Well, sunny Tauranga has been anything but so far.  It’s rained every day we’ve been here.  We’ve heard some bad rumors that this is going to be a rainy summer due to El Nino, but hopefully they aren’t true, as we’re missing the sun.

DSC_0304 Another overcast day with our marina on the right and Mt. Manganui in the background

We’ve started making a few repairs, but have mostly been doing a little exploring, waiting for some sunshine, and trying to get caught up on e-mails.  Lauren’s been doing a lot of cleaning and has started gluing together the various wooden strips of door and trim pieces that were knocked off during the last couple of months.  We did finally eliminate one big item yesterday by buying a car (or caaa) as it’s called here.  Using trademe.co.nz (NZ eBay equivalent) we bought a 1996 Honda Accord with about 120,000 miles on it for only $1400 US from a teacher who’s moving to England.  The car was in Rotorua, so we had a nice cheap, afternoon bus ride over to Rotorua.  We left from downtown Tauranga, which is a nice little shopping and nightlife area within walking distance.  We’re still not used to shopping, especially for designer clothes at designer prices, so we mostly just walked around for a while after changing the US AMEX traveler’s checks from Bora Bora at the bank (FYI, traveler’s checks have a better exchange rate than cash).

We finally stopped in for a beer in one of the pubs and saw what must be one of the best game machines ever.  It’s called Catch-A-Cray.  Cray is short for crayfish, which is what lobsters are called here.  The game is just like the ones in the US where you move a claw over a pile of stuffed toys and try to get it to grab one for your girlfriend, but in this case, instead of cute stuffed animals, there are lobsters in a tank of water.  If you’re lucky enough to get one, it’s deposited into a chute at the corner of the tank and then drops out onto the floor!  I’m not sure whether the local pub is setup to cook it for you or whether you just take it home in a to-go box.  Before you decide that Kiwis are unrepentant sadists, I should note that there’s a sign on the game that says it was designed by someone who works closely with the SPCA and that there are features like double glass, special lights, etc. that render it stress-free for the crays.  A couple of guys tried it while we were there and it works the same as in the US — you put your money in ($3 NZ), center and lower the claw, and then the claw starts to lift your cray of choice but won’t hold onto it.  At least they don’t have to worry about skinny youngsters sticking their arms in and pulling out prizes for free.

DSC_0306 Catcha Cray

The ride to Rotorua confirmed what we’d read and seen a bit of in the Bay of Islands — New Zealand is a largely agricultural country.  There were lots of fields — kiwi fruit, a corn field, and lots of some sort of vine-type plant that I’m not familiar with.  There were also lots of very tall, trimmed hedges separating land into various sized plots.  Dairy cows and sheep were pretty common, but there were also a few beef cows, and a herd of deer.  Rotorua itself is supposed to be the 2nd most popular tourist destination in NZ.  Some call it Roto-Vegas, but we didn’t see anything in our brief stop that even remotely resembles Vegas.  It does have natural hot springs, a big lake, lots of outdoor activities, and an ever-present sulfur stench (rotten eggs).

The car sale itself is pretty hassle-free here.  You change ownership at the post office for $9 NZ.  Both the buyer and seller fill out a form and they could also do it online up to a week after the sale.  The plates are tied to the car and never have to be changed.  There is a fairly reasonable licensing fee/sticker that can be purchased in 3, 6, or 12 month intervals.  The big difference here is that the car has to have a fresh WoF (Warrant of Fitness) every 6 months, which is a bit more comprehensive than inspections back in the US (can include things like having to replace shocks or tires).  Insurance is not mandatory, although we’ll price liability insurance just in case.  The car looks pretty good for the price, although the seller was a little nervous when he handed me the keys, which seemed a bit odd.  Turns out I’d forgotten to pay him and he wasn’t sure if he should say something or if I’d transferred the money to his bank account.  Finally he said something which was great, because I’m absent-minded enough that I was about to drive off in the freshly transferred car with his $2k NZ in my pocket.

DSC_0310 Our caaa

Driving back on the wrong side of the road with roundabouts and Friday evening traffic we haven’t seen let alone driven in for a long time was a bit of an adventure, but it went pretty well.  We did have a bit of a shock when we stopped at the gas station (of course the fuel warning light was on when we pulled out of the driveway) and a fill-up cost $85 (about $US 4.5/gallon). The hardest part was just pulling out into busy traffic after having not done it since March.  When you’re not used to it, cars seem like they’re going so fast that you’re wondering how people do it, but I guess they think the same thing about sailing hundreds of miles offshore.

The boat has to have a WoF as well from an electrician to be able to plug in to shore power, so we haven’t plugged in yet.  We have a heavy 3000W 220V-to-110V converter that we’ve lugged all the way here, but so far the solar panels and wind generators have done pretty well.  We got a little low on electricity last night after several calm, rainy days, but we actually had to cover the panels to keep the battery voltage down last week in Russell after several sunny days as we just don’t use that much electricity.

DSC_0312 The staff is incredibly friendly, but being in a slip is still feels strange

DSC_0313 It’s a wee trek to the head & showers