[chips]

After being here for 15 days now, and after an afternoon of bodyboarding, the answer is yes.......... ,all the stress of medicals,job hunting,eoi,ird's, NZQA,levy's ,etc definatly.
The far north is NOT as bad as the NZ herald would have you believe.
Within 2 hours of pulling up, the principle had come over, a member of staff had come over to talk me shopping, and new fridges,beds and washing machines were delivered within the hour. Even when the card refuse to go though for the car we were buying ,"it was " pay a small deposit and pay off in 30 day's ,no worries " ( he did know where we lived)
The question now is not, shall we go to the beach, it's "which beach".
Don't give up, if you are making your journey to get here,the bigger the strugle ,the sweeter the sea and beaches ,and weather...............
:nice1 Chips and 4 other happy peeps

[Timbo]

Hi Chips. Well done on finding your dream. It sounds almost too good to be true.
Where abouts in Northland are you? I hear on the grapevine that summer has finally arrived, so you timed it well.

[chips]

Hi Timbo,
I've just re read what i had written ,and your right it does sound too good to be true. It's not all perfect, but where is?? It's Kataia we are in, and as i say ,if we believed every word the NZ herald said we would never step foot here.
Infact i have been reading the sun and the mirror on line, and things seem worse than they actually are (or are they)
all the best all.
Chips

[Timbo]

I just noticed the bit in your avatar........."steaming Northland"
Now I like the sound of that. :clap

[pleccy2000]

After being here for 15 days now, and after an afternoon of bodyboarding, the answer is yes..........all that crap.(sorry) ,all the stress of medicals,job hunting,eoi,ird's, NZQA,levy's ,etc definatly.
The far north is NOT as bad as the NZ herald would have you believe.
Within 2 hours of pulling up, the principle had come over, a member of staff had come over to talk me shopping, and new fridges,beds and washing machines were delivered within the hour. Even when the card refuse to go though for the car we were buying ,"it was " pay a small deposit and pay off in 30 day's ,no worries " ( he did know where we lived)
The question now is not, shall we go to the beach, it's "which beach".
Don't give up, if you are making your journey to get here,the bigger the strugle ,the sweeter the sea and beaches ,and weather...............
:nice1 Chips and 4 other happy peeps

I am glad you enjoy it here. Do you been homesick at all? Do you think that the beautiful views etc will wear off or do you beleive that you will still look at every beach in awe in say 20 years time?

[leslie]

i noticed the herald frequently re-prints the same bad news under different headlines - sometimes 3 times on the same front page! its cute really. "body over cliff' 'man commits suicide' 'body found at bottom of xyz cliff', boldly illustrating there are a number of ways to see every scenario. thats when i really understood how non-eventful it was going to be. wonder how they'll cover the big innaug?

[jo b]

[/quote]
I am glad you enjoy it here. Do you been homesick at all? Do you think that the beautiful views etc will wear off or do you beleive that you will still look at every beach in awe in say 20 years time?[/quote]

Pleccy are you feeling homesick mate :?

Jo

[pleccy2000]

Pleccy are you feeling homesick mate :?

Jo[/quote]

Very much so :(

[leslie]

wallow pleccy, feel the pain and then go out and eat a massive icecream while looking out to sea, sun on your face, run-off down your arm. enjoying the clean air?

am thinking of you all clustering on forshore as i can no longer even take 18 month old max to throw stones into the thames anymore (his fave game) ... water board keeps releasing illegal loads of sewage into it. the embankment is brown and slippery. gross. trying not to generalise, but the water ...

[chips]

Pleccy, yes they will become boring for sure at some point, so i am trying to enjoy every good feeling. No doubt in the winter ,or cooler months things will be alot differant. :roll: I woke up cring this morning ,as i was dreaming about friends who i felt i didn't get to say "goodbye" properly to. Big bashes are great ,but are a bit "impersonal" from the "goodbye's" that really matter.
I miss the fractious walk to school,with all those face you reconise, the smells you reconise and the builing you reconise. :(
The rose tinted glasses stayed at the airport ,and i am trying to get to get to know people for who they are ,and not try to replace people i left behind. And i am trying to get to know the community and the area for who and what they are ,rather than turning or comparing it to little Britian.
It is hard . And i never for one moment believed the poeple who said it was going to be easy. But so far weighing things up. It has ...so far..been worth the total dislocation. We shall see 6 months down the line if it remains the same..
Chips

[Moorf]

When we lived in Scotland I loved the area and after 7 yrs I still went outside most evenings to gaze in awe at the sunsets, I still found the hills beautiful in every way and loved being able to "see" the seasons come and go. (uh oh, lip quivering.. moving on...)

So NO, I don't think we will be bored of this country, or take it for granted, for a long long time.

;)

[eric_amanda]

Chips Welcome to Northland!! Glad to see we are no longer the only ones here in Northland!!

We have not yet ventured as far as Kaitia yet, although Eric does the odd days work out at Coopers Beach about once a month. Keep saying the boys and I should tag along for a day.

You'll have to let us know what is good and what is not up there.

Amanda

[leslie]

moorf
know what you mean. when lived in cambridge nz our house was in an elevated position. i walked out the door to the most amazing panorama - every day i woke early just to drink coffee on porch and LOOK. as we were in the middle of nowhere it was soooooo quiet. dont think i ever heard/ felt my heart beat until then. i loved that you could read the morning sky for the entire days weather. the stars at night? the sky was black and they were thick - like a carpet. amazing.