What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arrival
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 66
What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arrival
Hi All
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: In a large village called Auckland
Posts: 5,249
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Enjoy the calm, there does come a point when you can do no more and are totally reliant on of others to do their bit. i.e. You just have to stand back and let the packers to do their stuff
Almost everything will bite you on the bum and many surprise to be found when you get here , cos you think you have it all sussed and are well prepared but all that goes out of the window when they open the doors of that plane. Just take each day as it comes.
Almost everything will bite you on the bum and many surprise to be found when you get here , cos you think you have it all sussed and are well prepared but all that goes out of the window when they open the doors of that plane. Just take each day as it comes.
#3
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Hi All
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
I have always hated the driving standards here. And bearing in mind the country is mostly white folk, its all pretty much down to us lot that the driving is so awful.
I like to think I am a safe driver, don't tailgate, speed or EVER overtake where there is not a dedicated overtaking lane. To do otherwise is the MAIN reason SO, so many die on our roads. Selfish, nasty, arrogant, anti-social murderous behaviour.
Rant over. Apart from that I think NZ is a great place. Full of issues like anywhere, but it is not populous which for me is its biggest draw. Obviously if you end up in one of the 3 biggest cities you will not feel that on a day to day basis. But I live out in the sticks and I can drive 5 minutes and be totally and utterly isolated. Which is very nice in 2017 on this horribly crowded globe.
#4
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
In hindsight I don't think I realised how stressed I was when I arrived. I had a lot of stress letting out my house and leaving my job after being made redundant, which I understood, but still, I needed to rest up when I got here. Try to do some fun stuff when you arrive. While you might need to job hunt, you need to rest as well. Take some favourite items in your luggage, e.g. you favourite coffee mug or a small ornament or something to make you feel at home in your new accommodation.
#5
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Joined: Jul 2014
Location: Beachlands, Auckland
Posts: 229
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
We had arranged our removal guys for the friday before we flew out, only to be rung that week to say they wouldn't be out as it was a public holiday in N.Ireland.... So the removal guys came on the Monday which was the day we were flying out at 2 pm and handing the keys over to the estate agent as we had sold the house.... In addiiton, we had 2 toddlers and 200 kg of luggage and prams... Fek that was stressful but it went to clockwork really on the day.
You sound like you are well organised so it should be fine - good luck.
You sound like you are well organised so it should be fine - good luck.
#6
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Joined: Jul 2008
Location: Auckland
Posts: 463
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Hi All
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
We are in the final countdown now. Less than 2 weeks until the house is packed up and we fly.
Things are seeming oddly calm here and I'm wondering if there are things I don't know about that I should be doing...
bank accounts are organised, camping and outdoor stuff is cleaned and waiting to be disinfected, council & utilities are informed, removals organised, things ready to be packed, visas in passports, temp accom sorted and waiting, we've been busy but everything oddly slowed up now. I'm sure I must be missing something! lol
Are there things that bit you on the bum just before you left or just after you arrived that I might not know about either....?
Thanks all!
Second point, the fact that you are still double-checking leads me to suspect that your efforts with the first point will work out well.
When we arrived it took a long, long, time for us to get jobs (and Mrs Clappy is a local girl so didn't face the same obstacles that migrants from other countries can face). With the benefit of hindsight I can see that the economic circumstances in this country changed enormously between the time we planned our move at the start of 2008 and the time we did move at the end of 2008. We didn't change any of our approaches to the move as the world around us changed and we probably should have done.
#7
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 66
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Thanks all!
I'm travelling with a 1YO and 3YO so have to be organised! Hopefully it will pay off but I'm still feeling pretty stressed right now.
I guess right now we don't know what we don't know..thanks for your words of advice.I'm going to try and 'enjoy' our last 10 days here but really just want to get to Puhoi now! Husband doesn't start work for a week after we arrive so we have some time to have some fun... hopefully the rain will have stopped by then!
I'm travelling with a 1YO and 3YO so have to be organised! Hopefully it will pay off but I'm still feeling pretty stressed right now.
I guess right now we don't know what we don't know..thanks for your words of advice.I'm going to try and 'enjoy' our last 10 days here but really just want to get to Puhoi now! Husband doesn't start work for a week after we arrive so we have some time to have some fun... hopefully the rain will have stopped by then!
#8
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Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 392
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Drivers license (written portion), passports and car registration paper work in container, that was sent the week before we realized.
Oh well change in flights and delay in transfer of vehicles
Oh well change in flights and delay in transfer of vehicles
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 133
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Good luck on your journey and new life. Sounds like you are very organised and the worst bit is over!
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 97
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Thanks all!
I'm travelling with a 1YO and 3YO so have to be organised! Hopefully it will pay off but I'm still feeling pretty stressed right now.
I guess right now we don't know what we don't know..thanks for your words of advice.I'm going to try and 'enjoy' our last 10 days here but really just want to get to Puhoi now! Husband doesn't start work for a week after we arrive so we have some time to have some fun... hopefully the rain will have stopped by then!
I'm travelling with a 1YO and 3YO so have to be organised! Hopefully it will pay off but I'm still feeling pretty stressed right now.
I guess right now we don't know what we don't know..thanks for your words of advice.I'm going to try and 'enjoy' our last 10 days here but really just want to get to Puhoi now! Husband doesn't start work for a week after we arrive so we have some time to have some fun... hopefully the rain will have stopped by then!
#11
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Joined: Apr 2008
Location: Epsom
Posts: 1,705
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Not sure it's a surprise, but the sheer amount of stuff that needs to be sorted out, disposed of, sold etc when you actually get to the the serious business of packing is quite amazing. We're just finishing up a 4 bedroom house that we've been in for 10 years, with 2 boys (6 & 12) and it can feel like you'll never finish - bit overwhelming.
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 97
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Not sure it's a surprise, but the sheer amount of stuff that needs to be sorted out, disposed of, sold etc when you actually get to the the serious business of packing is quite amazing. We're just finishing up a 4 bedroom house that we've been in for 10 years, with 2 boys (6 & 12) and it can feel like you'll never finish - bit overwhelming.
At least it's good to know I'm not alone.
#13
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
A skip is a great idea! I did it the opposite way, when we moved from Sydney to Christchurch in 2009, we had our house of 11.5 years packed up (so much junk!!) I ended up getting a skip bin at the other end when unpacking our house and chucking things out..I am still going with two moves all these years later!
I am going back to Christchurch on 3rd January next year and can't believe I am still getting rid of stuff..where does it come from?! I am blaming teenagers now...
#14
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 97
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
Hey Mishclark,
I don't have teenagers to blame
I dread the prospect of having good to unpack a load of junk at the other end only to have to throw it out.
Thanks for your perspective and sharing your experience.
I don't have teenagers to blame
I dread the prospect of having good to unpack a load of junk at the other end only to have to throw it out.
Thanks for your perspective and sharing your experience.
#15
Re: What surprises did you have in the last weeks before/first weeks after your arriv
We've been here since July & loving it so far. You will go through stages of hating bits of it, but you just have to get used to some things because they won't change for us Poms! Kiwis are in general lovely people, and when we arrived we were struck by so many that just wanted to help in any way (tell you where and where not to live, places to visit etc..). When they hear our accent and ask us if we're on holiday, they are delighted when we say we actually live here, and will often say 'welcome to new Zealand, I hope you love it here'. It's such a warm, friendly place.
So many like to talk about emigrating and never do so be proud that you have taken the plunge and enjoy this exciting chapter of your life! Let us know how you get on!