Three week update,
 

Well we have now been in sunny New Zealand for 3 weeks, what can I say but “WOW” !! We arrived into Auckland and had a 6 hour drive down to Napier through the stunning scenery . As soon as we drove into town past the rows of palms we had to pinch ourselves that we had arrived and really emigrated. Our first impressions were how clean and quiet Napier is – the locals reckoned it was busy!

We spent our first week in a house in a motel complex and the wife had to start her job on the Wednesday, so in the first week we were able to find a rental house in a great area, get our daughter into school, the wife to work, open our bank accounts and buy a car. Talk about busy but there is less hassle and paper work to complete and everyone has been so helpful.

Our 13 year old daughter has been made so welcome at school and has been invited to lots of swim parties and birthday parties already, she had to take a test to decide what level class she would be in.(which she aced and is now in the top set) In the UK she was year 8 but here because of the school year she and her birthday she went into year 9. After one week at school she told us that she loved her new school but still wasn’t too happy with the sandals lol.

We have done so much more as a family here, beaches every weekend which are stunning and walks etc and to top it off yesterday whilst we were sitting on the local beach in Napier a pod of “Orcas” swam into view with a baby and its mother swimming about 20 yards from the beach - awesome.

I am looking for work and had an interview last week but I have been told that to find an account management / sales role in my field of work is hard to find in Hawkes bay and should be in Auckland or Wellington. We have decided a change in life so I will have to look to do something else and have even dusted my UK LGV class one licence off and am currently studying to take the New Zealand Class 5 Heavy Goods test. (passed the medical)

The only negatives we have is that the family who were going to rent our house back in Coventry have just pulled out so that is a big pain! Also food is quite expensive and defiantly on par with UK prices with Lamb at extortionate price but steak it’s quite cheap. (So throw another rump on the Barbie) Be careful when driving with the turning left rule when a car is coming towards you and turning right – as you must give way.

It s only been three weeks and I may still be in Holiday mode with the fantastic weather etc but we don’t have any regrets about coming, Skype is helping the family with coping with missing friends and relatives (try explaining to grannies and mad aunts how to work a lap top and turn on Skype!) Napier is so clean and the locals very friendly I’m sure we will have our down days in the future, but at the moment the whole family is enjoying the experience and not regretting the move...

Keep you updated over the coming months

Stuart & Sharon

Re: Three week update,
 

ERRRMM, why didn't I get a mention??!! :rofl:

Re: Three week update,
 

whoops
forgot too say that in the very busy three weeks we have been here we have met some new good friends in Zoxer (Zoe and Gary and mollie the dog) who have made us welcome and shared a beer or two.

Re: Three week update,
 

Hi peeps from Kenilworth -4C and freezing fog with the threat of going cold tonight. Lovely post and good progress how does Napier compare to Coventry....:rofl: bet you are really missing the crowds and traffic...:D
Our plan is still Aug 2011 so this will hopefully be my last ice age in the UK:thumbsup:

Re: Three week update,
 

Hi mate

What can i say no comparison to Coventry - Thank God not a Chav or traffic jam in sight. We love it here its so clean some of the kiwi kids walk round in bare feet around town. The best thing for us so far is that the daughter likes her new school and the wife loves her new job. We really think we have landed on our feet in picking Napper as the locals tell us its a place where a lot of Kiwis try to find work and if they do they dont tend to leave.

Its not a fast pace of living compare to Auckland or wellington so i am told, in fact some people travel the 6 hours to Auckland to get some busyness back into their life. The quiet life suits me just fine and if i can find a job in the New Year it will be the icing on the cake. It is a lot more expensive than i imagined and buying all the things you need including school uniform etc whilst your belongings are shipped over made a dent in the cash we transferred.

We have the advantage of arriving in Spring with the weather being fantastic im sure the place will have a different feel in the winter which apparently are not to Bad in Napper as it is wet rather than too cold. All the houses around are just having their logs for the winter delivered now (so they dry out) so i suppose i better get my order in soon.

We have no regrets about making the move but you need to be flexible about what you are going to do job wise depending on where you decide to live. In this region the the work is very seasonal and their is no big manufacturing industry or large corporations so i will have to look for a job change which might not be a bad thing?
I am sure August will be on you before you know it, have you any idea on where you might be heading to?:thumbsup:

Re: Three week update,
 

Hi mate

What can i say no comparison to Coventry - Thank God not a Chav or traffic jam in sight. We love it here its so clean some of the kiwi kids walk round in bare feet around town. The best thing for us so far is that the daughter likes her new school and the wife loves her new job. We really think we have landed on our feet in picking Napier as the locals tell us its a place where a lot of Kiwis try to find work and if they do they dont tend to leave.

Its not a fast pace of living compare to Auckland or wellington so i am told, in fact some people travel the 6 hours to Auckland to get some busyness back into their life. The quiet life suits me just fine and if i can find a job in the New Year it will be the icing on the cake. It is a lot more expensive than i imagined and buying all the things you need including school uniform etc whilst your belongings are shipped over made a dent in the cash we transferred.

We have the advantage of arriving in Spring with the weather being fantastic im sure the place will have a different feel in the winter which apparently are not to Bad in Napier as it is wet rather than too cold. All the houses around are just having their logs for the winter delivered now (so they dry out) so i suppose i better get my order in soon.

We have no regrets about making the move but you need to be flexible about what you are going to do job wise depending on where you decide to live. In this region the the work is very seasonal and their is no big manufacturing industry or large corporations so i will have to look for a job change which might not be a bad thing?

I am sure August will be on you before you know it, have you any idea on where you might be heading to?

Re: Three week update,
 

No idea of place at the mo...like you I will be following the wifes job. Wife will be primary applicant for PR. We will be selling up early spring 2011 and going into rent whilst she starts looking for employment she is a Clinical Scientist at a small firm In Sir William Lyons road at the back of Warwick uni, she wants to branch into Quality Control management as she is responsible for that side of the business where she is. The trouble is a small specialized field of employment means we may be pushed into using an agent. It went to -10C in Cov last night and the forecast for the next 2 weeks is pretty grim....extreme cold and staying sub zero during the day.....:eek:
I don't think folk that have left the UK over the last 5 years or so realise the extent of our traffic problems in that shortish period of time....but that won't be worrying you no more......:thumbup:
What means of communicating are you using....laptop? Internet? skype?

Re: Three week update,
 

Excellent update, thank you for sharing.:thumbup: I love it when a plan comes together! Congratulations on settling in so well.

Re: Three week update,
 

Sounds like the Pom netwrok can be a udeful tool !! We willfind out when we land in Hamilton in March............keepup the useful submissions...great for us to see. :fingerscrossed: