It’s been a month since we moved here (whoa, it’s gone by fast!) and adjusting to living on the other side of the globe has been smoother than I thought it would be so far.  I’ve gotten used to living with four new people, drying laundry on the laundry line, not having a car (this is probably a good thing from a safety perspective!) and taking the bus (in addition to walking and biking) to get around.  I am still enjoying the novelty of different slang terms, which I update continuously on the NZ Thesaurus post.

There are, however, some differences!  A few of these disparities surface through various shopping excursions.  First, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to the way things are priced here as compared to the States.  Some things are cheaper (like wine), and some are more expensive (like shoes).  Second, shops are open from about 10:00AM and close by 6:00PM, with few exceptions; some grocery stores and malls (which, by the way, are mini compared to American ones) are open until 8:00PM on certain days.  Third, if something isn’t in stock, you can order it, with the promise it will be at the store “in a couple of weeks”.  Two weeks?  Four weeks?  Who knows…  Definitely an adjustment to the just-in-time, on-demand retail experiences in America!

Actually paying for things has some weirds twists too.  For example, there are coins instead of paper bills for $1.00 and $2.00 denominations (kind of cool).  Also, since the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) does not have a denomination less than $0.10, prices are rounded to the nearest $0.10 when you pay with cash (electronic payments like debit or credit card charge the exact amount).  I equate it to New Zealand’s version of “give a penny, take a penny” - sometimes you get more money back and sometimes you get less.  Recently, I bought something where the total was $11.63; on the receipt, one of the line items was “rounding”, which subtracted $0.03 from my total; I received $4.40 in change.  Interesting!

It’s also worth noting:

1. The rap music is hilariously bad.

2. There are only about 30 cable channels (several American, British, and Chinese stations) as opposed to hundreds.

3. Few houses have sink disposals (they cost upwards of NZ$1000!) - ours does not.

4. The majority of houses have a laundry line, an electric tea kettle, and no screens on windows and doors (there are few bugs here, so they are not necessary - awesome).  The ovens have a smaller compartment called a “griller”, what we Americans would call a “broiler”.

5. It’s hard to find fresh mozzerella cheese.

6. Toilets have two flush options: #1 and #2 (hehe).

Things I Love (I will expand on a few of these in a future post): Frank Ginger Beer, Juice 2 TV (plays videos from the 80s and 90s - F-A-B), astoundingly friendly people, the Metro bus system, and bountiful natural and local fresh food!

Things I Miss: Simply Orange and Simpy Grapefruit juice, reliable cable internet, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Craigslist, TJMaxx/Marshalls, Trader Joe’s, and (it goes without saying) friends and family!

Regardless of the little differences, I will be just fine as long as I continue to have access to my American creature comforts like Crocs, peanut butter, chocolate milk, and Law & Order reruns.

Rus and his awesome team at Crowd Fusion just launched their new brand, Super Eco, which is an informational mecca for everything “green”.  From news to tips to product reviews (featuring Rus’s precedent-setting comparator!) - it’s the place to go for uncluttered, timely, and relevant information.  I subscribe to and read their feed daily; it’s awesome!

Visit Super Eco now!

Yesterday I won an auction for a used desk on Trade Me (working from the couch is only comfortable for the first few days). Given the fact I don’t have a car and don’t plan on getting one for a while, I needed to figure out how to get this desk home.  I didn’t really want to rent a truck or SUV so I asked my flatmate to borrow his car.  It’s a sweet Nissan Bluebird SSS; also known as a Nissan Altima in the USA.

This was my first time driving in a car in New Zealand.  The only other time I have driven on the left-hand side of the road was in St. Croix and they use left-hand drive cars on the left-hand side of the road (weird).

So… I didn’t crash or get pulled over, but here a few things that were really weird:

1. I instinctively kept trying to get in the car on the wrong side.
2. I cleaned the windshield every time I needed to put on my turn signal (they call them “indicators” here).
3. Having the rear-view mirror on the left side was really freaking me out.
4. I had no sense of depth on the left side of the car; I felt like I was going to scrape all the parked cars along the road.
5. Every time I adjusted the seat I ended up doing a e-brake power slide. Just kidding.
6. Hanging your right arm out the window while driving feels unnatural and strange.

Long story short, the desk was too big for the car and the nice guy who I bought it from delivered the desk for free.  Kiwis are so nice!

Yesterday we decided to hop on the Number 28 bus to Lyttelton to see the sights and eat at a highly recommend restaurant called London Street. Along the way we passed through a tunnel (which saves probably 30-45 minutes of travel time) and the bus stopped to exchange some passengers at the Christchurch Gondola. We are holding off on the gondola experience until family and friends visit. After about 40 minutes, we departed the bus at the last stop which was located on the actual shipping docks. The town of Lyttelton is very quaint, small, and hilly.  From almost every house there is a beautiful view of the harbour with its Caribbean-coloured water.  Lyttelton is a historic town and is one of the major international shipping hubs for New Zealand.  There was a huge cruise ship docked along with other various fishing boats, cargo ships, and dolphin-sightseeing boats.  We proceeded to walk around town and shop a bit.  I found two interesting bottles of wine in a cool little organic wine shoppe/food market/restaurant.  One of the bottles is a 1997 Australian red blend and the other is a 2002 Cab Sav from Australia.  I will be sure to post a review after we pop the cork!

We continued to walk around town and eventually decided that there wasn’t anything else to do.  We didn’t feel like waiting around until the restaurant opened, so we walked back to the bus stop and came home.  Our plan is to take the bus out to Lyttelton again just for dinner during the week sometime; maybe to celebrate a work milestone (there are some coming up soon).

I took some great photos and posted them into a Lyttelton Set on our Flickr page. Please have a look and check out our other photos while you’re there!

*This happened in late December 2008.  With the Age of Oil coming to a close, this is important and exciting news!

Reprinted from AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A passenger jet powered in part by vegetable oil successfully completed a two-hour flight Tuesday to test a biofuel that could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, Air New Zealand said.

One engine of a Boeing 747-400 airplane was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel.

This year has seen an unprecedented push for alternative fuels by airlines, which were slammed by skyrocketing oil prices earlier in 2008 and are now bracing for a falloff in air travel in the face of a global economic slowdown.

While Air New Zealand couldn’t say whether the blend would be cheaper than standard jet fuel since jatropha is not yet produced on a commercial scale, the company expects the blend to be “cost competitive,” according to company spokeswoman Tracy Mills.

Biofuels were once regarded as impractical for aviation because most freeze at the low temperatures encountered at cruising altitudes. But tests show jatropha, whose seeds yield an oil already used to produce fuels like biodiesel, has an even lower freezing point than jet fuel.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe called the flight “a milestone for the airline and commercial aviation.”

“Today we stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and an important moment in aviation history,” he said shortly after the flight. The company’s goal is to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline.

The flight was the first to use jatropha as part of a biofuel mix.

In February, Boeing and Virgin Atlantic carried out a similar test flight that included a biofuel mixture of palm and coconut oil — but was dismissed as a publicity stunt by environmentalists who said the fuel could not be produced in the quantities needed for commercial aviation use.

Biofuels emit as much carbon as kerosene-based jet fuel, but jatropha — a Mexican plant that grows in warm climates — absorbs about half the carbon that jatropha-based fuels release. Air New Zealand’s proposed blend, for example, would mean a one-quarter reduction in the carbon footprint of standard jet fuel.

Many biofuels — like ethanol, which is produced from corn — have been blamed for raising the price of food by diverting it from kitchen tables to engines. While the link between biofuels and grain prices is debatable, Mills said that jatropha plants would not compete with food or other commercial crops since it can grow on land that would make poor farmland and needs little water.

“Ethanol is a first generation biofuel; jatropha a second generation biofuel that doesn’t compete for land with food production,” Mills said.

The test flight out of Auckland International Airport included a full-power takeoff and cruising to 35,000 feet (10,600 meters), where the crew manually set all four engine controls to check for identical performance readings among the biofuel-powered engine and those using jet fuel. Pilots also switched off the fuel pump for the biofuel engine at 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) “to test the lubricity of the fuel,” ensuring its friction in the pipe did not slow its flow to the engine.

Capt. David Morgan, the airline’s chief pilot who was on board the airplane, said results from the flight tests will provide the company and its partners with invaluable data to help jatropha become a certified aviation fuel.

The checks were “designed to test the biofuel to the fullest extent,” Morgan said.

While the airline heralded the flight as successful, Air New Zealand Group Manager Ed Sims cautioned that it will be at least 2013 before the company can ensure easy access to the large quantities of jatropha it would need to use the biofuel on all of its flights.

“Clearly we are a long, long way from being able to source commercially quantifiable amounts of the fuel and then be able to move that amount of fuel around the world to be able to power the world’s airlines is still some years off,” Sims told New Zealand’s National Radio.

The company bought the seeds from plantations in East Africa and India that total 309,000 acres (125,000 hectares).

The company hopes that by 2013, 10 percent of its flights will be powered, at least in part, by biofuels, Mills said. Most of those using the blend would be short haul domestic services.

Simon Boxer, of environmental group Greenpeace New Zealand, said it was inevitable that airlines would show greater interest in sustainable biofuels as travelers become more aware of the harm that air travel causes the environment.

But he said it wasn’t clear whether jatropha was really sustainable. He questioned what the environmental impact would be if jatropha grew popular and more land and resources were needed to produce it on a commercial scale.

The flight was a joint venture by Air New Zealand, airplane maker Boeing, engine maker Rolls Royce and biofuel specialist, UOP Llc, a unit of Honeywell International.

The flight, initially scheduled for earlier this month, was postponed after an Air New Zealand A320 Airbus crashed off Perpignan on the south coast of France on Nov. 27, killing all seven on board.

Since arriving, I have been frequently asked what I think of now-President Obama.   Locals wanted to know:  Is he “change we can believe in”?   Did you vote for him?  Do you think he’ll do what he says he will do?  Is it all hype?

And I thought:  Has Obama-Mania reached New Zealand?

I am under the impression (and maybe I am seeing this through American-born-and-bred-”We’re-Number-One!” beer goggles) that the world watches what the United States does quite closely.  For as the U.S. goes, often, so does the rest of the world.   That being said, the New Zealand press no different; it is tuned in to most U.S. current events - from the latest bailout packages to Senator scandals to celebrity gossip.

As far as Obama-Mania, my roommates said the whole U.S. election was covered heavily, competing with their own!   In general, I would say people here are favorable toward Obama.  One roommate, Monique, has talked with friends, who think he is cool and hip - some even consider him sexy!   She said one of her colleagues - who admitted she was “obsessed with Obama” - was glued to the television her whole shift watching the Inauguration festivities.  On the other hand, they wonder if he is the real deal; actually following through on the beautifully crafted and presented promises that come out of his mouth.

At this point, my conclusion is that Kiwis are as optimistic about Obama’s potential for “hope” and “change” as the Obama-maniacs back home.   Maybe it is the long-awaited exhale, after eight years of holding one’s breath, that someone who seems to know what he’s doing is leading America.  Maybe, like the folks in the States, they just want the old America back. The one that doesn’t torture.  The one that doesn’t start illegal wars.  The one where freedom and liberty and justice for ALL are realities.  And the one where “hope”…isn’t just a campaign slogan.

As a side note: While I checked a few updates online to make sure that Armageddon didn’t happen during the Inauguration (news flash: it didn’t), I wasn’t interested in the pomp and circumstance.  No, I didn’t vote for McCain (I voted for Dr. Ron Paul, who also cured my political apathy).  No, I am not racist.  It is easy to be impressed by Obama’s oratory skills and charisma, especially compared to the bumbling disgrace of a man he replaced.  He’s likable on the surface; however, I cannot count myself as an “Obama-maniac”.

I subscribe to the “actions speak louder than words” crowd and have looked extensively into his cabinet choices and voting record.  And, if you don’t know who Zbigniew Brzezinski is, you should, regardless of your opinion of Obama.  These alone tell me the “change” part has nothing to do with amending politics as usual (which, of course, begs the question: just what kind of “change” did we get outselves into?  *shudder*).  After a little due diligence, no matter how polished Obama is, the “hope” and “change” (in the context of America as we currently know it), ends at his accomplishment of becoming the first black American President.

It took less than 24 hours from when I sent the “Blog Is Up!” notification email for (what I am calling) “The Challenge” to present itself.  One of my faithful readers has asked if I can blog daily, and I think it’s a fair request!  But, am I up to it?

The answer is…yes, with a disclaimer: I want to make sure that I am sharing relevant and interesting information, anecdotes, etc. - quality, not quantity, oui?  If I can’t post something you, my dear readers, would enjoy, I think I’d rather just wait until the next day.  Cool?

Since it will be a challenge to meet the daily post requirement AND keep things appealing,  any feedback would be helpful!  You can email me, or better yet, leave a comment in the comment section.  Cheers!

I’ve been getting a lot of requests for pictures of this so-called “beautiful country”.  Lately, we haven’t been doing much sight-seeing or picture-taking; however, the first photos are posted here at Flickr.   Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, we will be taking advantage of the weather and doing some day and weekend trips - and be adding to the photos!  Enjoy!

In an attempt to keep up with my “acclimation process” (and general fascination with goofy UK spellings), I am going to continue “utilising” (see what I just did there?) the UK version, which is also the NZ version, of various words.  You know, words like “colour” and “yoghurt” (yeah, they add in an “h” on that one).  I may even get bold and use “t” instead of “ed”, like in “learnt”.  Switching out “z” for “s”, that’s what I am all about.

Your Spell-Check will likely go nuts; my apologies in advance!

There are over 580 restaurants here in Christchurch, an impressive number as there are only 330,000 people in the city.  As a comparison, there are approximately 6,600 restaurants in New York City (population 8.3 million).  Per capita, Christchurch has twice the amount of restaurants as New York!

That being said, there certainly isn’t a shortage of places to eat - no matter what your palate.

A few things I’ve noticed about restaurants here in Christchurch:

1. Many restaurants are “fully licenced”, meaning they have a licence to serve both liquor and beer/wine and “B.Y.O.” - which permits you Bring Your Own.

Typically, B.Y.O. is limited to wine only, and there is often a small fee ($3-$5) per bottle or per person if you participate.  Having lived in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, one of the few United States that had a B.Y.O. option for dining, I am delighted that this is allowed here in Christchurch.  Although I favor wine with my meals, I think it’s a bonus to be able to have a pre-meal cocktail and then drink your own wine - without sabotaging your entire dinner (or lunch for all you hardcores out there) budget.

2. GST (sales tax) and tip are included in the price you see on the menu, so tipping is not required!

This was definitely an adjustment, coming from the United States.  Service workers - waiters/waitresses, bartenders, etc. - get paid a fair, hourly wage, so they do not have to rely solely on tips for their livelihood.  This can be a double-edged sword since the waitstaff has little incentive to provide excellent or timely service.  So far, we haven’t experienced poor service; the waitstaff seems to leave you alone until you need something, rather than making themselves available at all times like American restaurants.  We’ve been denied seating close to closing time, whereas in the States, we’d be seated.  A few restaurants we’ve visited did not have a dedicated waitstaff; we order from the counter, like at a Panera Bread/Atlantic Bread Company restaurant, and our food was brought out when ready.

So, can you tip?  It’s not customary (and can even be viewed as insulting), but if you’d like to leave a small tip - $.50 or $1.00 for exceptional service, it’s acceptable.

3. The cost of eating out is less expensive that in the United States.

Entrees (appetizers) are NZ$5-10 each.  This would be something like bruschetta, salad, etc.  A full menu item typically costs between NZ$15-35.  This would be for a nice cut of meat or fish, a starch, and a vegetable.  Dessert is in the NZ$8 range. Depending on which restaurant we go to, dinner is around NZ$30-70 for two people.  Considering that we could bring our own wine, tax and tip is included, and we often had leftovers for lunch, my conclusion is that eating dinner out in Christchurch is an excellent value!

Stay tuned as Rus and I eat our way through Christchurch :)