Car in Bloom

One of the perks of my contract here is the provision of a car. Granted, this occurred only after I renegotiated my contract once I was left as the sole GP in a two GP practice, but that's water under the bridge. I really only drive it on the weekends when venturing beyond the walkable bounds of Hawera. Yet, somewhere during my limited drive time I managed to puncture one of the tires. Admittedly, I did not notice this until my father so astutely pointed it out while visiting during July. Who knows how long I'd actually been driving it in it's three-legged state. Nevertheless, I've been managing the problem by intermittently refilling the tire with air during petrol stops. Until now.

Given the impending arrival of a stateside friend and prolonged ticki-tour through the South Island, I decided to definitely manage the problem by taking it in for a service and check of the tire. Four hours later I arrived to pick up the vehicle. Not only was the service free (not totally unexpected considering it's still under warranty), but the cost for repair of the punctured tire was only $20. No charge for labor. Cheap by American standards. Here's the kicker. When they brought the car around, not only had it been washed, but also vacuumed (a rare service perk in the states these days), and there were two daffodils tied with ribbon lying on the passenger seat. Now that's service!