Feeling Right at Home

We remain in Tauranga. Actually, we’re closer to Mt. Manganui. Although we may be living in Papamoa. However you slice it, we’re living out of our car in the increasingly friendly trailer/camper park we’ve been staying at. Increasingly? you ask, if you’ve been following along. Yes, increasingly.

Ray introduced himself yesterday. He a nice fellow, in his 60’s, with a great big barrel chest. Side note coming… I just had to mention his chest, because it’s ridiculously large for a man his age. It must be genetic, or he’s on steroids and it’s all going to his chest. Moving on… Ray is a friendly guy. And he’s interesting, for reasons that go beyond his chest. He holds two patents in NZ, and he’s got the knowledge of New Zealand Patent Law to back it up (Note to “cult” members: I don’t think he’s a Daryl Turner). He’s attempted other patents, but has been thwarted in one way or another. He’s quite a happy guy, and seemed pleased to have someone to talk to about his "ideas". Some of them he couldn’t reveal, because he’s learned you have to keep your ideas close to the chest. However, he did reel off a couple of ways Betsy and I could make money from Colorado, after having been to NZ. He’s got “an entrepreneurial mind”, and a really “good imagination.” He’s got an engineering background, is pretty good with computers, and owned an automotive business in the 80’s. He’s gonna take a look at our radiator a bit later. He also offered his shed, which has a lock on it, if we need a place to put some things while we’re here. My instinct is to be suspicious of the guy, but I’m learning that things work a bit differently here. He’s lived in the Beach Grove Park for a couple of years now. Most of the time he's sitting on his porch, or drinking tea, or feeding his cat. After our initial conversation yesterday, he returned later in the day with some information on aspects of fruit picking we had discussed. He had printed out some sheets with phone numbers and information we might find useful.

Patricia lives across the way. She’s from America, and her son lives in Boulder, CO; small world. She’s the one who is always cooking, and it turns out she’s not so crazy. She just likes to cook, and gives most of the food away to other residents. Yesterday evening she brought us some soup she had made. Later she took some over to a Japanese cyclist that was passing through, and brought him a sandwich to go with the soup. She left America because she was burnt out after a few decades as a nurse, and wanted to get away from the constant stress. I wonder whether she was talking about nursing, or being an American? Now she cooks because it’s relaxing, and she can stop to take a break whenever she feels like it. She told Betsy most of this during a kitchen chat.

Rochelle runs the grounds at Beach Grove. She approached us yesterday with a suggestion. “Why keep paying for a site when Trev and Angie offered yous their bach?” We looked at her, stunned. “Yous might as well park up front, or next to their bach, and quit paying” for an expensive parking spot. “Parking isn’t even that expensive in Auckland!” she left us with. Gob smacked was the phrase Betsy used to describe our reaction. Did the manager of this place just come up and suggest we stop paying? By golly, I believe she did. We’ll ring Trev and Angie to make sure they’re comfortable with the arrangement, and then start living for a bit less.

We’re still looking for work, and beginning to have a bit of success. Betsy has a trial today, and possibly another later today. A trial? Why bother with a job interview when you can just give an applicant a trial run; another example of New Zealand’s practical thinking. I have a few applications pending, and am feeling okay about my chances.

Suffice to say, we’re feeling pretty good about things.