The sun in Auckland is sweltry and the lack of clouds in the sky makes you realize how wide the world is. It is the summertime – heat, humidity and leisureliness make you crave a shower. It is time to call on Julian (a.k.a. Rufio).
DOOR: Rufio’s house is an old dairy.
Julian lives in an old dairy – Kiwi speak for a convenience store, mini-mart, corner store or slushy mart. I am not sure what a bodega is. As you can imagine, the house is a bit odd shaped. But unlike the convenience store you might find as part of a gas station, you do not need a giant key to use this bathroom.
LOUNGE: Rufio’s living room has plants.
After walking around sweating profusely all day in the sunshine, I am ready for a refreshing shower at Julian’s. And just in case someone else is also ready for a shower at the same time, it is okay – this is a double shower. But what is a double shower?
“Sometimes, when you turn it on, you’ll hear a pounding of water on the roof of the house,” says Julian.
RUFIO: Julian keeps his shampoo in a drawer.
That water is from a tall water pipe on the roof that is at perfect shower height. While one person showers in the real shower inside, another person can take a shower on the roof – double shower. But it does not happen every time you shower.
“We don’t know when or why it happens.”
Thankfully, it does happen on my shower. As the water spurts onto the roof, Julian’s flatmate, Matt, climbs up onto the roof and gets under the pipe shower.
WHAT UP: I am about to embark on a shower journey.
Back inside, I get acquainted with Julian’s fussy shower.
“It’s quite a hard shower to deal with,” says Julian. “If it had a personality I’d probably describe it as introverted and awkward. You have to get used to it before it’ll actually let you get some warmth. And then once you get some warmth it’s awkward belts of over-the-top.”
FULFILLED: I have had a rejuvenating shower.
There are some things that take getting used in Julian’s weirdo shower. Cold is hot and hot is cold. This is not much of a problem for me, as I am an experienced hot-cold switch up user. But the hot-cold mixer is not just reversed, it is extremely sensitive.
“It is quite touchy. This is the awkwardness of the shower. If you turn it even half-a-centimeter, the temperature can drastically rise or decrease.”
I have a go. Just a tiny nudge of the dial makes the water scalding hot. Touch it again in the other direction and it is arctic cold. After an inordinate amount of time trying to adjust the temperature, I decide to have a cold shower. It is so hot outside, and it just works. Then, I hear the loud pounding of water on the roof – the pipe is erupting.
Showered.
Showered 