CentrePort Open Day....

Last weekend we decided to take in a local tradition of sorts: CentrePort Open Day. NZ receives all sorts of imported goods via air as well as by sea and Wellington Port is a bustling operation that, on a rare occasion, is open to the public. Once there we toured one of the navy ships and waited in line (it was totally worth it) to ride one of the tug boats. Strolling the waterfront we often see them cruising around but to ride one of these seemingly innocuous vessels was a treat. I say that because they are incredibly expensive (a new tug would cost $12 million NZD!) and strong (pulling over 72 tons!). Amazing, tiny workhorses. :)

 Tug Toia.

                              Tie up your boat.                                      The engine room.

 The Queen Elizabeth. 3000+ on board.

 Her Majesty New Zealand Taupo.

 Anchor. Just in case.

No sharks around NZ? Right.

 Everyone should have a Pyro Locker.

 Kiwi.

 Some time with the .50 cal. :)

After a year in Wellington we love the fact that there is still so much to see, explore and experience!!

Book love....

Atonement. Talk about brimming with emotion.

Super Rugby at the Brewery

Hurricanes (21) versus Chiefs (25)

Well it's that time of the year again.  Time for Rugby!  It's weird because we arrived in NZ last year just as the season was beginning and here we are ready for another.  This last weekend we went to a preseason game with the local team, the Hurricanes, facing off against last year's champions, the Chiefs.  The game was hosted by a NZ brewery, Tui, and played just across from their headquarters... in a farm field.

Check out the action.  It's probably the closest we'll come to photographing these guys in action (of course that is until next years game).

 

Andre Taylor, the starting fullback and last years leading try scorer.  He signed our jerseys at the end of last season. 

The Ruck

Setting up for the Scrum

Beauden Barret for the Goal Kick

Wing Julian Savea - TRY!

Lifting the Lock in the Lineout

One of the Hurricanes' Locks, Jason Eaton, and Bridget's favorite player.  And yes, she got his autograph!

Our friend Phil (left) and the rookie Flanker, Ardie Savea (brother of Julian).

Auckland, North Island: City of Sails...

We spent this past week in Auckland. Towards the top of the North Island it is NZ's largest city with over a million people (that's big for NZ standards). We took the 'night rider' flight departing daily at 10pm and arriving 40 minutes later. I swear you barely reach cruising altitude before you begin to descend. :) After catching a late bus we arrived at our hotel which was a little one bedroom apartment that was strikingly similar to where we stayed when we first arrived in NZ one year ago. Strange deja vu.

While Tim attended the conference I did relatively little work. Instead I spent my days sleeping in, reading books for fun, exploring the city, visiting the Auckland Art Gallery and taking photos each day. The 'big city' provided no end of subjects for photos. See the smattering below.

Sculpture at the Auckland University campus.

                                           Town Hall.                                            Sky Tower.

Queen Street.

                                 Auckland Art Gallery.                               Horse and rider sculpture.

                                   Sunset inspired painting.                      Water sculpture outside.

                                    Metal wall sculpture.                                Entrance ceiling.

                                              Large QR code.               Boxcar. Apropos for Valentine's Day.

                                                                      Sidewalk warning.

                                        Stone column.                                  Wyoming in Auckland.

                            Looks photoshopped. Is. Not.                              Reflection.

                                       Building texture.                        Yachts next to 'flash' condos.

I returned to see this exhibit at the Art Gallery but no photos were allowed inside. This one (outside the venue) is a double exposure of a negative. The first picture was the leopard's face; the second was Mick Jagger. It just happened to work out and was included in the exhibition.

Book love....

The Zookeeper's Wife. A historical novel based on a couple who ran a zoo in Warsaw, Poland, during WWII. Very interesting.

Book love...

A Little Princess: being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the first time. Talk about a shining example of grace in dire circumstances. We should all be more like Sara Crewe.

A year later.....

Yesterday (NZ time) we marked one year in NZ! When we arrived here we were tired, overwhelmed and wondering if we could manage in this new country and navigate this new way of life. Without doubt we have had ups and downs along the way but I'm happy to say that, one year later, we are still glad that we made the decision to turn our lives up-side-down in order to move here. :)

Now we've settled into our respective programs and are both working towards 'Full PhD' status. Up until a student compiles a research proposal and presents it to a committee he/she remains 'Provisional'. So here we are getting ready to present what research we plan to do (and what we've done already) during our tenure at Vic as PhD students. This first year has been filled with reading the literature surrounding our topics, attempting to understand what has been done and what contribution we can make with our experiments. We've both attended conferences and are looking forward to future opportunities to travel and share our research with other students and scientists. We're actually leaving today for Auckland where Tim will spend the week at a conference. I'm planning to spend my days reading/studying for my presentation as well as exploring the city and of course reading for fun. :)

Now we'd like to say thank you to everyone who has supported us in this endeavor - it means so much. Here's to a happy and successful year 2!!

Book love....

White Fang. I couldn't put it down. Jack London is amazing!

Welly Botanical Gardens....

Passing through a few weeks ago I snapped these with my phone. I'm excited to return with the camera and lenses - it could turn into a day long project. :)

Book love...

The Sleep Book. I've finally added this one to the library! And it's just as awesome as I remember it. :)

Book love.....

Ape House. Sara Gruen delivers.

Book love....

Eyes Wide Open. 

 

Book love....

Little Women. One I've been meaning to read for years. I usually enjoy the book over the movie but I'd say both are very good in this case. :)