Good news on the work front - I have 2 jobs! Amazing what happens when I correct the spelling mistakes on my cover letter... I can hear the sigh of disgust from the Co-op Office from here!

I got one job yesterday but it is not great pay, hours, or work, so I found some better temp work today. The agency I'm with is huge and should be able to provide a number of short term assignments. I'm already booked out for all next week! This is nice as I am frequently debating how long I will stay in the city as it is. It's wonderful to know people and have had everything set up when I got here, but I feel I'm cheating myself out of the true experience. Need some cash before I get too brave though!

Speaking of cash - Kiwis are brilliant! They've done away with the penny! The smallest denomination is 5 cents. If something comes to $1.99, you are only charged $1.95 - everything is rounded down. The money goes 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c all silver coins, increasing in size according to value, and then $1 and $2 coins are gold with the $2 being larger. After that, bills are $5, $10, $20, $50, etc. Well I don't actually know what happens beyond that... nor am I likely to ever know! The bills also get bigger by value, both in length and width.

Why is a nickel bigger than a dime?

I've corrected the NZ Herald link so you can browse the latest news stories and see what's happening in the hours before you. I've also added a map of the Auckland Central Business District (CBD, city centre). We live on Vincent Street (lower left quadrant). Queen Street is the main drag. Next week I will be working on the waterfront on Quay Street, right by the harbour. We live in a great neighbourhood - close to everything, tree-lined street, and the police department is right beside us (and exhale Mom).