Tah dah! This is our new car! Isn't it cute? We picked it up this afternoon, and I drove it the whole way home on the left side of the road with no problems, and now it is parked in our driveway! (It was only a parked on the street while I waited for J to get home and pull in to the driving first, but I liked how it looked in front of the house).
It is a 2002 Toyota Ist, with about 90,000km (56,000mi) on it. As I mentioned before, we got it checked out by a mechanic, who said it was in fantastic condition. And it's cute and little, which I like. In NZ, cars come with a fuel efficiency rating, from 1 to 6 stars. This one gets 4.5 stars, which is wonderful! Since J will be driving his work car to work, and I will be biking as much as possible, we don't plan to be using this car too much. We will use it when we go grocery shopping or run other errands together, and when we travel out of town (which we are going to get around to eventually). The rest of the time, it can stay under the carport (lefthand side of the picture) and just look cute.
I officially unpacked the last few things from my suitcase today, and came across a small paper bag that I didn't remember. I opened it and found these little magnets, which Mom had given me before we left her house, and which I had forgotten about in the intervening time. I put them straight onto the fridge, and it made me inordinately happy to have their bright, homey colours added to our house, and to think of Mom's thoughtful touches each time I walk by the fridge. Thanks, Mom!
I had a similar surprise when I opened my bike box awhile ago (it has taken me this long to remember to take a picture), and found that Dad had snuck my silver Moroccan teapot into the box! It is a lovely teapot, and one that brings back great memories of my time in Morocco with Dad and John. It warmed my heart to see it, and to find Dad's signature $2 bill inside, like a breath of fresh air from home. Before we left, Dad also gave me a beautiful Radina's mug, so that when I drink tea here, I can be reminded of all the lovely afternoons I've spent with wonderful friends in my favourite café. Thanks, Dad!
Love your new car! That must be a Toyota model the don't have here. It didn't look familiar. Unfortunately NZ is a lot like the US in the sense of being a pretty auto-oriented and auto-essential society--maybe not quite as much as KS but nothing like Europe.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are feeling more at home in the new house. It looks great! Watch out for mold, with all that rain. We were surprised to see lichens and moss growing in our driveway and sidewalks, even with all the traffic there!
Oops sorry forgot my name on that post Richard Harris. I still fail to see how typing those funny symbols proves I'm not a robot, though.....
ReplyDeleteHi Richard,
DeleteI think that a robot can't read that kind of crazy print, so it wouldn't be able to post, although I don't actually understand the mechanics of that at all.
We love the new car, too! It came from Japan, so that might be why we Americans haven't seen it before. Unfortunately, I discovered this morning that that also means the owner's manual is in Japanese. Oops.
Yes, I think Kiwis tend to drive their own cars, like we do. There is public transportation in Whanganui, but I haven't used it yet, because walking and biking have done me fine so far. When it's cold, I'll have to check it out.
We are constantly surprised by how much growth the humidity causes! There is moss/lichen everywhere, and mold is common. In addition, rust is a much more common problem here. All this makes sense, given that we're on an island, but it still amazes me!
The car J was talking about during the training!
ReplyDeleteEmma, love your blog! You have done so much in so little time. Envious!
Hi Faheem. I'm glad you like my blog. We are having a lot of fun exploring NZ. Maybe sometime you can come on an adventure with us. That would be fun!
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