Pom_Chch

Hello

Time for an update from me. I can't believe it has been one year since my partner and I arrived in NZ! This time one year ago (to the minute) we had landed at Christchurch airport. We had traded a freezing cold snowy day in the UK for a beautiful summers day in Chch. Twas a little bit warm turning up in furry boots and a thick coat. An emergency stop off at K-Mart was needed for shorts and jandles!

So far we have loved every minute of our Kiwi adventure. I can safely say I do not miss the UK one bit. I have never once felt homesick. However, I do miss my mum and best friend heaps

We have both settled in well and it really feels like I can now call NZ home. We have settled into good jobs, which I can see us working in long term (providing they want us!) Our work/life balance is better here as we don't have such long commutes. We still work the same number of hours and have the same amount of holiday as we did back in the UK, yet we make better use of our time by not having to catch trains, buses or sit in traffic for so long. Plus our drive home provides some lovely scenery! I like the fact that we now have the ability to live in a decent house in a semi rural area not too far out of the city, but without having a horrible commute into work. It just makes life so much less stressful.

We have been getting out and enjoying the area as much as possible. I am still amazed at how much there is to do right on our doorstep. We haven't even gone that far since arriving, just a couple of weekends away to Twizel and Kaikoura with some friends. We have been spending so much time outdoors that I actually have a tan without even trying! I have been surprised at how much there is going on in Christchurch. Every Sunday there is music in the park at 3pm- a free event put on by the council. Other events like the Buskers Festival, Beer Festival, South Island Food and Wine Fest, Kite Festival etc are all great and impecibly organised. Yes, Chch is still a bit battered and bruised, but I still think it's a great place to be.

I can't write a post about how great it has been here without mentioning how wonderful the locals have been. People have been so friendly and have helped us settle in. Our neighbours popped a note through our letter box soon after moving in to invite us over for drinks. They have now become really good friends of ours and have made our time here so much more enjoyable. Same goes for friends we have met via facebook and meetup.

OK, time for some negatives. The only two I can think of is the rental situation in Chch and how greedy landlords are becoming. Our landlord has barely done anything to our (sh1tty) rental, yet still wants more money for it. I shall take great pleasure in telling him we wont be here much longer when we get pre-approval for a home loan. Whilst we are on the subject of property I think the new 20% deposit rule is ridiculous. However, I will not moan about it too much as it will not change anything. We shall just have to deal with it and find ways around it.

All in all both very pleased we made the decision to move here. It looks like 2014 is going to be a great year here in NZ!

Have a great weekend everyone

Stormer999

Excellent feed back glad you are settling in