Checking out the health care in Hamilton, New Zealand

As most of you realise, Fionnuala cannot go on holiday without checking out the health care. In Vietnam I discovered that it was possible to get antibiotics over the counter - not so here. Let me tell you the tale, of the ingrowing toe-nail! For a week or more I realised that I had a toenail that was not appreciative of confinement in walking shoes. Finally it made its disapproval known in much pus and pain. This morning I realised that attention was needed so we went to the health centre attached to the local shopping centre to be told that I needed to go to the Anglesea Clinic in Hamilton. I dutifully informed Garmin and we were brought to a roundabout where we had to take the 4th exit. Garmin froze just before the exit and left us adrift, whereupon we got lost, no working Garmin, no map and no mobile phone, which was resting comfortably beside my bed, keeping an eye on the sheep which I will tell you about shortly. Jim's sense of direction, of which he is so proud, finally woke up and we made our way back to our home excange. There we tried to access Google maps for directions - security on the computer would not allow us to do so. Jim phoned the Garmin helpline who told us that the equipment we had was antediluvian and suited only for suitable binning. The rental company had much more experience of this machine - wishing to make many more dollars on its rental to unsuspectings like us - and succeeded in teaching Jim resuscitation skills, which, no doubt, he will have to use again. We arrived at the clinic and got an appointment with the Podiatrist for 2 hours hence. We passed the time with a walk around Hamilton Lake (1 hour) despite much protest from painful toe. Podiatrist (very handsome Scottish young man) was manning the reception and required me to fill in an extremely detailed form - it took 15 minutes! Then he took me to the cubicle to examine my toe which, he said,was beyond repair - today! Infection prevented any immediate treatment so I was required to go around the corner to arrange a consultation with a doctor in order to get a course of antibiotics before the podiatrist was willing to amputate toe - sorry, nail, or half of nail! Again an extremely detailed form, consultation with nurse, blood pressure taken - "not sky high but getting there" - temperature normal, consultation with extremely handsome Greek (I think) doctor, prescription for oral and ointment antibiotics and advice about walking etc. Pharmacy was around the corner and just along the corridor. And all this on the most beautiful day of the whole holiday!

We returned to our exchange house to discover that the sheep had broken out of the paddock again and were eating the vegetables again! Yesterday when we arrived here I thought it was great to be in such proximity to the sheep and I still do. Jim is not so keen as he has to chase them back into their abode whenever they escape which seems to be about every time he sits down. The cat, for some reason, has not tried to get in - could it be that it objects to the earthiness of Jim's language as he chases the sheep? Sorry, I have no photos of that because he moves so fast!