Well we are here! Kind of...currently in Wellington for a couple of nights with my bro, sis in law and gorgeous niece getting in a bit of family time (well on my family side).

Final UK days

Well, where to start?! I will begin with our final days in the UK - after a hectic last  day at work I had such a lovely sendoff from the folks in my office I was honestly wondering what I was doing heading to the great unknown. Anglo Pacific came and picked up the blasted wedding dress (minus box) and another box full of clothes. It was also my birthday, not that you would have noticed because my husband completely forgot  hahaha I will dine out on that for the next few years  and it was more about spending time with friends. After my work do I headed over to the Porterhouse where D was with some of our longest-standing London friends for some final drinks. What's lovely about that group is that everyone is so international you know you'll see people again and you won't lose touch. But it was sad and I was overtired and weepy doh!

Then Friday am we were repacking and D headed off to the shippers AGAIN to fill up one more box of clothes (where did they all come from )  whilst I was frantically sorting out travel insurance, taxis, payment for the dog to go into Golden Arrow's kennels, getting dog wormed (had a panicked conversation with GA about the fact that should have happened the week before - £70 quid for a blinkin' letter from the vet!) etc. Then finally all seemed to be done and I headed over to see our friend who we'd stayed with for a lovely lunch and then it was back to get our bags and head to Heathrow! And guess what.....final hours of being in the UK and no trains in and out of Paddington station due to massive signal failure!!!!! Now why am I just not surprised at all  So our lovely taxi driver just took us straight to Heathrow. Well wasn't I relieved that D was so insistent on shipping more stuff as our travel agents had misinformed us of what the excess costs were (I had a row with them in the middle of T3) and it cost literally an arm and a leg to get our snowboards over (worth it but I was still furious - just not what you need when you are moving!).

And the airline staff get all sniffy with you and it wasn't at all that we were being rude (I was actually not saying anything as D tends to take over when that kind of thing happens as I know I run the risk of top-blowing) - we were just trying to understand what was going on - do you think they look at your passport and twig that you're going through massive emotional upeheaval and stress and sadness at leaving your country and family and friends and at least try and be NICE? Oh no that would be too hard

ANYWAY

 Without boards we were JUST in our luggage limit of 60 kilos and I think the check in lady took pity on us and gave us a bit more. So off we toddled and god it was so awful and busy and just a nightmare and I was feeling just all sorts of emotional turmoil but you know once we got on the plane (which was 40 mins sitting on the tarmac due to congestion) I was actually fine and felt more upbeat again. D just wanted to sleep  bless him he'd done so much with the move.

Singapore

Flight to Singapore was pretty average it was so busy - but the food was excellent! Then landing in  Singapore, well what a wonder that was. I felt like I was home again (well I was really! for those who don't know I lived there for many years as a whippersnapper and this was my first time back) - and it was so nice and peaceful and clean and tidy and organised and all things that you wish an airport to be. And then our family friends were there to meet us and that was just so lovely. They whisked us off to their amazing apartment right in the centre of Singapore where we met their amazing daughter and treasure of an amah and proceeded to look after us and spoil us rotten for the next four days. And the added bonus were their two West Highland Terriers who were just a delight (we'd managed to sneak out of the flat before the dogs had returned from the dog walker so I didn't have to weep buckets saying goodbye to doggie).

For the first two my dad was there which was sooooo nice and we spent dinner with him and family friends noshing at the Tanglin Club (whose hallowed halls my brother and I used to charge around with no respect  or realise what a posh club it was!) and then the next day we went to Changi Sailing Club for lunch and a looksee at what used to be. My word Singapore has changed in the sense of massive, massive building work. But the basics are still the same I am pleased to say! In the evening we went for some proper chicken and rice (I had char siu fan of course) on Thompson Road, and then wandered down to Orchard Road for a bit of a mooch.

Then the following day we were spoilt again by two more old family friends with firstly a feast at the Hyatt and then in the afternoon, another of of mum's friends took us out to dim sum in Chinatown and then we went onto the Raffles for a Singapore Sling (don't do it it has changed for the worse and cost us $60 for two!). And then on the last day it was M's birthday and we all went for chilli and pepper crab at Jumbo at Clark's Quay. During the day we took her out for lunch at the Indian - pics will appear on FB as I can't remember what it is called! D did so well the whole trip, he ate pretty much everything put in front of him so long as it wasn't too spicy.

We had such an amazing time I do wish that we'd had a bit longer. I'd even consider living in Singapore for a few years (if the money was right because the cost of things took my breath away!). It was great to have that time just to be looked after - huge thanks to all of you who were so amazing you know who you are!

New Zealand (so far!)

What was interesting about Singapore was that as soon as I got into the pool at the condo on day 1 I did not miss the UK at all and knew that leaving was the right thing (well for us right now anyway). So, I was full of beans on the flight to Auckland which was quite possibly one of the nicest I've ever had. The plane was 1/2 empty, the food and service was excellent and I forgot how HUGE and how RED Australia is! But what fascinating scenery - even for a red desert there's a whole lot going on.

So we duly arrived nice and refreshed in Auckland and immediately spied in the duty free a camera that in both the UK and Singapore (duty free)  was three times the price of what the NZ duty free was offering. Having read all the weeping and wailing on the forum about the cost of things I was pleasantly surprised (converting $$s to ££s as that is all we have at the moment!). So we snapped that up and had nothing but smiles and helpfulness from the airport staff and biosecurity peeps even after discovering that the mooncakes we had had yolks in so we couldn't take them through (although we declared them!). Then my in-laws met us, having come up from the South Island earlier that day, and we sorted out hire car and headed off to a motel that they very kindly arranged for us to stay in. Hire car company were all smiles, drive to motel was fine, motel was clean and comfortable. I felt a bit overwhelmed at this stage as I got a bit overloaded and I should have just gone straight to bed (NZ telly at that time of night ain't too special )

But after a good night's kip and we woke up at 12pm  I felt much better it was off to meet our estate agents to sign the contract on our house. They were great and then we were also going to open our bank account but I stupidly forgot my handbag at the agency ! and ended up missing the appointment. So it was our first introduction to Auckland traffic which to be honest was nothing compared to what I've sat through in London and, again having read about how dreadful the drivers are here, I didn't really notice anything that henious - on the whole much better than London (and we were driving around ALL DAY and all over the city). Then we went off to a lovely Irish pub for dinner which was very good food and really very reasonable prices too (still converting the ££s to $$s of course!). Then after dinner I got to sleep at 5am doh and we shot over to Mission Bay to look at our lovely located house and open a bank account before heading to Wellington via somewhere beginning with O near the volcano which I can't spell - give me time I promise I will get there!

So our house is in Mission Bay and it is, well, pretty basic and VERY shabby inside. BUT the location is quite amazing, 5 mins from beach, it is dog friendly, a great size and I would far, far rather have a bit of a run down house in a safe, nice, well situated neighbourhood than an amazing pad in an area where I'd be terrified of setting foot outside the front door. And, for Mission Bay, it's pretty cheap too and dog friendly and has a garden! And we don't have to schlep all around Auckland trying to find somehwere to live in our first few weeks! The rest is all cosmetic - nothing that pictures, furniture and rugs won't sort out! Just need to be sure that the rather ancient shower works ok and then we'll be good.....and the view at the top of Mission Bay at the mall.....well it is just breathtaking!

So with that sorted, bank account opened and my IRD number applied for, we said goodbye to the in laws - looking forward to seeing them all again in a few weeks - figured out which rellies on the North Island D needs to catch up with, and headed out of town to the volcano thing before going onto Wellington. WHAT a stunning country NZ is! We had such a nice drive and you know everywhere I have been so far the staff have been amazingly courteous and even in McDonalds so polite and helpful. A couple of idiot drivers on the highways (but tell me a country that doesn't have that!) - and again for all the things I've read about the quality, well why would you need six lane M1 type motorways when there simply isn't the need for it? It would be far nicer to get the train to Taupo of course but that ain't gonna happen with a population this size - it is what it is so we will work around it.

The desert road was fun - D drove that bit particularly as it was in a blizzard! (but can someone please tell me why it is called desert as it reminded me of Dartmoor) and we stopped in the town that leads to Turoa ski field - Ohakune I think it is - and well again, blown away at how helpful the staff were in the place we pitched up at, the quality of the food and how cheap the (very decent) accommodation was. So after a few zzzzzs we decided to brave the ski fields and head up the mountain for a 1/2 day given that this would probably be our last chance at some boarding before next season. Aside from a bit of a mission to get up to the mountain (phantom traffic jam so strange) it was really very excellent and the view from the top was spectacular! Although the mountain was busy - but good runs and it was two tuckerd out peeps who climbed into the little hire car to head southwards this evening to come to Welly.

Can I just say at this point that State Highway 4 to Wanganui must be one of my favourite drives ever? It is through Hobbitland and my god it is such amazing geology round there and totally deserted! So beautiful! We had a great drive down! Then hit Porirua this eve and again, so lovely to see family particularly my oh so clever niece who gave me the biggest hug!!

The end of this particular chapter

So this was a rather long post - to keep all you folks with a blow by blow account haha don't expect these too often! But my initial reactions after 4 days? Well, incredibly positive. I felt totally at home and comfortable in Auckland and am so enjoying the country as a whole. A ski field 5 hours drive away???? AMAZING  The things I've read about just haven't yet materalised - prices really aren't that much different at all (athough $8.99 for a tiny punnet of raspberries in New World did shock me a bit and Argos I will definitely miss for cheap stuff). People have been so friendly and chatty - met some lovely peeps on the chairlifts today - and aside from D getting shouted at by a stupid driver earlier today for no reason, all things looking good!

Ask me that in a month when I've started work/when we've been here a year and I'll let you know what's changed!

Only bad thing - earthquake in Christchurch  hope everyone is doing ok.

More to come laterz but for now my jetlag is calling.......TTFN