Thames

Its just been over a week since I returned to New Zealand and I've got a room in a house a couple ks away from work.  It wasn't my first choice, but the lady I was going to rent from didn't return my calls for several days.  So I decided to take my 2nd choice.  Its with a couple in their 50's who have a Japanese exchange student.  It will be interesting living here as I've already been locked out!  This evening I went out for a ride along the valley road and did 2 laps.  It ended up being a 40km day.  The scenery was pretty cool and the elevation burned a little.  Thames is remarkably hilly and biking around town will be challenging.

So I'm looking for a car, but we won't be able to get financing here until we have a resident visa and a New Zealand Driver's License.  So I'll be looking at more worn in cars than I was originally intending otherwise it will be a few months before the visas get sorted.  I did take out a Nissan Expert and a Honda Odyssey today and rather enjoyed driving the Expert.  We are looking for a vehicle that will allow us to take our toys out.  Did I mention that they is mountain biking, tramping, and a rail trail all in the area?

So I spent the first week in the Gateway Backpackers and Greg and family were awesome.  He gave us apple cucumbers, tomatoes, and plums from his garden.  He also offered to take me out fishing on his boat once I get settled in.  I met a lot of interesting people in the hostel and if a single room was cheaper I might have stayed until Beth comes over.  I met a couple from Christchurch who were up to tramp the Pinnacles and a couple other tracks.  They have asked me to keep an eye out for any accounting jobs as they would like to relocate up here.  A Dutch girl talked me into doing the Pinnacles on Sunday.  It was a fun tramp even though I twisted my ankle while running down the trail to make sure we were on the right path.  I'm positive that I could have finished quicker than the 7 hrs, but the Dutch girl and I talked and I motivated her to push a little harder.

I'm starting to piece together the environment that I'll be working in and I've buried my head into understanding the database structures and looking over the reports that I'll be managing.  I have a feeling a lot of analysis is needed to ensure that the reports are accurate and necessary.  I'm also being tempted by my peers to play some footy on Fridays during our lunch break.  Did I mention that we can wear shorts on Friday?  I'm going to see when I can start rocking sandals to work.  Our developer and dba rock shorts everyday.  I'll have to see what our boss says about my position.  If I can rock shorts on a daily basis I would be ecstatic.