[Carey]

Here's hoping your return to the UK has been OK?

Wonder what your first impressions are, of the UK, after having been away for a while?

Hope it's all going well and that you can be together as a family really, really soon.

[britzy]

I keep in touch with Nicky she is very busy with work and keeping in touch with OH who is still in New Zealand.posted a PM today so may read this.

[nickydwuk]

Thanks for the concern Carey. As Britzy says - been busy just settling in. House still not sold in NZ so OH & boys still home alone :wah Didn't know what to expect having only been away for 8 months but things seemed the same. Some development being done in the area but other than that things the same. Roads much busier and the amount of people that walk around smoking - never saw many in NZ. The air does smell dirtier - but then the town is more crowded. Shopping in Tesco is a dream - the choice is amazing compared to Woolworths etc... Shopping for clothes is much better - more choice & better prices. Miss the coffee shops - where we are they haven't really embraced the coffee culture yet. Hope they do soon. Work feels like I haven't been away. Walked straight back into my old job but with more experience and am up for promotion within the next month. Work is much busier & more pressured but I seem to have brought my Kiwi attitiude back and don't let it worry me. The main problem is living with my mum after having been independant for over 20 years!!! We are getting on ok but I feel like a guest and can't seem to relax. It has been good spending lots of time with DD and trying to get my older son sorted (if he ever will). Really miss OH & the boys - we skype twice a day so probably talk more now than we did wehen we were together:D Fingers crossed the house sells soon and we can be together again.

I do miss NZ - the space, my house, the scenery etc... and have days when I wonder if I should have stayed put but I think it is mainly cos the family are still there. Really looking forward to going back for a couple of weeks when the house sells to see it all again. It is a part of our lives that we don't regret and I think it has made me a better person because of it. Just a shame it never worked out the way we wanted it to. We would do it all again if we went back in time.

[victoria24]

nice post nicky:nice1

[tea drinker]

Glad to hear your update Nicky

[Arwen]

Best of luck to you Nicky. I hope you and your family are reunited very soon. ;)

[YouMeAndThree]

Really miss OH & the boys - we skype twice a day so probably talk more now than we did when we were together:D

LOL, that brings back memories of when OH went to NZ ahead of me and our girls. We rarely get the chance in normal everyday life to sit opposite each other and just talk without interruptions like you do on Skype.

Hope normal family life resumes soon. Good luck with selling the house.

Lx

[catt]

Glad to hear your ok Nicky.........give my regards to Luton........hope things sort out quickly this end so that you can all be back together again soon. Huggzzz

[catt]

Any news on Nickydwuk?

[nickydwuk]

Had mega problems with internet access - hope we have got it sorted now. My mum insisted on going with the cheapest which is not always the best. I am flying back to NZ next week to bring my boys (and OH) back. The house is not sold but we can't go on like this and miss each other like mad. They will be camped in various places around the town with family until OH gets a full time job then we hope to rent until we sell up in NZ. Any newly arrived wanting an almost new house in Oxford????

Work is going well - hoping to get a promotion next month. Getting used to the British summer - I think NZ has had more sun during winter than we have had so far this summer!!! Looking forward to seeing NZ again just hope I don't change my mind :D

[Arwen]

So nice to know you will all be reunited soon. :nice1 It must have been so hard being on opposite sides of the planet!!!

Best of luck to you all going forward and fingers crossed that your house sells soon. ;)

[JandM]

Yes, good luck. ++++++++++++++++++

[catt]

Glad you have started to sort things out.............huggzzz to all of you and good luck in whatever happens next. Hoping your house sells soon, will you rent it out short term in the meantime? Keep in touch :nice1

[nickydwuk]

Been browsing through the forum and thought I would update this thread. We have now bought our own home in UK having finallly sold our lovely home in NZ. Dogs, boys & OH are all where they belong. Life is settling down. Kids are settled in college/uni etc... My job is ok - gained promotion shortly after arriving back. Although working for the NHS is always going to be more stressful than working in NZ !!!! OH still needs to secure more lucrative employment although he is happy working part-time as a carer while he retrains as a driving instructor - so money is tight until that happens.

The one thing we have realised is that while in NZ we missed family & what was familiar since we have been back we miss NZ terribly - even though we were only there a short period. It really felt like home to us. The recent earthquake near where we lived brought home to us how much we miss it. Who knows - when the kids have finally sorted themselves out qwe may return - I have 10 years left before I am too old and OH has 6 -so we have a little time. But we would have to reapply for PR - not sure if we could go through all that again.

In the meantime we intend to make the most of what we have and enjoy what life has thrown at us. It's not everyone that can say they have lived in 2 countries and loved them both. :nice1

[Janey]

good post Nicky, I agree I think the familarity was the thing we missed , you know or is inbred what shop is what quality Ie Mark john Lewis etc when you arrive here its all ailen just buying drapes or carpets is like wading through a sticky maze not sure of the quality or workmanship you will recieve. We though we missed the quint essential coutry pub but on reflection this was just the image posted on escape to the country etc, we are not huge drinkers and in fact the cafe culture suits our needs just as well as there are some glorious settings around NZ (one in particular The Chocolate cafe overlooking Lyleton Harbour is a must)

We miss the history and the fredom of footpaths but what is intresting is we found Wellington very anti Dogs but Auckland the exact opposite a 10 minute walk on the North shore and you bump into 10-15 other dogs all enjoying a stroll or play in the sea!
I do not miss the over crowdness of the UK, or the politics, what Wayne Rooney is up to etc but of course miss family and friends going back highlighted who in fact are true friends and hopefully over the next few years will see many of them visit!
Take Nicky
all the Best from Jane & Family

[nickydwuk]

, we are not huge drinkers and in fact the cafe culture suits our needs just as well as there are some glorious settings around NZ (one in particular The Chocolate cafe overlooking Lyleton Harbour is a must)



mmmmmm - coffee. That is what we miss about NZ. Have searched for the equivalent here and it has taken us a year but we have found one that is near but still not up to standard.

[Janey]

yes we became real coffee snobs in the UK, forget those in the service stations the best one I had was a local cafe in Lskeard a small market town where the member of staff was a kiwi unlucky for us after we found her she went home the next week!

[nickydwuk]

We have tried Italian cafes, british cafes - all sorts. So far the nearest is Costa coffee. Still not up to the standard of Esquires or Cafe 51 in Oxford. Something to look forward to on our next holiday there. When we returned to NZ in March to pack up the house - after we got our rental car the first stop was the coffe shop. Even before we went home !!!! How sad is that :D

[Sam B]

I agree, forget scenery and lack of crowds. My favourite thing in NZ (and I kid you not) is the coffee. I will have to live here forever now, as I am completely addicted.

[Carey]

Oh COME ON Sam!!!!!!!! Ok I believe you coz I have seen how important it is to you and I also like a nice cup but how exactly is NZ coffee so much better than anywhere else? I mean I drink it and think, yup that was good, but I can't honestly say it tastes that different to coffees I've had in the Uk? Does it? Convince me?! Is it the aroma, the texture, the taste (well obviously but what IS the taste!) or the stage of life you are at???

[victoria24]

Oh COME ON Sam!!!!!!!! Ok I believe you coz I have seen how important it is to you and I also like a nice cup but how exactly is NZ coffee so much better than anywhere else? I mean I drink it and think, yup that was good, but I can't honestly say it tastes that different to coffees I've had in the Uk? Does it? Convince me?! Is it the aroma, the texture, the taste (well obviously but what IS the taste!) or the stage of life you are at???

mrs v went back to the uk last july after only being here 3 months and can categorically confirm as an ex 30 cups a day connoisseur that the coffee here is better.
went to oz, coffee here is better
went to raro, coffee here is better
been to NYC, coffee here is better
been all over europe, coffee here is better
been to florida, coffee here is better

nuff said:nice1

[Duncan74]

Are you sure that it isn't just after the 40 minute wait for the coffee that you feel that you have to enjoy it more? ;-)

Seriously, then I've had both very good and utterly undrinkable coffee here. And there's a much greater selection of independents here. Indeed I find the chains pretty average, and certainly no better than the Uk. In fact for me personally Starbucks NZ is worse than Starbucks UK in terms of quality of food and speed of service. The coffee tastes the same of course.

[nickydwuk]

I have had poor coffee in NZ. Some from a chain and some from an independant - but there does seem to be more places that get it right than the UK. I think it is to do with the strength and the preparation. I have seen how they do it in the UK and although they use the machines there does not seem to be the same amount of froth on my cappacino and the taste is weaker. And they do it quicker - it is rushed. OH is relly fussy about his coffee and rarely frinks out because no one can get it how he likes it but in NZ we drank out a lot!!! Cost a fortune too!!! Still have my loyalty cards for a free coffee which I hope will still be valid when we come back.

[Janey]

yes I have restarted a collection of thos etoo I was handed one yesterday 5 cups and the next free not bad as usually its 10!:bluebanana

[Mav]

Well I have had good and bad coffee in NZ just the same as here in Oz. Gloria Jeans used to be good in my town but now it has a real chemical taste to it. However the GJ in Rundle Mall in Adelaide still does a nice coffee.

I did get a good coffee from Starbucks in Queenstown mall and normally I don't bother with them cause it usually tastes very average at other Starbucks I have visited.

Nothing worse than getting a cup full of burnt, bitter tasting coffee.

[Sam B]

WHAT are you doing drinking at Starbucks? I would never have coffee from a chain here. The independents are much better. It is hard to have a bad cup of coffee here. Some of you must be trying really hard if you are having bad coffees. They really understand coffee here. They have properly trained barristas, who know what they are doing. They know that coffee can't be rushed. Beans must be freshly roasted and ground, the temperature of the machine must be exactly right for the extraction, nothing can be rushed. The milk should be made into a creamy, silky froth, and the proportions of milk, foam and coffe should be exactly right. NZ coffee rules, and I don't care how long I have to wait for it!

[Kanga]

Longest I've waited for coffee was about 6 mins- what's the rush?!

I agree, the coffee here is fabulous and best of all you never need touch a dodgy chain outlet. It's so much fun finding your favourite place here- my mother and I set about writing a pamphlet in HB reviewing all the decent places for coffee. Such fun :-) Te Mata PEak won for surroundings (what a view!) and amazing cheese and feijoa muffins but the best coffee was in a slightly unlikely looking place between HAstings and Napier. Mmmm coffee!!

We missed it in Oz and on our first day back here on our way out of the airport we bought a massive one each- at about 10pm when already jetlagged, oops!

[benandclare]

WHAT are you doing drinking at Starbucks? I would never have coffee from a chain here. The independents are much better. It is hard to have a bad cup of coffee here. Some of you must be trying really hard if you are having bad coffees. They really understand coffee here. They have properly trained barristas, who know what they are doing. They know that coffee can't be rushed. Beans must be freshly roasted and ground, the temperature of the machine must be exactly right for the extraction, nothing can be rushed. The milk should be made into a creamy, silky froth, and the proportions of milk, foam and coffe should be exactly right. NZ coffee rules, and I don't care how long I have to wait for it!


:nice1:nice1

[peebles16]

WHAT are you doing drinking at Starbucks? I would never have coffee from a chain here. The independents are much better. It is hard to have a bad cup of coffee here. Some of you must be trying really hard if you are having bad coffees. They really understand coffee here. They have properly trained barristas, who know what they are doing. They know that coffee can't be rushed. Beans must be freshly roasted and ground, the temperature of the machine must be exactly right for the extraction, nothing can be rushed. The milk should be made into a creamy, silky froth, and the proportions of milk, foam and coffe should be exactly right. NZ coffee rules, and I don't care how long I have to wait for it!

Agree completely :cool:

Karenx

[pinkpiggy]

I have to agree too. Coffee is NZ is far better than any I ever tasted in UK.

[Duncan74]

Re Why starbucks - because on a Sunday PM then all the indy's are closed. In fact on a weekend almost all teh local ones in town are closed.

And what's the rush. Well today I had 30 minutes before a meeting. So went over to grab a coffee (5 minute walk away). Ended up leaving without it as at 5 to I still hadn't got it, having ordererd within 1 minute of getting there. So that was $5 and a 10 minute walk for nothing. Hopefully they'll not charge me tomorrow.

And I'd (un) hapilly show oyu round the nearest 4 places selling coffee to our office and I would defy you to drink any of them. In fact in the one nearest I defy you to actually eat anything or drink anything they sell.

[newarrival]

Go, SamB, go:nice1!

[petri]

WHAT are you doing drinking at Starbucks? I would never have coffee from a chain here. The independents are much better. It is hard to have a bad cup of coffee here.

When we were in NZ, I was thinking about visiting Starbucks -- just to see if the coffee there is as bad as it usually is, or if they try to compete with the local shops.

The worst coffee we had in NZ was in the Qantas lounge at Auckland airport. Pretty much every flat white elsewhere were just perfect.

If a small town of Bruges in Belgium can declare themselves the city of chocolate, NZ should really capitalize the flat white. Even if it might have been born in Australia, they don't do it well there. And the flat white is superior to most cafe au laits and cafe lattes you get in France and Italy. The latter do have quite a bit variety with the macchiatos and the rest, but still.. I would declare NZ the modern coffee country of the world.

[Sam B]

Re Why starbucks - because on a Sunday PM then all the indy's are closed. In fact on a weekend almost all teh local ones in town are closed.

And what's the rush. Well today I had 30 minutes before a meeting. So went over to grab a coffee (5 minute walk away). Ended up leaving without it as at 5 to I still hadn't got it, having ordererd within 1 minute of getting there. So that was $5 and a 10 minute walk for nothing. Hopefully they'll not charge me tomorrow.

And I'd (un) hapilly show oyu round the nearest 4 places selling coffee to our office and I would defy you to drink any of them. In fact in the one nearest I defy you to actually eat anything or drink anything they sell.

Hmmm, this is bad. Glad I didn't move to Tauranga. If every independent is shut (and even in little old Cambridge this only happens on Christmas day) then I head to Wild Bean at the BP station (yes, I was queueing for a coffee on Christmas day, along with 50 or so other jittery addicts). There MUST be some other places that open at the weekend, or serve faster than 25 minutes. Maybe lunchtime is a bad time for buying coffee? I'm more of an 8am girl, otherwise I'm up half the night making lists.

Hopefully Tauranga joins the food and coffee revolution soon. Until then, stay strong.

[Duncan74]

There are some decent cafes at the Mount, and over in town over on 1st avenue, but that's a long walk from the office. They aren't normally that bad on a lunch, normally average 10 minutes, just enough to read the Herald which is OK, but after the Herald and the sports pages today then I had to call it a day.

Really looking forward to getting my espresso machine and grinder. Just need to sell my giant St Josephs statue first...

[GrumpyGoat]

I must admit that after 2 years here (and lots of complaining initially) I have come to accept the really strong coffee here. I have drank at least two a day from a variety of coffee shops from Auckland to Invercargill over the last six months and I have come to like it--but with milk and sugar.
My days of drinking it "black" are over--because it is still disgusting that way. But I do like a mocha milkshake made out of the super strong coffee.

Of course, this is probably the reason I have moved up a size in my closet to my "fat clothes" ---all the extra creme and sugar in my coffees. :wah

[KelvinAng]

My days of drinking it "black" are over--because it is still disgusting that way.

I've never really thought about why I prefer white coffees here but black coffees back in Singapore - of course, in Singapore most of my coffees are drip coffees while in NZ most of my coffees are espressos. I wouldn't say I prefer the black Singapore coffee over the white NZ coffee, they're both good. I would prefer the black Singapore coffee over the black NZ coffee though...

You could also ask for a trim white coffee in NZ if you prefer, but everyone knows that real white coffees are made with the creamiest milk you can get your hands on :D