[captainxmas]

Well, we are now inside our final 24hrs and can't wait to get started.

So this time tomorrow we will be rumbling down a Heathrow runway a lot sooner than we originally planned, ordering champagne and reading up some last minute research.

It has been an interesting journey from our first enquiries at NZ House a couple of years back, Sophie going back to Nursing and the last 7 months of paperwork and bills, and more paperwork, bills and some red tape. Eh?

We are ready to start our new life now and are steadily placed between excitement and nerves. Things will begin to hit home in a few weeks once we get passed the normal holiday phase, especially with Sophie going straight into work.

We know where we want to be and have seen enough of real NZ life to know what to expect, not to mention the events of the last few weeks which have bolstered our intent.

So thanks again for the support of the ENZ crew and i'm sure we will be calling on you all again in the near future, but for now: Happy Trails and Interesting Times.

Bring it on!!!

Rich n Soph xx :raebanana :raebanana

[Marie P]

GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES !

Marie x

[Bubbles]

All the best Rich'

:clap :clap

[Smiler]

Safe journey and happy times in NZ.

Deborah

[Mildred]

Don't forget to keep in touch. Bon Voyage

[Timbo]

All the very best Rich & Soph.

[Milliemoo]

Have a safe trip, you lucky thing :mrgreen:

Can't wait to hear how you get on.

Milliemoo :nice1

[K&CS]

You lucky lucky people! All the very best - have a fab flight - I'll be thinking of you tomorrow while I'm sat at my desk!

Look forward to hearing how you get on 'on the other side'!

Kate

[kiwidebs]

Wow. Good luck to you guys. Look forward to hearing the stories from 'the other side'. Can't wait to join you over there.

Debs

[Simon & Emily]

All the best to you both, you lucky things - your time has finally come :clap :clap

Good luck,

Emily

[kiwidollie]

A big Ditto to everyone's comments!!

And one of these :nice1

Have a great time x

[AliJax]

Bring it on, good on yer, Rich & Sophie.

We're away from it for a few days n another one ships out - Happy Trails.

Ali, Linda & Lucy.
:raebanana

[Kim39]

Good luck, and enjoy that flight into another life :nice1

Kim

[captainxmas]

Well 30 hours on the ground in NZ and we have:

Found our motel - it's 'okay', will keep us dry for the month.
Sophie has vistied her office - nice people and her room number is her lucky number.
Collected Bank cards from ASB - and used them already
Put down a deposit on a car to be collected on Monday

Going well and now we have slept we are feeling more confident each day - next goals are job for me, rental and mobiles.

Thanks for the messages of support, we will be open to help out any future ENZ arrivals.

And isn't it about time the local Aucklanders set up a meet?

Cheers for now, Rich n Soph

:cheers

[jubjub]

Hi Captain, nice to see you made it, and are getting down to the nitty gritty of spending lots of money, you will go through more than you anticipate in the first couple of months, but that will settle down.

Hope Sophie likes her new job, and that you can get one sorted too. Whereabouts are you?

Keep going at that rate and you will have bought a house before you know it, hang on though, has your old one sold??

[captainxmas]

Wow, like the new forum.

Well it's been a bit of a month, so I'll try and fit it all in...

Since my last post we moved motels to a much nicer place with a little more room, so we could walk around the bed without bumping into each other.

Sophie started work three days after we arrived and has settled well, shame about AHDB's induction processes not quite matching the reality though.

We have relocated out West in leafy Titirangi - pictures to follow. Finding the house seemed to be the hardest part, especially while trying to find work. I struck lucky and snapped up a nice place the first morning it was on show! (This was after seeing some incredible dives)

Still no joy on the work front for me though, it's been a strange old tale so far and especially tiring this week after spilling my life story no less than 7 times to various agencies and potential employers. I have been at the rough end of a couple of political decisions, but I will go into those on another thread. Still the opportunities keep coming up and I'm sure one will drop in soon.

Cash is getting tighter, we have had to draw extra funds from the UK, so the house had better complete soon. It's true that you will spend more than expected in the early days, everyone seems to want their pound of flesh.

Container is arriving next week and the cats the week after, so it will feel a bit more homely then - currently furnished with airbed, borrowed sofa, garden chairs and de-humidifier.

Family and friends have been great, both here and back in the world.

Also, the car we picked up when we first arrived took us down to Gisborne for a mad trip to see Soph's dad.
1 - The exhaust fell off between Rotorua and Otopoki - Nothing is open on Saturday afternoon down that way.
2 - The cooling system leaked empty on the way back and we almsot overheated at Hamilton.
Needless to say the garage was horrified and set it all right.

Anyway, that's it for now - officially on Broadband. So we will be back in touch.

Cheers,

Rich n Soph x

[Smiler]

Wow thats a bit of a rollercoaster too.

Good to hear things are going well though and I bet once everything arrives and you're in the the house, it will all feel even better.

Good luck with the job search, I'm off to look for your other thread ( she says, living and sleeping job searches at mo)

All the best
Deborah

[kiwidebs]

Hi there you Westies:D . Isn't Titirangi beautiful!! Glad to hear you are settling. I'm sure a job will be sorted soonish - as you say the opportunities are there and one will pan out.

Debs

[jo b]

Rich & Soph

Have a great trip and hope you settle in to your new life quickly.

Jo & crew

[Diny]

Hi Rich & Soph

Good to hear you're getting on so well. These first few weeks are one heck of a roller coaster ride aren't they?

All the best - and keep us posted.

Diny