Trying to Cook in NZ

Nina and I have been in New Zealand for six weeks now and are still trying to figure out how they create the prices for things. Our first horrible discovery was when we tried to get a cell phone. When we left the US, we each were using free cell phones and were paying $45US a month for Verizon that gave us 450 minutes and free calls to other Verizon customers, texts were 5 to 10 cents and free night and weekends. I never got close to using all of my minutes. It seemed like a pretty good deal, but I had no idea. There are two companies here Vodafone and Telecom, they are identical in nearly every way. Here the closest thing to a new cell phone is a buy one get one, but the first one costs $450NZ. The cheapest phone we could find had a black and white screen and felt like it would shatter if you dropped it, it was $80NZ. We decided on the color $90NZ model that had a unit converter built in that feels like it would shatter if you dropped it. Then we had to choose a plan. Let me tell you, it wasn’t tough. The $50NZ plan would give us 20 minutes a month. That is 20 minutes we could use any time of day. If we used up the 20, it would be $.99NZ for each additional minute. The 450 minute plan cost around $300NZ a month. We opted for the pay as you go plan which costs $.89NZ a minute, but we don’t pay for incoming calls so that is nice.

A few other strange schemes are gas at about $5.02US per gallon, that seems normal for anywhere that has no gas and isn’t America. Nina noticed that Keen shoes are a bit expensive. The pair that she almost got at REI before we left for $60US cost $191US here. And people still buy them. I am probably going to need some new shoes before I leave here, so I am going to buy them from REI and have them shipped here. Broadband internet costs by the MB downloaded. Books are the really insane thing. A new paperback will set you back $20NZ, a hardcover will cost $40. Meanwhile, used books cost $6NZ-$10NZ. It is a very difficult country in which to shop.

Just some news. Nina got a temp job at a frozen berry factory doing admin work. I also put up the very few pictures we have from our trip from Napier to Nelson. We don’t have any real ones from Nelson yet but we will get some up when it is sunny again. Look at the pictures on Picasa using the link to your right.

I have a few more thoughts on food here in New Zealand. Previously, I commented on the overly sweet ketchup they have here. It seems that people’s tastes here focus on the sweet and not the salty. Everything is a ... [Continue reading this entry]

I just finished my first week at my new job here in Nelson. Nina and I found five places in Nelson that were hiring after looking in the paper. The first stop was a café and bar on Wakefield Quay. ... [Continue reading this entry]

We just wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. Here in New Zealand it feels a little funny. It is, summer. The longest day of the year is just a few days before Christmas. There are some houses with ... [Continue reading this entry]

Asian: Now I am going to write a little about the food we have encountered. When we landed in Auckland, we noticed that we were in a very multicultural city. There has been ... [Continue reading this entry]

Auckland: It was very strange leaving LAX on the evening of the 13th, flying all night, and waking up at dawn in Fiji on the 15th. That Wednesday never happened. I hope we get it back when we fly back to ... [Continue reading this entry]