sunshine_and_rain

CONGRATULATIONS - Great news, hooray for you - let us know how you all go on - trip and arrival etc. Looking forward to it. You'll love it here. have fun and stay in touch.

sky

A little chilly??? I very nearly froze to death in bed last night lol! but your right the day has shaped up nicely now and the sun it out and it's lovely and fresh and crisp.

shepslady

Lol please dont shoot the messenger Thats exactly how my sister described it to me but then she does have a lovely warm house so maybe she didnt realise how cold it was huh?
Glad the day has shaped up to be a nice one though & one I hope you will enjoy

Rascal

It NOT as cold as the UK....but the variations are greater, so you will feel it much more here than you would in the Uk. During summer, it can reach temps of 30+C AND remember, there is no ozone layer over NZ.......so those 30+ can feel like you are sitting in an oven......then when the temp. drops just one or two degrees.......you WILL feel it......more so as the years go by.....
its a bit like sitting in a sauna then jumping into a freezer.....best way to describe it really.
Plus, most of NZ homes are cold, lack insulation, and have no heating in some homes at all........electricity is expensive here too, as most of our bills are monthly here, you will find that each week you will have a bill so no chance of getting the bank balance topped up...........
it just seems to be non stop bills coming out of poor salaries, thats why its not possible to have decent heating.....cost.
But its fair to say that in answer to your question.....no NZ is not as cold as UK temperature wise, but rememeber what I have said about the variations from summer to winter.

sunshine_and_rain

The great thing about NZ is that chilly frosty mornings usually mean a lovely sunny day later - so winter is not all doom and gloom here. It does seemto be lasting a lifetime this year though?? However, the other greatthing is that summer seems to just arrive over night - so it'll soon be time to spark up the Barbies again

Rascal

Yeh, let me know which night it arrives.....I'll feel more like getting up out of bed once the 'warmer' weather arrives......but expect it'll be Sept/oct before that happens....and its been cold since May.....feels a lifetime......
Roll on summer!!!!!

sunshine_and_rain

Just had our Gas bill $286.48, still gonna get bigger too as its colder now than the last bill period, so heating has been on more. Bills suck hey!

shepslady

Wow Rascal how long have you been there?? My 75 year old Mum says it hasnt been too bad this winter & believe me she lives in such a cold house but this winter she finally put in a heat pump so I guess its helped her a lot. She complains about the added expense with her electricity bill but says its worth the expense not to be cold anymore. Win some lose some huh?

sunshine_and_rain

Yeah - my hairdresser as heat pumps and sweras by em. Its worth the money on heating to be warm. I do miss the doubleglazing though - wiped all my windows upstairs again this morning - I HATE doing it as well. Downstairs is great - heating seems to have done away with condensation, but heating limited upstairs so windows still get covered, and need to be wiped down every day. As soon as I can afford it - we are getting double glazing, I can't stand the wet windows in the morning. The sun will be back soon though and life will feel great again.

Rascal

On my fourth winer here, but no point comparing me to anyone who is 75 and has lived here longer, I was brought up in the Uk, so am used to Ch and DG....like most Brits. As for raising our electric bill, well, its high enough thanks.....any more and it will seriously affect our eating bill!!
Just gotta get used to living in cold, damper houses and somehow get used to the fluctuation in temps....
But I suppose lots must depend on what you are used to........someone from Canada would find UK's winters warm......swings and roundabouts isn't it?

Rascal

Suer do, cant escape them but wished they were quarterly, ok, it will be bigger, but I budget better that way, monthly sucks.....you just never seem to have a week without bills.......

sky

This house is warm too but it's just the heat doesn't get to the far end of the house when it's sub zero like last night even with a heat transfer thingy system. If the windows were double glazed it would prob make a big difference but it's so expensive over here for replacement double glazing isn't it.
If we had been in the house we first rented when we came over here I don't reckon we would have survived the night :scared:

Been to the beach with the kids today though and it was fabulous, we had to do really brisk walking though but it was really exhilarating