mudblood21

I am sat on the stairs with my laptop, keeping the dog from running in between the legs of the men who are packing the container.

It is a surreal day. My lovely neighbours moved their cars so that the lorries could park up back to back, the furniture goes up the ramp into the pickfords van, then out of the back of that one into the container. Very clever.

The men have been lovely (gog magog crew from pickfords) and observant enough to realise that they had been given the wrong paperwork and that my stuff should be going to NZ, not Australia! Well done, guys! it has even stopped snowing.

While I sit here on the stairs, meditating on the boxes as they float by, I just think I should thank all on here for the tips and advice that have got me this far... and also thank you in advance for all the info I will be asking for in the coming months!

THANK YOU EXPATS ALL !!

Lee Lee

What an exciting day, although it must all become much more real as you watch all your stuff being packed away.

When are you heading off to NZ?

mudblood21

We leave on the 8th April, and arrive on the 10th.


I wanted to get the stuff off as soon as possible, as it is so much easier for me to be without my junk here than it will be over in NZ.


It feels very real indeed! but i am really busy so no time to dwell - onwards and upwards !

Lee Lee

Good idea to send it early, I think thats what we will do if we ever get our turn! I wish you and your container a very safe journey to NZ

Keep us all updated with how you are getting on, Best of luck and most of all enjoy NZ, you lucky, lucky thing

P2L

I remember watching our container drive off down the road, almost 3 years ago now, and it is only at that moment that the enormity of what we were doing hit me!! Too late to change my mind by then and thank goodness we didn't

Good luck

mudblood21

Your turn will come - start deciding what you will take!
My path has been quite slow - and then suddenly I had a job offer and got my visa on the same day ! That was last Monday, and my container left today. So I have had quite a week!

don't forget to scan or take photocopies of your passport before sending it to immi NZ - the carriers need a copy before they can export your stuff. I scanned all my other papers, but not the passport. Luckily my case officer is an absolute angel and she very cheerfully arranged for a scan of my passport to be emailed through to me.

Yes, I am very lucky - my guardian angels are putting in a lot of overtime!

Dewb09

I am loving that amongst all the chaos you have time to log onto BE fantastic

Good luck with everything, before you know it you will be unpacking that container in NZ

Dewb

HHBoP

hi mudblood

What a strange day that must have been!! Shall know how u feel by the end of next week. Hadn't thought about the dogs -eek!! Must be relieved now that the packing and stuff has gone?? I have been finding it really really stressful, worse thing so far..next the goodbyes..then the airplane!!

Cheers

HH

mudblood21

HH

30th March - you are going a the week before me! I will be looking out for your posts, make sure you find somewhere to log on and let us know how you are getting on!

I don't feel really stressed - little things keep going wrong, but it's kind of okay - obviously it hasn't hit me yet - but i am enjoying the denial. I am totally exhausted though, really am. Possibly too tired to feel the stress!

mudblood21

Hi Dewb

I couldn't do much else - four guys carrying out boxes, couldn't wander around downstairs without tripping them up. I suppose I could have gone upstairs and tidied up or something... nah!

So I just sat on the stairs and watched them go by. I had the dog sitting behind me , watching them too. I had to be on the WWW to get a copy of my passport from NZimmi to forward on to the carriers, so I did FB and expats while i was there... fiddling while Rome burns!

bga

hey hey.. went through all what you're describing last May.. you've got an exciting few months ahead before it all settles down - good luck with it all.. and enjoy the chaos for a bit

Persephone

Wow, sounds like you're hectic at the moment. Good luck with it all. I felt a twinge of sadness when the lorry drove off with all my worldly belongings [I only had 72 cu ft!]. We were reunited three months later, nothing broken or missing!

RobDon

Been there and experienced that!!!
Its a really strange feeling, sort of happy and sad at the same time.
The time left in the UK will fly by and before you know it you will be reunited with all your worldly goods on the other side!

Tomsk

Aww, I remember it well. After all the craziness it's somehow strange to just let go of the reins and let the packers take over. Somewhere I've still got photographs of my house at the end of the first day, everything, but everything wrapped up in brown paper with "Tauranga" stickers on them....only the children, the kettle & a few cleaning products were left out to stay behind. Very strange.

Good luck with it all....it's like today is the start of the next stage of your life....a little bit of odd "in-betweeness" before the NZ stage kicks off proper. I hope it's a really positive time for you, I doubt that it will all be easy, but I sincerely hope that it will be good

mudblood21

thanks all

keeping busy with IRD numbers, looking for a home/car/etc. all good fun!