[StevieD]

Hi all, got our internet sorted now we in a rental, felt like having our arm cut off not being online. But it is good to see the forum is alive and kicking.

Right - after our last update which was only one week in, so much happened.
The house situation was awful, with our, as our solicitor called her "the buyer from hell", dictating things that was causing us to feel physically sick with worry in case she pulled out. Everything was so tight financially, and it can't go without mention that our forum buddies, Kim and Elaine (Kim39) were brilliant putting up with us for 4 weeks in the end. They saw the torment we were going through and were very understanding, and just downright supportive. There were numerous phone calls and emails to the solicitor and it wasn't nice. Thankfully everything went through 3 weeks later to our relief. So, Kim, Elaine and girls - a huge thank you from us all. :clap:clap

This isn't to say that during this time we weren't being shown around the area. We went across to Mount Manganui to the beautiful beach there. Had a picnic on the sand and went bodyboarding in the Pacific. It was piping hot too, and we were hooked on the sea. Further body boarding trip was had on Louisa's birthday over at Raglan this time where we enjoyed chocolate cakes on the beach for her little birthday treat. We were shown Bridal veil falls, Marakopa falls and numerous places of interest. We went to the street rod rally, cool V8's that were absolutely stunning pieces of work, again baking hot. Swimming in people's pools, and just generally getting into the kiwi lifestyle, albeit with those nagging doubts in the back of our minds. What little money we brought was running out quickly, so you can imagine how we felt. But we had to keep the faith for the kids, and in the end it came good.

Once the house was completed we moved into action quickly. Jan was offered a job, doing a tutors job for the Salvation Army no less. They are a big employer down here, so no jokes about tamborines or funny hats - she has heard enough!! :laugh We also bought a car to allow us to get mobile and get out of Kim's hair to allow them to get back to normal. We scooted off down to the Manawatu to stay for a few days with Diny and her family. We couldn't see Ruapehu on the way down because it was shrouded in cloud, but what a view on our return north! We had a scream, quad biking on the beach at Foxton and Akitio, trips to Palmy and around the area, Wellington to Te Papa museum (very wet and miserable that day and it was a fleeting visit unfortunately - sorry Carol and co!)
As Jan had a job, this led us to look at the Cambridge area to live and we were very lucky in finding a rental just 1km up the road from her workplace. It is very tidy, a bit covered due to the huge protected oak trees adjacent to the property, but it is enough for us. It is clean, warm and has almost everything we wanted, including a scrapbooking room for Jan (which is already full of stuff, and she has discovered a local shop to spend her money in!), a laundry and a large garage for our boxes and stuff. So we had a car, a rental, Jan was in a job, so it is just for me to get work, I am waiting to hear if I am successful this week, but at least it allowed me to get all the necessities sorted out. Things have worked out in reverse to how we saw them, but we are settling in nicely, and this area is beautiful. The kids started in the local school yesterday and they are loving it which is really nice to see, especially for our little girl, Louisa.

There is a huge amount of networking goes on here, and there are people at the school who already have the feelers out for me on the job front, got invites galore to go to peoples houses already, amazing what kids do for your social life isn't it! And we have done our bit by joining the school PTFA. Kieran has joined the basketball team, chess club, and Louisa is keen to join the netball team. She even came out of school barefooted today :laugh

It is fantastic here. The climate is agreeable, been very warm today, 26 degrees, and humid. Shopping is varied, but you can almost always find things if you really want. The food is great, we are not disappointed as we thought, with Jan and the kids being veggies, that we would struggle on that score, but the fish is fantastic, food abundant, and you can eat well if you shop around.
The cafe's are fantastic, and the roads aren't as bad as I thought. As long as you are careful. Not everything is rosy though, but as long as you remember you are in a foreign country, and that country has it's issues like every other place inhabited by humans, then you will come to realise that it is indeed worth all the effort and heartache on the way. Well that is our view up to now anyway.

Steve and co...

[zardell]

Great post Playboy 1 - enjoyed reading it.

Looking forward to catching up with you and Jan at some point over the weekend.

See you all soon,

Julie and PB 2

xx

[Moorf]

Great update - good to hear you're all still happy here :nice1

Moorf

[StevieD]

Just a few piccies for you ...

Jan getting sandblasted while hunting for pumice stone on Foxton beach - it was blowing a gale at first!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9317.jpg

Louisa enjoying the "tyre drag" behind the 4x4 on Foxton

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9283.jpg

Dad getting a lift off daughter on the quad...

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9313.jpg

[Marie P]

Good to see you guys back online .

Loved the photos ............Lou says hi to Lou :clap :raebanana

How long before your container arrives ?

Marie & Co xxxxx

[StevieD]

Other coast now - surfs up wahey...:clap :clap

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9408.jpg

Kieran, Louisa, Henry and Fergie (Diny's kids) playing some game involving a rock, a big piece of wood and the sea!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9470.jpg

[speckythecky]

Great to hear a full post from you. Sounds like things are improving now the house has sold and Jan has a job. Love the thought of louisa coming out of school barefoot, she has embrace the kiwi lifestyle.
Also great to hear about the networking through school, good luck on the job search front.

[StevieD]

Oops Marie, I forgot to put that in!!! It arrived last Tuesday and we now have most of the stuff we want in the house....

Big relief to sleep in a decent bed again instead of our little camping mattresses on the floor of the rental, especially having had decent beds to sleep on in Kims and Diny's :laugh

[StevieD]

Which one is Ruapehu and which one is Taranaki??

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9499.jpg

Ruapehu across Lake Taupo

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9524.jpg

Yipee the container has arrived!!

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/bluekiwi100/Emigration%20pictures/DSCF9586.jpg


That's enough photos for now, will sort out our blog soonish.

Thanks for the wishes John, how's it coming your end??

Steve

[wiki]

Awesome photos. You guys all look so truly happy (apart from Jan in the sandstorm!) *ouch*

Can't tell you how glad I am that it's all coming together for you. Keep your chin ups, and if you do get down then just think of how wide your kids can smile :)

[KD17]

Fantastic!

great pics

Glad you are finding your feet and beginning to settle in.

Best wishes to you all.


Keith & Debby

[katandbob]

glad to see your settling in well Guys :clap :clap - tell Jan she needs to come sort my hobbie room out - its full of ironing LOL

The pictures look great, where abouts are you living in Cambridge?

and good luck on the job front - I am sure you will be wishing for the weekend before you know it:laugh

Kat and Rob

[Hannah]

Cool pics
Really enjoyed reading your update.
WELL DONE you guys!!!! Welcome to NZ!

hannah

[Sam B]

Great post, great pics - and welcome to Cambridge! Just one thing though - 26 degrees!! There must be a microclimate in your bit of Cambridge!! Glad everything worked out with your house and you're settling in well. Which school are your kids at?

[willsken]

Glad to see you are settling in. Great news about Jan finding a job and I'll keep everything crossed for you this week. The photos are lovely to. :D

[sizzlingbadger]

Great to hear you're loving life here in NZ.

Hope all things work out on the job front for your :nice1

If you're ever coming down Featherston way give us a PM, it would be great to catch up :cheers

[lockstock]

What a lovely set of posts. It looks like you've gone through the worst part and chomping at the bit to get to the good parts. Good luck and enjoy it all!

[Lupin]

Lovely update.....so glad to hear how happy you are here :raebanana

[Kim39]

I'm not going to reply to this thread, cos we rode that ride with you and it left us exhausted:yes

Whoa, i realised i have replied. See Steve its left me scarred:laugh

Got your new email addy by the way.

Kim

[Myrkk]

Wow, sounds stressy and fantastic at the same time. Glad the house hassles are over and you are settling in. :cheers

[StevieD]

Thanks guys, yes it must be a micro climate coz everywhere I went this arvo the car thermometer told me it was 26 degrees :laugh It was hot outside the garage and house as well as by the river :)

We just on the outskirts on the Leamington side Kat.

[thezorbster]

Great to hear the update, wondered what was happening to you all! Good luck on the job front but well done Jan!

[Lisa&Andy]

What a fantastic post - so honest and positive and the same time. The photos are great and you all look really happy :yes

Good Luck with everything!

[vixxann]

Great post Steve & Jan :nice1
Fantastic to hear you are settling in now, Jobs, schools etc .
Love the photos, and the kids look so happy - wonder why ;)
Keep us up to date now won't you - need a bit of "northerner goes NZ" fix now and again:D

[M&J]

Great post and great pics. We have it all to come, moving to Cambridge in 7 weeks!!!

Good luck with the job hunt.

[Bruckner]

Good news and glad to hear everyone is well. Can't wait to read your blog.

Emily

[jen]

Glad to hear things are going well after your rocky start with the house sale!

[The Hodges]

Hi there Stevie D and family

Top piccies and glad that you're having a ball. Nothing like when your stuff turns up is it.

Hopefully see you at one of the meets. Until then...:cheers

[StevieD]

Quick update - another lovely day here, promised nice weather over the weekend too.

Kids are out at the "senior social" (school disco) with all their new mates. Makes me feel warm to see the way the kids organise these events themselves and how our two are loving the school and it's environment. They are badgering me to take them in early, they love it so much!

Getting so many invites to go to people's houses it is heartwarming, there is a real family atmosphere at the school and we are quite overwhelmed by it all.

That is one of the things that we are enjoying the most - to see our kids enjoying their school and just being "kids" again. They are even walking around barefooted :yes

Obviously only early days, but we are really lliking this place, and growing more and more comfortable by the day.

Steve and Jan

[marcia]

Just caught your update Stevie. (been too busy living the life to even switch on the computer this week!)

Glad you guys are getting settled - its been a VERY long and stressful journey for your family, but here you are at last, and by the sounds of it well worth the wait.

The photos are great. Keep in touch!

Lots of love

The Smith Clan

[StevieD]

Will do chaps :)

Been a lovely day today, fell asleep on the decking this evening in the fading sunlight listening to the birdsong. Sun was a huge orange ball in the sky, lovely sunset, and people still walking round in shorts and t shirts - I like it here.

[speckythecky]

Hope you haven't got burnt again.

Repeat after me: "I must not fall asleep in the sun"

[StevieD]

Oops :) It is still warm in the sun John, but not as warm as a few weeks ago or in Singapore. It was 5 pm just as the sun was going down, but it was a nice little snooze...

[able]

I hope life's still treating you and your family well StevieD. Is Cambridge a nice spot to settle?

[StevieD]

Hiya able, yes thanks, life is good apart from the job front being real slow for me.

Cambridge is a beautiful town, I'm going to go out and take a few pictures around and about so will post them when I do. Only a small place, 19000 population, surrounded by horse studs and coutryside. It is central for both coasts and near to Lake Karapiro and the Waikato river. So if you in to fishing, kayaking, rowing, or anything else, you can find it round here. Only 16kms from Hamilton city which has the big multi screen cinema and shopping centres. So yeah, it is a good place to settle. :nice1

Steve

[Supadolphin]

Great posts Steve, looking forward to seeing pics of Cambridge as we're certainly veering towards buying property there. OH has rental sorted out in Hamilton but that's only for 6 weeks at best (he just landed at Auckland:clap )

One question, Robinsons Removals, were you happy with them? We've only had one quote and were reasonably impressed.

Debs

[StevieD]

Not too bad, only complaint was that our bikes were damaged due to them not using bike boxes (wrapped them in plastic instead and the chain got damaged) but apart from that they were fine.
Also remember the things on top such as moving at this end and MAF fees.

Steve

[able]

Hiya able, yes thanks, life is good apart from the job front being real slow for me.

Cambridge is a beautiful town, I'm going to go out and take a few pictures around and about so will post them when I do. Only a small place, 19000 population, surrounded by horse studs and coutryside. It is central for both coasts and near to Lake Karapiro and the Waikato river. So if you in to fishing, kayaking, rowing, or anything else, you can find it round here. Only 16kms from Hamilton city which has the big multi screen cinema and shopping centres. So yeah, it is a good place to settle. :nice1

Steve

Sounds good. I hope you get a job soon Stevie -- and I'm looking forward to seeking your pics.

[StevieD]

No probs S/dolphin and able, any questions just pm me, and I see you are coming up to your first anniversary of joining the forum in July!! :)

Talking of anniversaries, it's our wedding anniversary tomorrow - 15 years married.

HTH

Steve

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

OH (PinkPiggy) and I, together with family have been here for just short of a month now. We're renting in Hamilton and really like it. We like the whole of the Waikato region (at least what we've seen of it, which is quite a lot taking into account our month long expedition over here last year as well).

Cambridge is, obviously, a lot smaller, but lovely. Can see why people like it there. In the end we decided it wasn't for us, but only because we found somewhere we liked even more, nothing wrong with Cambridge.

Job hunt slow for me too, but loving unemployment in the meantime ;) especially in such a great place. Moved from Dunfermline, Scotland. A period of unemployment there would be like chinese water torture :no

Need to find a job at some point if we're to continue feeding those hungry little(ish) nippers.

[Belmont Babes]

Wow Steve thanks for taking the time to update us. Doesn't seem 5 mins since you were doing all those car boots to de-junk! I am doing a shed de-clutter today. Looking to make the move Sept/Oct if the house sells OK. OH has job offer in Auckland, not our first choice but have emailed companies in Waikato to no avail.

Anyway you all look so happy, good on ya! Hope the next 6 years are as good as the first 6 weeks. Keep those posts coming :clap

If your kids ever feel like it would be grateful of a positive PM to my two lads aged 10 and 8. They still aren't too keen.

[Kim39]

OH has job offer in Auckland, not our first choice but have emailed companies in Waikato to no avail

OH is a sparky isn't he. Thought i had given you a company in Hamilton called Ward Chandler. Did you contact them at all?


Kim

[liamnrach]

Steve

Great to hear that you guys are doing so well after your torrid start:nice1

We loved the photos!! Seeing them gave us such a sense of how brilliant life can be there, you all looked as if you were having such an adventure!! We only dream of such things at the moment....

But, our time will come!!:raebanana

Best of luck and we look forward to your next installment

Liam n Rach

[Supadolphin]

Happy Anniversary Steve D and thanks for the offer on info in Cambridge.

BBB I think you're renting in Rotatuna (hope that's right) - my hubby arrived at his rental arranged by his employers which overlooks Lake Rotatuna (or Hamilton Lake as some refer to it....he kept referring to it as Lake Rotorua :laugh ). Would that be in the vicinity of Rotatuna, or am I miles out? He says the house is lovely and within walking distance from the city ...that conversation took place early this morning (our time) so he was obviously pretty jetlagged. First impressions are very good though and I should be getting a more coherent update this evening.

Good luck on the job front you guys, I'm sure you'll get sorted soon. At least you're getting the chance to find your feet and see the place before you get back to the grind. I'll be looking for legal secretarial work when we get there but will take some time out for a while to acclimatise and get a feel for the place:)

Debs

[StevieD]

While I don't want to be seen to advertise this area to the detriment of others, there are benefits of not being in the "big" cities as well as disadvantages. Hamilton is growing rapidly, and it is a nice area , Kim will tell you that, he is a great exponent of the Waikato! (And without their invaluable help when we first arrived, who knows what would have happened).
It is reasonably handy for both coasts, with the BOP and Raglan within easy reach. Didn't think Rototuna was within sight of Hamilton Lake.. maybe it is though :laugh

Belmont, the kids are going to send a pm to yours, could you pm us their names please?? Mine are 11 and 9 so nearly the same age.

[M&J]

Hi Steve

Thanks for the great posts, its good to hear your settling in well to Cambridge. Only just over two weeks and we will be there too, we can't wait :raebanana

You'll be a seasoned local by then!!

Jo

[Bruckner]

Happy anniversary SteveD! Glad to hear things are going well. Started calling the movers for quotes today. Seems like only yesterday I submitted our EOI.

Emily

[StevieD]

Hi Emily, so the move from the Big Apple is still on then? Have many fond memories of NY during my visits there on the ships.... but that was another time. Plenty of new experiences to be getting on with now.

Thanks Jo, will look forward to a poss meet up then!

[liamnrach]

While I don't want to be seen to advertise this area to the detriment of others, there are benefits of not being in the "big" cities as well as disadvantages. Hamilton is growing rapidly, and it is a nice area , Kim will tell you that, he is a great exponent of the Waikato! (And without their invaluable help when we first arrived, who knows what would have happened).
It is reasonably handy for both coasts, with the BOP and Raglan within easy reach.

SteveD

This is all good ammunition for me!! I am trying to persuade the OH that Cambridge/Hamilton is the place to settle, and with you being such an ambassador for the region, I dont think I can go wrong:D

Cheers and looking forward to the photos!! Include some really nice sunset ones, just to melt the missus heart and make my job that much easier:D

Liam

[Sam B]

Hey - Stevie, you've stolen my role as "ambassador"!! I've obviously not been posting enough nice things about Cambridge recently. Oh well, the responsibility of being an ambassador was weighing heavily, so I guess I'll let you take over.

[Tia Maria]

I think its all a scam so the next meet up is in Cambridge and we have to drive to see you all the way from Auckland - very cunning plan indeed! :p

Cheers

Tia

[Sam B]

Ha ha - GREAT idea!

[StevieD]

Deli on the corner anyone??? Yummy cheesecake there and a great cup of coffee :)

[saabmania2]

Great to hear from you again stevieD, I haven't been around for a while due to problems over here (only with my job!!!) so no loss there really still there but i hate it!! lol. Good to hear your all settling in well and hope you find a job soon. it's gone a bit slow at the moment for us i think it's going to be at least another 12-18 months before we can move but were still pushing as hard as possable to get out there can't wait and reading your posts and seeing your pics make us realise it's all worth the hastle.
cheers
Paul

[StevieD]

Paul, not saying everything is rosy, but you have to take what you get and make the most of it. But life is good at the moment, good luck with all your stuff...