Wiggles
12th July 2005, 03:07 PM
Hi All
Please forgive me for not doing an update sooner. We have been off ‘the beaten track’ for some time now and just have not had the time. We left the UK mid-March and had various stopovers en-route to New Zealand. Firstly, we did an East African safari in Tanzania then headed for South Africa which was superb and we had a very relaxing time which was very welcome after the safari and stress endured with our house sale in the UK!
Well, we finally reached New Zealand at the beginning of May. :clap We had planned to settle in Christchurch, but our plans changed very quickly after arrival. We stayed in Auckland for the first 2 weeks, taking the time to acclimatize and catch up my DH’s family. We absolutely loved it, from the minute we arrived. We still thought that we would settle in Christchurch at this stage, but from the minute we arrived there, we knew it was not for us. It is a lovely city, but just didn’t feel right.
Well Auckland has been great from day one. The weather has been absolutely fantastic – we are right in the middle of winter, and have yet to see the temperature dip below 10c during the day. The nights are chilly, but not freezing cold. Bliss!! We have had some rain, but the sun normally comes out again.
It took my DH a little while to find a job – the I.T. process is a slow one here. You have to be vetted by the I.T. agents before they will put you forward for a job. Then the interview happens, and as happened in one case, he had to go and have a psych test! Very pleased to know that he passed and that I’m not married to a psycho!! On the other hand, the job he eventually got was very quick. The agent put him forward on the Monday, and he went for the interview on the Friday and was offered the job on Friday afternoon. It was celebrations that night, I can tell you.
Buying a house is an absolute pleasure here. You make an offer, some negotiation may be required, and if it’s accepted you are usually given 10 days to go unconditional. You specify the conditions – we wanted a LIM report check and an inspection. We bought a lovely 4 bedroom villa in Mt Eden, a lovely suburb close to the City. It is quite English in a way, with a High Street, lovely restaurants and pubs – again, bliss!! :mrgreen: The best thing though, it is zoned for one of the best boys’ High Schools in New Zealand. We are over the moon that our son will be able to go there, and that we won’t have to pay for a great education either!!! It does come at a cost though – a smaller garden than you would perhaps find elsewhere. We are looking on this as an investment and will buy our dream home in years to come.
I would just like to warn you about houses built in the last 10 years. They have something here called Leaky Buildings (think they’ve had probs in the US as well) – it’s where modern houses have been built without eaves, and the cladding is sprayed onto untreated wood which has no insulation or breathing space, and they basically go rotten and the house starts to crumble around you. Lovely! Just beware if you want to buy one of these stunning modern houses – get a building inspection done, by a registered inspector and also specify that you would like them to test for leaky building and moisture. An inspection on our old villa cost NZ$350 - money well spent!
Our son is really blossoming here. He is in a primary school and his confidence levels have really soared. He loves the fact that all the schools here have jungle gyms – with high climbing frames and monkey bars. He thought he had died and gone to heaven on his first day! Kids can really be kids here. There is a lot of sport played and loads of outdoor activities. Great life for kids!
Lastly, before I bore the pants off you any further, have found a few bargains food-wise. Be sure to find a really good veg shop – generally they are dotted around all over. They are much cheaper than the supermarkets, eg, a 10kg bag of potatoes NZ$3.99 and the same price for a 10kg bag of onions. BARGAIN!! Find a good butcher too, and when they have specials stock up!
We have settled into New Zealand so happily and just love it here. Please ask any questions and will answer them if I can.
Cheers Wiggles
Please forgive me for not doing an update sooner. We have been off ‘the beaten track’ for some time now and just have not had the time. We left the UK mid-March and had various stopovers en-route to New Zealand. Firstly, we did an East African safari in Tanzania then headed for South Africa which was superb and we had a very relaxing time which was very welcome after the safari and stress endured with our house sale in the UK!
Well, we finally reached New Zealand at the beginning of May. :clap We had planned to settle in Christchurch, but our plans changed very quickly after arrival. We stayed in Auckland for the first 2 weeks, taking the time to acclimatize and catch up my DH’s family. We absolutely loved it, from the minute we arrived. We still thought that we would settle in Christchurch at this stage, but from the minute we arrived there, we knew it was not for us. It is a lovely city, but just didn’t feel right.
Well Auckland has been great from day one. The weather has been absolutely fantastic – we are right in the middle of winter, and have yet to see the temperature dip below 10c during the day. The nights are chilly, but not freezing cold. Bliss!! We have had some rain, but the sun normally comes out again.
It took my DH a little while to find a job – the I.T. process is a slow one here. You have to be vetted by the I.T. agents before they will put you forward for a job. Then the interview happens, and as happened in one case, he had to go and have a psych test! Very pleased to know that he passed and that I’m not married to a psycho!! On the other hand, the job he eventually got was very quick. The agent put him forward on the Monday, and he went for the interview on the Friday and was offered the job on Friday afternoon. It was celebrations that night, I can tell you.
Buying a house is an absolute pleasure here. You make an offer, some negotiation may be required, and if it’s accepted you are usually given 10 days to go unconditional. You specify the conditions – we wanted a LIM report check and an inspection. We bought a lovely 4 bedroom villa in Mt Eden, a lovely suburb close to the City. It is quite English in a way, with a High Street, lovely restaurants and pubs – again, bliss!! :mrgreen: The best thing though, it is zoned for one of the best boys’ High Schools in New Zealand. We are over the moon that our son will be able to go there, and that we won’t have to pay for a great education either!!! It does come at a cost though – a smaller garden than you would perhaps find elsewhere. We are looking on this as an investment and will buy our dream home in years to come.
I would just like to warn you about houses built in the last 10 years. They have something here called Leaky Buildings (think they’ve had probs in the US as well) – it’s where modern houses have been built without eaves, and the cladding is sprayed onto untreated wood which has no insulation or breathing space, and they basically go rotten and the house starts to crumble around you. Lovely! Just beware if you want to buy one of these stunning modern houses – get a building inspection done, by a registered inspector and also specify that you would like them to test for leaky building and moisture. An inspection on our old villa cost NZ$350 - money well spent!
Our son is really blossoming here. He is in a primary school and his confidence levels have really soared. He loves the fact that all the schools here have jungle gyms – with high climbing frames and monkey bars. He thought he had died and gone to heaven on his first day! Kids can really be kids here. There is a lot of sport played and loads of outdoor activities. Great life for kids!
Lastly, before I bore the pants off you any further, have found a few bargains food-wise. Be sure to find a really good veg shop – generally they are dotted around all over. They are much cheaper than the supermarkets, eg, a 10kg bag of potatoes NZ$3.99 and the same price for a 10kg bag of onions. BARGAIN!! Find a good butcher too, and when they have specials stock up!
We have settled into New Zealand so happily and just love it here. Please ask any questions and will answer them if I can.
Cheers Wiggles