Thomas and I spend Monday through Friday working out, exploring town, and doing some digging for a wall repair at a house in Brooklyn. We watched the new John Wick (not great) just us two in Miramar on Tuesday then went and saw Detective Pikachu (very great) with the five girls who'd arrived so far on Friday in Island Bay where they are living.
Tom Anderson hooked us up with a car to borrow while we're here and once we get it we move out to our permanent stay in Pukerua Bay (about a forty minute drive from Wellington). Other than Thomas's constant exclamations of "woah chief" my first couple days of learning to drive on the wrong side of the road go pretty smoothly (read: I haven't hit anything yet).
We're staying with Kelvin and Adrienne, their teenage daughter Laina and toddler Eva. I've been learning so many Wiggles songs ever since we got here (they're pretty good the first four times.)
Thursday we head to the beach at Pukerua Bay and I touch the Pacific Ocean for the first time (it's cold and salty).
Saturday we lose a tough match against Olde Boys University at Ian Galloway. Apparently that field used to be a trash heap so everyone advises us to wash out any cuts thoroughly. I got cleated in the head, but it didn't bleed so I guess we'll be fine.
We're up by four or so when I'm subbed out of my first game as tighthead prop (now I know what they're always complaining about) around the 50th minute but end up losing by three. This match had high stakes, if we had won we would've moved up into the first division for U-21's in Wellington.
Sunday:
I go to St. Theresa's in Plimmerton for Mass. I might play piano there for a couple Masses sometime soon. Thomas and I head into town for a lift and grocery shopping.
Monday: Te Papa
After getting matching haircuts (on accident) Thomas and I join the girls (Christa, Savannah, Vanessa, Sam, and Jill) on a tour of Te Papa, the national museum.
Thomas and I's favorite part was the Gallipoli exhibit that detailed New Zealand's first involvement in World War I. A particularly striking part was the larger than life statues around the exhibit. Soldiers depicted in action poses at a 3:1 scale with so much detail that you could see the hair on their arms flutter in the slight breeze within the hall.
After Gallipoli we stopped by the natural history portion of the museum and learn about all kinds of flightless birds (including geese and ducks).
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