SarahB

OK, this is my postitive post... some the things I like about living in NZ ... bearing in mind Ive only been here 2 months!!

I like the mild winter weather.
I dont have to wear a coat.
I can take my toddler to play down in the park in the middle of winter!
I love living near the sea.
I love to watch my toddler building sandcastles on the beach.
I like the local butchers shop...the pork sausages they make are really good!!
The local bakers is even better....Ive never had a steak pie with so much real steak in it!
I like having the sea views from the house we rent.
I like the countryside round here, and we are only 20 minutes outside Auckland.
I like seeing all the different flowers and trees.
I like being 5 minutes walk from the beach.
hehe...just asked my OH and we both agree that the chocolate muffins from Woolworths are out of this world...yummm!!
I like the friendly people...even out on a walk everybody says Hello to you...or stops to chat.
I like the beer down the local Boat club!
I like the wider roads... ermm... not gonna mention the road rules! lol
I like my top loader washing machine and the dishwashing drawers are great...how sad am I?!
I like being able to dry my clothes without using the tumble dryer.
The price of petrol is still pretty good.
I like the free swimming pools so that I can teach my toddler how to swim properly.

This was difficult for me as Ive only been here 5 minutes and yeah this is only my opinion. I have loads of negatives too obviously but felt we needed some positives for a change.

bookemjano

Great post Sarah - just what we all need! It's the daily stuff that makes it all worthwhile isn't it. Really pleased that you're having a good time.

Taneth

Thankyou Sarah, sent you karma, you made me feel so much better to read something positive.

Dazlinsky

Hi SarahB,
We are planning to move to Beachlands in about 2 - 3 months. Your post is great to giving us something to look forward too!!! We can't wait!!!!!!!!
If you can suggest any estate agents, we would be most grateful!

SarahB

Hiya..thanks for the replies.

The 2 local estate agents here are L J Hooker or Barfoot and Thompson. I just walked into the shop and asked if they had any houses to rent. You need to go into the local office as if you dont they wont be able to help you as they are not aware of what houses their other offices have.

If I can be of any help then PM me. You will love Beachlands, if you have kids they will love the beaches and the nearby parks.

Dazlinsky

Thanks for the info! I do have one daughter 6yrs old and she loves the beach.
I have sent you a PM.

Gill and Rob

We love NZ because .........

It has given us the opportunity to try new things
I work with some great people and my UK experience was totally recognised and appreciated
I work less hours
My working environment is less stressful
We see more of each other
We do more together as a family
It has made us more physically active
There is still that "Old fashioned value"
There is so many birds in my garden we had to buy a book to find out what they all are
Kids are able to be kids
The countryside is so varied, from the sea, to mountains to snow all within an hour-hour and a half away
I don't have to dig my car out of snow ever again just to get to work
Even the poor people live in 4 bedroomed detached bungalows
If you are bored on a weekend you can always go to an open home
I have learned how to do mosaic pictures, how to paint with acrylic paint and how to make fabulous profiteroles
Of the wider roads, the bigger houses and the large gardens
We live in a fabulous town - Rotorua

Gill and Rob

SarahB

I'm sure that the longer we live here the easier it will become for me to write some more positives. I'm still new here and do not feel settled at all. I miss my family but they ring me every week which is great... and its ok for me to ring my friends as I can use Skype. My list of negatives would probably be a bit longer than my positive list at the moment but its all new to me and I'm here with my toddler whilst OH goes to work.

Dave and Lyns

Hi Sarah,

Just wanted to say a great post!

Have sent you some K and a PM.

Cheers

Dave

Dave and Lyns

Just wanted to say welcome to the forum and have sent you some 'welcome' karma.

Cheers,

Dave and Lyns

Sparkle2nite

That was lovely, it's so nice to hear you are settling in well. You almost brought a tear to my eye!

I have sent you some karma (Karma queen today aren't you) and a pm. Would love to hear all about Beachlands as it is somewhere we have considered living. We don't have a definate destination yet so would appreciate all you care to tell!

Take care, Debbie

SarahB

I cant really think of any negatives about Beachlands, its more to do with my situation here and thats personal so I didnt want to bore anyone with it. Its lovely living here, like living in a holiday village 24/7. Thanks for all the karma and I will reply to all my PMs.

Biddy

Great thread Sarah - glad you've adjusted well and found a whole heap of positives. Keep thinking of those and of the reasons you and your family moved out in the first place and I'm sure the negatives will soon diminish.

Another positive is price and quality of meat - Mmmmmm Big Fat Steak for dinner tonight - $4

Smiler

Hi Sarah
Is that Maraitai Boat Club? Our friends are members and there are a load of us coming over to the Ball in September. Are you going? Would be great - we can meet up
Ginni

NZ Climber

Good on you. Contrary to the mostly cautionary and/or negative posts i've been doing, here are my positives about NZ:

The scenery is amazing and massively varied
The volcanoes are cool
The sea is warm
The beaches are beautiful and empty
Camping/Staying in holiday parks is cheap
The lifestyle is more relaxed
The rat race is far less stressful than it was in London
When you get out of Auckland, the country is empty
The islands are brilliant
I spend more time with my better half
Going and visiting places just for the weekend will probably never lose its charm
Xmas in shorts and sunnies on the beach is bizarre but brilliant
Having people to visit means so much more
I have a better relationship with my parents now than I did before we left
I speak to my parents more often now than I did when we were in the UK
Presents for people are easy, something typically NZ always goes down well
You can ski and snowboard on a volcano
The weather is mild
The rain all comes at once and grey days are less common
There are no land based predators or poisonous insects
Having palm trees and cacti in your garden is next to impossible in the UK
The kiwi (bird) is very amusing
Summer seems to last forever
The sun is properly hot, not wishy washy like the UK
People towing boats and caravans actually pull over to let you past

And the very best thing:

We live by the beach, I commute to work on the ferry and we can drive to the mountain to go snowboarding in 4 and a half hours, it doesn't get any better than that.