Originally posted on December 5, 2014, by cruisingrunner
We’ve been here over a week, yet I’ve seen very little. I was thinking that when people vacation, sometimes they only have a week, maybe two, and I’ve already used up a good amount of that time. I guess because we are planning to be here for so long (5-6 months) and also the fact that we aren’t really vacationing so much as moving our life here for a little while, we are a little slow to get out there and see the country. We’ve barely left the marina area, and when we have it’s been to take care of mundane everyday life things like grocery shopping, opening a bank account, and buying a car. We haven’t even gone wine tasting, for crying out loud.
I’m still marveling over being here and still overwhelmed with how life is going to be different for awhile. We aren’t really cruising anymore. We’re just living on a boat. Did I mention we bought a car?
Instead of soaking in the things that make New Zealand special and a tourist destination, I’m getting excited about a coin operated reasonably priced self-serve laundromat where all the machines work and a grocery store that has easily identified meat and a bulk food section rivaling Whole Foods. And yesterday we went into the town of Kerikeri and shopped at a store that could have been “The Container Store” and another the could have been “Home Depot.” I had to resist the urge to stock up on specialty kitchen gadgets like a clip you put on your pot to hold the spoon, so you don’t set it on the counter and get it messy. I guess because I haven’t seen stuff like that for so long, my first reaction was, “I…must…buy!”
Eventually, we will see more of New Zealand, both on the water and on land. But for now, if you ask me how New Zealand is, I’ll likely reply something about how good the internet is and that the apples are to die for.
-D.
Gresham Family Exodus 