Originally Posted by jrsuk73

Excellent thread makes really good reading. Myself and the kids love horse riding can anyone tell me what prices are like for buying a horse or for riding lessons for the kids christchurch area.

Cindy really pleased your having a great time with your son, so nice he is with you for Christmas. I love Christmas too, brings out the kid in me and to see my little ones faces Xmas morning priceless!

If anyone wants some good curry recipes got plenty I can e-mail.


Helen

Originally Posted by shepslady

Great Post, very interesting reading. Must admit it gave me more than a few chuckles though. Cant or should I say wont disagree with your observations but do have a couple of questions for you. Why would you want everything to be & taste just like home? Wouldnt that defeat the purpose of moving to another country??
Your still in the early stages so once you can stop comparing things life will get easier.

Cindy

Originally Posted by turkeytickler

If you want to make traditional sausages you have to at least use pork. Not in NZ
If you want to make chorizos you have to use paprika. Not in NZ
If you want decent fish and chips the fish and batter should be freshly prepared not reheated. Not in NZ
I dont think pineapples are native to Italy so why do they get shoved on every pizza over here (fair enough if you like them thats your choice but it seems compulsory over here to cover pizzas in random pieces of fruit and then called "gourmet" ). I make my own now- its the only way to get a margarita that i know of...

So for me its not simply a case of things being different - I welcome that - these things are simply inferior over here. The fact that they are different is not in itself a virtue.

Originally Posted by shepslady

Firstly I congratulate you on making things yourself, must be a change from having everything prepared for you.....Kiwis do make Pork sausages & when you are near a butcher shop, not a supermarket butchery try the sausages from there. Many small butcher shops make their own sausages & they are far better than most sold in a supermarket. Heller brand sausages are not too bad either.
I seriously think you exagerate regarding it being compulsory to put pineapple & "random" pieces of fruit on all pizzas. Granted we do like things like Brie & Cranberry & Apricot & cream cheese & yes some of us like Pineapple & Ham on our pizzas, but we DO NOT put fruit on all our pizzas
You say you welcome change yet you state things are simply inferior & that itself is not a virtue Is it supposed to be???? I think NOT, its simply a Kiwi way, so if you dont like it keep on making your own & not only will you have things you like you should also feel some satisfaction for making it yourself

Originally Posted by turkeytickler

Not trying to be positive or negative here - just want to give a factual (sometimes) account of my observations from my first 3 months here in Christchurch - some of it is a little tongue in cheek - no offence meant to anyone :-)

1. The weather has been wonderful - arrived in august to day after day of warm sun - 10:30pm here now - im sitting here in shorts and still hot
2. I miss central heating in the winter!
3. The country is car mad and has poor public transport for those unable to drive
4. The driving is the worst I have witnessed anywhere in the developed world - and i mean anywhere
5. People are even more obsessed by the price of petrol than us brits
6. People are even more obsessed by the weather than us brits
7. It is almost as cheap to eat out than to shop at the supermarkets (since the supermarkets are so expensive)
8. Decent beer is hard come by (Monteiths/Macs seems pretty good so far though)
9. Bad wine is hard come by - I tend to go for kiwi whites, aussi reds - a good rule of thumb for me
10. The government/politicians are even more self serving and worthless than the british equivalents
11. The TV is awful - the only stuff I can bear to watch is the british imports that I wouldnt have bothered with back home - I guess the NZ networks cant afford the decent stuff
12. Salaries are lower than in UK relative to the exchange rate
13. Expenses are higher than in UK relative to the exchange rate (except petrol)
14. Dont touch the sausages - they are out of date dog meat in disguise
15. BBQs arent BBQs here - they are outdoor frying pans
16. Grown men in sandals (you will NEVER make me say the J word!) or worse - barefoot, shorts and baseball caps is just wrong
17. Confectionary is expensive and like a trip back in time 20 years
18. Chocolate Croissants no not contain any chocolate
19. The people are articulate and the nicest most genuine you could meet - everywhere - your average shop assistant in the UK can only manage a grunt
20. The media/Souvenir industry is obsessed by mediocre national "icons" such as s(J)andals and marmite
21. The media is obsessed by incidental local news at the expense of world affairs
22. Its pretty easy to get a decent curry
23. Its pretty hard to get a decent chinese - so far i have found it impossible but i dont want to jump to any conclusions!
24. Having tried the best and the worst on both sides I can settle the argument for once and for all and categorically say that british fish and chips are better than NZ - by a mile.
25. I thought Christchurch was supposed to be the "English" City - maybe the 1sq mile of city centre is mildly reminiscent but the remainder is a good ole american grid and monument to the internal combustion engine. About as English as Detroit.
26. Magpies here hate cyclists
27. Motorists here hate cyclists (makes me feel like Im back home in England :-))
28. The roads here hate cyclists - broken glass and stones everywhere
29. The bicycle shops know about point 28 and inflate the price or tyres and inner tubes to cash in on this
30. OK youve probably guessed im a cyclist (and by necessity a driver btw) I feel uneasy about the car culture in this country - that is an argument for another forum - but it doesnt sit very well with the "100% Pure" green image the country conveys. Also - aparently ChCh has one of the highest levels of air pollution in the world!!
31. If you live anywhere near ChCh airport dont count on getting any sleep at night - that is when they test the engines.
32. Kaikoura crayfish is cheaper than lobster and nicer
33. New Zealand town centres are being killed by the shopping malls