[settersred]

OK now i'm starting to panic! :uhoh Tears yesterday!

The dog is on her way tomorrow and luckily has a nice home to go to (Bunny Lodge) unlike us. We arrive in Christchurch on Saturday week and have not yet managed to find a rental in the Rangiora area. With 3 kids, 1 dog and limited funds, a motel will only be a very short term solution.

Our contacts told us not to worry as they will find something for us, we were quite relaxed about it as they had somewhere that they rented out and it was going to be our "fall back" if nothing else came up. They are now selling this to finance another project.:wah

Appart from the rental problem, I am really stressed about the shipping company coming in on Thursday. I know they pack everything for you, my problem is the items I don't want them to pack. I am trying to keep one room clear to put all these things into, like clothes, paperwork etc. that we need to take on the plane and items that belong to the house as it's a rental.

I seem to be worrying about the most mundane things like what to put the tea/coffee/sugar in when they pack my jars and wanting to buy a new dustbin and "what if they pack our toothbrushes?". I know its unreasonable but I can't seem to help it, is this normal?:confused:

Wouldn't it be bliss to go to sleep here and wake up in a nice rental to the sound of the kids and the dog playing in the garden. Oh! for a fairy godmother.

Sorry for the ramblings, I could go on all night but I don't want to bore you all.

[Jo Jo]

I seem to be worrying about the most mundane things like what to put the tea/coffee/sugar in when they pack my jars and wanting to buy a new dustbin and "what if they pack our toothbrushes?". I know its unreasonable but I can't seem to help it, is this normal?:confused:



I am so glad I'm not the only one to worry about these things!! If it's not normal, then I'm not normal either.

I hope you get everything sorted out, which I am sure you will.

Good luck with everything.

[Tia Maria]

It does all get a bit much in the last few/first few weeks.

We used the understairs cupboard to put items we didn't want them to pack. Ultimately with most things it won't matter but if you really are worried about things like paperwork then get them to a family member's house as there is no way they can be accidently packed there! Then if you forget to take them with you, like we did :o , at least it can be posted on to you.

Either go out and buy some tea/coffe & sugar - leave it in the boxes/jars, or use some old mugs you are not taking with you or buy some tupperware with lids which can then be used to transport various bits and pieces in your suitcase. Tootbruashes - available at the airport, sometimes on the plane and amazingly even in New Zealand. :D

But I suspect these aren't the real problems and you are just having problems dealing with the unknown and the fact that there will be many things out of you control over the next few weeks. This will be the start of many situations like this!

Things that I find can help -

1) Take a deep breath,
2) Accept that not everything has to be perfect to work,
3) Have the odd glass of wine,
4) Have the odd cry/ shout/meltdown, in fact apologise in advance to your partner for when it happens,
5) Above all learn to laugh especially when you arrive at the airport without your passport, with no idea if you are doing the right thing only to discover your skirt is tucked in your knickers.

Watch out for the hot, tired and hungry scenarios - do a check on yourself and the family every now and then to check you've all had enough sleep, you've eaten and you are comfortable. It sounds obvious but its often these kinds of things that make mountains out of molehills.

As for where to stay when you get there we also had a lot of trouble and had to stay in lots of places which was a pain. A good compromise is some kind of bach/holiday home, they often offer discounts for long term stays especially out of season - we stayed in one for about 6 weeks, they come fully furnished and often include extras like boxes of toys/videos etc.

It is a difficult having to be flexible because you just want to settle but it is one of the challenges you will come across when you first arrive. If the rentals aren't there at the moment, there is nothing you can do so don't tear your hair out over what you can't change, just come up with the next best solution - hang in there!

Cheers

Tia

[sizzlingbadger]

Have a look at this link www.holidayhouses.co.nz/properties/4562.asp

Looks like a good short term solution until you get on your feet.

All natural feelings you're going through right now. As Tia says sit down, deep breathes, relax, make a list of everything that needs to be done.

We used throw away cups when the movers were in and they packed the kettle last, we binned the last of the tea and coffee. The packers won't be in any hurry to pack the kettle so don't worry about that disappearing :D

We had the day off before the movers came in to get everything we needed packed in to suitcases and on the day we had a small box room we cleared so we could put everything not going in there. Still forgot the paperwork which ended up in the container for six weeks :uhoh

If you do forget things don't stress, just relax and pick it up at the airport or when you get here, you're not heading for a desert island :o

Good luck you are in for a stressful week no doubt about it. Moving to the other side of the world isn't easy, for us we also had 3 kids 3 and under at the time of moving, not sure how we ever coped with that but we did and we're still here in NZ 2 1/2 years on :D

[SharpBlade]

I just want to add, Christchurch is really a nice place and we have had stunning weather so far (but it is raining today and a cold snap is on the cards for the next few days). I know things get hectic with the packing and the flights etc.. but it all turns out ok in the end. You might also find a rental quicker once you are here, have a look at newspapers like The Press , Saturday or Wedn edition, there are usually a lot of adds.
Good luck, Laura

[victoria]

You are completely normal ... and a bit of a hero. Do you know that? Apart from uprooting to go to the other side of the world, you're taking 3 little folk with you. Wow! That's amazing!!!
The forumites are here for you whenever you need. Already they've given some good advice for you.Share the load as we've been through this. Your emotions will be your friend & enemy at the same time while going through the stages but it does get better. Good luck

[willsken]

I remember feeling the way you do at the moment.... that was 8 months ago! You do get through it, tough as it seems at the time. We are totally settled and back to normal now. Doesn't take long, honest!:D Best of luck. :nice1

[veronica]

hiya all seems to be what passes for normal to me. The other accommodation option is to look at a cabin in one of the caravan sites, there is one on the way to Rangiora from Chch on Marshlands road I believe, I have PM'd you with another stop gap option too

[tigerlily]

Having somewhere to go when you land will help I'm betting. I just sorted out our car rental for the first week- and even that seems to have reduced the stress a bit. If you are a planner, you need things planned out to feel comfortable. Also if you are the only one in the family taking care of the details, its a big weight on your shoulders.

I bought an accordian file that I have our airline ticket print outs, holiday cottage directions and confirmation, our IRD cards, everything that I know I can't loose along the way. I think I'll pack our bags and stick them in our car while everything else gets loaded. Though since we are packing ourselves I should hope we don't pack up the wrong things (our passports, the cat, a kid, etc...).

[holland]

Sending e hugs....

We're not at that point yet, but I imagine I will be feeling and worrying about the same things!

You'll get through it, and it will be worth it when you are settled in NZ

Good Luck

j and G x

[vixxann]

Just wanted to add my best wishes - I'm sure you'll get there (with all necessary bits & pieces where they should be!)

Would like to add - Tia what a fab reply, I shall have to remember to look at that again when our time comes for packing etc and I'm stressing out :)

[Pip]

Hi.

Just wanted to say hang on in there and I recommend the link to the Olive Loft holiday home. We stayed there with out cat when we came out - its a 5 min drive to Rangiora and the owners are brits who moved out about 20 yrs ago and full of loads of useful info. I know several people from the forum who have stayed with them.. there's lots of forum people in this area, and we'll all do our best to help you get settled!

[lockstock]

Hang on in there! Before very much longer you'll be looking back on it all - and have loads more to look forward to. Thinking of you - and the dog!!!:clap

[LesleyS]

Hey don't worry....It will all come right. :yes

I'm just the same - panic attacks about the most trivial things associated with the move. take each day as it comes and accentuate the 'positives'.

Always here to talk if you need to :)

[Silverwing86]

Eveything you're feeling is quite normal, I think we all go through this stage in some way or another. However much you might feel the need to, you simply cannot plan every single thing ahead of time and the best thing to do is just agree with yourself and your family that getting it perfect is not the aim. Just getting through and improvising where need be is an excellent achievement ! Tia's post really says it all (great post Tia, you definitely need to get some rep for that ! Will do it as soon as I'm done with this post at the last minute...) !

Although OH and I had it a lot easier since we didn't have little people to worry about (Victoria is absolutely right about you being a hero !!), it was still extremely stressful with a house to exchange, getting our stuff sorted (definitely a good idea to choose one room for stuff that shouldn't go with the packers, worked well for us), packed and shipped and ourselves onto the plane (with waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much luggage, had to send a couple of boxes by post :laugh !).

We just agreed that from that time on till after the first few months in NZ, things being unsettled would be the norm, it just comes with the territory of such a big, life-changing move. Expecting things to be frazzled, far less than perfect and expecting to have to improvise every step of the way actually helped us a great deal because we didn't constantly feel that we were doing a bad job, just the best we could and that was great. That way every step achieved became a victory !

I know it's easier said than done, but try to relax, keep a cool head and solve the 'challenges' as they come along. As they say Down Under, 'she'll be right', you can do more than you think !

Good luck and don't forget the forum is here whenever you need it !

Silver