We arrived in Dunedin by train. It has been an interesting tour of the South Island. We would be taking a plane to Auckland the next day. Christine and Eugene would be flying back to Miri and I would stay on for another 12 days to look for a school for Pearl in Auckland. I went to Howick to see a friend of Rose who would help me to enrol Pearl at Howick High the following January. I was not successful because the principal asked for proof of residency in Howick. He asked me for a telephone bill and a power bill to show that I was staying in Howick. I did not have any of those; but I now got a good idea how to enrol Pearl into a school in Hamilton!
Dunedin
I was staying at the YMCA, Auckland while I explored enrolment possibilities for Pearl for the 1996 school year. Every night I walked down Queen Street looking for my dinner. There was this caravan parked at a small side road, near Custom Street, selling hamburgers at night. I tried one. It was the real thing (not McDonald) and it was very juicy and delicious. I also tried the Chinese food in Auckland. It was not very good; but the portions were large.
I checked out of the YMCA after a few days, rented a car and drove to Hamilton where I checked into a backpacker, near the top end of Victoria Street. First thing I did was to rent a three bedroom house. Then I bought a car and some furniture, connected the power and telephone for the house. I now had utility bills which I can use for enrolling Pearl into Hilcrest High next year. The house was just 5 minutes walk from both the uni and Pearl's school. I invited Kevin to join me for dinner in the house. He was not so happy because it meant that he would be expected to stay at "home" and not at the university residential colleges as he has planned earlier.
When Kevin has finished his form 7 exams at the end of November 1995, I travelled home with him to Miri on the same flight. I still have a car (Isuzu Trooper) to sell before I come back to NZ. I could not get rid of all my sailing dinghies. It would have to wait for a few more years. In 1999, Eugene went back to Miri for holidays. The cheque I sent to him bounced for some reason. He was quite desperate for money then. He managed to sell all my boats for $1,200. That was enough money for him and a win-win.
looking for Albatross
In Dunedin, Baldwin Street is reputed to be the steepest road in the world at 19 degrees (1:2.86)
No comments:
Post a Comment