A House, a Fit, and Retracing Some Steps

Just this week, we have resolved two pressing issues for our life in New Zealand: long-term housing and transportation. With the two-month grace period allowed by the District Health Board coming to an end, it was time to act.Finding a suitable place to rent was the bigger challenge. We ruled-out buying property. An average decent home here is in excess of $300,000 NZD, and the complexity of home ownership in a foreign land is daunting. The majority of rentals are unfurnished, and we did not relish the idea of buying everything needed to to fill a house: refrigerator, washing machine, dishes, furniture, etc., etc.
We were lucky to find a little red brick 2 BR home about a 20 minute walk to work.

The yard is pleasant but not overwhelming (unlike many Kiwis, we are not avid gardeners, to say the least), and it overlooks the backside of the landmark Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Basilica.

The view from the front window

Front of Basilica

Living Room int Kitchen

The interior decor may need a wee bit of tweaking (not twerking) to more reflect our sensibilities, but I am confident we will be quite snug there.

The search for an auto was much easier and more fun. The locals are very used to buying and selling cars as they move in and out of the country or from one island to the other. They don't tend to put a lot of miles on them because most driving distances here are not that far. An inspection for the Warrant of Fitness (WOF) to determine road-worthiness is required every 6-12 months, so the cars tend to be in good shape. I learned the Japanese tend to keep a new car only 2-3 years or 50,000 kilometers (30,000 miles), and then consider it "old". Many of those are shipped to NZ for re-sale. As a result, here are lots of low-mileage vehicles in good condition, especially Japanese and Korean models, available at reasonable prices. We chose a lovely ex-Japanese aubergine-hued 2006 Honda Fit.

This is a very popular and economical model here, also called the Honda Jazz. Petrol (gasoline to you Norteamericanos) is $2.16 NZD/L, which comes out to $7.00 USD/gallon, so it is important to choose your vehicle wisely.

Other wanderings

 Having spent time and traveled widely in this country since 2010, we will have the experience of revisiting many places and activities. In June 2010, we toured the north end of the North Island (you can see my old blog-posts if interested). Months before returning to NZ, my Auckland Hospital friends strongly encouraged me to attend the IMSANZ (Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand) meeting in Waitangi in early March (yes, that Waitangi, of the Treaty of Waitangi).  I was unfamiliar with the organization but I trusted my colleagues, so I got permission to attend the 2-day conference. We flew from Christchurch to Auckland, then took a 3 hour shuttle to the site on the idyllic Bay of Islands, a stone's throw away from the Treaty Grounds. The weather was ideal, probably the best we ever experienced in NZ, although one week later the same shores were lashed by Cyclone Lusi.

I didn't have much time to enjoy the surroundings, as the meeting was packed with talks 8-5. The event was most memorable for the fellowship with other Internists, younger and older, highlighted by a short ferry trip across the bay to historic Russell, and a sumptuous dinner at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel (Motto: Refreshing Rascals and Reprobates since 1827).

The Duke

Sunset from the porch of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, Russell, towards Waitangi

Did I mention it was beautiful?

En route back to Timaru, we spent a day in Auckland and were able to visit the 22nd annual Pacifika Festival celebrating all that is Polynesian with pavilions from 11 Pacific island communities, from Hawai'i  to Kiribiti (pronounced kee-ree-buhss for some reason). We got a taste of this event in 2011, but this time we had a whole day to roam the grounds.

 
Even the reigning Mrs. New Zealand found time to greet her subjects.

This blog always has room for a random large public sculpture.

In honor of Fashion Week in Auckland

Back in the Timaru area, we took in the Gypsy Fair (very Mendonesian)

and the local Botanic Gardens (this time a drive south to Oamaru) remind me of how fortunate we are to be here.

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On a completely different and somber topic, many readers may know of the tragic murder in Fort Bragg, CA of local  Deputy Sheriff Ricky Del Fiorentino. A well-loved and respected man, he was killed March 19 in the line of duty in a normally peaceful beach side neighborhood. News travels instantaneously around the world these days, and my heart goes out to his family and my community over this horrible, senseless loss. I have no brilliant insight into why this kind of thing happens all too often, or what we can do about it, but is very, very sad.

Waitangi Day Reflections and Other Random Thoughts

"Are you going home?"

That question was put to me by a pleasant fellow passenger on the flight back to New Zealand. I paused as I was stuffing my backpack in the overhead compartment. The ultimate answer is no, of course not, my Home is Fort Bragg, CA, 95437, but  I was headed back to Timaru, New Zealand, 7910, a place where I feel very much “at home” since 2010.

Caroline Bay, Timaru, New Zealand

This feeling was even more clear once we arrived the last day of January, 2014.  The town, the people, and the workplace have changed very little since we left 3 years ago. The biggest change was due to the 2^nd major Christchurch earthquake 22 February, 2011, my last week of work. This had damaged the integrity of the Gardens Block, a tower built as a nursing school dorm, converted to offices. This necessitated a major re-shuffling. Instead of individual rooms, the physicians and their secretaries are grouped together in a few larger rooms, and some support offices have moved off-site.  

My desk is to the far right

That aside, 80-90% of the employees are the same, and seem genuinely glad to have me back (but Kiwis are in general very polite people). Former and current co-workers greeted me on the street and welcomed me back from Day One.

It feels a bit like a time warp here. People can’t believe it has been three years since I worked here. There are five other doctors in my department (2 Yanks, 2 Germans, & 1 Kiwi), three of which I worked with previously, and who were instrumental in getting the DHB (District Health Board) to take me back. Even the computer refuses to believe I was away for any length of time. Telephone calls were initially transferred to the cell phone I had back then, and when I went in to check my clinic schedule, the tab “previous clinic” went to 23 February, 2011, and announced “Clinic cancelled due to earthquake”.

There are two principle phrases in NZ you will hear from constantly: 1) “No worries”; followed by, 2) “It will be sorted”. They go a long way to understanding what it is like living and working here. “No worries” is uttered in reference to something where there is in fact cause to worry; otherwise there would be no reason to bring it up. It is used as a calming mantra, a rosary or chant almost, along with the optimistic reassurance that whatever it is, it will in time be sorted out satisfactorily.  God forbid if a Kiwi actually acknowledges there are reasons to worry, and they may not be sorted out. They do fret here just as at home, and like elsewhere most of the time things do work out (and if not you just deal with it). The end result is zen-like, and less of a personal burden than one typically feels in the States.

February 6^th is Waitangi Day in New Zealand. I was here three years ago and wrote in my blog then:

“Recently they "celebrated" Waitangi Day, honoring the treaty between the British and the Maori which established the country. There were no parades, no fireworks. I realized it is in some ways the opposite of Independence Day. This is the day the Maori ceded (or may have, depending on who you believe) sovereignty to the Crown. Instead of uniting people, to date it seems to bring up some resentment and grievances on both sides. ”

All that is still true. I was surprised to find this flier on my car Waitangi Day morning.

 

Apparently a tiny group of white supremacists in the region were responsible, an unpleasant reminder of the conflict the day brings out. The lunatic fringe aside, I think I understand this conflict a bit better. Unlike Independence Day, Waitangi Day was only declared the national holiday in 1974, initially called New Zealand Day, renamed Waitangi Day in 1976. Even deciding what to call it remains contentious. Currently, it is a day marked by protests due to the nature of the Treaty itself.  It was largely ignored from 1877 when Chief Justice James Prendergast declared it to be a 'legal nullity', until the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, when it regained significant legal standing. Since then, a lot of time and effort has been spent trying to reach just settlement of breaches of the Treaty going back to 1840. One side says it has not gone far enough, another that it is too much. It would be like the US having a tribunal to try to adjudicate grievances from Native Americans or the descendants of slaves. The second article of the Treaty guarantees to the chiefs full "exclusive and undisturbed possession of their Lands and Estates Forests Fisheries and other properties”, and there were extensive areas of land illegally confiscated from the tribes in the 1800. What a mess, right?

Here is a completely unsolicited opinion (and probably unappreciated). I give the New Zealanders a lot of credit for addressing these difficult issues. They are even actively debating whether to change their flag, to make it look less like the Australian one and to remove the Union Jack. Imagine someone in the US trying to change the Stars and Stripes! Ultimately, I hope they can see the commemoration of the founding document of their unique country as something to celebrate. I can think of no other major country established by a contract between native and European peoples. The way the USA and Australia dealt with the indigenous people was not nearly as enlightened or equitable. (American Indians were only granted the right to vote nationally in 1924.)

Furthermore, the modern Kiwi identity is a blending of the Maori and Pakeha (European). Look at a map of NZ and you will find a majority of Maori names for places. The typical greeting is kia ora. The All Blacks, World Rugby Champions and pride of the nation, feature many star Maori players and begin each game with a fearsome traditional haka. And for the 17.5% of the population that consider themselves Maori, most have some Pakeha blood, and no one is seriously proposing a return to the 17^th century ways. From the earliest contact, the natives were eager to acquire muskets and nails, among other commodities from Europe, and the whole concept of a written treaty and legal standing in court come from Western institutions.  New Zealand would not be the great place it is without both.

But enough pontificating......

We have been doing a lot of walking in Timaru since our return, covering places we didn’t see before, such as Dashing Rocks, part of a coastal trail around the seafront. There are geometrical formations of basalt marking where the lava from Mt. Horrible reached the sea.

We also made a run down south, through Waimate, the quiet town known for imported wallabies and domestic bad water. There is a pub, the Empire Tavern, which claims to have had the first “Happy Hour” in the country. The story goes after WWII good whiskey was in short supply so the government decreed for four bottles of gin must be sold for each bottle of whiskey. The locals weren’t fond of gin, so they decided to almost give it away one hour per day.

Waimate is also proud of their bushmen,

 

And giant strawberries.

“Are you here permanently?” 

That was a second question for which I was unprepared. This answer is quite clearly “No” as nothing is permanent, and while I plan to work here indefinitely, I will be returning Home after my work in done. The question, however, really means are you here on a locums (temporary) contract, or a permanent (open-ended) one. With a locums contract here, the DHB provides housing and use of a car for the duration, and with the permanent contract, these are provided for a two month period, then you are on your own. (More on the search for a place to rent and a car in the next blog).
PS-Happy St. Paddy's Day!