Arrival to New Zealand

I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand a little worse for ware. The 13 hour flight did not treat me well. I think there was something in the airline food that made me ill, and the man sitting next to me overtook the arm rest and I often had an elbow in my ribs. Needless to say, I did not sleep well, which made the time pass all the slower. Thankfully, when I finally arrived at my destination, I made my way through immigration and declarations without a hitch. My domestic flight was not for another six hours, so exhausted, I slept in the airport. At one point, a guy came over to wake me, just to make sure that I wasn’t missing my flight. In a daze, I said no and thanked him for his consideration. This was the first of many charitable and friendly gestures I would come to experience from the people of New Zealand.

My jumper flight from Auckland to Tauranga was an interesting flight. First, the plane was smaller than those I have taken even into Ithaca, and there was no door between the cabin and the cockpit, so the passengers could watch the pilots navigate. Second, we were low enough – and the weather brilliantly clear – that I could watch the scenery pass. A lush, green blanket, wrinkled with rolling hills lay below and the Pacific Ocean glistened in the distance. New Zealand was already starting to live up to its reputation for pastoral serenity.

When I arrived in Tauranga, I was greeted by Nicola, one of the research associates from HortResearch, the entity which will host me to work these next four months. Tauranga is a port city and the largest city in the Bay of Plenty region. The Bay of Plenty region, on the northeast side of the north island, has experienced growing pains in recent years – so I’ve been told – due to its pleasant climate and oceanside location. Mount Maunganui is the city that neighbors Tauranga and is especially popular with vacationers. Since it was midday by this point, Nicola and I drove down to “The Mount” and had some lunch. The name of the city is derived from the mountain which rises abruptly and adjacently to the beach. It is not only a landmark but a popular place to hike.

We left the Mount, went to Nicola’s house, and not long after, a deluge of rain fell. I didn’t realize a storm had passed, however, because jet lag had caught up with me, and I slept most of the afternoon. I woke for just a couple of hours in the evening, and then went back to bed again, sleeping all the way through the night.

After that first night, I moved my belongings to the house of my “boss” and his family. I stayed there the first two weeks until my permanent situation became available. The house had a separate “flat,” which was quite comfortable, and the family was very kind and welcoming. My permanent situation is in Te Puke. I will share a house with a young couple and another person who works at HortResearch, Marcela. Marcela is from Colombia, and I look forward to practicing Spanish with her. There will be reciprocity in this because she looks forward to practicing English with me because she said I am much easier to understand than the Kiwis. Te Puke itself is not the most interesting of towns, nor the most exciting, but my flat company promises to be good and the proximity to work means that, when the weather is good, I will bike there. I am gradually settling into my new country of residence.