Living Like a Small Green Hairy Fruit

Spud U Like - Is this a Record Breaker?

Thursday 16 August 2007

Making dinner this evening and pulled this out of the potato sack!

It's the King of all King Edwards!  It measures 34cm around its middle and 39cm around its length.  

Stupid I know, but I just had to share this.

Hope our tatties in the vege patch get this big.

Kiwi School is So Cool

You'd have thought the kids would have been pleased to have time off school, especially as this year they would miss out on their usual 6 weeks off in July and August.  Well they were to begin with but after a couple of weeks here they were desperate to get into school and meet other kids (my company obviously not good enough anymore!).

I suppose for me and Mark the worst of the move was over.  We had all the stress beforehand just getting here, done the gruelling flight, done the flying round like headless chickens getting transport, house, and all that paperwork sorted, our container was on it was and would be here soon, work was going well, etc.  But for the children they still had their 'bit' to do in starting all over again at a new school in a new country.

They must have been so nervous, not knowing how or where they would fit in.

When our daughter was due to start high school back in the UK we attended a parents evening beforehand where the headteacher stated that there were only two things new entrants worried about; where the toilets were and when would they get fed!

She'd survived that and done really well.  She had a big group of friends she'd had to leave behind and was getting all As and Bs in her studies.  Our son was just finishing his last year at primary.  The week he left school was SATs week and despite being due to leave the country, we nasty parents insisted he attend that week and sit the exams anyway (all good practice, even if they don't mean diddly squat).

So, not having much idea about the schools here we started sorting that.  Like I said, Michaela was just finishing Year 7, her first year at high school in the UK, but here she would have to go to intermediate school or a primary that covered Year 8.  You should have seen her face when she heard she'd have to go back to little school with the uncool, immature little kids!  Andrew would have been starting his first year at high school this September but over here he's another two years to do at primary before high school in Year 9.

We started with the nearest state school to where we'd be living.  It was a great school with a really gentle but firm headteacher.  There was really only one basic rule;  do as you're told the first time.  If you didn't there was a consequence.  Seemed fair and sensible.  We looked round some of the classrooms.  The kids all looked so happy, alert and enthusiastic.

We went to all the other schools in the area that they were eligible to go to due to the zoning.  I asked around in the town about the schools; just shopkeepers, other mums in the shops, the ladies in the real estate office - I didn't really know any of them, but you know me, I'll go chat to anybody.  No-one had a bad word to say about any of the schools. 

There was an open evening at the nearest school to our home.  It's a state-integrated Christian school and although I'm a Christian I did have reservations about the kids going there as I didn't want it to be just 'bible bashing' without a rounded education and the ability to live in the real world with a balanced view after.  The open evening was fab.  The school kids, two girls, that gave us a guided tour were so articulate, knowledgeable and passionate about their school.  The school, whilst small with only a capacity for 320 children in total, is well equipped and has all the latest technology.  It takes all ages from 5 to 18.  In the later years if there is a particular course/exam any pupil wants to do and the school don't have a teacher with the knowledge to teach it, they have a special video conference room linked to CantaTech which pupils can use to get interactive lessons from another teacher in the region.  The scope is phenomenal with courses available such as astronomy and commercial airline pilot!

There is a fee, around $1,000 a year, plus money for all the trips, and buying all the books and stationery (which I think is standard here anyway). 

Mark (despite being a 'non-believer'!) thought it was a great school and we both liked the fact that the children could go there until they're 18 and could make friends that they could grow up with and hopefully keep for life.

I filled in the application forms which included having to say what we understood a Christian education to be, what we expected from it, what characters are children were, their strengths and weakness, what type of teaching would best suit them.  It was quite in-depth and I answered it as subjectively as I could - I mean isn't it natural for every parent to want to sing the praises of their kids and gloss over the not so pleasant bits?  Well, I didn't.  I said exactly what the kids are like and what kinds of moods they can get into in the given situations.

A few days later I had a phone call inviting us for an interview.  I was really quite nervous.  I hadn't been to church for ages and I certainly can't quote too much from the bible, other than most - it begins with Genesis and ends with Revelations with lots of miracles in the middle bits?  I thought it might be me for a change that lets the children down and embarrasses them in public.

Needn't have worried.  The interview went well and I didn't have to recite any psalms or anything.  The Heaf of Primary and Head of Secondary had a quick meeting and came out to Reception to tell us we'd been accepted.  You should have seen the kids jump for joy.  They were just like, thank you, thank you, thank you to the Heads and hugging them and asking 'can we start tomorrow?' (bit miffed actually that I'm now so old and uncool that they don't wana hang with their mum anymore and would rather be in school).

We sorted uniforms.  The really nice lady on Reception took us to the stock room and kitted the kids out with a mixture of new and second hand uniforms.  Michaela gets to wear one of the ankle length kilts she has admired (NOT!!!) since we got here.  Andrew get shorts with knee high socks.

We then went down to the townstreet to the local shop and got a second set of everything new.  I just love shopping in these little personal stores.  The assistants are all so friendly and chatty and its just lovely having such attentive, old fashioned service.

They didn't start the next day as the Head of Primary telephoned Andrew to apologise but his class teacher wasn't going to be in school that day and he thought Andrew would be better starting on the Monday when his class teacher would be there and could get him introduced and settled.  That too amazed me; such a caring attitude.

Monday 18 June was their first day.  I took them there and left them with the Receptionist.  I just hoped and prayed all that day that they'd be accepted and make friends and understand the lessons and just be able to cope.  You always worry that your kid will be the one on their own in the playground or drop their lunch and have to go hungry.  But this first day just seemed so mega important; if the kids didn't settle here and got really homesick we'd have some very difficult choices to make.

Well, I needn't have worried.  They had a brill first day. Made heaps of friends and were included in everything and they loved it!  They said the work was a breeze. The teachers were really laid back and cool. 

And they've said that every day since!  Within two weeks they'd both been for sleepovers.  We don't see much of Andrew at the weekends as his off with his mates.  Michaela has a good group of friends but most live in Kaiapoi so after school she doesn't see them much but weekends she's usually busy.

They've both done really well with their schoolwork and are in top sets for everything.  Andrew has had two certificates so far in assemblies, one for his enthusiasm, hard work and honesty and one for getting 100% in maths.  Michaela and 3 of her friends did a fund raiser for orphans in Uganda.  They made cakes and biscuits and sold them all week at school and raised nearly $60.  She also got a certificate for showing compassion in a practical way.

They been on several school trips already, including laser zone and science alive, but the one they're really looking forward to is skiing next week at Mt. Hutt.

They've both grown in confidence and are just so happy and settled here.  We're very proud of them.  They work really hard and both have such a caring nature.  Doesn't stop them fighting like cat and dog at home sometimes mind!

Here they are in the uniforms they've grown to like:

Our Ship's Come In...We Think

We were told by the removal people that our container would take about 9 weeks.  We waved it goodbye on 23 May 2007 having seen the customs seal put on (which we photographed just to be on the safe side) and being assured it was on its way to Birmingham and then down to Southampton.  Still we did wonder if it might just get detoured to the nearest local market ...

It was due to leave the UK on Sunday 27 May 2007, which was the same day we would land in NZ.  The agent gave us the name of the ship and we searched the internet until we found a site to track it.  But we could find no record of that ship having been near Southampton lately or anywhere on route to NZ.  The agent this end also gave us the ship's name - only it was a different one.  We did manage to track that but the dates due into Lyttleton didn't tally - it would have meant it would have only taken 5 weeks.

We were given a third ship's name and so started tracking that one.  And this time it seemed to be the right one.  We were confused but it all made sense once we had the actual container number and were able to trace that.  It had left Southampton on ship number 2, and gone to Hong Kong where it was offloaded onto ship number 3.  We still have no idea where anyone got the firs ship's name from as that does not appear to have featured in this at all!

We kept checking on the Lyttelton Port schedule and it actually came in, offloaded and left a day before the agent had advised us.  The agent sorted all the customs and MAF clearances.  And it had only taken in total 6 weeks! We were so pleased, as we were really missing our stuff - well some of it - we're still not too sure what to do with some of the stuff we brought over or where to store it ... can definitely feel a garage sale coming on though!

MAF wanted to inspect 55 boxes for the very reasonable (I use the term lightly) fee of $485!!! You don't get to haggle over this.  Its pay up or you don't get your stuff basically!

Tuesday 10 July 2007 our container arrives at our new address safe and sound:

And as you can tell from the photo the usually blue, sunny sky we keep raving about decided to cloud over and pour with rain.  Typical!

The custom security seal had been removed at the port that morning by the agent - which we were a bit dubious about but we knew exactly what was on the back of the container and how it was packed and we had photos, if needed, but as the 2 guys open the doors we could see all was as it should be.

The guys were from Grace Removals and they were so careful with the unloading.  One of them handed me all the sheets with the box numbers and brief description and made a makeshift table up in the garage to spread the sheets out on.  The ones MAF wanted to see where highlighted in pink and orange.  Mark spent the next hour or so helping them unload and it all got a bit manic.  As they took a box/item out of the container they would shout out the number for me to tick off on the sheets and I would shout back where in the house it was to go or whether it was for MAF.  This would have been great but for the fact there were the three of them shouting out numbers and going for a Guiness World Record in Container Emptying.  Invariably by the time I'd found the corresponding number and marked it off and shouted back where it should go I'd look up and it would be the other guy holding gardening equipment and wondering why I just shouted I wanted it put in the bathroom.

It all got done though.  Two very friendly women from MAF came at, I think, 11am.  We'd put all the stuff for them to one side (55 boxes / one side = the garage then).  They were really cool and everything was ok.  We didn't have to pay anything extra for cleaning and didn't have anything taken off us.  It was things like christmas decorations (checking for pine cones, dried flowers and seeds, oh and cobwebs and spiders and their eggs), the bikes, golf clubs, Mark's tools, etc.

The Grace Removal guys (can you tell I can't remember their names? ) were really helpful, they started unpacking all the major stuff in the house and cleaned out the rubbish.  As Mark had helped out they had half an hour to spare and offered to help put together the slat beds and other stuff but we were just so pleased to have all our stuff back and wanted to get on and see all our stuff again, I gave them $10 each (it was all I had!) to go and get some lunch.

We got the major stuff done.  All the white goods survived and were working. Mark changed a few plugs then went off to pick up the 4x4 as we'd also arranged to get it that day as Mark was off work.  By Friday just about everything was unpacked and it felt like home.  All the furniture and our stuff just fitted in nicely and it was such a relief that it had all got here ok and undamaged.

We remember just being amazed at how smoothly everything had gone. Six weeks and we had a home, a decent car, kids were settled in a school they loved, and now we had all our stuff back safe and sound.  It was just like it was meant to be. 

A New Way of Life

This is Andrew.  This is what he used to spend most of his waking life doing:

This is Michaela. This is what she used to spend most of her waking life doing:

Now they are much more active, they eat healthier food, not junk food or fast food or heaps of sugery snacks and crisps.  Michaela is a lot more laid back about fashion and shoes and those absolutely must have items every 12 year old would simply die without in the UK.  Andrew just wants to fit in with his mates which so far seems to involve getting as much mud to cling to him as possible, wearing his hair long and floppy (as opposed to its previous pristine gel globuled style).

They've both always helped out around the house but they seem more keen to try new things here and are more willing to help with the cooking, cleaning, decorating, laundry etc. 

Michaela, of her own accord, made me a beautiful birthday cake.  It was really yummy, but she did insist on it cramming on as many candles as she could in an attempt to get 39 on!  Bless. It was ablaze with light.

This last few days has been a real father and son affair.  Mark and Andrew have been down in the garage and workshop creating.  So far this weekend a 8'x8' store has been made and lined in the garage in which to keep stuff so it doesn't get covered in sawdust.

And then they made a whole heap of sawdust.  And noise.  And more sawdust.

The was a purpose though.  They have crafted a 4 shelf propogator and seed trays - that was Friday night. Today (Saturday) they made a 4' long coffee table which is just beautiful; really chunky wood. Tomorrow's agenda? A bookcase. Oh, and more sawdust of course.

Michaela with 3 of her friends has made cakes and biscuits for a week long cake sale at school.  An idea they came up with to raise money for Ugandan orphans.  Andrew has learnt to use a screwdriver, hammed and saw - something the kids here seem to do in Kindy! - but not something Andrew would have bothered with before.

As mentioned elsewhere in the blog, we've tried fishing. We're crap at it and have caught naff all.  But again it isn't something we'd have bothered with before.  It's great just being able to drive onto the beach, cast your line and sit and admire the sheer beauty of the natural environment all around without having to stress about being somewhere or not getting jobs done at home or having to be back for a fav tv programme.

We've spent weekends wandering through the sand dunes and pine forests, playing on rope swings and gathering pine cones for fire lighters.

The kids have been to Science Alive and Laser Quest.  They go skiing for the first time ever next week and there is a 3 day school camp coming up in a few weeks.

We've been 4x4ing all over the place and enjoyed the freedom of being able to do this. Even when we got stuck it was fun.

There are no more expensive snacks in our pantry.  Nearly everything we eat now is homemade.  It's all fresh meat and vegetables and fruit.  No ready meals or packet stuff.  Snacks for packed lunches are all homebaked cakes and biscuits.  I even started baking bread.  We have a veggie patch with potatoes, onions, cabbages and cauliflower.  Carrots are currently coming on in the propogator.  Now all we need is the cow for our milk, hens for our eggs and bees for our honey!

The kids and I have found a great church we go to every Sunday, Rangiora Baptist Church.  It's awesome. Packed every week with young and old in real fellowship and yet at the same time you can have a real personal time with God.  It's good food for the soul and really lifts your spirits.  Mark doesn't come - his skin would blister (his words!! LOL)

One of the first things we bought was a compost maker.  All fruit and veg peelings, teabags, sawdust etc goes in there.  All cardboard, cans, plastic bottles, milk containers, juice containers, junk mail, carrier bags etc go in the recycle bin - so much more than we were allowed to recycle in Telford.  Compared to the 2 grey wheelie bins and 1 green wheelie bin we used to put out, we are only putting 1 bin liner for landfill each week, so we really feel we're doing something to help the environment here as well.

Shopping is like is was when I was little.  You go to the farm store for fruit and veg. The butcher for meat, the supermarket for other stuff, the Bin Inn for all your home baking stuff in bulk and the liquor store for your tipple.  Even that's better!  They have rows of taps on the wall, one for whisky, one for vodka, one for gin, etc.  You just take your jug, bottle or bucket in and fill up! Same with beers!  You can buy it in the usual bottles/brands as well.

You can fill your gas bottles at the petrol station, or your car should it run off gas.

Oh, and shop assistants actually assist you; imagine that eh! You walk in and they are really pleased to help you, not act like you've just interrupted their time or gossip with their companion (non) assistant.

Next weekend we're planning on heading out to the West Coast and the rain forest and next month we're hoping to get to Hanmer Springs and the thermal spas.  And one day soon we may even catch a fish...

Getting Kiwi Vehicle Practical

When we first got here we had a tiny budget to get everything done.  We now have no budget at all  !!! as we're all spent up but we've achieved loads on what little we did have.

As you'll know if you've read the blog so far, we bought a Toyota Celica when we first got here.  It was under $5k so within budget and I thought it was a great car! 4 wheel steering, sports mode, automatic, great cd player, good reliable engine, sun roof, 1991 model, 3 billion miles on the clock etc.  But it only had two doors so the kids, who aren't so little anymore had to keep climbing in and out and you were very low to the ground so it felt like you were scrapping your bum on the ground when driving!

Here's that pic again just to remind you;

So one weekend we're off out for an explore in the car. Great sunny day, as usual, driving along admiring the scenery, getting closer to the snow capped foothills, when we turned a corner and the long, straight, tarmac road just stopped... no warning ... no signs ... just a continuation of gravel road for as far as the eye could see!!!  Despite all the twiddly bits on the car, the 4 wheel steering and sports mode etc, it was like driving on ice and sadly we had to turn round and go back.  Not home though.  Mark didn't like the car much anyway and here was the perfect excuse to head into the city and look at 4x4s!

We spent a couple of weekends just trawling car lots and taking 4x4s out for 'test' drives.  It was great fun, as here you aren't assumed to be intent on stealing the car so you don't get accompanied by a salesman who insists you test drive a set route.  Nah! Here it's keep the car overnight if you want, take it out, give it a good thrashing, see if you like it!  We didn't take any off road but we keep one for most of the afternoon and took a drive out over the Port Hills to Governor's Bay for lunch. 

We were just driving back when the salesman rang our mobile. It was Sunday and they were closing soon.  He was just enquiring if we liked the car and asked where we were.  Mark replied 'just coming into Picton'.  For those that don't know Picton is a good 4-5 hour drive up north of the South Island.  And the salesman's reply? 'Picton????? oh, ok!'.

Five minutes later we pulled up on the forecourt.  We all loved the car and yes it was far more practical than my lovely little Celica.  We got an ok trade in price and Mark would have a car he could trash around the beaches and river beds in at the weekends.  And me? I get to drive the monstrous tank during the week. It's like driving a bus but at least you're really high up so I can finally see over those roadside hedges at what lies beyond.

Having a 4x4 here seems to be the norm and you'll see many of a weekend out on the road looking like they've just been raised from the depths of a swamp.  Literally covered from roof to wheels in thick mud and the driver peering through the tiny gap in the windscreen the overworked wipers have managed to scrap clear.

In the UK we are used to keeping up with the Jones's and polishing our prized cars at weekends and heaven forbid if the kids should drop a crumb on the back seat!  Nah, not here mate!  The muddier the better.  Cars here are for getting from A to B and for fun - exactly what they were designed for! And what a breathe of fresh air that is - I don't need to panic so much with my less than perfect parking skills should I perchance put a little ding in the bodywork, who'd know?  Ha ha! Oh, how I love this freedom!!

We can now drive on the beach and sit in the back of car when we're fishing, and bomb through the dunes when we're bored of not catching anything.  We've spent a few weekends up at Amberley Beach driving through the lagoon and marshland doing handbrake turns with Mark getting out to see how muddy the car is and deciding not enough and going round again. We've been down to the Ashley River after heavy rainful where there's a 4x4 trial along the river bed and grassland.  It might seem futile and childish to some but we love it, and it seems to be a really popular way of spending the weekend here.

Last weekend Andrew and Michaela had gone off to their mates houses so Mark and I had an unexpected but very welcome few hours to ourselves.  And what did we do with this precious time? Jumped in the tank and hit the Ashley River.  It had rained heavily the night before and the trials were heavy rutted and thick with mud. We were like two big kids enjoying sliding around and bombing across the streams and up and down steep banks.  We headed out through the woodland and that's where things didn't quite go according to plan! 

It was difficult to tell just how deep some of the ruts were as they were full of rainwater.  We were on our way back to pick the kids up and we got stuck!  Not just wheels spinning in mud stuck. But bottomed out and two wheels not even touching ground with the side step buried in mud! Mark had to force the driver's door open to see exactly how bad it was.  My side was perfectly dry by the way as the passenger side of the car was on a grass verge.  We couldn't have avoided this one, the wheels were stuck in the deep ruts and the car just slide along the mud until it came to a halt.  The diff was buried in mud (this is something Mark told me - I have no idea what it is or why that's important - but I do know it is under the car and turned out to be very important!).

We had a spade with us so just got out and started trying to sort it out. There were loads of fallen trees and branches so we hauled over huge logs and tried to get them under the wheels to try and get some purchase.  But the ruts were so deep the logs just kept floating back up.  I stood at the back at the car with my foot on the end of the log whilst Mark tried to reverse it out.  Fortunately he did this gently so that I didn't get splattered in mud and spray.  But we were going nowhere and were now late for getting the kids as it was 4.45pm.  We still thought it was funny but it would be dark soon and although Michaela's friends dad had said to give him a call if we got stuck, we didn't actually know exactly where we were to give anyone directions! 

I heard voices shouting in the distance and just about 500 yards up from us there were other 4x4s and people. Deep joy!  Mark carried on tried to do what he could and I waded over through the thick gloop to see if anyone could lend a hand. 

One guy saw me approaching and said 'how ya doin?' (a standard Kiwi greeting).  'We're stuck just back there' I said waving in the general direction of back there as I wasn't too sure which way I'd just come. 'Just wondering if anyone could lend us a hand'.  'No worries' came the reply, 'just get this one out and we'll be over'.  I hadn't realised but as I looked over I saw that one swampy 4x4 was completely sunk in deep mud, all 4 wheels nearly covered.  I didn't feel so embarrassed now at asking.  It was difficult to tell where the car ended and the mud started.  Another equally mud covered 4x4 was spinning and sliding trying to pull it out.  The guy I'd spoken to got in his truck which looked tiny compared to the other two.  He put a rope on too and they both revved up, one took the slack, the other pulled.  It was like a giant flat mud rink.  There was steam/smoke billowing all over as all three trucks were reving and straining and the two doing the work were skidding all over the place, narrowly missing smacking into one another. But out of the mud popped the stuck truck to a round of applause from us onlookers.

The 3 trucks then sped over to Mark.  One truck pulled us and one stood by to help if needed, whilst the guys from the third truck got out and had a mud fight.  'Follow us out' they shouted as they led the way out of the woodland and we did.  But then the truck in front of us skidded and got stuck, his mate in front spun round and drove back and just rammed the front of his truck till he was free!  And then they sped off back through towards the river bed, mud flying everywhere and obviously having just a great time.

We headed back up to the road.  It was amazing to feel so relaxed and unstressed. We weren't too bothered about getting stuck or worried about the car at all.  The Kiwis are so friendly and helpful and we didn't feel stupid or foolish.  At last the truck was getting right proper muddied up and we'd had fun. We were late getting the kids but no-one was worried about that as no-one seems to stress here about the clock (in my opinion yet another great bonus of NZ). 

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures our adventure... but no doubt we'll get stuck plenty more times so I'll get some photos then.

And for all yous back home polishing and valetting your status symbols... just chill - there's so much more to life!!!

The Construction of Embo,s Bar

July - August 2007 (2 weeks start to finish)

Mark had a dream.  A dream fuelled by his passion for alcohol and all things F1.  Through his dedication and hardwork he has made that dream a reality in just two short weeks.  Yes I am of course talking about the bar, Embo's Bar.  Here you can follow the history of the making of Embo's in full glorious technicolour, marvel at his carpentry and interior decorating skills and wonder, as we did, why the hell he wore the same clothes for the entire fortnight.  Enjoy.

He measured carefully...

...and sawed accurately - avoiding his thumb this time...

...and measured some more...cos he buggered it up the first time...

...and hit lots of things with his hammer - including a china lamp base...

...and put in a bar fridge...

...and suffered at the hands of vandals overnight, yet undetered he continued in his quest...

...and positioned it carefully...

...and put up his F1 car cabinet and made a shelf...

...and crafted a backboard for his optics and arranged his pictures...

...restocked his fridge...

...added the final touches and.... drum roll please....

Embo's Bar was up and running!  Complete with surround sound entertainment and the tiniest flat screen tv you'll ever see in a pub!

Is there no end to the talents of this wonderful husband of mine? 

I'm hoping next week he'll build us a sauna....

Home Homey Home - Inside

Badly out of focus I know, but this is the rumpus room, well one view of it. It is bigger than the entire ground floor of the house we left in the UK!

The 'office' corner of the rumpus room

Dining Room end of main living area. The kitchen is behind the wall where the tv is. The doorway leads to the laundry room with back door to log store. The door to the right beyond the table and chairs goes to the back hallway with Andrew's bedroom, the bathroom, toilet.

The bit in the middle with door to Michaela's bedroom in front and door to right to our bedroom

The lounge end, with log burner and french doors to garden

Our bedroom

Michaela's room. It was white. She wanted 'bubbles' so we gave her saucepan lids and glasses to draw round and we got three matchpots of paint and hey presto, bubbles! Hers was the cheapest room to decorate at only $15. Makes a change!

Andrew's room with posters of inappropriately dressed women, fast cars and appauling rap singers. Where did my innocent lil' boy go? He does still have 'Harry' the humungous fluffy toy dog though.  Oh, bless.

Home Homey Home - Mainly Outside

Just a few pics of our new home:

We had the telephone line connected. No Talk Talk plans available here so I thought I'd best put it up out of the kids' reach for now till we've worked out how much calls will cost.

This is the duck pond at Matawai Park which is the small reserve/park opposite our house.  Think the ducks have all left for England though as they heard there were now wide stretches of open water across most of the country!

The kids on Waikuku beach, where it's considered by the locals to be 'packed' if you see more than 3 people.  That's the Pacific Ocean - just 10 minutes from where we live!

and there's the kids running the other way along the beach, just to prove how uncrowded it is!

Man makes fire!! Or not, in the case of my two. The woods behind you guys! It might come in handy...

Back door to side of house and our log store (the brown wood lean to thingy)

The hot tub. Luscious ain't it? Well, the sides were covered in coconut matting but Mark needed to take that off to get to the pump and switches and look what a rotten mess was underneath! Still the hot tub itself is clean; seats 6 and the jets are powerful, as Mark proved when he half filled the tub, turned them on and soaked me! I sent the kids out to see and he soaked them too - well, why should I have all the fun?!

Back garden on the other side of the house

The stream that runs along the back of the garden

Winter in the UK or...

Home, Again!

Sunday 27 May 2007

We landed in Christchurch 8am this morning and again collected the suitcases no problems.  The kids loved all the entertainment on the flight and watched all the stuff we wouldn't usually let them watch like the Catherine Tate Show and Extras.  They were so good on the flight. Michaela was a bit picky over her food and Andrew couldn't get comfortable at one point but other than that they did really well for such a long flight.

Christchurch was bright and sunny this time and a warmer welcome than when we came in March.  A minibus taxi was just leaving for the city so we got in that.  It was reassuring going back to the same motel we'd stopped in before. We knew our bearings from there and it was something familiar to start our new life.

We had a great unit, 2 bedrooms, open plan lounge, kitchen/diner.  Nigel, the owner, sorted an extra set of drawers for the kids room and we went and bought a fan heater for our bedroom.  The kids had an oil filled heater in their room and there was an electric wall heater in the main living area.

It felt so good to be back but it wasn't as if we could relax.  The motel was paid for the first two weeks by Mark's new employer.  Mark would be starting his new job in two week's time so it was going to be a hectic fortnight as we had to sort bank accounts, a car, somewhere to live, kids schools, uniforms etc, there was a whole long 'To Do' list.  It's a good job we get this adrenalin stuff to keep us going cos to be honest we were exhausted after all the stress and rounding around over the past few weeks back in the UK.

Nigel lent us a car for the first week at $20 a day which was brill.  We bought a car though, a Toyota Celica. We had a budget of just $5k to get one and this is what we got:

Not a brill photo I know and it was taken during a particularly pink sunset.

So next a house.  We were only really interested in areas north of Christchurch.  We'd seen a house at Parklands on the net we loved the look of and drove out to check it out, but the area wasn't for us, just beach homes, no shops, no community as such.  We looked at Woodend, Waikuku Beach, Leithfield Beach, Rangiora and Sefton.  We loved Rangiora.  We'd made enquiries about it before we came out here and it's just a great place with everything you could need although remaining a small, rural/agricultural town.

The Real Estate guys were funny.  We told them our budget and yet they insisted on showing us houses way over our top price.  They seemed surprised we didn't say, ah go on then course we can run to an extra $125k! We also got shown all the tat that they couldn't shift to locals, you know that house with the railway line running through the back garden, the one right on the main road, the one that would fall down if a mouse coughed, that sort of thing.

Fed up with that we tried a different agency and simply went in, looked at the flyers on display and just said show us that, that, and that and anything else you've got for $350k, 3 bed min, good sized garden and show us nothing else!  The woman, Jane, was brill. She arranged viewings for the next day and whizzed us round a whole string of places which met our exact requirements.  It had helped searching on the internet for months before we came because we knew which places had been on the market for ages.

And we found this:

This is actually a photo of the side of the house. For some reason I don't have one of the front of it! The 2-storey bit is a double garage and workshop/hobby room with rumpus room and guest bedroom over. There are french doors under the sloping roof to the lounge and the bit sticking out with the long narrow window is our bedroom.

This is the back of the house. The ranch slider (patio doors) are to our bedroom, the next window is Michaela's room, then Andrew's room then the bathroom. In front of Michaela's room is the veggie patch where we are already growing cauliflowers, onions, cabbages and potatoes.

The back garden from the driveway. The big dead looking tree by the gorgeous yellow coloured corrugated plastic screen is, apparently according to the neighbours, the best plum tree in New Zealand.

Anyway, I put up more pics in a separate 'Home Homey Home' blog.

We made a conditional offer on this place on, I think, Thursday of our first week here and had that accepted Thursday evening. Friday we arranged the mortgage. Monday was a bank holiday but the surveyor (which the bank insisted on) turned out anyway. We signed the papers the following Thursday and paid the deposit and completed on the Friday. 6 Working Days and the house was ours!!!!

We moved in (well, took our 8 suitcases and 4 flight bags) on the Saturday as that was the end of our two weeks at the motel.  We rented a tv, microwave, tumble dryer and vacuum cleaner for $27 per week.  The Real Estate lady, Jane, lent us her washing machine, a bed base and some cane furniture - settee and chairs.  We bought Michaela a new bed and mattress with a trundler (sleep over bed) underneath, and we got new mattresses for Andrew and ourselves.  We bought a new large chest freezer and we borrowed some cutlery, crockery and cookware from some friends Wiz 'n' Toni who we met off the Expats forum.

So two weeks in we had a car, a 238m2 house and a 760m2 section. Oh, and did I mention the hot tub and stream in the garden?!  It's just great! It gets cold - no central heating - but the log burners good.  Mark found it really cold getting up in the mornings as the fire would burn out quickly after we'd gone to bed and the bathroom was freezing at 6.30am, as was the toothpaste and the tap water!

Next thing on the list?  Heat pumps. And the sooner the better!

Final Farewells - A Happy/Sad Day

Friday 25 May 2007

A happy/sad day. Because we were happy to finally be on our way, flying out to start our new lives, excited about it all, disbelief that it was us that were doing this not just a story we were reading about someone else and wishing we could do the same. And at the same time sad to be leaving all that we'd known, the familiar sights, sounds and smells, Mark's mum and dad's house which we used to refer to as the corner shop as we were always over when we'd run out of cornflour or ketchup or the like.  We'd miss seeing them on their driveway and just popping over for coffee (or brandy in dad's case), talking away the hours in either garden in the sun putting the world to rights.

Mark's mum was up bright and early and cooking bacon sarnies for all, which was very much appreciated.  I don't think she'd slept too well and like most women under stress it was a case of keep busy or dissolve into a heap and cry your eyes out.  Keeping busy and taking care of her brood was the order of the day and I really admired her spirit.  I really wanted to give her a hug as she whizzed round the kitchen, preparing, cooking and cleaning but got the vibe that if anyone did she'd sob her heart out, so I just stayed out the way a bit and hoped she'd get through this ok.

Mark had always been there for his mum and dad and likewise they for him.  My family were a bit different. All but the youngest two siblings had flown the nest relatively early and we all lead such busy lives and all spread out over the country. If the need arose we would be there for each other but our lives weren't so intertwinned.  I wondered how Mark must be feeling. I tried to remember how I felt when I left home, but it was so long ago and in such different circumstances.  I tried to imagine how I would feel if my children were to leave and I might not see them for a long time.  I really didn't know what to say to anyone or what to do without risking making a hard day worse, so I didn't do a lot really and tried to stay out of the way.  I mean we were in the house Mark grew up in, this was his time with his parents and I didn't want to encroach on these last few precious hours they had. 

I'm hoping Mark will write a bit in here to say what it was like from his perspective.

The taxi came at 10am, bang on time. A 7 seater with a luggage trailer for all our suitcases.  I remember being out on the driveway feeling really happy in a 'pinch me, is this really me doing this way' and 'yaay we're finally on our way, freedom, new life here we come' but as I turned back to the house and saw Mark's mum breaking her heart and Mark just hugging her and the children with tears rolling down their cheeks, I didn't know where to start. How do you console all these people you care so much for when you're the one causing their pain? I mean if we hadn't had this half baked idea in the first place, this wouldn't be happening right now. 

I hugged her and told her I loved her. She said 'take care of them all for me'. I remember thinking, how silly, I'm not likely to misplace one of them at the airport and have to go to lost property to claim them back! But this wasn't a time for joking.  And the sudden realisation that no matter how big or old your child gets, that strong maternal instinct just doesn't wane. To me Mark is a big, strong, capable man.  But to his mum, he's still her boy and the need to know he is safe, and warm, and feed and loved and has washed behind his ears and put clean underpants on(!) is still as strong as it was the day he was born.  I wondered if I would be as strong and dependable as she had been for Mark when the time came for me to let my children go.

I hugged Mark's dad and told him I loved him. At that point I think we were the only two not crying. He's not a big one for sentimental words but it was the best reassuring big hug and just what I needed.

In the taxi we waved goodbye till they were out of sight.  Mark sat silently in the taxi, just holding my hand with tears rolling down his face.  I didn't have any words for him. Nor any tissues come to think of it; I'd packed about 12 handy packs of Kleenex but not so handily they were all in my flight bag in the trailer.

It was a very subdued and smooth journey down to Heathrow.  We got a text message from Mark's mum. We'd given them a picture of a NZ stream/waterful in a clearing surrounded by tree ferns. There was a wooden bridge across and we'd written a message on the back of the frame saying for them to look at the picture and think of us, we were on the bridge, just out of sight but we were right there looking back at them and thinking of them to.  Mum texted to say that her and dad had gone in after we left and looked at the picture and his dad, not usually given to emotion, just wept.  I can't tell you at that point how much we wanted to stop the taxi and turn round and go back and just make everything better for them.

We arrived at Heathrow in good time.  Mark went and got 3 trolleys. We each pushed one and the kids had one between them.  Going across the zebra crossing on the busy drop off lane they managed to tip it over. Fortunately none of the cases came open!  We checked in really quickly and all bags were on or just underweight so no excess to pay.  After a few attempts I managed to speak to my mum on the phone before we had to board.  It was good to hear her voice and she sounded so excited for us.  That was like putting in the last jigsaw piece and I felt happy then that we were leaving with everything complete and in order.

Time seemed to go so quickly at the airport and we were soon off the ground on our Air New Zealand flight to the unknown.  It felt weird having 'nothing'. We no longer owned a house or a car, we didn't have an income, but we were debt free and the world was our oyster, at least for a few days anyway.

The Last Supper

Thursday 24 May 2007

Our last full day in England. It was a beautiful, sunny day. We laid out our 8 suitcases and 4 flight bags in the garden and totally repacked everything to try and even the weight out and make sure we had everything.  I really fancied a bowl of porridge for breakfast with golden syrup. It was odd getting up and not being able to go to my familiar kitchen as normal and just lay my hands on what I wanted.  Mark had been calling me jobless ever since I finished at work.  Now we were jobless and homeless!

Mark's dad very kindly made me a bowl of golden syrup Oats so Simple.  It was yummy! If i'd have known then that the golden syrup here in NZ tastes more like burnt caramel I'd have smuggled out a tin of Tate & Lyle's.  That bowl of porridge could be the last taste I'll get of 'proper' syrup :(

Anyway, we checked the weight of each bag with Mark having stood on the bathroom scales  to weigh himself then getting back on with each suitcase. We labelled each bag's weight so we could see which, if any!, were underweight that we might be able to add to.

Then it was off into Telford town centre to pay the last of the bills and we took the kids to the cinema to see Pirates of the Caribbean which opened that day.  Gee, was that a long film?!

Last night, Wednesday, Mark's mum had cooked up her usual excellent curries - flame hot vindaloo for Mark and something a lot less fiery for those of us without asbestos mouths. 

Tonight though was our 'last supper'.  My mum and youngest brother live a few hundred miles away down on the Isle of Wight so obviously couldn't come all the way back up just for a meal out.  One of my other brother's is at uni in Manchester and without transport or funds (though probably lots of lentils and brown rice or is it just pot noodle these days?). Another brother and his wife and baby Abigail live down in Gosport, so again too far and expensive to travel, and my sister, brother in law and nephews and niece live in Shrewsbury but unfortunately they couldn't make it either as all had previous commitments with Explorers and church groups.  And my wonderful cousins Ted and Sange were away on holiday.  So I was a bit sad really.  I'd been really upbeat up till this point and raring to go so it came as a surprise to find I was really quite tearful that this was it, our last meal - possibly ever - in England and there might be no more chances to do this ever again and I couldn't see or say goodbye to anyone I grew up with.  They'd all come to the leaving party which was wonderful and we were so pleased they did but it was such a hectic few hours that we didn't really get a chance to talk properly.  Now hear was that chance but like I said understandably none of them could make it and I just felt very small and lonely.

So it was us four, Mark's mum and dad, and his sister and her partner and his nephew and niece at the Clocktower pub. We managed to get a nice big round booth table we could all fit around.  After deciding what to eat I went outside for a cigarette with Mark and tears just rolled down.  I really wanted to just hug my folks just one last time and tell them all I loved them very much and I really missed my dad. He would have been so excited for us and so interested and amazed in our plans but obviously I couldn't tell him.  Mark gave me big hugs and was very understanding.  The meal was good, usual standard of English service - need I say more?!  The kids were all giggly and excited and before we knew it, it was over. Below aren't the best photos, but they're the only 3 we have of our the evening, taken on my phone and due to the 'mood' lighting the colours a bit weird!

Mark's Mum and Dad

Jan and Kev

and from left to right, Sian, Michaela, Andrew and Thomas (Thomas by the way is excellent at swimming, he trains hard and wins loads of gold medals - who knows? we might see him one day representing his country at the Olympics - keep up the hard work Thomas!).

We walked back to Bridge Way, full of so many different emotions, memories of good times, bad times, funny things, seeing the kids play in the street, the corner shop (we popped in to say goodbye on our way out that night), walking the dogs, and yet so full of excitement for the coming journey and new life we had to look forward to. My head was spinning with it all, it was one of those moments where you just wanted to lie down, go to sleep and have someone wake you up once it's all sorted!

We said goodbye to Mark's sister and her lot. They would all be at work and school tomorrow when the taxi came.  Lots of hugs and tears. Just what do you say? Usually it's 'see ya later then' or 'catch up with you next week' or something along those lines. What do you say when you might never see someone again? Is there a standard phrase that sums everything up other than 'love you loads, keep in touch'  that you want to express at that particular moment in time? Maybe it doesn't need to be said. Maybe it's something that's just 'felt'.

Saying nothing but simply being with someone and holding them can I think be even more powerful and convey just everything more intensely than a thousand words ever could.

But a final word to our families, just for the record and because we can't just hold you now, we love you all and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for always being there for us, for all your support and strength and encouragement and for helping us achieve everything that we have. Mark and I were both lucky enough to have such wonderful parents, without whom, we wouldn't have got this far. Know that you are loved very much and are always in our thoughts. xxxx

Boxing Day!

Wednesday 23 May 2007

Well today is 'B' Day - all our boxed worldly possessions would be going into one big box not to be seen again for 9 weeks.  Were we up bright and early and feeling quite sick and nervous really.  The HRTs were in about 8am to finish off the packing and do the paperwork.  The container was due about 3pm.

At 10.30am we got the call to say we'd completed on the house sale.  This came much earlier than we expected and actually that added to the stress as the last thing we wanted was the new owners sitting outside waiting to move their stuff in.  We didn't want to rush to get out of their way.  We wanted to make sure every room was clear and clean and to have the chance to just take a moment or two in each room to remember the good times and say goodbye.  It might only be bricks and mortar and it had certainly been a home of huge highs and lows but saying 'goodbye' was, I suppose, a way of closing the door on that chapter of our lives and being able to look forward to opening the door to our new life.

Surprisingly, we also received a phone call from our emigration consultant, Peter.  He and his colleague had decided to put our EOI (Expression of Interest) in to immigration for the fortnightly draw that day.  It had gone in at 10am and was drawn from the pool by 12 noon!  We were so pleased as this was the first step to getting permanent residency in New Zealand.

Our container arrives. The driver is expertly reversing it onto our rather narrow gateway. Notice how Mark is just standly looking nonchalent? That's because it's not our house anymore so he couldn't care less if the gatepost gets knocked over!

Everyone looking happy and relaxed. One of the HRTs promises us they can do magic and make it all fit, although the other HRT in the container, whose job it is to ensure it does, seems to have lost his head with the stress of it all!

 Mark's dad comes over to lend a hand ... with the standing around and drinking coffee bit!

HRT 'Look mate, I'm telling you, it won't fit' - Mark 'it bloody will! give it here, I'll make it fit...' 

'...and then we'll get this bit in too...'

'...and close the door quick!!'

And that's the last we'll see of that for a few weeks.

The last 2 photos of our old garden looking lovely and warm and sunny - and we're heading off to winter in NZ???!!!

The new owners didn't come until about 5pm. We were still cleaning up and gathering the last of our bits but we managed to get round each room to say our goodbyes.

Mark's mum and dad live across the road and they had kindly offered to put us up for the next two nights until our flights on Friday.  The kids had put you up beds in the spare room and study and Mark and I were in their caravan which is beautiful. They'd already made the bed up for us and hooked up the electric and water. There was tea, coffee etc in the kitchen and chocolates laid out on the bed! It was a real luxurious haven after the last couple of days.

It was hard though only being over the road and watching the new people move in. You couldn't help but curtain twitch to see what was going on! Still, that wasn't has hard as saying the final goodbyes.

Going Home To Get Home

The house went on the market before we went on our recce to NZ.  We went to the estate agents on a Saturday afternoon to see the photos they had taken and were horrified to see how confused and messy our Mexican style kitchen looked.  We wouldn't have bothered looking at our house if we'd been given that flyer!  We told the estate agents not to use that particular pic and arranged for them to come on Monday to re-take photos. So it was straight round to B&Q for some neutralising products and by 1am the new, transformed kitchen was complete! 

Above is pic taken half-way through the transformation...

...and above and below are the after ones

It obviously did the trick as just before we left we received an offer which we accepted.

Now we were back and it was full steam ahead,  Mark had done his best at the interviews and all the feed back was positive.  Mark got a good job offer in Christchurch which was just brilliant news. Loads more stuff got ebayed, including my beloved PT Cruiser

And Mark's Nissan Navara

Nothing seemed to happen for a few weeks on the job front and it was all a bit of an anti-climax.  Then Mark got a really great offer in Christchurch and it was a mad rush to get medicals, chest x-rays and visa applications done.  I handed in my notice at work mid-April and Mark devised and printed off invitations to our leaving party and made plans for that.

All in all it went very quickly and smoothly, despite the odd arguement from the stress of it all - when either one or the other of us was going/staying without the other - we got through it ok and ticked one thing after another off the endless list of things to do.

Saturday 19 May 2007 was our leaving party.  We'd hired 2 lots of moonflower disco lights and gantry and loads of yummy food (so we're told - we were too busy talking to sample any!) was provided by the same lady that caterer for our wedding.  It had rained for most of this week so we put up a temporary cover over part of the garden using heavy gauge polythene stapled to the soffits and fence.  We cut out loads of great pictures of NZ from all the magazines and leaflets we'd picked up at the Expo and stuck them all around the lounge and dining room and put up a big map with all the information on where we were going and reasons why - to save having to say it umpteen times over.  We also had a leaving book which most people got to sign and leave us their address/phone number/email so that we could keep in touch.

We were totally overwhelmed by the amount of people who turned up to wish us well, about 80 crammed into our house and garden.  The rain stayed off that evening and we had just the best time.  We handed out leaving cards/presents to our very closest family which was quite emotional.  We each chose and wrote cards to our own parents, brothers and sisters, writing personal messages to each.  It took us a whole evening to do this and it was so hard. We were both quite tearful.  It was like writing suicide notes to all those we cared about; like we might never get to say the things we felt again.  So often people don't tell each other just how much they mean. We're glad we did.

We had asked everyone to bring their own drink and the workbench in the garage was overflowing with bottles for wishing us well and for drinking that night.  We tried really hard to get round and speak to everyone, unfortunately only some briefly.  I know my family made a huge effort to be there for us and  I hardly got to speak to them at all.  It was so wonderful having them all there though and being able to spend what little time I could with them.  Mark got a warning off my middle youngest brother - to take care of me or else - I was actually really touched by that especially as my dad is sadly no longer with us.  I felt all protected and glowy inside!  And as my folks were leaving my mum was all smiles and good wishes for us.  I just love her positive go get em attitude and inner strength.  I know she'll miss us all, and us her, but I am so grateful she gave us her encouragement.  Mark reminded my brothers to take care of my mum and pointed out just how special mums were.  It was just smiles and hugs all round and I was just so happy.  And I got a lovely heartfelt hug off my littlest brother too, who, because of the age difference (22 or 23 years I think!) and distance we lived apart, I don't really know that well.  I was made up that the eldest of my brothers came. We'd fallen out recently but it was fab he came and we had a big hug and made up.  Oh, and my spooky sister wrote the same message in our leaving book as I'd written to her in her card!  I guess being close doesn't mean you have to necessarily be with someone all the time.  I really hope they all make it over here on day, that'd just be awesome.  Love you all xx.

And for anyone that came that is reading this we'd just like to say a great big THANK YOU for your support and well wishes and for making our evening so very special.

Unfortunately the camcorder decided not to work that evening and the digital camera memory was full, so sadly we don't have any record of the event.  But needless to say it was a memorable occasion we will never forget.

Tuesday 22 May 2007 - The packers, sorry HRTs (Household Relocation Technicians), arrived today and in no particular hurry either! They turned up at around 11.30am and sat in the back garden in the sun, chatting and drinking tea and coffee till about midday.  We were wondering how on earth everything was going to get done on time as the container was due the next day and we were due to complete on the house sale the next day as well (talk about precision planning!).  But boy can those guys pack!  We had to keep all our stuff we wanted well out of their way as they just ploughed through the house wrapping and packing everything in their path.

We sat in the sun on the decking in the back garden and just thought we must be bloody mental! It all just seemed so surreal. Were we really about to give up everything we had and were familiar with to go to the other side of the world?! Last chance to back out. But we both knew if we didn't do this now we'd always be left wondering 'what if?'.  Throughout the process of getting everything sorted over the past few months everything just seemed to fall into place. And even with the last minute nerves, we both agreed it still felt right. 

Fish and chips for tea that night. They'd left us one portable tv, our mattresses and bedding and of course our suitcases and flight bags.  It was so weird perching wherever we could trying to eat as the lounge, dining room and kitchen were full of boxes stacked floor to ceiling.

A view of half of our new look lounge

Well, that was that then. Container due tomorrow and the long wait for the solicitor's phone call to say we've completed on the house sale. 

North Island Recce March 2007

Left Christchurch about 2pm on Thursday 15 March 2007 for Tauranga, via Wellington. 737 to Wellington then changed onto a twin prop Bombadier from Wellington to Tauranga!

Christchurch Airport

Flying over the mighty Waimakariri River

Leaving the South Island, heading for Wellington

We arrived in Tauranga at about 4.30pm.  We had booked to stay at the Roselands Motel and the owner was picking us up from the airport.  Although it was late afternoon the difference in air temperature was noticeable. It was warm and sunny and humid.  Lush tropical planting was all around but driving down to Tauranga it appeared to be a very commercial area; a very busy port for exports and huge oil and gas installations. 

The Roselands Motel was just a short walk to the beach.  The hire car was being delivered to the motel.  We had a walk down to the seafront and the strip of bars and cafes that ran parallel to it.  In between the two was the cargo train tracks and regular trains would speed through with deafening noise whilst people enjoyed their al fresco meal!  We went to an English-style pub for our evening meal and had a walk around the town; found Paddy's office (our employment agent there) before going back to the motel.

Maori carvings, Tauranga seafront

Sunrise over Tauranga, Friday 16 March 2007

 By the time we'd got to the Bay of Plenty, we had another 2 interviews arranged which was good news.  Out of the 11 altogether we were pretty confident that there would be some job offers, especially as Mark left one interview with a contract in his hand!  But in a way it made it more difficult as we felt sure we'd end up having to choose between North and South Island.

We didn't like Tauranga much when we first arrived.  It was a lot warmer and definitely more tropical and it was all lovely but more for us if it was just the two of us.  Christchurch definitely had more to offer the children.

We had quite a lot of free time in Tauranga unlike the previous 3 days rushing around.  We took Paddy out for lunch to thank him for all his hard work.  He is such a character, very animated and full of funny anecdotes, like when he first dated his wife she lived in a street called Waiwhakemucai ('wh' is pronounced as an 'f' so her street was pronounced 'why f*ck a moo cow'!).

After that we drove out to Rotorua, somewhere that Andrew really wanted to live as he liked the idea of having hot springs and steam plumes coming out of the ground in our garden!  Everyone says Rotorua smells of rotten eggs but it wasn't too bad when we went and you soon get used to it.  It certainly is spectacular scenery out there and we visited Hell's Gate to see the mud pools and natural thermal springs.  We couldn't believe how accessible it all was. The only sign issuing any kind of restriction simply said 'stick to the path'! There were no fences or barriers or tour guide.  And here the earth's crust is so thin that you can feel the heat beneath your feet on the rocky path whilst you walk along with bubbling, steaming mud pools spluttering just two steps away.  There are natural spa/mineral pools there were Maori still go to bathe for the healing properties.  We washed our hands at the waters edge, a very lovely 40deg and such soft water.  There were cooking 'pots' as well which were huge wells of sizzling water where Maori drop whole boar to cook.

Mark, looking for instructions on how to find the entrance to Hell's Gate. Typical! Men never can see what's right it front of them.

 Viewing Platform with bonus of a free facial

Mud Volcano. This volcano erupts without warning firing balls of red hot mud it all directions. After one eruption it grew 6' in height! And the walkway goes right next to it. The wooden strip on the ground marks the edge of the path you must not wander from.  Wonder what the UK HSE would say about that?!

One of the 'cooking pot' pool. The sulphur doesn't taint the meat and the water is so hot a whole boar can be cooked in a few hours. Mark said he can think of a few bores he'd like to chuck in and boil.

Mark doing his 'tongue out' Maori inpersonation.

Although beautiful and very historic we decided that Rotorua was great to visit but not somewhere we would like to live.

We had the weekend to ourselves.  We'd had such positive feedback so far whilst in Tauranga and we really did prefer the warmer weather and the more we saw of the area and explored the shops and cafes the more the place grew on us.  We spent the weekend looking at houses.  Paddy was confident that one particular company would definitely be offering and gave us an idea of the salary.  After looking at some dire places we found an idyllic log cabin at Ohauiti.  It was a long drive up the side of the hill and then we couldn't believe it when the real estate agent stopped at a huge stone decorated entrance to a private driveway with electric gates.  The driveway was 300 yards down to the cabin. It was just beautiful and so peaceful.  The school bus picked up at the end of the road and you could see down the valley to Mount Maunganui.  Quite simply, we loved it. We went down to see a financial advisor who arranged a mortgage and we went back the next day to the 'open day' at the house and made a conditional offer. 

Sadly, although the interview went well and the company offered a job they later didn't win the contract they had hoped to and so they had to withdraw their offer of work.  We had made this a condition of our offer on the house so there was no problem pulling out.

This is the place we would have loved to call home:

The house was surrounded at the side and back by protected native bush where little kiwis lived. When the Real Estate guy told us this, Mark thought he meant very small New Zealand people.

And it had it's own pine forest!

St Patrick's Day; and marching through Tauranga was a band playing, rather puzzlingly, Scotland the Brave!

Sunday was Mother's Day in England.  Michaela and Andrew had given Mark cards and presents to give me.  I got up on Sunday morning. But no cards, no presents. I didn't say anything, I just waited. We had breakfast. I had a shower. Still no mention of Mother's Day. I was drying my hair being very tearful. Mark was like 'what's wrong with you?'. He wasn't in a good mood that morning! I said that I would've thought that if someone's given you something special to do you would have thought they could have relied on you to do it!'.  He went out the back of the motel room to the garden for a smoke.  Light must've dawned.  He'd forgotten it was Sunday and rather sheepishly came back in apologising profusely and hurriedly handed over cards and presents. I just cried even more. The cards were beautiful.  The kids always choose cards with such meaningful words and write their own touching messages too. I really missed the children that day. I put the gold heart necklace on straight away and they gave me keepsake cards for my purse.  Mark rang home from his mobile so that I could thank them and we had a good long chat.  They were really excited and although missing us too, really wanted to know if we'd found anywhere good to live.  After that we went down to one of the seafront cafe/bars and had humungous wodges of cake for elevensies.

Monday came all too soon.  Our last day and Mark's last lot of interviews, only these were in Hamilton which was a good 1 1/2 hours drive away.  They went well and we stopped briefly in Hamilton for a MacDonald's before driving up to Auckland for our flight home.  One, if not the biggest construction firms was so interested that they arranged for their consultant who does the psychometric testing to meet us at the airport.  It is their standard policy that anyone they want to employ undergoes such tests but usually at their offices. 

We had to get the hire car back first and not knowing Auckland at all we were running a little late.  The consultant was very nice. Mark sat one side of the cafe doing his best to give the right answers whilst I got a gentle grilling from the consultant over coffee and sushi.  He was a really nice guy and gave us loads of advice and useful tips.  Mark passed all the tests. So then it was time for a few quick cigarettes, slap on a few nicotine patches and onto the flight home.  Only it didn't feel like home anymore.  We really loved New Zealand and we came with the mindset that we weren't on holiday we were trying the place on for size and it fitted really well.  We were pleased to see everyone again, especially the children, but I'd rather have stayed in NZ and just sent for the kids!   

In The Beginning...

So, this adventure started one evening in October 2006.  Mark was on his way home from work one night - on his way home meaning stuck on the M6 as usual.  I was at home cooking dinner, trying to help the kids with their homework and tripping over the dogs who figured that whatever food hit the floor was theirs.

Mark rang, he'd heard an advert on the radio for a New Zealand Expo that coming weekend in Manchester.  He simply said 'do you want to go to New Zealand?'.  'Yep, ok, nothing else going on' was my flippant reply.  He eventually got home and later that evening said he was actually being serious.  We were both fed up with the way things were going in England. Don't get me wrong, we both had good jobs, our own cars, a great caravan with all the equipment, kids were happy at school and there was nothing wrong with the house. But we never seemed to get anywhere. For one reason or another we had a lot of personal stress and issues and the house had quite a few bad memories.  It didn't seem to matter how hard we worked we would never be able to afford to move up the housing ladder and get a detached house. We felt taxed to the hilt and the credit cards were always maxed out.  It was like a treadmill that just ticked over but we weren't 'living' as much as simply existing and getting by.  We'd never even been to New Zealand though!

Unfortunately in January 2006 my dad died.  He had been in intensive care for a few weeks and one day my mum and I were sat there talking to dad.  I asked him if there was anything I could do for him.  He looked really thoughtful for a while and then, looking me straight in the eye, simply said 'have fun'. That helped me in deciding to go for emigrating.  (Have fun I obviously took to mean, be reckless, give up everything and move to somewhere unknown the other side of the world!).  I knew my mum would back us as she is a real get out there and live person, and she was genuinely happy for us when we told her.  Mark's mum and dad were really supportive too. They've done a lot of travelling and lived various different places around the world with Mark's dad being in the army.  We know everyone was sad we'd be going but it was really nice having their blessing to do so and it really helped us. 

"Casa Embo" - our last home in the UK (?)

We decided there couldn't be any harm in going to the Expo just to see what it was all about.  We got tons of information from there and really positive feedback from the stands that Mark wouldn't have a problem getting work.  The brochures were full of stunning scenery, details on how easy the process was and promises of a much more laid back, stress-free lifestyle. 

We got the information from the Immigration stand and at home that night sat and marvelled over the pictures of what to us just looked like paradise. Mark worked out we had enough points.  It all looked so easy.

I went out a few days later and got the Lonely Planet Guide to NZ, and a book on Living and Working in NZ and we scoured the internet for as much information as we could find.  We came across a company who helps people emigrate (for a not too reasonable fee!).  We tried their free online calculator to check our points, but it came back that we didn't have as many as we thought we did.  Mark got in touch and they explained which categories we couldn't claim for.

At this stage I think we thought we were just checking it all out but as soon as we found out we might not be able to get a visa we were quite gutted and I think at that point realised we were seriously looking to do this.  The E-migration Consultants promised to get people in one way or another, or your money back.  A little dubiously we decided to pay (half up front - half on getting residency) and have them sort it all out for us.

From that point on it was non-stop and we were really excited. We must have bored family and friends silly with it but it was such a huge deal to us.  There was however, one small detail we'd overlooked.  We had no money!

Not to be detered I did a sweep of the house and 'robbed'  the kids of anything they weren't playing with. Anything that hadn't been used or wasn't of sentimental value was photographed, detailed and stuck on ebay.  We sold stack loads of stuff, even stupid stuff like glass storage jar lids.  Mark's mum very kindly cleared where she worked of any handy cardboard boxes so that I could wrap and post all the stuff we were selling.  So our home became a bit of a warehouse for a while with boxes of stuff to be ebayed and the garage became the pack and dispatch department!  We even sold my beloved PT Cruiser and Mark's Nissan Navara on ebay!

We had a great holiday in November/December 2006 in Florida with Mark's mum and dad where we really tried not to be NZ bores.  After Christmas and New Years it was full steam ahead planning for our escape to NZ. Mark started checking out prices for flights and contacting agents for jobs.

The kids were really excited about it all and were willingly clearing out their rooms handing over stuff they hadn't used for ages or didn't want anymore so that I could get it on ebay.  A lot of stuff also went to the charity shops as well. Everytime we got a charity bag through the door we'd put out 3 or 4 bags of stuff for them to collect!

Mark found the cheapest flights he could for a week in March 2007.  Mark's mum and dad kindly agreed to move in to our house and take care of the kids.  Michaela and Andrew were rehearsing for the local pantomime at the time and the flights were the day after their last performance. Great! We thought we'd have the evenings the week before without the kids to clean the house up, get shopping in and pack suitcases as they'd be performing.  Wrong! Mark ended up being roped in to do the lighting and I was asked to be prompt.  We couldn't really say no and enjoyed helping out but that meant we had to go to every rehearsal and performance so we had very little time left to get everything sorted.

There was a really nasty virus doing the rounds, most of the cast had come down with it, temperature, muscle aches and pains, sore throat, tiredness, dizziness, ear ache etc.  Unfortunately I got it too and despite downing all the over the counter remedies I could I felt dreadful.  It was the week before we were due to fly and I finally gave in and went to the doctor. The way he started talking I thought he'd said he wasn't going to let me fly!  I just sat there in tears saying but I have to go, it's all booked and has cost us a fortune and generally just blubbed on.  What he'd actually said was he wasn't prepared to let me fly without having some treatment and gave me a script for a double dose of antibiotics!

Also that week we'd only managed to arrange one interview in NZ for Mark. We were starting to panic a bit as we'd already paid for the flights, the motels and car hire etc.  But it seems that NZ employers get so many enquiries from people 'thinking' about emigrating that they don't take anyone seriously until they have some concrete plans or actual move out. By the time the weekend came we had 9 interviews lined up on the North and South Islands and very little time left to ourselves to go and explore but it was good to get so much interest from different companies and it lifted our spirits to think we weren't wasting our time and money.

The kids did brilliantly in the pantomime (Aladdin) and we all had a great time.  The final performance of the pantomime was on the Saturday night. We stayed for the after show party and really enjoyed it.  Mark packed as soon as we got home and got the kids to bed.  I was too tired and went to bed, even though we had to be up and out the house by 8am the next day!  One way or another we had a really bad night and I spent most of the night on the phone sorting out some family problems so I didn't get any sleep till about 5am.  I was up again at 7am and packed whatever I could lay my hands on. I had no idea what the weather was going to be like but I figured after the night I'd had I'd done well to get clothes into a suitcase and a washbag and get out the door by 8!

Saying goodbye to the kids was hard. I hate leaving them. Mark just grins and says things like 'we won't be back. Have a nice life!'.  Mark drove down to Heathrow. We had a good run and got the car park place early, shuttle bus straight round to the airport and straight through check-in.  We flew Air New Zealand via Los Angeles.  The flight there was brill cos there was only about 50 passengers on the flight so we could all spread out. I slept most of the way, apart from not having much sleep the night before I was still feeling really ill.  The food was great and we loved the individual screens and amount of entertainment available.

At LA you have to get off the plan, fill in immigration papers, line up to be seen by one immigration officer, get photographed and gives fingerprint and get issued with a temporary entry visa, shuffle along following the line of other weary passengers round to the transit lounge, drink complimentary coffee, eat complimentary apple, crisps and biscuit then shuffle back through the exit gate, hand back temporary entry visa and get back on the same plane!  Only in America, eh?!!!

Flight to Auckland was brill. The plane leaves LA about 2am (or something like that, I still have trouble working out the time differences) so it's night-time and you follow that dark which means you get a good night's sleep and land in Auckland 12 hours later at 5am ish. Confusing.  Only a 1 or so's wait for the next flight to Christchurch.  Landed at Christchurch at 8am. Hadn't seen our bags since Heathrow but there they were waiting on the conveyor belt for us.  We'd bought 400 duty free cigarettes each so declared this at Customs. We weren't sure what the limit was but didn't want to get caught out and never allowed back in the country! The Customs Officer was lovely and she said because we'd been honest they'd let it go this time.  She didn't check our bags or ask to see the cartons.

We got a taxi to the motel, Central Park on Riccarton Road in Christchurch.  It was a cold, wet and miserable day.  Not the warm rush I think I'd expected like you get when you land in Florida.  First impressions? Not impressed.  And I've no idea whether I've got any 'warm' clothes in my suitcase!  At the motel our room wasn't going to be ready until 10am.  The same time as Mark's first interview.  The owner, Nigel, was really good though, and upgraded our room and let us straight in.  Quick showers and a couple of phone calls between Mark and the agents later and it turns out his first interview has been brought forward to 9.30am! He was ready so left straight away in a taxi.  I was just left there having only just got out of the shower!  Dried hair and got dressed. It was still raining outside so I stayed in.  Mark came back, briefly, had a quick coffee with me then was off in the next taxi to the next interview.  I went down to reception and asked where there was to go.  Wendy, Nigel's wife, gave me a city map and some directions to various places.  I ended up walking around Hagley Park in the rain.  Got soaked. Went back to motel. Dried hair again. Dried clothes. Checked suitcase. Realised I'd packed mainly summer weight clothes.  Not good.  Mark came back again.  I went with him to the next interview.  He went from warm, dry taxi to warm, dry office for interview. Me? I walked round in the cold rain. Again.  Hating Christchurch already and hadn't even had lunch yet.

Found a Kiwibank (we'd already opened an account from the UK) but needed to go in and show passports to activate the account. Also found and internet cafe (had 104 items of junk mail but not much else of interest) and bought small presents for Michaela, Andrew and Mark's mum and dad.  We walked round to see Peter, our emigration consultant, on Kilmore Street and then walked back through the park.  Interviews had all gone well so far. It had stopped raining now and Hagley Park looked beautiful.  Full of massive oaks and horsechestnut trees and huge open grass areas.

We were really tired but forced ourselves to stay awake.  Went for dinner at the Thai restaurant a few doors down. It was lovely but we were nodding off - you know like you see toddlers in highchairs on You've Been Framed, literally falling asleep face first into their dinner? Yep, that was us! We were back at the motel for 9pm.  Found out the bed had an electric blanket - good job too as there was no heater in the bedroom - but just to be able to lie down and stretch out after our long journey was luxury.

In total we had 2 and a half days in Christchurch. It rained all the next day and that night whilst we were out getting fish and chips it hailed golf balls.  The locals had told us that just a few days ago it had been so hot they had the air conditioning on full blast. Yeah, rite!

Thursday morning we had a chance to explore Christchurch. Walked down into the city to Catherdral Square where there was a small craft market and a great coffee stand. Blue sky and warm sunshine.  We just relaxed and soaked up the atmosphere. Everywhere we looked people were smiling and looked happy and content.  Started thinking perhaps Christchurch wasn't so bad after all. But then we had to leave there at 2pm for our flight to Tauranga, Bay of Plenty on the North Island.

 Hagley Park, Thurs 15 March 2007

River Avon, Christchurch

Views of Christchurch

Catherdral Square, Christchurch. The Coffee stand in the bottom left hand of the photo does just the best coffee ever! Much to the annoyance of Starbucks across the square!!!

The lovely trams that run regularly around the city centre

 And yes, crap food is available worldwide - much to the kids joy!

Meet The Team

Hi All.  This blog is mainly for family and friends but just in case anyone else out there is bored enough to read this we thought we'd best introduce ourselves.  I'm Mandie, OH's Mark and children Michaela and Andrew.

This was not our former home!  This photo was taken at Busch Gardens, Florida last November, about a month after we decided to emigrate to New Zealand.  It's one of the rare pics of all of us as it's usually me snapping away so all our holiday pics look like I wasn't even there!

We always fancied living in Florida so I really don't know how we came to choose New Zealand - especially now that we've sampled an NZ winter in a super-non-insulated-non-heated NZ house (Florida would have been sooo much warmer!).

I am a great believer in there being a plan for everyone. I think people end up being where they are supposed to be and that if something is meant to be then it will all work out ok.  I think that God has a plan for everyone and that despite having freewill we will be guided to follow the paths we are supposed to tread.  Mark, on the other hand, thinks that's the biggest load of crap he's ever heard, but then he worships the God of Kentucky Falling Down Water, known to earthly mortals as Jim Beam, and the God of Very Fast Shiny Cars Racing Around A Track 50 Odd Times aka F1 (although not Bernie Ecclestone cos he's a tosser!).

Either way we seem to have had a fairly smooth journey and we would both admit that whilst we have no idea 'why New Zealand?', we both know it just 'felt right'.