Things you Love about NZ
Aug 11th 2011, 10:31 am
#121
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2011
Location: Napier, New Zealand
Posts: 313
Re: Things you Love about NZ
You're a bit of a plonker - everything is safe and officially checked and we've built an ocean going boat before, by hand.
I was making a tongue in cheek remark and not taking you too seriously given the nature of the thread.
Some things over here are very expensive, other things aren't. With a bit of hard work, some imagination and enough patience to live with boat parts in the house for months - you can achieve the dream without having to remortgage your soul.
Get over yourself with the throwing the kids comment, no wonder your so unhappy if you take everything so seriously.
PS, I was going to give you the short answer, but it's a nice thread and the mods are watching
- oh and from your opening line - it sounds like you're the precious one not your children
I was making a tongue in cheek remark and not taking you too seriously given the nature of the thread.
Some things over here are very expensive, other things aren't. With a bit of hard work, some imagination and enough patience to live with boat parts in the house for months - you can achieve the dream without having to remortgage your soul.
Get over yourself with the throwing the kids comment, no wonder your so unhappy if you take everything so seriously.
PS, I was going to give you the short answer, but it's a nice thread and the mods are watching
- oh and from your opening line - it sounds like you're the precious one not your children
Old Dragon 
Aug 11th 2011, 11:45 am
#122
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 269
Re: Things you Love about NZ
You're a bit of a plonker - everything is safe and officially checked and we've built an ocean going boat before, by hand.
I was making a tongue in cheek remark and not taking you too seriously given the nature of the thread.
Some things over here are very expensive, other things aren't. With a bit of hard work, some imagination and enough patience to live with boat parts in the house for months - you can achieve the dream without having to remortgage your soul.
Get over yourself with the throwing the kids comment, no wonder your so unhappy if you take everything so seriously.
PS, I was going to give you the short answer, but it's a nice thread and the mods are watching - oh and from your opening line - it sounds like you're the precious one not your children
I was making a tongue in cheek remark and not taking you too seriously given the nature of the thread.
Some things over here are very expensive, other things aren't. With a bit of hard work, some imagination and enough patience to live with boat parts in the house for months - you can achieve the dream without having to remortgage your soul.
Get over yourself with the throwing the kids comment, no wonder your so unhappy if you take everything so seriously.
PS, I was going to give you the short answer, but it's a nice thread and the mods are watching
- oh and from your opening line - it sounds like you're the precious one not your childrenLady Nancy Astor: "Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea."
Churchill: "Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.”
Au revoir.
Aug 12th 2011, 5:14 am
#126
~^_^~
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Wellington
Posts: 287
Re: Things you Love about NZ
no not being ironic........ if in a restaurant where nothing obvious on the menu, the chef will usually accomodate and be inventive. If something is on the menu, it's usually something quite interesting that I would maybe not have thought of, and I have been veggie 35 years. Chinese Indian and Thai usually have significant veggie menu sections. Better options than the UK, generally, IMHO 
Jan
Jan
So my list:
the availability of vegan food, not just veggie, and the fact people know what vegan is (often in the UK I'd get 'oh, so you want chicken then?')
We can afford to buy a 4 bedroom house (had a 2 bed flat in the UK)
flat whites - and the fact everywhere has soy milk. In fact the coffee in general is pretty great.
I actually get thanked at work when I do a good job.
Cicadas - I didn't expect them and so when they started making their noises in summer it was such a lovely surprise!
The sound of tui birds outside our window - I love their 'donk donk' noises!
Looking out over the ocean and mountains as I walk to work always makes me grin and pinch myself that I'm really here.
How friendly most people are. We have made some great friends here (been here nearly 18months) who are better friends than we made in our whole 6 years living in London.
Growing our own veggies.
Being able to drive to ski fields.
Aug 12th 2011, 5:21 am
#127
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Waikanae
Posts: 141
Re: Things you Love about NZ
I totally agree. Initially I thought it was just Wellington, but everywhere not a lot admittedly) has been great.
So my list:
the availability of vegan food, not just veggie, and the fact people know what vegan is (often in the UK I'd get 'oh, so you want chicken then?')
We can afford to buy a 4 bedroom house (had a 2 bed flat in the UK)
flat whites - and the fact everywhere has soy milk. In fact the coffee in general is pretty great.
I actually get thanked at work when I do a good job.
Cicadas - I didn't expect them and so when they started making their noises in summer it was such a lovely surprise!
The sound of tui birds outside our window - I love their 'donk donk' noises!
Looking out over the ocean and mountains as I walk to work always makes me grin and pinch myself that I'm really here.
How friendly most people are. We have made some great friends here (been here nearly 18months) who are better friends than we made in our whole 6 years living in London.
Growing our own veggies.
Being able to drive to ski fields.
So my list:
the availability of vegan food, not just veggie, and the fact people know what vegan is (often in the UK I'd get 'oh, so you want chicken then?')
We can afford to buy a 4 bedroom house (had a 2 bed flat in the UK)
flat whites - and the fact everywhere has soy milk. In fact the coffee in general is pretty great.
I actually get thanked at work when I do a good job.
Cicadas - I didn't expect them and so when they started making their noises in summer it was such a lovely surprise!
The sound of tui birds outside our window - I love their 'donk donk' noises!
Looking out over the ocean and mountains as I walk to work always makes me grin and pinch myself that I'm really here.
How friendly most people are. We have made some great friends here (been here nearly 18months) who are better friends than we made in our whole 6 years living in London.
Growing our own veggies.
Being able to drive to ski fields.
In fact, NZ would be 100% perfect if it was just 12,000 km closer to the UK so I could visit my family and 'old' friends!
Aug 12th 2011, 6:53 am
#128
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Re: Things you Love about NZ
TTFN
Aug 12th 2011, 6:57 am
#129
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 91
Re: Things you Love about NZ
One of the very best things is the absolute lack of traffic. Just driven home through rush hour on a Friday night, not stopped in a single queue for more than 20 seconds and drove 20kms in little over 20 minutes.
The last Friday night commute I did in UK took me over an hour to move 5 miles.
Industrial centre of the city to the beach/home in less than half an hour - fantastic!
The last Friday night commute I did in UK took me over an hour to move 5 miles.
Industrial centre of the city to the beach/home in less than half an hour - fantastic!
Aug 12th 2011, 7:11 am
#130
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Auckland
Posts: 151
Re: Things you Love about NZ
One of the very best things is the absolute lack of traffic. Just driven home through rush hour on a Friday night, not stopped in a single queue for more than 20 seconds and drove 20kms in little over 20 minutes.
The last Friday night commute I did in UK took me over an hour to move 5 miles.
Industrial centre of the city to the beach/home in less than half an hour - fantastic!
The last Friday night commute I did in UK took me over an hour to move 5 miles.
Industrial centre of the city to the beach/home in less than half an hour - fantastic!
Aug 12th 2011, 8:30 am
#132
~^_^~
Joined: Jan 2009
Location: Wellington
Posts: 287
Re: Things you Love about NZ
aaah yes, I forgot about the lack of commute. Currently I have a 5 mins drive / 40 min walk to work, compared to an hour in the UK.
However, we have JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE (sorry still excited only found out yesterday) and I will have a 'long' commute - about 25 min cycle (I'm slow) or 10-15 min drive.
However, we have JUST BOUGHT A HOUSE (sorry still excited only found out yesterday) and I will have a 'long' commute - about 25 min cycle (I'm slow) or 10-15 min drive.
Aug 12th 2011, 10:17 am
#133
Old Jerk
Joined: May 2011
Location: hawkes bay
Posts: 45
Re: Things you Love about NZ
I sailed up the Waitemata harbour on a British trampship,late Nov 1960,took the pilot about 6.am,anchored in the stream at 7.am,I was an Engineer and down below till we anchored,it was a beautiful sunny sunday morning there were no high rise buildings that I can remember the houses were mostly white with red and green roofs,the brandnew bridge(minus clipons) steam powered ferries an amazing sight for a lad from a pit village in Co Durham on his first voyage,I made my mind up there and then that this was where I was going to live.
First run ashore Monday,a huge steam train chugging up the middle of the road past the dock gates,in to the pub,the Ambassadors beer in jugs everybody left their money on the bar,then round about 5 pm the pub trembled as hordes of wharfies "dropped "in for a beer,then the pub closed,6 pm and the boozer was shut !!!! so its off to Ma Gleesons the slygrog pub.if you wanted a seat you took a beer crate,if you wanted a punch in the head you stared too long at the Maori Princess along the bar,lol this was where parties were organised and Ponsonby was the place a real run down dump mainly populated by Maoris and Islanders but they knew how to make the Pakeha welcome and how to party hard,If you fancied a bit of class you went to the Great Northern,waiter service, palm trees in pots,string quartet,flash sheilas.
Off to Napier to discharge the rest of the sulphur for the fert works,met a 16 yr old Maori/Chinese girl,worked my passage back to Kiwi four yrs later married the now 20 yr old in 64,have 2 daughters and five grandkids,and thats what I love about New Zealand
First run ashore Monday,a huge steam train chugging up the middle of the road past the dock gates,in to the pub,the Ambassadors beer in jugs everybody left their money on the bar,then round about 5 pm the pub trembled as hordes of wharfies "dropped "in for a beer,then the pub closed,6 pm and the boozer was shut !!!! so its off to Ma Gleesons the slygrog pub.if you wanted a seat you took a beer crate,if you wanted a punch in the head you stared too long at the Maori Princess along the bar,lol this was where parties were organised and Ponsonby was the place a real run down dump mainly populated by Maoris and Islanders but they knew how to make the Pakeha welcome and how to party hard,If you fancied a bit of class you went to the Great Northern,waiter service, palm trees in pots,string quartet,flash sheilas.
Off to Napier to discharge the rest of the sulphur for the fert works,met a 16 yr old Maori/Chinese girl,worked my passage back to Kiwi four yrs later married the now 20 yr old in 64,have 2 daughters and five grandkids,and thats what I love about New Zealand
Aug 12th 2011, 11:04 am
#134
Life is what YOU make it.
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Christchurch
Posts: 3,312
Re: Things you Love about NZ
I sailed up the Waitemata harbour on a British trampship,late Nov 1960,took the pilot about 6.am,anchored in the stream at 7.am,I was an Engineer and down below till we anchored,it was a beautiful sunny sunday morning there were no high rise buildings that I can remember the houses were mostly white with red and green roofs,the brandnew bridge(minus clipons) steam powered ferries an amazing sight for a lad from a pit village in Co Durham on his first voyage,I made my mind up there and then that this was where I was going to live.
First run ashore Monday,a huge steam train chugging up the middle of the road past the dock gates,in to the pub,the Ambassadors beer in jugs everybody left their money on the bar,then round about 5 pm the pub trembled as hordes of wharfies "dropped "in for a beer,then the pub closed,6 pm and the boozer was shut !!!! so its off to Ma Gleesons the slygrog pub.if you wanted a seat you took a beer crate,if you wanted a punch in the head you stared too long at the Maori Princess along the bar,lol this was where parties were organised and Ponsonby was the place a real run down dump mainly populated by Maoris and Islanders but they knew how to make the Pakeha welcome and how to party hard,If you fancied a bit of class you went to the Great Northern,waiter service, palm trees in pots,string quartet,flash sheilas.
Off to Napier to discharge the rest of the sulphur for the fert works,met a 16 yr old Maori/Chinese girl,worked my passage back to Kiwi four yrs later married the now 20 yr old in 64,have 2 daughters and five grandkids,and thats what I love about New Zealand
First run ashore Monday,a huge steam train chugging up the middle of the road past the dock gates,in to the pub,the Ambassadors beer in jugs everybody left their money on the bar,then round about 5 pm the pub trembled as hordes of wharfies "dropped "in for a beer,then the pub closed,6 pm and the boozer was shut !!!! so its off to Ma Gleesons the slygrog pub.if you wanted a seat you took a beer crate,if you wanted a punch in the head you stared too long at the Maori Princess along the bar,lol this was where parties were organised and Ponsonby was the place a real run down dump mainly populated by Maoris and Islanders but they knew how to make the Pakeha welcome and how to party hard,If you fancied a bit of class you went to the Great Northern,waiter service, palm trees in pots,string quartet,flash sheilas.
Off to Napier to discharge the rest of the sulphur for the fert works,met a 16 yr old Maori/Chinese girl,worked my passage back to Kiwi four yrs later married the now 20 yr old in 64,have 2 daughters and five grandkids,and thats what I love about New Zealand
so now are you a Kiwi or deep down still a Geordie
Aug 12th 2011, 1:01 pm
#135
you dewty owld maan!
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: is practically perfect in every way
Posts: 5,565
Re: Things you Love about NZ
careful, co. Durham's not part of Geordie-land, they are mostly mackems or pit-yakkers up there, but I know the odd bar-code who lived in co. Durham or in Monkey-hanging central, or even on Teeside when we used to live in Ushaw Moor and work in Stockton a long time ago.
bit like Brummie vs Yam-yam in your part of the world
bit like Brummie vs Yam-yam in your part of the world