Diny
24th December 2004, 08:47 PM
As well as having our 'tidings of great joy' letter from NZIS this morning, we also got an e-mail from a friend of ours who moved out to NZ a year ago.
Have posted the e-mail here 'cos I thought you may find it interesting hearing her accounts of her first year.
She found it very very difficult when she first moved out there and suffered from terrible bouts of homesickness. It sounds like she's feeling far more upbeat about things now.
She is in the same situation as us ....... her husband also works in the oil industry and is away for a month at a time. He is a Kiwi.
Here goes:
Hello hello,
McNabb's calling from outer-NZ! Actually, it's Anne cos Guy is in Argentina, not due back until 8th January - we got the short straw this year. Got your card this morning which was nice and your lovely informative letter. So, you are taking the plunge to move here too? I can sympathise with you on all the effort it takes to get here. We didn't take any of our furniture with us, just a few bits and pieces, and boy, do I regret it. I'm still grieving for my Ikea furniture - sad aren't I.
Where abouts do you plan to settle, or is that still unknown? We started off in Tauranga but it got a bit claustrophobic with Guy's brother and wife so we decided to do something drastic and move to this remote area, nearer to his mum and dad (seemed like a good idea at the time!!) - it feels very remote some days and I want to jump on an aeroplane to go home. We've been here a year now and it's been a busy one. The girls are fine, both at Hikuai school and getting on very well with their education - which, is a complete shock compared the UK education they were getting but that's not to say that 'different' is bad. They have gained so much since coming here and I'm sure they are different children. We are not quite "kiwi-fied" yet but I know that will take time, and I'm determined to hang on to a little bit of British-ness. Guy hasn't found the move all that easy either but I don't suppose him working away all this time can help that. We have just bought a big house with 12 acres of land between Tairua and Pauanui (Hikuai) so that's going to be our project for the next 5-10 years - with the possibility of a career change for Guy. My parents have bought this house we're in in Tairua and they will use it as a holiday home. It's been a real wrench to leave them and we miss their help with the girls but they've been out once to NZ since we got here and they are due out again at the end of February.
Amelia is now 9 and Kristina is 6, both quite different girls but they get on very well and are great girls. I'm not working, tried to work in the mother-in-law's office for a while but couldn't stand the close proximity so I gave that up. Not in a hurry to find another one, and it isn't that easy to get a job round here due to having to travel so far. I visit Thames once a week, to hit Pak n Save and The Warehouse, and Thames is getting a few more "upmarket" shops so that's good - of course, it doesn't compare to having a Marks & Sparks - but nothing ever will.
Well, it's Christmas Eve here and the girls are busy singing and making paper stockings - the anticipation is dripping off the walls, hope Santa doesn't disapoint them. The weather is naff - raining on and off quite heavily. So far, I have been very disappointed with the weather - I think I was expecting it to be hot here all the time - guess you have to go to Oz for that! Tell Mark that Guy met "Darryl" (kiwi bloke from Aberdeen that I'm sure Mark knew too) in Auckland airport on his way to work - he's back in NZ too.
Right, have a great Christmas everyone, and keep me informed of your imminent move here. All the best to you from us,
Anne
Have posted the e-mail here 'cos I thought you may find it interesting hearing her accounts of her first year.
She found it very very difficult when she first moved out there and suffered from terrible bouts of homesickness. It sounds like she's feeling far more upbeat about things now.
She is in the same situation as us ....... her husband also works in the oil industry and is away for a month at a time. He is a Kiwi.
Here goes:
Hello hello,
McNabb's calling from outer-NZ! Actually, it's Anne cos Guy is in Argentina, not due back until 8th January - we got the short straw this year. Got your card this morning which was nice and your lovely informative letter. So, you are taking the plunge to move here too? I can sympathise with you on all the effort it takes to get here. We didn't take any of our furniture with us, just a few bits and pieces, and boy, do I regret it. I'm still grieving for my Ikea furniture - sad aren't I.
Where abouts do you plan to settle, or is that still unknown? We started off in Tauranga but it got a bit claustrophobic with Guy's brother and wife so we decided to do something drastic and move to this remote area, nearer to his mum and dad (seemed like a good idea at the time!!) - it feels very remote some days and I want to jump on an aeroplane to go home. We've been here a year now and it's been a busy one. The girls are fine, both at Hikuai school and getting on very well with their education - which, is a complete shock compared the UK education they were getting but that's not to say that 'different' is bad. They have gained so much since coming here and I'm sure they are different children. We are not quite "kiwi-fied" yet but I know that will take time, and I'm determined to hang on to a little bit of British-ness. Guy hasn't found the move all that easy either but I don't suppose him working away all this time can help that. We have just bought a big house with 12 acres of land between Tairua and Pauanui (Hikuai) so that's going to be our project for the next 5-10 years - with the possibility of a career change for Guy. My parents have bought this house we're in in Tairua and they will use it as a holiday home. It's been a real wrench to leave them and we miss their help with the girls but they've been out once to NZ since we got here and they are due out again at the end of February.
Amelia is now 9 and Kristina is 6, both quite different girls but they get on very well and are great girls. I'm not working, tried to work in the mother-in-law's office for a while but couldn't stand the close proximity so I gave that up. Not in a hurry to find another one, and it isn't that easy to get a job round here due to having to travel so far. I visit Thames once a week, to hit Pak n Save and The Warehouse, and Thames is getting a few more "upmarket" shops so that's good - of course, it doesn't compare to having a Marks & Sparks - but nothing ever will.
Well, it's Christmas Eve here and the girls are busy singing and making paper stockings - the anticipation is dripping off the walls, hope Santa doesn't disapoint them. The weather is naff - raining on and off quite heavily. So far, I have been very disappointed with the weather - I think I was expecting it to be hot here all the time - guess you have to go to Oz for that! Tell Mark that Guy met "Darryl" (kiwi bloke from Aberdeen that I'm sure Mark knew too) in Auckland airport on his way to work - he's back in NZ too.
Right, have a great Christmas everyone, and keep me informed of your imminent move here. All the best to you from us,
Anne