Hi all !
 

New to this forum, but not to the emigration lark as we (OH and myself) have been here (Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Hibiscus Coast) since January 2007 and are absolutely loving it !

Look forward to finding my way around this forum and hopefully also being able to contribute here or there...

Silver

Re: Hi all !
 

*waves*

Hi ya Silver.

Re: Hi all !
 

Re: Hi all !
 

Hi guys and thanx for the welcome !

You most definitely may pick my brains about NZ, I'd be glad to be of help in any way I can, just give us a shout !

Cheers,
Silver

Re: Hi all !
 

Hi Silver,

pick my brains you say.....oh good! :D Any help appreciated.

We've spent a lot of time looking (via the internet) at where seems to be a great place to base ourselves, and where you are located came out as a top spot.

We believe that you can easily get to the CBD in Auckland using the ferry from Gulf Harbour or the roads. Do you work in the city or are you local? If you do travel to the city - how do you find the commute? Is it something that you are comfortable with or do you wish you were closer to work?

Thanks
Ian

Re: Hi all !
 

Hi Ian,

Gulf Harbour is indeed a great place to live, we're certainly enjoying it ! It has more of a 'holiday' feel about it than any of the other areas around Auckland that we've visited and yet has everything we require. We live on the edge of the Gulf Harbour Country Club Golf Course which provides us with wonderful wideswept views and even a peep of the sea, what more can one want eh :thumbup: ?

Don't know if you have children or not, but the Gulf Harbour schools and college are apparently very highly rated as well.

The ferry ride is a wonderful way to commute, but we don't actually commute as my partner brought his job with him and so works from home (I know, we're incredibly fortunate !).

There have been occassions when he has had to go into the city and traffic can be a hassle, but then compared to where we came from (The Netherlands), his commute there was a shorter distance, but as a rule took quite a bit longer compared to a 'normal' days' traffic here. It would be different of course if there were an accident or some such incident on or around the bridge, then it can be a long drive indeed. So far though he hasn't experienced that yet.

The other consideration of course is the fact that at present there is but one road on and off the peninsula, this can be a problem. Imagine an accident happening that closes the road, you're basically stuck till it's been sorted out, no way on or off the peninsula ! But that makes the ferry is a great alternative (and again, what a way to commute eh ?!).

What will help is that it looks like the Penlink is finally going to become a reality, with the project set to start in 2008, don't know if you've heard about that yet (http://www.rodney.govt.nz/aspcommon/...=6320&sec=News) ? That should shorten the commute into CBD quite considerably and provide an alternative route off the peninsula.

Where are you in the process and when are you set to arrive in NZ ? Or do you not have a definite date as yet ?

Hope this is of some help to you and please let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

Cheers,
Silver

Re: Hi all !
 

Thanks Silver for a great response.

We're still very much finding our feet when it comes to understanding the whole transit systems, but the PenLink does look like it would offer another option, and the more options you have I guess the better things are. I do like the idea of getting the boat to work though, especially as it moors about 2 minutes walk from the office building I'd be based in. However, I might have to see how I cope with motion sickness on the sea - not the most impressive thing to turn up to work on day1 with the smell of sea in your hair and the remnants of breakfast on your shirt :rofl:

Gulf Harbour does look wonderful as do the surrounding areas, and we were thinking initially of renting, but we are getting the distinct impression that if you're bringing dogs into a rental home, they are few and far between. One of our challenges to overcome I guess. Do you see many people with dogs in and around GH?

I'd love to work from home, but whilst I may gey the odd at home day, much of my time will be in the CBD or on customer sites, but it sort of goes with the territory of the job I guess (I'm an IT consultant/business analyst/coffee maker/odd job man - whatever it takes really ;))

At the moment, we are rights at square 1. I've been indiscussion with a company in NZ, had a couple of interviews which went well and really now waiting for an offer. We've talked to some family about this, but we have that 'joy' still to come and then we've all the planning and organising to get us there Q1/Q2 next year.

Thanks again for the advice and hope to talk again soon.

Regards
Ian.