THE INTERNAL - NEWSLETTER 28/04

OUR WEEKEND ACTIVITY

Ahhhh! The rugby game, now that was loads of fun. I am not sure though if everybody would agree with me, some people were looking pretty bored, and somebody even started sleeping!

It did rain a while, but it got sunny quickly enough. We got free beer vouchers, and I got an extra two for answering two questions concerning new Zealand and rugby correctly (though some people might say that I did not deserve one voucher).

Otherwise our weekend was quite quiet, right guys?

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

This week, we have no one coming to join us in beautiful New Zealand, but two are leaving us.

Lothar and Kristian have been in New Zealand since beginning of April. Though the two of them are finishing their internships, they are not leaving just yet. They are planning on travelling around first so they can say a long farewell to New Zealand. It was lovely having you guys here, and by the way, when’s the party?

A LESSON IN DRIVING

Some of you are going to buy a car when in New Zealand, mostly because the bus system is crap.

The Kiwi’s are not the best drivers in the world (and I am not talking about the bird). Some people even say that they are the worst. Defensive driving is becoming slowly fashionable. If you want to rent a car, you have to be at least 21 years old and own an international drivers license.

You drive on the LEFT in New Zealand. A car coming from the right has the right of way. The steering wheel is on the right side, and please make sure that when you turn into a road, that you stay on the LEFT side of the road, it’s already happened to somebody when we were coming back from the waitomo caves.

You drive round a roundabout clockwise, and you get the right of way in a roundabout.

The indicator (Blinker), is not often used here. If the driver in front of you suddenly stretches his arm out of the window and holds it up, it means he wants to stop. Many drivers here step hard on the gas to shoot forward, and not on the brake when the traffic light shows orange.

It is not strange to get a 250$ to 300$ ticket for driving too fast. They don’t take too kindly to drivers under the effect of alcohol or drugs. The legal limit is 0.8, and you must not drive if you have more than 30 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, or more than 150 micrograms of alcohol per liter of breath.  Don’t even bother trying to talk your way out of a ticket by saying you’re a tourist, that does not pull here.

There are a lot of other strange rules, so when driving, read all signs carefully and ask if you are not sure what it means! I was told a few days ago by somebody that she got two tickets because between a certain time, you are only allowed to drive on one lane, on a two lane road. So apparently, the policeman had seen her break this rule two times and only on the second did he stop her, and gave her a ticket for the day before too.

Here some general rules:

• People turning right and coming from the right have a right of way.
• When turning into a curve, people coming from straight ahead have the right of way.
• You have to fasten your seatbelts.
• When there is a yellow middle line on the road, you are not allowed to overtake.

For more information on road rules in New Zealand, visit the Land transport safety site under http://www.ltsa.govt.nz.

WHAT’S ON IN AUCKLAND

Ocean Rafting NZ Ltd

Come sightseeing like never before! Explore Auckland's beautiful harbour on our daily excursions from the Viaduct. No time for a cup of tea and a biscuit on this action-packed adrenalin rush! Trips from $30.

Abseiling/rappelling, eco tours, outdoor education, rock climbing, tramping/hiking, wildlife/nature experience, rescue training.

Phone/Fax: 09 827 0720

The Justine Smith Show

Born as a love child of the sixties, Justine finds herself in Christchurch dreaming of glamour, glitz and Hollywood Starlets. While watching The Muppets, The Osmonds and The Sonny & Cher Show, Justine’s suspicions that she is the illegitimate child of Bette Midler and a NZ roadie grow… and grow…and grow!
In 2003 Justine Smith was awarded best young talent in comedy (winning the prestigious Billy T Award) following the success of her outstanding festival show. She is now regarded as one of the New Zealand’s leading comedians.

Playing from Sept. 14. – 25.

Tickets from $18 for students.

Phone: 09 307 5000

Bonnie “Prince” Billy is playing in the Dogs Bollix on Friday and Saturday. His music is kind of rootsy-country-rock-with-a-melancoly-tongue-placed-firmly-in-his-cheek. A quote from one of his songs to give you an idea what kind of music this is: “Death for everyone is going to come. It makes posing much more fun”.

Not a lot planned for the weekend. What about  a game of golf? Or maybe to the zoo?

MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN

Hi guys! Jonathon here again.  Hope you’re enjoying the slightly nicer weather! At least the rain has stopped, even if it’s a little bit cold still.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about fishing. Ok, I know this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I do enjoy getting out and doing it when I can.  NZ is such a great place for it if you are interested in this sport.  It would be a shame to be here and not give it a go if you get the chance.  With all the coastline around NZ, there are virtually limitless places to go even if you don’t have access to a boat.  Of course, if you do have friends with a boat, the opportunities are as limitless as…the ocean!

There are so many different species of fish in NZ waters that it really boggles the mind.  I even took a little guidebook with me the first few times, as I would catch things and I didn’t even know what they were!  Very fun.  You can also go out and collect shellfish, for your very own fresh mussels, clams, or whatever.

There is also big game fishing if you like the adventure side of the sport rather than fishing for culinary reasons.  And if that’s all too exciting for you, there are many fresh fish markets, where you can get all sorts of yummy things from there to cook up some exotic seafood dishes.  All good!

THAT’S IT FOR TODAY!