We're There

We arrived three days ago to Wellington New Zealand and are adjusting very easily. Morgan actually knows quite a few people at the company he is working at now. It is called Weta Digital, most of you already know. Its kind of weird. Wellington loves Weta because it has really boosted their economy after the Lord of the Rings, and now Avatar. So we feel a little special walking around at times. The lady that has been working with us to get us a house and all transitioned is named Marilyn. I will have to attach a picture later because she is so awesome. She's super hyper, super funny, and extremely efficient. When we first arrived we told her we had a dog and a cat. This concerned her a bit because even though a lot of people have dogs in New Zealand, not very many people like to rent their houses to people who have them. So she got on the phone with a few people and set up some appointments for us to go look at some places. We spent the first day napping, walking around, and hanging out in the hotel hot tub.
Yesterday we got up early and walked along the water for a while. Its a little strange because everyone seems to be outdoorsy. There are skate parks, public swimming pools, people swim in the bay, they jog, run, sail, and everything else. People do it in California I know, but not like they do it here. Its pretty inspiring actually. Then we went Weta to get a little orientation. They mostly tried to explain to us how the taxes work. We still have no idea. So they suggested we get an accountant. Sounds good to me. Then we went to set up a bank account, and looked at houses. We thought it might take a while. We got some advice from Morgan's friends. They suggested that we be picky and make sure we get the right one. That wasn't too hard. We fell in love with the first one we saw. You go over this hill and through a little tunnel, and all of the sudden you are out in the middle of nowhere, along a rocky coastline. As we drove along, we slowly slowed down. My heart skipped a little. I thought to myself, no way. This couldn't be it. Its too beautiful, too lovely. But as it turned out, it was. Its right across the street from the beach. There is one long strip of houses along the coastline, and no houses behind it. It bumps right up to the hillside. Its a simple little house with huge front windows and a little window seat in the living room. Its gets so much sun and has hard wood floors. There are two bedrooms, a garage, and a little studio out back. The yard is big and long and protected by lush, jungle foliage. We walked along the beach and found sea shells everywhere. Aloe and other succulents grew right on the beach in the rocks. And the back yard had plenty of little succulents everywhere. Wow...God loves us.
We went to look at another house, but it just didn't cut it for us. After two, we didn't want to see any more. So we went home and went for a little walk to Victoria University of Wellington. It is straight up in the hills from Wellington City. There are paths that cut up through the Forrest that pedestrians can take to get there instead of taking the road. When we finally got up to the school we walked along for a while and stumbled upon a graveyard from the 1880's, located right behind the History Department. It was beautiful, filled with mysterious old stone graves that had shifted around and cracked from earthquakes and erosion. It was on a hillside that overlooked all of Wellington. It was so eerie, but wonderful at the same time.
The next day, (today) we met with the Landlord and shook on the house. We should be moving in on the 9th of February. I also went with a friend to see Tobi and Nina, our cat and dog. I was really nervous that they would be mad at me, or over me for sticking them in quarantine. It was about an hour drive through mountains, green pastures, and pine forests. It looks a lot like Washington, or the West Coast of Canada. Of course there were sheep everywhere. We finally got there and I got to see my little animals. They were so, so happy to see me. Tobi jumped around, doing her little dance, and Nina rattled her tail and rolled around on the floor with excitement. It was so nice to see that they were doing ok. They only have two and a half weeks to go. I cant wait to take them home and play on the beach with both of them. Oh, I almost forgot, there are penguin crossing signs right by our house! I cant wait to see them.
So all is well in Wellington. So far I love it. Since Morgan and I lived in the Bay Area and there are so many people from other countries there, it doesn't feel weird. Wellington is actually filled with a huge mix of cultures and people. I have had no difficulty with culture or accents yet. The driving is a little nerve racking, just a little bit. More than anything it feels like you are playing a driving video game. And I don't know what else. Here is link on google maps to our new place.
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