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In anticipation of the inevitable second wave, I've sold my house and even my boat ( ) and here we are. There was no way this wasn't going to happen, not with the lax border management for the first 6 or 8 weeks or whatever it was, then suddenly they toiten it up and we have a few cases here and there being intercepted (but nothing got past...uuh)) and then also the workers surrounding incoming folks not using PPE or being tested (Michael Morrah story last week I think). And now look. Auckland locking down. Quo vadis? We can't hide from a heavy flu forever (check out Queensland's stats, by the way, a little over 1000 infections in a population over 5 mil, and ONE death. I'm no mathematician, but that's not a super deadly disease now is it). Now the problem I have is what to do with my 10c. Maybe some shares or something, they look likely to take a vicious beating in the coming days, so maybe I can buy in cheap.

Heh, one of my Safa mates was gobsmacked with how hard hunting is over here. Back in Africa, you drive up in the Hilux, open fire randomly in the bush and head home with 7 different species of biltong. Over here...well, let's just say, you gotta put in a bit more effort than that!

Spotted the Safa

Bloody Wellington greenies!! I sure hope there is some CCTV, this dude needs a punch in the mouth at the very least. But a CIVILIZED punch, of course, we're not savages you know (except for the Dbag).

I need to adventure with you. And your one banana haha

BTW, and this is how bicycle shops should work too. I dropped the 250 off at Tony Rees on Saturday, with only the mechanic in the store. Monday morning 9am I had the 450 in. Tony was there and already knew my other bike was in, and exactly what work it needs (new rear fender...wheelie practice is hell on your fender ) and valve adjustment). That's a sign of a tightly run ship...

Thanks Patches! And PLEASE come ride down here, it's too good not to share! You won't regret it. If the weather's been dry for a bit, we can have a crack in Manawahe, too, which is quite technical. Last time I went on my own and realised I need a couple things before I go again: * Recovery straps and a grab handle on my seat * Basic tool kit * Water * A riding buddy. There were a few occasions where I got stuck, including one where my WR250 was upside down in a narrow donga/deep rut on a slope, and another where it was nose-in on a sharp downhill into a stream. Both required some ingenuity for recovery! Would have been way easier with at least two of the above listed items (the water and the tool kit, OBVS). You can look on Gmaps at Manawahe, alongside Lake Rotoma. Then also check out Coastlands to Thornton and on to Pikowai if you want to see what else we regularly ride...

Sneak peek boys (and girls). Fetched this bad boy on Sunday night. As others have noted, so easy to buy and sell vehicles, takes minutes. And the dude I bought it from brought it down to Rotorua from Whangarei for me, too. It was only in my garage for one night then off to Tony Rees Motorcycles to have the road kit fitted and WOF. As I'm moving house, didn't want the distraction of a gnarly 450 this week. Hopefully I'll be done Friday and so will the bike...yeehaa, gonna be a mean weekend.

Weirdly enough it does take some getting used to. I remember getting psyched up to deal with an IRD query (our tax okes). Call was answered on the second ring and the person who answered had everything they needed to resolve my GST query first time. I was left a bit flabbergasted because the fight I'd prepared for just never happened...and the whole 'ordeal' was over in less than 5 minutes.

Ahh the endless, endless, never to be repeated, endless 'sales'. Everything is on sale, all the time. Clearly we're sheep or they are marketing to the livestock, because we apparently fall for it every time (if we aren't engineers like Patches). It is FAR easier to do business here. For one thing, while you might get nickel and dimed, you will also more than likely get paid. And quite often on time, too. Then of course setting up and administering a business is a fast, easy process which can be done from your desk in minutes. And as you probably know, any dealings with the govt are often as good or better than your dealings with the private sector....

Haha, we obvs think it is better here because, well, here we are. The distant memory of BBBBBBBBEEE bulldust, everyone on the take, etc, is not a pleasant one, though of course we have our own special people here. One thing you will notice though is that outside of corporate, there is a lot of nickeling and diming. People don't like spending money and haggle on price (SMEs). And the market is limited - it has to be, there's only a Brakpan load of us here. But we're a LEKKER Brakpan load. And that's what makes us awesome, right? Right?

BTW Travis, don't know if you've seen Flight of the Conchords. In one scene Murray has a poster promoting NZ...says 'It's like Scotland, but further away'

On the latter part, yes most certainly. Scale is an issue as is distance. These factors are a part of why the cost of living here is astronomical. But on the up side, everyone knows one another. It's like Brakpan on a slightly larger scale.

There is nothing trivial in which I do not have an interest (signed, not knowledgeable, but opinionated A-hole...yes I know nobody likes a smartass, doesn't stop me though ).

Some harsh realities being shared here. All the best guys, sometimes life comes at you hard. WP made a telling comment though, you have to act for the next generation. Also, a word on frogs in pots. I looked this up. Turns out, someone (probably a Frenchman ) tested the theory. Turns out frogs are pretty good thermometers and will get out of the pot if the temp exceeds something like 25C. Thermoregulation is necessary for survival, apparently.

Coming just as soon as I get the scooter - collecting Sunday, broken bones Monday :-D

Another harsh reality Travis; if and when you have kids and have no support structure here, believe me your view (and even your wife's view) of the pets will change. Now you'll have the relentless demands of a baby or 2 on your hands, the pets become even more of a burden - you have to clean up after the kids and the pets, it is a major further overhead on your life. Being in a new country with no support with babies or very young children is seriously difficult; it ruins your productivity, one of you will have to at least go to part time rather than full time, and you'll have no time for anything fun and even taking Fido for walkies can be somewhat unbearable in this Brave New World . It's a LOT of money and effort putting pets through the travel grinder. And when you can't get a decent rental, when you can't go away for a weekend, and when you're cleaning up pet poop and vacuuming up cat and dog hair in your not so ideal pozzie, and when life's looking like that scene in Very Bad Things with an ankle biter making his or her presence felt, you may ask yourself... How did I get here? Anyway, I did all of the above with my pets. Loved the dead dog dearly, love the living one dearly. But would I do it that way again? Certainly not. Both would have been perfectly happy with family or mates back in SA, and I would have been happy enough without them, though would undoubtedly have missed them. But having kids tells you one important thing about pets: they are not furbabys or 'like children' at all. They are dogs and cats. Precious, sure, but not comparable...

Sounds appealing BUT: Dude I bought it from is collecting a KTM 690 Adventure from Rotorua either this Saturday or next and will bring the Yammie with. How nice n helpful. My bum's burning to get on the scoot though as you can imagine. And I'm moving house this weekend, too, not that that minor inconvenience would prevent me from riding or fetching bike!

Also, I once landed a hagfish. Now that was horrifying!

Sounds like landing a barracouta here...snoek in South Africa. Over here it's considered a bloody pest, as is kahawai...

Hey Patches just bought the 2017 WR450F, only has 1500km on it. Now I have to go to Whangarei to fetch. Yeeehaaaaa!

I'm now an expert on the sqeeker, Patham, so go ahead and ask me anything you'd like to know about it

Patches, SHOT. I'll go with the Yammie I reckon, I know and love the KYBs, and the rest of the Yam has that good old Japanese build quality, too. And I can't be arsed with tuning suspension. I've been changing oil every 1000 with the WR250; did a valve clearance check last weekend. They're on the edge of tolerance...not sure I am sufficiently confident to re-shim them myself, but hey, who knows. Managed to ride around 16 hours last week in 6 sessions. This moto thing is addictive, especially when you're ripping it through paradise

This is for Travis - not nice or easy to say, but leave the pets behind if you can rehome them. Finding a rental is hard, it is MUCH harder with pets. Also, you will be in a new country with no mates or family, and pets will make it impossible to go exploring etc for more than a few hours or maybe an overnighter. It's a tough one, of course. But the costs and the crimps on your lifestyle make it very hard to justify bringing the pets with. I say that with my beloved beagle at my feet - my other dog I brought with died a few years ago.

I do almost anything to avoid working, so now I am reading up on synodontis...