May 31, 2008 Takapuna Beach

Today we got up and did the final packing for the trip home.  Then we took a little walk around town and down the beach.  We were excited about heading home and at the same time sad about leaving beautiful New Zealand, our friends there, and our fellow team members. We're not looking forward to the 11 hour plane ride to LA.

A one man fishing kayak on the Takapuna Beach.

Takapuna Beach

 

The restaurant at the entrance to the campground (not part of the campground).  This started out three years ago as a small coffee shop.  Last year it had been enlarged some to include an ice cream bar also.  This year it had become a much larger full restaurant plus a walk up carryout.  It has become a very successful restaurant and was packed with customers all the time we were there.  They also now have Italian Gelato.  It appears someone took advantage of an opportunity and has become very successful.

This pretty much completed our 2008 trip.  Joan and I left hoping that we might again return again in the future.

As sort of a PS I must add the following.  We drove to the KEA depot from the campground which is only about a 15 minute drive and upon arriving at the parking area we met up with the shuttle driver that KEA uses to shuttle people to the airport which is about an hour away on the other side of Auckland.  He has taken us to the airport I think for the last three years.  When he saw Joan he called her over and said here I have been saving this for you.  Joan had apparently lost her Habitat nametag in the taxi last year.  She thought that she had lost it at home and had spent some time looking for it before the trip.  It's amazing how considerate the New Zealanders are.

The other part of the story about the trip to the airport was that I left my laptop (dumb me) in the KEA in a not real obvious place.  By the time that I thought of it we were about halfway to the airport and too late to turn around and still make the plane.  The driver called the office on his cell phone butthey had already closed and got no answer.  Upon calling the KEA 800 number the person answering said that the facility was closed and security fence locked, etc. and no way that entry could be made to find the laptop and still get it to the airport before the flight.  The taxi driver was going back to the depot on the next day (Sunday) and said that he would make sure that it was found and express my desire to have it shipped as soon as possible.  Well, I had to live without it for about 2 weeks until it arrived.  How depressing it that?

Life continues to be good!

 

 

May 30, 2008 - Takapuna Beach

Today we left the Manukau campground and moved up to Takapuna Beach on the northside of Auckland to be closer to the Kea terminal.  The campground is right on the beach with views of the shipping and boating inlet.  Then we had to try and pack all of our belongings plus the things that we bought along the way, clean out the refrigerator (normal proceedure is to leave housekeeping items and food in the campground kitchen for others use) and in general get the motor homes ready to turn in to Kea.

Guardian in the campground.

Dog parking stations at the restaurant at entrance to campground.

Our team including Tish and her mother, Mike and his wife, and the rest of us at the GPK Restaurant for a last gathering and meal together.  This was a time of recollection and saying goodbyes.  What great friends we have become.  Joan and I had worked with Tish and Mike before and they are great both as friends and to work with.

Probably the last lamb dinner for a while.

 

 

 

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May 29, 2008 Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Weather - A fine day to finish up some painting.

Today we tried to finish up some of the painting that we have been working on but a lot is left to do.  Presumably there will be other volunteers that can finish the work that we have started.  The buildings are looking better with the new colors and we are pleased with what we have accomplished. 

New paint on the ReStore entrance, looks better!

House on jacks being prepared to load on truck for move.

Special tractor/trailer for moving house.  The starter on the buldozer broke and they couldn't get it off the trailer so we didn't get to see them load the house or move it.  It probably happened the day after we left.

Joan painting.

Joyce painting.

New colors on ReStore buildings.

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May 28, 2008 - Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Greater Auckland office and ReStore

Weather:  A Fine Day

 

Today was more painting plus some other activities. 

Mike was looking for some help getting the position pinpointed for the house build by the church coalition on the lot it is to be moved to and someone to run the digger to put in the driveway and clear the place where the house was going.  I went along and helped with removing some the old wood fence along the front of the lot so that the house movers can back the house into the site.  Also I held the dumb end of the tape to do some measuring.  Jay had digger experience so he ran the digger.  The surveyors were there to set the stakes for the house and it turned out that the house was going to sit in a slightly different place than originally thought.  By the time that was sorted out Jay had the opportunity to dig a new driveway at the proper place.

Jay in command of digger.

 

Jay having fun at work.

 

Surveyor spotting house on lot.

 

Mike doing some measuring.

 

Church coalition house to be moved to site.

 

May 27, 2008 - Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Greater Auckland Habitat office and ReStore

 

Weather:  A fine day for painting.

 

We have continued to work at scraping and painting the last few days.  The new colors and paint are now looking like we have accomplished something customers are starting to remark how much better things are looking. 

 

 

Jay pressure washing roof preparing to paint.

 

 

 

Jay washing.

 

 

 

Roy painting.

 

 

 

Roy painting soffit.

 

 

 

This is Jack painting.

 

 

 

Jack working on soffit.

 

 

 

Kiwi saying of the day:  “As messy as a dog’s breakfast” – a really big mess!

May 24, 2008 - Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Today was Sunday and we didn't work today so after church did a little touring.  We joined Warren Jack for worship at his church.  Their Weslyan Methodist Church had a number of things going on today.  They congregation was celebrating moving into a new building and this was the first day of worship there.  They also were saying goodby to their interim pastor who had pastored them for the past year.  Their regular pastor is returning in a couple of weeks from a year long sabatical and training.  After worship there was a buffet of food that was enjoyed by all.

Our team including Tish and Mike.

Marjory, Tish, and Joyce (L to R) at Ken's party.

A friend of Habitat, Jay, and Warren (L to R) at Ken's party.

Shirley, Jane (our affiliate team coordinator), and Jack at Ken's party.

Another great day.

Life is good.

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May 22, 2008 Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Weather – Fine

 

More painting today.  We’ve been doing a lot of prep work and priming and now we’ve started putting on the first coat of some of the finish colors.  We can see the big improvement in the looks of the buildings.  The new corporate colors are really attention getters and make the buildings much more attractive.  It makes the old colors look pretty ugly.

 

 

 

 

Mike, one of our supervisors putting on the new blue.

 

Inside of ReStore - Miscellaneous household items building.

 

Inside the furniture building.

 

 

 

Joan and Mike painting the main ReStore entrance.

 

 

 

Shirley still rock and rolling.

 

As we’ve been working there has been a steady stream of customers in and out of the ReStore.  They claim that sales are down some because of the economy and the sprucing up of the buildings is hoped to attract more customers and sales.  In addition a consultant is helping to study what types of inventory sells best and the potential to increase income through inventory controls.  Warren Jack the ED here was explaining that the Hamilton affiliate ReStore has become a model of ReStore operations here in New Zealand with steady day to day sales and produces income probably higher than Auckland’s.  Warren says the Auckland ReStore operation tends to have peaks and valleys in sales and they would like to level it out and produce a more steady income flow.

 

The ReStore here does have an incredible amount of inventory of materials for sale.  They have everything from household items to construction materials including windows, doors, kitchen cabinets, appliances, etc.  Some of our activities have included doing inventory, sorting and discarding items that have not sold and probably never will.  Numerous dumpsters have been filled.

 

Joan and Joyce have spent a couple of days in the book room sorting books and magazines and categorizing them.  Hopefully customers can look in one area for books of particular interest.

 

Another great day.

 

Kiwi Word of the Day:  Pot Plant – Potted plant (not marijuana!_

May 21, 2008 Greater Auckland Habitat Office/Restore

Weather:  Mostly Fine

 

Today Shirley finds her niche, running the rolling machine.

 

 

 

The affiliate is preparing an area on the site for an additional building for the ReStore operations.  It involves bringing in a lot of fill dirt and compacting it for the building.  They needed an operator so Shirley was appointed the designated driver.  You just never know what you might be called upon to do when volunteering with Habitat.  The contractor and Mike were impressed with Shirley’s operator skills and perseverance.

 

For the rest of us it’s prepping and painting.

 

A good time for all.

 

Kiwi Word of the Day:  Fringe – Bangs (hair)

May 20, 2008 Greater Auckland Habitat Office/ReStore

Weather:  Rain and some sun.

 

Today we started work. Readers of this blog probably were thinking that we were never going to do any work.  We knew that eventually it was going to catch up with us.  After a lot of touring and sightseeing everyone was anxious to get to work and there was plenty of opportunity to do that.

 

 

 

 

Fixing lunch in the Habitat office kitchen.

 

Our day starts onsite with devotions about 8:30AM with team members taking turns.  Then Mike and/or Tish explains what they would like for us to do and a briefing on safety issues that might be related to the days work.  Most of what we’re doing involves proper setup of scaffolding, tying off ladders, and things like that related to painting.  About 10:30AM we break for tea or as they call it in New Zealand a smoko.  About 12:30PM we take a lunch break and then around 3PM another tea break.  As we meet with Tish, Mike, Warren, and any others that might be in the office during these times there is a lot of great discussion about varied topics (we try to avoid politics!) and most importantly a building of friendships.

 

 

Front of the RStore with old colors and some of the inventory.

 

 

 

Joan and Joyce pressure washing getting ready to paint.

 

 

 

Jay and ReStore box truck, a great size for getting around in Auckland.

 

In order to set up scaffolds and ladders to gain access to walls that need painted we have to move a lot of materials stored or displayed along the outside walls.  This will take quite a bit of work and time but we dive in and get started.

 

Tonight it felt good to go back to the campground tired from physical work for a change.

 

Another good day.

 

Kiwi Word of the Day:  Capsicum – Bell pepper.