Feb. 1

In the afternoon of January 30 in Auckland, Karla walked for one of her many 20,000 plus step days. Her mission was to see if she could find a replacement for one of my hearing aids that stopped working and to change the color of her nails. She was successful with her nails. The “hearing people” couldn’t help her. but informed her that the New Zealand center for my hearing aids was in Wellington….our Saturday destination. When she contacted the Wellington center, she was told that they were closed on Saturday; it didn’t look like they could help us. We thought, maybe in Sydney.

Then, Karla received a surprise email from Devah Jackson, the lead person for Phillips hearing aids for Costco New Zealand. She said that she could help us on Saturday. She is a graduate of Purdue and settled in New Zealand 10-12 years ago and is married with kids. She found NZ after having tough experiences with the tiger mothers of children she served at a preschool audiology clinic in Las Vegas. Devah said that her husband agreed to handle the kids while she helped us out. We agreed to meet her at the “Blue Ferry Station” at noon. Around noon, a 35-40 year old woman drove up with her mother in the car. She opened the trunk of her car and revealed a bunch of hearing aids, testing devices etc. I ended up with a different brand of hearing aid that requires a battery. She needed to go by her office to get something. When she returned, she handed me a programmed hearing aid and 9 batteries. (The batteries last 7-10 days.) I asked her what we could do for her, thinking that we should pay something. (I thought the retail market would be about $1000.) She said, “this is New Zealand….just pay it forward.” Karla asked for contact information for her boss so we could write something nice. She said that she would send something….reluctantly. She was just trying to be helpful, not looking for credit. She mentioned if her parents were traveling and ran into issues, she hoped that someone would help them.

After sending a complimentary note to her boss, we received this email back.

That may be the best customer service I’ve ever received, but it’s not surprising in New Zealand. When we visited New Zealand years ago, I said that it reminded me of growing up in Portland in the fifties. At a grocery store the owner asked us where we were headed. Upon hearing the destination, she suggested that we stay with her family. A simpler life. At 10-11 years old, I would hitchhike downtown or take the bus if I had a dime. There was not a fear of strangers. The US has changed; I hope that New Zealand doesn’t. I mentioned the early approval of women’s’ right to vote, pension programs etc. They approved same sex marriages in 2013. They are much more supportive of “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” than other counties I could name.

Karla and I walked the city  in the morning and visited a couple thrift shops. I returned to the ship after my hearing aid appointment. I thought 12,000 steps was sufficient. Karla saw a hill, a cable car that hauled people up to the Botanic gardens, and thought it needed to be explored. She returned to the ship with her third consecutive 25,000 step day. Wellington was OK. The people were great.