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Is NZ really that bad?

Is NZ really that bad?

Old Sep 1st 2012, 9:06 am
  #106  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Ray and Debbie
Hi ya Rolfie. Thought your heart was in Wanganui ?
Hiya Ray & Debbie. It is. But I have good friends in Rotorua, so will be heading that way initially. Might get back to my wee hidyhole next to the golf course at Castlecliff one day!
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 9:22 am
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by barnsleymat
I'm not bothered what type of fuel they recommend, we get more kilometres using 95. I'm not sure why you're having such a hard time understanding this.

The 2 jap import cars at work refuse to run on 91, they splutter along like you've pissed in the tank.
I'll fill the tank with 95 the next time I fill up. The 'pissed in the tank' remark made me laugh. With the distance I'm putting away each week, it won't be long till I need to get more petrol.

When we lived in Britain we woke up at 6.30am, got up at 6.40am and we left the house at 7.30am. I took my husband to the local train station so he could start his hour long commute to work. The trip to the train station was a ten minute round trip from home to there and back.

I could then come home and I had time to go for a run then come back, shower and change for work, or do housework before leaving the house at 8.35am, on foot, to go to my work, a 25 minute walk away.

Here in NZ we wake up at 6.20am, have to get up at 6.30am, by 7am we've had breakfast and I'm in the car and driving to work which will take me nearly an hour as I have to be at work by 8.00am. My husband needs to be at work by 8.30am. He's home before me, this is a complete turn around of how we lived in Britain and this took a bit of getting used to.

So, as I see it this is not an improvement on what we had in Britain. I am well aware I have significantly less time.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 9:23 am
  #108  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Rolfie
Hiya Ray & Debbie. It is. But I have good friends in Rotorua, so will be heading that way initially. Might get back to my wee hidyhole next to the golf course at Castlecliff one day!
Great ! Come and knock on our door for a coffee when you're in town. Good luck for your Rotorua plans.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 9:37 am
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by barnsleymat
Same as, plus the telly doesn't work and we can only pick up NewstalkZB on the wireless.
Oh good. It's not just me. I can tune in about 2 FM stations when I'm in Wanganui and I'm now fed up with them both. I've ended up with an AM station for the drive to work and back as it's the only station that stays with me for the whole route. I can just about cope with the sing-a-long Neil Diamond, Bee Gees and Beatles tunes. However, it comes to something when the Pina Colada song is played on an oldies AM station !

I can get Newstalk ZB, a sportstalk station, a Christian music station, a classical music station and a Maori language station all broadcasting with a really strong signal. So why can't the local FM pop & yack stations broadcast strongly ? I've realised at what road sign I can switch back to the local FM station which I've pre-programmed into the radio about 5km away from home.

I'd go to an in-car audio place to buy a replacement car radio/cd player/cassette player but I'm to tight fisted to part with the cash for one just now. For the record, yes I do have the arial fully extended as I can hear it hitting the car roof when I to over a bump in the road. It's been so long since I had a cassette player in the car ! I couldn't by a new one of those could I ? Oh, maybe I could, this is New Zealand after all.

Last edited by Snap Shot; Sep 1st 2012 at 9:42 am.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 9:40 am
  #110  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Ray and Debbie
Great ! Come and knock on our door for a coffee when you're in town. Good luck for your Rotorua plans.
Many thanks, I most certainly will!

. . . .Right, back to the gardening, before the rain comes down. . . again!
Summer? Pfff, I should get them under the trades descriptions act
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:08 am
  #111  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

[QUOTE=Ray and Debbie;10258347]I'll fill the tank with 95 the next time I fill up. The 'pissed in the tank' remark made me laugh. With the distance I'm putting away each week, it won't be long till I need to get more petrol.

When we lived in Britain we woke up at 6.30am, got up at 6.40am and we left the house at 7.30am. I took my husband to the local train station so he could start his hour long commute to work. The trip to the train station was a ten minute round trip from home to there and back.

I could then come home and I had time to go for a run then come back, shower and change for work, or do housework before leaving the house at 8.35am, on foot, to go to my work, a 25 minute walk away.

Here in NZ we wake up at 6.20am, have to get up at 6.30am, by 7am we've
had breakfast and I'm in the car and driving to work which will take me nearly an hour as I have to be at work by 8.00am. My husband needs to be at work by 8.30am. He's home before me, this is a complete turn around of how we
lived in Britain and this took a bit of getting used to.
So, as I see it this is not an improvement on what we had in Britain. I am well aware I have significantly less time.(quote)

This has been the same for me, used to leave at 0840 to start at 0900 and back just after five. Now leave at 0715 and back around 1745 and I work incredibly hard, rarely get breaks. In previous position no one hardly could get a break, the union introduced a clause that they had to pay us, but they interpreted in different ways and impossible to get. You get grilled and comments like "I saw you eating a sandwich at your desk"' not really the laid back lifestyle that I thought I was getting. However the views on the way to work are much nicer.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:26 am
  #112  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Ray and Debbie
I can get Newstalk ZB, a sportstalk station, a Christian music station, a classical music station and a Maori language station all broadcasting with a really strong signal.
Exact same here, as Japanese car radios are at the low end of the radio spectrum and most end at 90mhz, just about where the NZ stations start. I did have a band expander fitted but it has died, so I just have a lovely choice between Mai FM (hip hop crap ) or NewstalkZB
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:27 am
  #113  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by MDD
However the views on the way to work are much nicer.
Oh yeah, that more than makes up for a significantly earlier start and a 1 hour drive to work. For me, endless fields as I follow milk tankers, logging trucks and other freight along the equivalent of a 'B' road around endless fields and through truck-stop towns is more than adequate compensation (please don't be insulted by that, I was being tongue in cheek)

I didn't get much of a view until recently as it was dark because I was leaving before daybreak. However, with the arrival of spring at least it's light enough for the street lights to have switched off by the time I leave the house. It reminds me of my first ever job in Britain after leaving catering college which was a shift working job in the catering industry.

I'm home by 6pm, so, not that bad I tell myself. What ! A daily 2-hour round trip commute. In clean green laid back NZ too. Wha' happen' ?

Salary ? Don't go there.

Last edited by Snap Shot; Sep 1st 2012 at 10:39 am. Reason: Thought of something else
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:31 am
  #114  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

[QUOTE=MDD;10258402]
Originally Posted by Ray and Debbie
I'll fill the tank with 95 the next time I fill up. The 'pissed in the tank' remark made me laugh. With the distance I'm putting away each week, it won't be long till I need to get more petrol.

When we lived in Britain we woke up at 6.30am, got up at 6.40am and we left the house at 7.30am. I took my husband to the local train station so he could start his hour long commute to work. The trip to the train station was a ten minute round trip from home to there and back.

I could then come home and I had time to go for a run then come back, shower and change for work, or do housework before leaving the house at 8.35am, on foot, to go to my work, a 25 minute walk away.

Here in NZ we wake up at 6.20am, have to get up at 6.30am, by 7am we've
had breakfast and I'm in the car and driving to work which will take me nearly an hour as I have to be at work by 8.00am. My husband needs to be at work by 8.30am. He's home before me, this is a complete turn around of how we
lived in Britain and this took a bit of getting used to.
So, as I see it this is not an improvement on what we had in Britain. I am well aware I have significantly less time.(quote)

This has been the same for me, used to leave at 0840 to start at 0900 and back just after five. Now leave at 0715 and back around 1745 and I work incredibly hard, rarely get breaks. In previous position no one hardly could get a break, the union introduced a clause that they had to pay us, but they interpreted in different ways and impossible to get. You get grilled and comments like "I saw you eating a sandwich at your desk"' not really the laid back lifestyle that I thought I was getting. However the views on the way to work are much nicer.
My partner and I used to work part time in Germany Monday-Wednesday. Now he works full time (Mon - Fri) and I work part time (30 hours) in the evening and often weekends. So we rarely see each other and have maybe 1 or 2 weekends per month for ourselves. Salary is not better either. So for us both financially and socially our quality of life went downhill bigtime .
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:56 am
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Assanah, last time i was in Munich I was amazed at the food. Very nice and in the supermarket nice beer as 25c a bottle.

I will miss German food when I return home.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 11:17 am
  #116  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Ray and Debbie
Is that you breaking rank ? You'll be telling the truth about Perky Nana's and chocolate fish next ! Oh, and coconut ice. Just don't go there. Yeah you can get that gut wrenching rubbish just about anywhere but the kiwis go mad for it ! I'm not a fan of licourice either but they really love it in the office where I work -
Yeah I've never understood the love for the things you mention. I love NZ Marmite and Peanut slabs but the rest I'll leave to the more patriot kiwis.
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 8:54 pm
  #117  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by phyns
Assanah, last time i was in Munich I was amazed at the food. Very nice and in the supermarket nice beer as 25c a bottle.

I will miss German food when I return home.

There is a German bakery on the North Shore
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Old Sep 1st 2012, 10:24 pm
  #118  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

[QUOTE=Assanah;10258446]
Originally Posted by MDD

My partner and I used to work part time in Germany Monday-Wednesday. Now he works full time (Mon - Fri) and I work part time (30 hours) in the evening and often weekends. So we rarely see each other and have maybe 1 or 2 weekends per month for ourselves. Salary is not better either. So for us both financially and socially our quality of life went downhill bigtime .
Don't you get it? That's why Europe is stuffed, people not working long enough and retiring early expecting the next generation to pay. Look at those ridiculous civil service pensions, 11 years in the job and a 90,000 pound pension pot is just one example! My dear old Mum worked for about 25 years and has drawn her pension for longer and still has many more years in her. How is it sustainable??!!
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Old Sep 2nd 2012, 1:58 am
  #119  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

[QUOTE=Woodlea;10259199]
Originally Posted by Assanah

Don't you get it? That's why Europe is stuffed, people not working long enough and retiring early expecting the next generation to pay. Look at those ridiculous civil service pensions, 11 years in the job and a 90,000 pound pension pot is just one example! My dear old Mum worked for about 25 years and has drawn her pension for longer and still has many more years in her. How is it sustainable??!!
Well, the only thing i get is that Germany is doing excellent at the moment. Unemployment is low, exports are up, money is flooding the country. There are many German companies that are the world leader in their area of expertise. With the exception of Fonterra I don't think there is anything like that in NZ. And I might also add that Germany is quite realistic with regards to sustainability. That is why a retirement age of 70 is talked about at the moment. What was the retirement in age in Kiwi-Land? What is the percentage of Kiwis that have not enough money for retirement? I think you in NZ are stuffed not Germany.

Last edited by Assanah; Sep 2nd 2012 at 2:03 am.
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Old Sep 2nd 2012, 4:43 am
  #120  
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Default Re: Is NZ really that bad?

Originally Posted by Bo-Jangles
Whatever gets you through the day, eh! The fact that there are are 30 million sheep in NZ, very few of them in Auckland I might add, snow capped mountains 3 hours drive away, or fish in the lakes and sea has absolutely no bearing on my day to day life. They're not in my office, they're not in Pak n Save, they're not helping me get the dinner ready or the ironing done.
Mmmm get your point, hope you get a break sometime mine was not so much about all the sheep in NZ but the fact that it's spring
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