.

We're still so happy with our new home, even though it's not really new anymore.   It was a good move.


Stakeholder's report:  seven posts per every ten days.

Arram's head looks even bigger in his helmet

He's working on his scooter skills.  He doesn't actually scoot at all.  He just holds the handlebars and scuffles along, both feet on the ground, one on either side.  He stumbles a lot, but he seems to enjoy it.

He likes to do puzzles too

He did this one all by himself.  And in doing so, learned some facts and figures about the Land Down Under, and the Land Down Under the Land Down Under.

He likes to float

Amiri's spots have all crusted over and are starting to disappear (we counted, and he had 62 of them).  His fever's gone, his appetite is back, and he's back to leaping gazelle-like from couch to couch.  Except for the mandatory week-long stand-down, he's ready to go back to school.

Here he is enjoying his last medicated bath.

Sports-related vexillology

Because the World Cup is in town, the participating countries' flags are flying everywhere.  This has been a good opportunity for the boys to learn to identify them.

I just tested Amiri, and he got 17 out of 20 right!  I only helped him with multiple-choice options for a few.  He missed Ireland, Namibia, and Romania.  

Even Arram picked out New Zealand (pronounced, 'New Raisined') and Canada ("Leaf flag!  Leaf flag!")

 

Little funnies

Here are some jokes from the brothers.

Amiri surprised me with a phone call while I was at work today.  (We've been working on his phone skills.)  He said, "Mama, I tried calling you earlier, but you didn't pick up the phone!"  I replied, "That was because I was driving the car when you called.  I can't drive AND hold the phone at the same time.  I don't have enough hands!"  "But Mama,' he said, "I thought you were an octopus!"

And here is what Arram obliged me with when I asked him to do something funny.

They're getting their rest and of course their prawn crackers

Health update:  Amiri is itchy and hot but otherwise doing fine.  He's getting daily oatmeal baths and a liberal coating in calamine lotion.  He doesn't like that very much, but totally digs getting to watch lots of TV and drink all the juice and eat all the treats he wants.

Arram continues to party like a rock star, not a pock in sight.

Here they are resting in the middle of a busy day.

"Some people who have had the vaccine will still get sick."

Chicken pox has come to roost in our house.

Amiri was sent home early today with a fever and some spots.  He's gotten more and more rashy as the day has gone on.  Poor little guy.  The Palmol seems to be working well to keep him comfortable, though.

We had him vaccinated for varicella as a baby but apparently the vaccine doesn't work for everyone.  Hopefully it will stay mild.  Until it runs its course, I'm kind of looking forward to having special cuddly sick days with my little guy.

Arram shows no signs of illness, in fact shows no signs of even slowing down.
 

Rules of the road

--Freeways are called motorways.  Motorways run for 50 km or so, max, inside the cities and then peter out into local roads everywhere else. 

--New Zealanders bemoan the Spaghetti Junction interchange between the 1 and the 16 in central Auckland as a horrifying example of dangerous urban traffic.  As a 5-year veteran of Los Angeles, I find it remarkably well-planned and comfortably un-congested.

--Unless otherwise marked, the speed limit on the street is 50 kph.  On the motorways, I feel like a wild speed-racer seeing my speedometer pegged at 100.

--People actually obey the speed limits.

--Roads are narrow.  Take turns in the tight spots!  Be aware of where the sides of your car begin and end!

--Parallel parking feels like a game of Operation.

--There are lots and lots and LOTS of roundabouts.   The ones with one lane are easy.  The ones with two lanes are a little trickier.  The ones with three or four lanes...I've learned some tricks to using them correctly:  careful observation of signs and lane markings, defensive merging into traffic, and saying a little prayer. 

--Finding an address in the city requires a complex mental map, or a patient navigator in the passenger's seat.  Urban planning on a grid?  Ha!  It's not like you can just track back so you had best watch carefully for the street signs.

--Street signs are somewhat haphazard.  What, we're gonna put one on every streetcorner?

--Look to the right for oncoming traffic when you are turning.  Americans are not conditioned to see hazards coming from that direction.

--Try not to freak out and think you're about to crash when observing the give-way rule.  Maybe I'll get used to it by the time the traffic rules change to something more sensible.

--There are animals to avoid, even in the city.  Pigeons are stupid and will just stand in your lane and stare you down.  Pukekos and possums are apparently even stupider but not so belligerent.  My first time driving, I had to maneuver around a goat.

--Gear shift:  left hand.  Wipers:  left hand.  Radio:  left hand.  Turn signal:  right hand.  Lights:  right hand.  Gas:  right foot.

--Have some good jokes ready for when you unlock your car and settle into the passenger's seat for your commute, for the tenth time, and wonder for a second what happened to your steering wheel.

  

Here are the brothers enjoying an afternoon snack

Breadsticks with hummus and dips.  Yum!

Arram has learned how to pose for photos

Look at that face.  I am in trouble.  I want to give him whatever he asks for now.

Mama takes a self-portrait with an exicted little boy

Amiri is a poster child at school

He teaches his classmates world geography.  (He is dressed as an aeroplane.)

And he demonstrates good hygiene for everyone.

The RWC brings out all sorts of entertainment

We were heading out to dinner, and this was right outside our front door.

Finally, a grocery purchase that did not qualify for the 15-items-or-less checkout

Okay, I have some big news for you today.  As the title of this post may suggest, I went out today to the Pak'nSave and bought us a couple hundred dollars worth of staple groceries.  Among other things, I got three litres of milk, a big jug of laundry detergent, a bale of toilet paper, and a case of soda pop in glass bottles.   All at once.  Awesome.   I think my purchases weighed more than I did.  And how did I manage to get all that home in my backpack without toppling over?  Simple.  I didn't use my backpack.  I used our NEW CAR.

Yay!  We have wheels!  It's a 2008 Honda Civic hybrid and it is AWESOME.  It zigs, it zags, it runs silently on batteries at low speed (all the better to sneak up on you with, my dear) and most of all, it goes so much faster than we do on foot.  Look at this:  I ran an errand today over to Newmarket.  To get there and back on the train, we typically budget at least a couple of hours.  Today I was back home, done and dusted, in 45 minutes.  Much like a black hole's inexorable gravitational field that pulls matter toward itself, our car has instantly compacted the city for us.

It feels slightly odd to drive again after nearly two years of having not.  I almost have to check myself every time I slide behind the wheel:  I can do this, right?  This is mine?  I am a driver?

And I am indeed a driver.  So far this week I've already covered a couple of hundred kilometres and I'm feeling comfortable behind the wheel.  I think the hardest thing to get acclimated to is signalling a turn with my right hand; I keep turning on my wipers.  I even gassed it up like a pro, cringed at the bill, and was grateful that due to the hybrid-ness I won't have to do it that often.