Yes - I am blogging about parking. Rock on*.
Life doesn’t get any more beautifully bizarre than this and highlights yet another reason why I love New Zealand.
I met a lady in our local park a few weeks ago and we started chatting after we realised our daughters share the same name (which, as I have mentioned before, is not Pepi but a slightly less unusual but nonetheless quite rare celtic name.) After a few minutes of small talk we really clicked and had a proper chat while our gorgeous girls played on the climbing frame. After asking where I worked, I told her the situation I was in; coming towards the end of my contract with no sign of it being renewed, no real response from the dozens of part-time roles I had applied for and facing the fact I may have to reluctantly work full-time in order to stay in the work force, my new park buddy suggested I send my details to her workplace as they were always looking for good, experienced, part-time staff. So I did. And now I work there.
I am just on a “trial” to see if I enjoy it (I’m trying something quite different and we all want to check it’s the right role for me). Two days in and I am feeling positive about it. It’s a small friendly company which is great and the staff; Poms, Scots, Yanks and a few Kiwis are all fantastically friendly, so things are good.
The only downside is that the office is slap bang in the middle of the CBD (Central Business District) which means my journey to work is a bit more painful and the parking situation is excruciating.
Auckland’s CBD is quite odd. When the Sticky Man and I first arrived in Auckland that hot and humid January two years ago, we headed to the “city centre” to check it out a few times and we were seriously disappointed. There really is only one main street; Queen Street, with a few smaller streets running off it and a handful of decent shops. We would wander around aimlessly, trying to find the main hub and would look at one another in despair when we couldn’t find any decent café’s, restaurants or shops. We have since found a few great places to go in town, but more importantly we now know that Auckland is best thought of as a collection of villages. Parnell, Ponsonby, Mt Eden and Newmarket are where you will find the better shops and restaurants and what these areas also offer that the CBD doesn’t, is abundant and reasonably priced parking.
So – back to my original point, parking in the CBD. A nightmare. Ironically when I met my now-boss a couple of weeks ago for a casual interview, I left plenty of time but could still not find anywhere to park and in a panic, parked somewhere allowing me only 60 minutes (which cost $8). I was 4 minutes, yes 4 minutes late back to the car and was fined $60. An expensive interview. There are hardly any free places to park, which is not unusual in a city. There are a few metered spaces to park on the roads, most with a maximum time of 60 minutes and these spaces are like gold dust. The multi-storey parking buildings are so confusing – most of the spaces seem to be reserved for corporates, which means you can drive around an empty-ish parking lot (wasting valuable time, if you are trying to park before an interview) and still find no spaces without a “reserved” sign painted in them.
I have decided the only way to guarantee a space is to get to a multi-storey car park at the crack of dawn and hope for the best. On the two days I have worked so far, I have arrived before 7.15, paid the friendly attendant my $12 for my early bird special and happily found a space. It means I arrive at the office a good hour before the rest of my team, but the afore mentioned parking attendant told me if I arrive any later, I probably won’t find a space.
Yes – there are good buses and trains and I could run/walk/cycle the 8km from my house to work. And I would. Happily. If it wasn’t for the wonderful world of childcare and having to collect my little pumpkin from her childminder by 5pm. The Sticky Man, who has kindly been doing the drop-off/pick up until now, has taken on more responsibility at work and can no longer leave early enough to collect our littlest one. So, much as I would like to save the earth and take a greener route to and from work, nevermind saving that $12 a day, it’s just easier to go by car.
*Thank you signfail.com for letting me use your amusing image.
June 18, 2010 at 7:09 am |
EVERYONE drives in Auckland so you shouldn’t feel any guilt. Glad to hear the work bit worked out. Everything happens for a reason. Usually a positive one.