Auckland and Orewa

11 July 2020

337 kilometres.

Auckland is Te Reo Maori for 'over priced real estate'. No, I am kidding about the language. William Hobson was Lieutenant Governor in 1840 when the settlement was established and he named it after his boss, the Earl of Auckland, who was the First Lord of the Admiralty. Did it help Hobson gain a peerage, perhaps a baronial estate in Buckinghamshire? I do not know. Lord Auckland is described by Wikipedia as lacking in talent and indifferent to the history and culture of India, where he was Governor-General. The city is named in honour of someone who never saw the place, and that should already give a sense of the pointlessness and emptiness at the core of New Zealand's largest city. Many non-Aucklanders grumble that it is not really New Zealand, but that reflects the empty premise, which is that people can point to clear culture, traditions, ethnicity and languages that are “New Zealand,” and thus identify what is “not New Zealand.”

I spent Saturday morning typing and at two libraries seeking a motorbike touring book of New Zealand. I had read Mike Hyde's motorbike tour book of Australia and I knew that he had written about touring New Zealand. I found the book in Hamilton's Central Library and stuck it in my saddlebag next to Isabel Allende's “La Casa de los Espiritus.” One of many thoughts about what I should do next year, in 2021, is to do a Ph.D, but I tried before and could not keep up the work, so that is not a relevant possibility. A key aspect to a Ph.D is a reading list, and I thought that if I want to do a tour of New Zealand, Australia or South America, then I should make such a reading list. So I need a literature review.

Moving on to the moving object, the Suzuki. I left “The Tron,” or “The City of the Future,” Hamilton for the “City of Sails,” Auckland, shortly before midday. The new expressway made a lovely ride north but as I approached New Zealand's largest city the traffic became worse and the driving standards dropped. I see this as part of my essential training: if I plan to ride a motorbike in Sydney, Melbourne, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires or the city of Mexico, then I had better do well in Auckland! I had no particular destination in mind, just the idea of some lunch and I had left my GPS in the car, which was being repaired. I followed signs to the port and found myself heading down Queen's Street, a major road down to the port. I looked for somewhere to park, but no luck. I rode up and down a few small streets and then noticed a scooter and a small motorbike parked in front of a tree and I left my bike at the next tree. On one side was a “Tepid Swimming Pool” and the other side was a Train Sushi. Both concepts are puzzling. Why tepid? Sure, I get that the different types of sushi are on a belt and revolve in front of the clients, but does that make it a train?

I locked the bike and took a walk. Rain poured down heavily and I remembered that I had left my baseball cap in the saddle bags. I found that I had expertly parked by the Viaduct and so the trendy and beautiful of Auckland were hanging out by the yachts, spending on food and drink. I wandered past a few places, trying to choose somewhere reasonably priced that looked fine. I took a loop around and found myself back at the bike. Nearby was a coffee shop with a special offer chalked on a blackboard. Burger, chips and coffee, $20. It was good.

I took a stroll and admired the personalised number plates. This one suggests that the owner likes to w**k a lot and he is proud of it.

Refreshed, I rejoined the traffic of Auckland and saw the signs for State Highway One, north to Whangarei. Despite living for 12 years in New Zealand I have never been north of the city but I once was offered a temporary teaching post in Orewa, along the Hibiscus Coast.

The road north was busy but manageable and enjoyable. There were clear signs for a toll road but also for a free road which would go through Orewa. It turned out to be a very touristy town, with a line of expensive sea-front houses and numerous small cafes, restaurants and other essentials for the day tripper. I had a cheerful conversation with a group who had enjoyed some alcohol with their lunch. I saw a small cafe called Tasca with a sign for “Estrella Damm, Barcelona.” Estrella is not my favourite Spanish beer, but it was a reminder of my time in Catalonia.

I ordered a coffee and asked the manager if he was Spanish, but he was from Turkey. Such is the world. A Turk in New Zealand running a Spanish tapas bar. It could explain the grilled haloumi on the menu. In the cafe there was a couple, both middle-aged, who looked like they were on a date. She did not speak English well, and he had that loud voice that revealed his belief that if he spoke loudly enough she would understand him. After the coffee, I took a walk to the beach to search for an ideal camera shot, but the ideal framed shot, with trees, had various people sitting and eating, in a very un-photogenic way. The couple from the cafe appeared and she clambered on to the rocks to demand a photo from her companion. Once that was taken she was in a panic as she struggled to get back off the rocks. I looked at my watch and realised that it would be dark by the time I returned home. I left them to their date.

I took a more scenic route back to Auckland and was doing a leisurely 80 km/h, the speed limit, when I was overtaken by two aggressive Harley-Davidson riders doing considerably more than the speed limit. They roared past. The return route was pleasing. I re-crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge and yet again enjoyed the fine views of the sky-scrapers and the big city. On both sides there were hundreds of yachts, carefully moored in their marinas. I wondered if living in a yacht was permitted, given that the price of living on land in Auckland is out of the reach for most people.

On the motorway south I was riding well and comfortably, despite the traffic. I overtook one car though and pulled in front of it, glanced in my rear view mirror and saw that the driver, of a race and gender that I won't mention, was looking right and had accelerated to be practically on top of me. I accelerated and then let her overtake me. Another vehicle, an unexciting old station wagon, was zig-zagging from left lane to centre, to right, to centre, right again and was, at each lane change, gaining a car space. The car pulled off after a few kilometres, having gained perhaps ten car-lengths through his maneuvers. There were no other incidents on my return and I was home in time to Skype my mother and reheat some leftover food.

AGM

The cricket umpires' and scorers' association had their AGM the other day, and I went along to it, though I was determined not to take any responsibilities. So why bother? Well, I like the people who run it, and I think they do a good job. So as long as they run it well, why should I try to change things? I was offered a position, and I politely turned it down. Another reason not to take on a responsibility is that many have served the association for many years, and I will only be in my third year of umpiring next year, so can not claim longevity.
I also hope to be involved in schools cricket next season; perhaps coaching a second or third team in the school, and so I intend to take it on properly, including being there on the Saturday for the games. And if I am there on Saturday, then that is one day of the weekend, and I cannot expect my wife to look after the baby all week and all weekend. As it is, one weekend day can be justified as it ensures that I keep my job.

So coaching and umpiring school cricket rather than umpiring senior grade cricket. Ironically, there are probably bigger crowds!

I do hope to umpire some senior grade games, as well as some Otago representative age group games.

CD and Albion

The game went well, and I think I allowed it to go on, yet was able to take control when there were no-balls and wides. So I was pleased. OPne batsman complained that I had missed a fine inside edge, and I ought to pay attention to that. I thought soon after that the ball was going down leg but narrowly missing, but perhaps that late turn was the bat touching the ball and so guiding it down leg. So a mistake.

I umpired while W McS bowled, and I gave him a warning for one bouncer, but it was not quite high enough, and so he told me that it should not be a warning unless it was above the shoulder. It is not the best look to be corrected by a player, but then again he does play for the Volts and so knows his stuff.

Next weekend I am umpiring with JH. As one team is the one I umpired badly last weekend, I hope to have a good performance.

Still, another game completed.

Lousy game

Aargh well, it had to happen. I had a pretty bad game on Saturday. I can't make too many excuses except to say that I got flustered, I felt under pressure, I did not take the right decisions quickly enough and made a couple of bad decisions.

I just have to grit my teeth and concentrate. Watch the small decisions, such as the byes, wides and leg-byes. Then think long and hard about the major ones, such as the LBWs and catches behind the wicket.

Unfortunately this means I will get a deserved stinker of an evaluation. perhaps I am not up to level four this year, but then if I get a job in the location where I went to an interview it won't really matter, as I will not do very much umpiring.

This evening we have a meeting, and I think I will mention to JH that I had a bad day, and so prepare him for the poor evaluation.

Saturday 30 Oct

My mind has been on several things in the last week; firstly learning that our child will be a son, and secondly that I have a job interview in a small town at the north of the south island. A big move and a big change.

Still, a game to umpire at the second grade level between University Grange and Otago Boys' High School. The latter won, mostly because UG batted badly, seizing almost every opportunity to get out by slashing wildly at balls. One interesting aspect of the game was that there was a female player, and she was very good; a little slow at bowling, but had the wicket-keeper held on to a catch the OBHS score would have been a lot lower, and when batting she set an example, by being careful yet attacking at loose balls. I didn't think she was good enough for the senior level because her bowling was not quite sharp enough, and her batting needed strength, but I can see why the University 2nd XI is happy to have her!

Early on I missed a leg-bye, but otherwise I think the game went well and I was pleased. Another Dunedin game.

Oamaru

THe first day at Oamaru was good and the second better, so all in all it was a pleasing tournament to be involved in. I umpired North Otago on both days, so kind of got to see them too much, but I also umpired Southland and Otago Country. Southland, on the first day, had a great fast bowler and he had North Otago hopping around the crease. Southland put up a pretty good score in merely 37 overs, hitting quite hard and perhaps batting recklessly, and then North Otago tried to last out but didn't. I had a fairly easy game with no particular problems though I had to keep thinking of the intervals, as the game was time rather than overs, which is what we play all the time in Dunedin.

At the end of the day I went to the motel with my fellow umpire from Dunedin and we checked into our rooms, which were pretty nice. Then we went out for a pizza in town, and had a beer each.
I slept pretty well but woke up early and read. I was umpring with D.W., who is one of NZ's best umpires on the top panel and so it was a bit scary that I would have to umpire with him, but it worked out well. In about the 4th or 5th over a ball went down the leg side, the batsman touched it, and it was caught by the wicket-keeper. I gave it out on appeal and DW said "good work, he did touch that". So I relaxed, knowing that my first major decision was correct and approved.

The rest of the day was fine, though I forgot about the tea interval and did not call it on time. Still a satisfactory end to three days of cricket umpiring.

Another goal completed; umpiring outside Dunedin.

Uni Grange and NEV

An interesting day with at least five Otago Volts playing, presumably to gain practice before their season starts.
I'd hoped to see Aaron Redmond bat, since he is an international, but he gave a simple catch to the wicketkeeper on his fourth ball and so starts his season with a duck. I still need to work on my technique, and had difficult decisions to make in relation to run-outs.
It was suggested I need to display more confidence in order to sell the truth of my decision, rather than be nervous when giving someone out. It is just like teaching; the confidence is crucial!
Today I am umpiring in Oamaru, and it will be a two-day game with a stay in a motel.

Still, another of the Dunedin games, and more of my season objectives to come.

Oamaru II

I have had some details about the Oamaru trip confirmed; we leave Dunedin at 08.15 on Sunday and then umpire all day. We stay in a motel, and a thermos is a good idea if we want some hot drinks inside us, and we get $25 for an evening meal, which is better than McDonald's but hardly luxury. We get lunch on both days.

The games are declaration, and so I need to wear white. Which was ironic because I had just put my blue kit in to wash...

Oamaru

The Under 18 tournament is on in Oamaru this long Labour weekend, and I will be umpiring on Sunday and Monday. As yet, I don't know any of the playing conditions of the game, but I will be able to look it up I hope.

So some progression in my umpiring. I will achieve a goal, that of umpiring different levels and outside Dunedin.

2nd Senior Game

My second senior game of the season was between Otago Country and Green Island, and it ended with a fairly convincing victory for Green Island. One player said that I'd given him out LBW when it hit him on the thigh pad, but I am still sure, and my square leg umpire backed me up, that it was the right height.

I will add more to this, but I have to go and umpire another game. Unfortunately it is pouring with rain and a cold southerly is predicted to bring weather havoc to the South Island, so I don't think there will be a game!

Two senior games so far...

Country vs Island

I'll be umpiring Otago Country vs Green Island on Saturday, which should be interesting. I don't know if this is Otago Country's first game in the Dunedin league, since I did not see or hear of them playing last weekend. Still, I understand that a number of the players used to play in the Dunedin league so they should be familiar with the situation. The game will be played at Sunnyvale; I don't know if that will be on the artifical or the real grass. I can't actually remember if there is an artificial at Sunnyvale.

Then on Sunday I may umpire a woman's game; Aotea Electric Otago/Southland Womens Competition, and it seems it is a 40 over game starting at 11.30am. I put my hand up when it was offered, but have not heard back. This would hit one of my goals; umpiring different types of cricket.

Should be interesting.

Game 1

My first game of the 2010/2011 season and it was not too bad. On the plus side, I was authoritative with my voice and I think that leads to confidence. I used my second ball counter well and got in to a routine with one counter in my left hand and the other in my right. I liked the old counter which has the little levers to push down because I could physically feel the count.

Errors; I got the no-balls right, though a few close ones could have gone either way. My first error was when I did not see a ball that hit a guy's foot, bounced up and then hit his helmet. I saw it as a full toss that was at the body and called it as a no-ball, which it wasn't. Or it was, but at the foot not the body.
My second error was in positioning. I'd just had the thought that my positioning was pretty good, when a ball was hit straight up and on the off side, so I sprinted to that side to see the catch. I glanced up to see that I had the trajectory wrong and I was almost under the ball, so I ran back to my original position where I was able to see the catch being dropped. Would the guy have caught it if he did not have to look at me? Who knows.

All in all, an ok first game. But I need to spot things like full tosses and understand what is happening better.
Game 1 of 24.

Goals

We had the New Zealand Cricket Umpires and Scorers' Association Conference yesterday, and I was very glad to go to it.
One suggestion is that we work out goals for the season, and so I think I will make a start on them. First I would like to get more varied umpiring and a good amount of umpiring, so I think my target should be four games per month, which would suggest 24 games in total. I also want to vary, and so if at least one game per month can be representative and/or outside Dunedin then that would be good. So let's say six representative games and three games outside Dunedin. This is not very much, but it does imply driving to Queenstown or to Oamaru or even Southland...

At the end of the year I should also aim to take an exam so that I can qualify at a higher level. An exam implies studying and so I ought to read through the umpires' handbook. I am not sure what level I am, and so I had better check with JH and the DCA. Still, at the end of the season I ought to be able to take the exam for the next level.

In terms of onfield activity, I ought to try to make sure I am more precise, confident and clear. I should also note after the games events and so on, with the purpose of ensuring greater familiarity with teams and players so that I can call them by name and identify players, which will help discipline.
There is the adage to remember; plan, prepare, perform.

So I need to keep a journal of the games that I umpire.

In summary; 24 games, six representative, three outside Dunedin, the higher exam, notes and organisation.