For the love of smooth asphalt

One must appreciate the roads in a climate that doesn't have 50 degree temperature swings in 24 hours, doesn't know what 20 below zero is, and doesn't need the use of snow plows and salt. These roads make for good biking. Unfortunately a good portion or the roads around here are gravel and tar style, which get jarring after about an hour of biking. A road of fresh asphalt in MN begs to be ridden, as there will be pot holes the size of your Mini in a matter of months.
We are enjoying the beautiful fall weather here. It's the kind of weather most Minnesotans would be found in short sleeves in, but sends most Kiwis looking for their down jackets. Good think Kaleb's company is now having a sale on down jackets.

We were able to get out sailing last Thursday. My coworker's friend Tina lives here and, much to our delight, owns a sailboat moored just a block from our house. Her friend and co-owner of the boat took us out on a windy and slightly chilly morning last week. Strangely I was only hit by spray when Kaleb was steering, never when Nicole was. Must be a coincidence. It was a great time!

The last week

Haven't posted in a while, just because not much interesting has been happening. Last weekend we went to see a one man show by Ian McKellen (Gandolf). It was a benefit showing to raise funds for a theater in Christchurch that was damaged by the earthquake. It was a great show in a small venue, which meant we could actually meet and talk to him after the show.

The beginning of this week was stormy, so we couldn't get outside to play much. The Minneapolis wind tunnels have nothing on New Zealand. The rain is truly sideways, and don't bother with and umbrella, it does no good. I hear Wellington is worse. It's a bit like die Foehn in Switzerland that can level the trees on the mountain, only not as warm. Luckily these winds aren't around very often. You never quite appreciate the calm days until you're biking against these winds.

Yesterday, Kaleb had to work and I had nothing better to do, so I took the free casino bus to Hamilton. I knew I was at the right bus stop when I looked around and saw no one under twice my age. Very nice people though. I was able to get a voucher for a free lunch from the bus driver too. I have to say I prefer Vegas, and not just because of my fabulous friends there. The slot machines (or pokie machines as there called here) actually still give out coins. Of course this means that if you win something that is not divisible by $2, the casino gets to keep the difference. Also, they aren't as loose as the ones on Fremont street. Blackjack was also a bit strange. You can put an extra bet in the chance you get pairs. It rarely happens (why I wasn't doing this), but can pay out big. Also, someone can bet on your hand. So someone sitting next to you or standing behind you can place chips on your hand and hope you know what you're doing. No pressure, though. I didn't loose much money yesterday (which is a success) and got to see a bit of the countryside on a free bus. Not bad.
Next week, as it's Memorial day weekend, we'll be taking a trip to Taupo and Wellington. The 3 bus trip legs for the both of us cost less than $80. It will be nice to see somewhere different.
We've also signed up to run a race the first weekend in June. Since we're missing the entire tri season, we wanted to do something. Kaleb will be running a half marathon and I a 10k. It's right outside our house, so we know the route well.

Big Moon and Big Waves

The other day we went hiking up Mauao (the mount where we live) for the sunset and moonrise. Both were spectacular. The moon was the closest to Earth it had been in quite some time. Unfortunately the moon was so bright, our photos don't capture the detail we could see.

Yesterday we attempted to go surfing and learned 2 very valuable lessons.
1) Check multiple websites for the surf forecast. One said 3 feet, another said 3 meters. It was 3 meters.
2) On big wave days, don't surf at high tide, the waves are even bigger then.

We didn't last long in that kind of surf and ended up going under the waves more often then riding on them. Luckily there was no wind yesterday, so we packed up the surfboards and went the 2 blocks to the harbour side of the peninsula for some stand-up paddling. A perfect day for that. Our friend Nicole was out on her yacht in the harbour doing some maintenance, so Kaleb swam and I paddled out to hang out with her for a bit.
As a side note for foodies, Kaleb's lunch today: pizza with shrimp, tuna, mussels and corn on it.
Kaleb's put up heaps more photos - check it out

Dear Kiwis:

First, I would like to thank-you for having a great visa system that lets us come here. Next, please note my observations:
Z is a letter and is not a back country toothless man named Zed.
Mullets are not back in fashion and never will be.
Hammer pants didn't look good on MC Hammer and don't look good on you, even if you rename them as "harem" pants. (I would have pictures, but am not that clever to secretly get pictures of these folks)
Get real skateboards, not the plastic ones sold in K-Mart in the early 80s.
Thank you for the amusing "educational" road signs. Such as "cars kill what they can't see" to educate on the dangers of biking in black clothing. (something Kaleb is guilty of frequently)
Export Tim Tams (a cookie) to the U.S., they're delicious.
I curse you with the shear variety of ciders here. How will I ever deal with the few choices in America?
Insulation and heating are fantastic inventions. It prevents rain inside the house.
Horse racing should not have its own channel on TV. It's not that interesting.
Rugby teams should not have hot pink uniforms.
I love this country, some things are just a bit off.

One more thing: What you call bacon is just a big hunk of ham. Stop putting it on everything.