Big Red

Even when we were still playing the waiting game over Emily's visa, Steve was looking online every day to see what was available for sale in the van department.  We knew that a van would be our best option (I haven't seen a single Suburban-sized SUV here).  We were spending over $100/day on our white rental van, which was really starting to add up!  New Zealand has an online auction website called "Trade Me" which is very popular for privately buying/selling items (we've actually ended up purchasing several items besides our van, including 3 bikes and a bed).  Steve noticed an awesome red van advertised, and we both thought it would be perfect for our family!  It was plenty big enough, seemed to be in great condition, and just happened to be painted my favorite color. :)

The minute we heard that Emily's visa was approved, we rang the owner to ask for a showing.  We liked the van even more after seeing it in person.  The owner wasn't allowed to accept our offer to buy it then since he had listed it for auction, so we would have to wait a week to see how the auction played out.  Meanwhile, I ran on over to the U.S. to collect a precious package that was waiting for me.

Shortly after Emily and I returned to New Zealand, the auction was scheduled to close.  Steve had kept a close eye on the bids, but nothing much happened until about an hour before closing, when the bids really picked up speed.  We were all on the edge of our seats until the auction closed, and let out a huge cheer when we realized that our final bid secured the top spot!!  We ended up paying $8600 NZ, which translates to about $6900 US.

The next morning, the purchase was finalized.  Big Red was officially ours!  It's 13 years old with 288k km (179k miles), manual transmission (left-handed shifting!), diesel engine (lower fuel costs), FM radio WITH cassette (but only one working speaker), and 11 seat belts.  No bells or whistles whatsoever .... but be still my heart, it's probably my favorite car I've ever had.  I honestly can't stop smiling every time I drive it.  It's surprisingly easy to operate, and maneuvers quite well for its age and size.  The kids love it, but are trying to get used to the fact that the windows aren't tinted like our last car...we are essentially driving around in a giant fish bowl (which makes it more cool, right?).

Needless to say, I'm in love, and we are already scheming about how we can get Big Red back to the States!

The day after buying Big Red was my birthday.  Aside from having our family back together again, I couldn't imagine a better gift.  

We took Big Red on a first "roadie" last weekend...smooth sailing.  Here we are loaded up and ready to go (we moved Emily to the back seat, but she wanted to sit up front for the picture):

We have a few extra seats for visitors.  :)  Three cheers for Big Red!

Kai-iwi Beach

After getting a glimpse of the ocean on our trip to Wellington, we concluded that a visit to one of the more local beaches was in order.  We had been waiting for a day with good weather, since it had been very rainy, but eventually decided to grab our rain jackets and head to the beach anyway...rain or shine!

Kai-iwi beach is about an hour's drive from Palmerston.  All that rain made for very green hillsides...I couldn't help but take photos!

Since the cows didn't want to be overshadowed by all the sheep, here's one for them...

We drove through Wanganui on our way to the beach.  It was another location we seriously considered when choosing where to live and work in New Zealand.  It was very similar to Palmy and seems like a nice place to live.  We loved these phone booths that dotted the main avenue through town.

Perhaps I would feel differently if I had grown up near the coast, but I can't help but get a little thrill every time the ocean comes into view.

We loved how primitive and rustic the beach was...dark sand, cloudy skies, a mist in the air...it was unlike any beach we'd ever visited, and it was beautiful. 

The twins were very curious about this broken-up structure resting on the beach:

Landon liked getting close to it...

...but Luke ran away from it in a panic.  Something spooked him!

Of course, Rachel and I couldn't stop taking photos.  Peek-a-boo!

Right at the edge of the beach, there is a bridge which leads to a fun playground.

The most popular feature at the park was the zip line!  We all took turns trying it out.

We *heart* Kai-iwi Beach!

Earthquake!

July 21, 2013:  We were enjoying our usual Sunday evening, post-church ritual...I was preparing dinner, the kids were having their pre-dinner bowls of cereal, Steve was munching on chips and salsa, when all of a sudden, Steve shouts out, "You guys!!"  We all stopped what we were doing and instantly noticed that everything was moving.  Our plants were shaking, the mirrors and wall-hangings and doors were banging, the hanging light fixtures were swaying, and grabbing the countertop didn't help me feel stabilized at all.  After a few seconds, it seemed to increase in intensity and went from being sort of cool to pretty dang scary.  I felt like I might fall over!  We all sat on the ground and kept swaying, hoping that it would end soon.  It was pretty intense for over a minute (which sounds like nothing unless you're in an earthquake).

Gratefully, we had no serious damage (other than rattled nerves).  The 6.9 magnitude earthquake originated about 150 miles from us.  We had been told by many to expect to feel several earthquakes while living here (we had felt a small one just a few days before), but I won't be sad if that's the last one!

The city that suffered the most damage was Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, located on the lower end of the North Island.  I thought this would be a good time to share a few photos from our visit to Wellington a few weeks ago.  Steve had an interview with the New Zealand Medical Council...it was a short meeting, basically just to verify Steve's credentials.  It was a long way to drive (2 hours each way) for a 15-minute meeting, but we were happy to see more of the country and to get a look at Wellington.

All of our travels through New Zealand up to that point had been inland, so we were excited to get our first glimpse of the ocean!

Homes on a hillside just outside the city:

Crossing the bridge leading into Wellington:

The twins were having a rough day...they'd spent a lot of time in the car over the previous days.  I must have been trying to entertain them because I didn't get any photos of the "city" or big buildings.  We walked through the streets and made our way to the water while Steve had his quick meeting.  It was a cold and windy day...they don't call it "Windy Welly" for nothing!

We drove back to Palmy in the pouring rain.  I love this shot of the rainy ocean at dusk.

Our next trip to Wellington will most likely be to catch the ferry to the South Island!  We are all looking forward to that.  It's going to cost a small fortune to get our whole family (and our van) ferried over, so I'm not sure how many trips we'll be taking to the South Island...we're planning a long trip over summer break (December or January).  Until then, we'll keep enjoying all the beauty the North Island has to offer!  Preferably earthquake-free.  :)