Church of LIFE

I'm listening to the tunes of Hozier, Take me to church, as I write these lines. Inspired by my Sunday morning in the LIFE church. I'm not sure if they would like to be associated with that song, as the song could easily be interpreted as an attack on the anti-gay opinions of many religions. On the other hand it wouldn't surprise me if the LIFE church supports gay marriage and the tunes do sound like something they would play at Sunday service. I will tell you more about my unusual church visit, but let's start with something else.

Showers and soaks
I keep thinking the fall has finally come to Auckland, but every time it rains one day the next is beautifully sunny. It was raining this Monday, so I bought an umbrella to keep dry as I walk to and from work. My co-workers complained about the low temperature, but it is still warm enough that it could be summer in Denmark, so I am not fussed about it.

People are wearing thick jackets this Monday

But the next morning is as beautiful as they usually are

Because of the drop in temperature we have filled the spa and enjoyed some nice soaks. The "cold" air contrasts nicely with the hot water and the spa offers a perfect space for late evening talks with the couch surfers we regularly have staying here.

The spa has lots of wineglass holders ;)

Party in the lifeguard club
The season for the lifeguards ended four weeks ago with The Nationals, but this weekend we had the real end of season party. Many awards were given, including best costume, and we had a great night.

All prestigious awards, but not all serious
The Bucket for best vomiting story was quite entertaining

Whole roast pig and lamb for dinner

Sunday church
When Sin Yat asked Antonio and me to come to church with him, we had no idea what we agreed to. We knew that he is a Christian, so we expected a traditional church with a tower and bells. We could not been more wrong. LIFE church is located in an industry area in a building that looks like a warehouse. We were not greeted by the sound of church bells, but loud pop music and balloons.

I admire the way LIFE has made church modern and relevant

Inside we walked through the lobby/lounge area and into the auditorium. On the stage the lead singer and her guitarist were singing a song with Christian lyrics and modern tunes. The support from the audience to the band was more intense than at most concerts. There were hands in the air, clapping, rocking, and young guys and girls near the stage with stars in their eyes. The lyrics were displayed on a large screen behind the band and many sang along. It was exactly like this:

When the pastor arrived on stage the band slowly transitioned into a low background music to his preaching. After a short talk that had the audience captivated he let the band finish with another chorus of their modern version of amazing grace.

The service continued to be engaging to the extreme. Twice we were asked to talk to the people sitting/standing near us. We had our hands in the air several times, once to mark us as first time guests in the church. We were instantly rewarded with a CD containing music of the church's band, vouchers for free drinks in the lobby and a leaflet with information for potential members. At the end of the service Antonio won some ginger beer in a lottery. We were stunned. The LIFE church simply outdid any expectation we had ever had for a church. I will even go so far as to say the experience brought me closer to my faith (I'm pretty far from God, being an atheist and all, but I do identify with Christian values).

Easter Holidays

Last week I was feeling a bit stressed at work, so it was great to have some days off for the Easter Break. Now I feel refreshed after spending some time by myself and enjoying good times with my friends too.

Saturday swim
Saturday morning Sin Jat and I met in the garden and exchanged some small talk. He asked me if I was going swimming today and I thought that was a great idea. It had been more than a week since my last swim and the lack of exercise had begun to make me feel slow. So I packed my bag with Speedos, goggles and a towel and walked to the beach. It was yet another summer day with light wind, lots of sun and a temperature in the mid twenties. The water is still warm and there was good visibility, so I had a very enjoyable swim.

I was surprised to see several Kingfish during my swim
Photo credit Erik Schlögl

Twice my swim was interrupted by Kingfish, who scared me by casually swimming close by me. They are very large fish, but I realized later that the ones I had seen were small specimen well below the 75 cm legal minimum size.

Board Game Night
Sunday night we had a board game night in the house. It was awesome. To tell you just how awesome it was, I will tell you a short story about my background with board games. As a kid I liked board games, like most kids do, but it wasn't until later in my life that I became fascinated with them. I joined the BoardGameGeeks website a couple of years ago and discovered that there are lots of grown ups who still play board games. And not just with their kids, but with each other, usually at board game nights with 3 to 6 people.
The trick is to find like-minded people to play with, so you can enjoy the same games. Some people like social games, some like fast games and then there are the real geeks like myself who prefer long slow strategic games. In Denmark I used to play that kind of game with my friends, but I had never imagined that I would get to play in New Zealand. I feel extremely lucky that I am now living with a host who is an enthusiastic board gamer. To make it even better we have a common favourite in the game Agricola.

Sin Yat owns expansions for both Agricola and Race for the Galaxy

We played all night and had to order pizza, because there was no time to cook. Sin Yat crushed us all and I spent a couple of hours restlessly contemplating my mistakes before I could finally sleep. As I said, it was awesome.

Happy Birthday
Tuesday I turned 25 and I celebrated that by inviting my friends for dinner. I made goulash for them and a layer cake, which I think might be a traditional Danish dessert. At least it is a lot easier to make one in Denmark, because you can buy ready made cakes that separate the layers. I wanted to make it with strawberries, because strawberry red and whipped cream white are my national colours. Unfortunately strawberries were out of season so I used bananas and peaches instead. I bought some plain cakes and cut them until I had something that resembled a round cake in layers and used custard for one of the layers although I am not sure what custard is. The result was a dessert and desserts are always tasty, so it was fine even if the only originally intended ingredient was the cream.

I make Instagrammers all over the world jealous with my
splendid cake presentation

Happy Easter

I am enjoying a four day weekend for Easter and there is still no sign of the end of summer. In the spectacular weather Marie and I decided to go to an Easter fair. We found it in Cornwall Park, quite far south, in a part of Auckland I have never seen before.

The fair is a popular attraction on this sunny holiday

There were lots of people at the fair having fun at the rides, trying to win at the booths and having street food from the stalls. We made our way through the crowd to the main stage and saw the end of Alice in Wonderland while the bikers got ready for their performance.

Applause for Alice in Wonderland

Marie and I were both excited to see The Freestyle Motorcross show. Three of the best stunt riders of New Zealand had come to the fair and they were eager to show off their skills. They warmed up doing wheelies right in front of the crowd and went on to do some spectacular jumps on a ramp. The show was action packed with the three riders making jumps in rapid succession. The difficulty escalated towards the final stunts and culminated with a wild backflip. I found the show very entertaining and it was a great way to start our day at the fair.

I cheer with the crowd at the riders and their wild stunts

For lunch we had sushi from one of the stalls and then we were ready to see some more. We went into the farm show, which had a large touch the animals area, a place for judging of the best looking farm animals and a sheep shearing competition.

Piglets in harmony

I must admit I was laughing on the inside, while watching the sheep shearing competition. The sport is crazy, and yet it would be even more strange if it didn't exist. There are so many sheep in New Zealand that it would be odd if farmers didn't challenge each other to find out who is the better shearer. Yet looking at a bunch of old men use an electrical trimming machine with fervour on a bunch of dumbfounded sheep is just more comical than intense.

Sheep shearing: Obviously invented in New Zealand

One Tree Hill

The fair also features a zombie apocalypse area, an art gallery and a circus, but we felt like we had seen enough. Instead we escaped the crowd and climbed the volcano, One Tree Hill. It is located in the centre of Cornwall Park and is an important memorial site for the Maori. In the park we walked by lots of barbecues on the grass by Kiwis enjoying the holiday and the weather. 

View of One Tree Hill behind a cricket field

On the top we were grateful for the cooling breeze. We had a great view of the city and I liked to see the southern part of Auckland from here. 

Marie in front of Auckland and Rangitoto 

The sea is close to Auckland on both sides

At the end of this summer day in Easter we had an ice cream from the creamery of Cornwall Park before we found a bus home.

Warriors bashing Eels

At the end of my first week I was exhausted. I woke up late on Saturday, you know why, without plans. Ross met me in the kitchen by midday looking like his Friday night had also been a long one. He offered to take me to a rugby game in the evening and I happily accepted. The stadium is in the south of Auckland so we left the house in the afternoon to get to the game in time.

We follow a stream of people to the stadium

We enter and go straight for fries and coke

The stadium is full of people in black Warriors shirts and there are some Eels fans too. Vodafone Warriors is the home team of all Kiwis in a league with 15 Australian teams and only one New Zealand team.

Go get 'em Warriors!

We hurry to our seats and the game starts before we get seated. I understood most of the rules, but still the initial scenes confused me. In the midst of the extremely aggressive game a fight suddenly breaks out. Players are letting pushing each other and the referees are running. It is chaotic for a minute, but the players quickly get back to the game. Minutes later the first Try is scored and the crowd erupts in applause for the Warriors.

The warriors score the first Try

If the word Try is new to you, then let me explain a few rules to you. A Try is awarded for a successful grounding of the ball in the end zone. It gives you 4 points and the opportunity to score 2 more by kicking the ball between the bars. Then the ball is kicked hard away by the defending team and the attackers will catch it or pick it up and start a new attack. The attackers will run forward and if they go down with the ball defenders will fall back 10 yards. If the attackers should go down 5 times they have to hand over the ball, but they will usually kick it forward instead of going down the fifth time.

Kick it away and run forward!

While the rules may sound like those of American football, the flow of a rugby game is completely different. Rugby is played with extreme aggression rather than clever tactics. Attackers don't make defensive tackles, so they have few options. They either crash through the defences or rotate the ball sideways and hope the next attacker can find a better opening in the defence. Kicking is a risky play that you only make if you have to.

Warriors fans celebrate a great game! 29-16 final result

It is a fast game that never stops the timer and it is very entertaining because of the constant action. When they score it is always spectacular. Especially if the attackers break through on their own half and run the full length of the field with the crowd cheering all the way.

Goodbye Theo

At work Theo has spend the week handing over clients to me and teaching me all sorts of things. There is much to learn for me, but I'm feeling good about it and I love how easy it is to get responsibility here.

Goodbye Theo, good luck in Wellington!

The chocolate fish in the picture is a traditional Kiwi recognition for a job well done.

My first work week

Last week's big news have changed my life. I am no longer a brave tourist looking for work in Auckland. I am no longer the new Danish guy among the lifeguards. I have become a marketing professional, working 9 to 5 in clean, ironed shirts.

It is the end of many things, but the beginning of new ones. I am not afraid of the changes, but I am stressed. My spare time has shrunk considerably and I suddenly need to manage my time efficiently to get everything done. Luckily, I have the support of my friend Ross, who has been working long hours for years. The day before I started work, he took me shopping for shirts. It felt like the perfect rite of passage to get a crash course in Kiwi business wear and custom.

The Biz Dojo
Now let me show you where I work. When you go the most famous street of Auckland, K'road, you will find a new environmentally friendly building with a catchy name. The Iron Bank is the host for many small businesses including Creative Agency Secrets, the company I now work for.

The red building behind the white front is the Iron Bank

You walk in next to the Ironbar Café

Up the stairs to the first floor

This is where you find the Biz Dojo 

Welcome inside, have a seat in the sound absorbent sofa

My seat is right next to the space pig

After hours
Tuesday I went to the Beach Series in Takapuna again. This time I went for the 1500 meter distance and found tough competition. I finished 16 overall in the time 22.32 after battling a strong current at the first buoy and shortening my strokes to power through choppy waves on the return leg. I finished in a sprint right next to a competitor, whom I had been shoulder to shoulder with since the final buoy. The race was won by Mario Mola, one the best triathletes in the world.

Relaxing on the grass before the race

Friday I went for a beer with some colleagues from the Biz Dojo. I naively thought "a beer after work" actually just meant a couple of beers at a bar. We had that. And then we had some more. Then we had cocktails. Then we had more cocktails...

Saturday had a slow start for me...

Feature: Volvo Ocean Race

This weekend the Volvo Ocean Race teams have been competing in a series of races in the port of Auckland. I've been eagerly awaiting this event since the opening of the race village a few weeks ago. It is a rare opportunity to see the boats sail, because they only dock in 10 harbours during their race around the world. In the harbours the sailors repair the boats, refresh themselves and prepare for the next leg. They also have time to give the viewers a good show with some spectacular in-port races, but these are not important in the overall rankings of the teams. The real race is decided on the ocean legs, but these competitive teams do not pass up on any chances to beat the others.

Team DongFeng got some extra training in Tuesday before the races

Thursday afternoon I went to see the first practice race. When I found a comfortable spot on the Queens Wharf pier, the race had already started and team Mapfre was in front. They continued to lead the fleet around the top at Devonport and down again to the harbour bridge. I enjoyed a great view of it all from my spot, as I was near the middle of the course.

A light breeze and large clouds made tactics interesting

In the second race the fleet split in two on the upwind seeking opposite sides of the course. The boats on the north side found a lift and were favoured at the top mark. On the downwind three different tactics were chosen by the captains. Some sought the north side of the course, but they lost pressure at a big headland. Some did an early jibe to get to the southern side, which seemingly had more pressure. The winning team, Mapfre, uniquely chose trim their sails in a butterfly formation to go directly downwind. Their gambit was to sail slower than the other boats, but more directly down the course. Apparently, they had found a line with pressure that they were able to follow throughout the downwind leg and take the win.

The red Mapfre boat is leading, because they are deeper
 in the course than team SCA in the background  

All boats go at full speed as they cross the start line

Friday offered more of the same weather and the same teams doing well. Team Mapfre and Brunel were once again leading the fleet. They seemed to find just a little more pressure than the other teams in the tricky light conditions. In one of the races Mapfre tried a butterfly trim like they had done so successfully the previous day, but were not rewarded. Team Brunel stayed on the starboard tack and followed the north shore all the way to the finish as they found more and more lift throughout the downwind leg. The other teams caught on quickly, but were not able to catch team Brunel who won both races Friday.

Team Dongfeng comes very close to the pier

Two of them wave to us while the others complete a tack

The final in-port race was more important, because the results can be used to break ties in the overall scores. In this race team SCA did surprisingly well, redeeming themselves after a poor performance in the practice races. I was not there to watch it live, but I have read that they won the start and held on to their lead throughout the entire race.

SCA in front in the final race
image from VolvoOceanRace Twitter

A big week

It's been a big week for me. I've met many new people, had a lot of fun experiences and started many changes in my life. I would love to tell you all about it, but one post is just not enough, so you can expect a feature coming up soon.

This week I've been to my first ever Beach Series. It is a friendly competition in your favourite beach sport that runs as a series throughout the season. You can go running, swimming or paddling different distances depending on your skill and mood on the day.

I arrived early to sit on the grass and relax before the event

The junior 2 km run is the first race

I did a 500 meter swim and finished first after 8 minutes and 27 seconds. Although the swimmers on the 1500 meter had much faster times, I felt like a star. When I came out of the water I ran as fast as I could past the finish line and was cheered on by three junior boys. I remember one of them saying "You smashed it!". That still makes me smile. I may return this week to try the 1500 meter race.

Meeting the professionals

This week I met the communications team of Research Association New Zealand for the first time. I have recently joined them as a writer for their magazine. The team impressed me at the highly efficient meeting and I am sure it will be great to work with them.
A few days later several of us met again at a RANZ event. The award winners from last year had been invited to present their projects and they all accepted. For a market researcher, it was a spectacular night. It was a cavalcade of superb research projects by the best researchers in the industry. The passion for market research collected in the room was intense. When one of the presenters said "it almost brings a tear to your eye" you could see it silently resonate with every member of the audience.

I attended my first RANZ event in this marina clubhouse

The lifeguards are leaving
For the lifeguards the end of the season is marked by Nationals, a four day competition in all of the surf lifeguard disciplines. This weekend I got a small taste of that, as Mairangi Bay had an internal competition as preparation for Nationals.

Final instructions before the competition begins

Ready for a swim

Jumping into a surf ski is really difficult

But everyone gets a good start today

The running discipline beach flags is fun to watch

Sadly, I will not be joining them for nationals. I would not be able to perform decently in any disciplines other than swimming and I am too competitive to be a supporter. Therefore my season with the lifeguards is now over and I await the spring when they start again. Hopefully that will be the time when they go back to basics and teach me how to handle myself on the board and ski.

The biggest piece of news

I saved the best part for those of you who read this far. I've got a job. There you have it. Full time employment in a marketing position with a small agency. This is big news because it will change how I live and experience New Zealand dramatically. I'm excited, scared, happy and confused and I know it will be awesome. I start on Monday.