Debbie
15th September 2006, 09:51 PM
Warning long post.
Well, it was so close to a disaster that Im still in shock.
Dorree Bonner, didn't take enough stuff away with them on the Mondays pack. The result was that they didnt finish until 5.30 on Tuesday and had to repack the lorry twice to fit it all in :wah My daughter sliped on a piece of packers wrap and split her chin open on the only piece of unwrapped furniture. So an emergancy visit to GP and 4 paper stitchs later....
We had planned to spend the last night at friends, OH drive back to the house in the morning, take the last rubbish to the tip, keys to estate agent, do post redirrect and finish up with the bank. Then on a train back to the friends house in time for our 5pm taxi to Heathrow.
All went to plan until at 12.30 OH phones me in a bit of a tizz saying he has lost his passport. I was calm to start with, you know the usual, ' right check your pockets', 'did you leave it in the car?'. But 2 hrs late and he had been back to the house, the tip, estate agent and nothing. I had already phoned the passport center and found out it would be a week before he could get a new passport and then we would need to send it to NZ house for a new Visa. :wah :wah
Long and very stress full story short, 3pm and in despiration OH was back to the post office for a second time and someone had found his passport in the street and handed it into the post office. Only problem now was that he didn't have enough time to get back to the house and to the airport. So OH went directly to the airport and left me to get 9 large bags, 4 hand luggage and 2 young kids in a taxi to the airport.
We called Heathrow 48hr before departure and was told not to arrive more than 3hrs before check in. We arrived with 2hr 45 and had to rush to get the plane. No chance to use the busness lounge that I was longing for. Heathrow was chaios, so slow and the info on the web page differed from what they were enforcing.
Note for those travelling with young kids, they didn't let me take any Calpol on the flight even though the web page said it was OK.
EVA air busness class was fab. I've not flown bussness class before so can't compare to anything but it was a great relief to be well cared for after such maddness. The food was great, staff attentive more space than we could use. They looked after the kids so well I didn't need any of they toys I had paked. The flight has 2 night sections in it so it was easy for the kids to sleep lots.
Note:- If you have kids don't have any drink in one of those no spill beakers during take off l( I did,) because the pressure change will cause it to pop its lid and spill juice all over the inside of your luggage.
The down side to the kids sleeping lots was when we finally got to Auckland they were running around like mad things and I could bearly function.
Note:- If you slip sweets or any food into your luggage rememer what bag you put them in because if you don't know that manic little sniffer dog will.
We had only been in the country 30mins and I must have looked awful because 2 compleat strangers offered us help with our luggage, checking we were OK for a taxi.
We used A2B rentals who picked us up from the airport and were a lot cheeper than others. So far they have been great, we have extended the rental 2x as we havent found a car still.
We got to the batch we rented and found a local store for emergance food shop. I have to admit I was horrified by the cost of food. The check out lady was friendly and chatty welcomed us to NZ, warned us about all the gangs and voilence that was happening now. :exit
I have to admit that our batch is great, meets out needs but Friday night I laid in bed wondering if we could possibly get back to the UK.
I haven't been to NZ before and the drive from the airport to our batch wasn't at all scenic. I will probably get a telling off for saying this but so far I haven't seen beautiful NZ. The houses are all a miss match of styles in-filled so that they are on top of each other and the dominance of wood boarded house reminds me more of an over grown static home site.
But that said, the jet lag is wearing off and Im getting more used to Auckland. OH has and great luck and landed a contract until Xmas so it looks like we are staying. Our landlords have been great pointing us to mainly music sessions for the kids.
I've learnt quickly that you don't shop in the local convience store. I wish I had brought my super large IKEA bag for use at Pak & Save. You buy store cupboard stuff in supermarket, veg and bread in corner stores.
We got online realy quickly via T3G wireless broadband for $49 +GST a month for a Gb. It's a luxury but means we can skype home.
We've been here a week today and Im resevering (sp blaim it on jet lag) judgement but we are here for now and going to make the best of it. We need to find a house as we only have another 2 weeks here and renting with a dog is difficult. OH starts work in a week and the kids desperatly need some form of routeen for the sake of my sanity.
I love the parks and the open spaces everywhere and the people have been great. The rest will grow on me, hopfully.
Debbie
P.S thanks to kiwidebs for the sanity call.
Well, it was so close to a disaster that Im still in shock.
Dorree Bonner, didn't take enough stuff away with them on the Mondays pack. The result was that they didnt finish until 5.30 on Tuesday and had to repack the lorry twice to fit it all in :wah My daughter sliped on a piece of packers wrap and split her chin open on the only piece of unwrapped furniture. So an emergancy visit to GP and 4 paper stitchs later....
We had planned to spend the last night at friends, OH drive back to the house in the morning, take the last rubbish to the tip, keys to estate agent, do post redirrect and finish up with the bank. Then on a train back to the friends house in time for our 5pm taxi to Heathrow.
All went to plan until at 12.30 OH phones me in a bit of a tizz saying he has lost his passport. I was calm to start with, you know the usual, ' right check your pockets', 'did you leave it in the car?'. But 2 hrs late and he had been back to the house, the tip, estate agent and nothing. I had already phoned the passport center and found out it would be a week before he could get a new passport and then we would need to send it to NZ house for a new Visa. :wah :wah
Long and very stress full story short, 3pm and in despiration OH was back to the post office for a second time and someone had found his passport in the street and handed it into the post office. Only problem now was that he didn't have enough time to get back to the house and to the airport. So OH went directly to the airport and left me to get 9 large bags, 4 hand luggage and 2 young kids in a taxi to the airport.
We called Heathrow 48hr before departure and was told not to arrive more than 3hrs before check in. We arrived with 2hr 45 and had to rush to get the plane. No chance to use the busness lounge that I was longing for. Heathrow was chaios, so slow and the info on the web page differed from what they were enforcing.
Note for those travelling with young kids, they didn't let me take any Calpol on the flight even though the web page said it was OK.
EVA air busness class was fab. I've not flown bussness class before so can't compare to anything but it was a great relief to be well cared for after such maddness. The food was great, staff attentive more space than we could use. They looked after the kids so well I didn't need any of they toys I had paked. The flight has 2 night sections in it so it was easy for the kids to sleep lots.
Note:- If you have kids don't have any drink in one of those no spill beakers during take off l( I did,) because the pressure change will cause it to pop its lid and spill juice all over the inside of your luggage.
The down side to the kids sleeping lots was when we finally got to Auckland they were running around like mad things and I could bearly function.
Note:- If you slip sweets or any food into your luggage rememer what bag you put them in because if you don't know that manic little sniffer dog will.
We had only been in the country 30mins and I must have looked awful because 2 compleat strangers offered us help with our luggage, checking we were OK for a taxi.
We used A2B rentals who picked us up from the airport and were a lot cheeper than others. So far they have been great, we have extended the rental 2x as we havent found a car still.
We got to the batch we rented and found a local store for emergance food shop. I have to admit I was horrified by the cost of food. The check out lady was friendly and chatty welcomed us to NZ, warned us about all the gangs and voilence that was happening now. :exit
I have to admit that our batch is great, meets out needs but Friday night I laid in bed wondering if we could possibly get back to the UK.
I haven't been to NZ before and the drive from the airport to our batch wasn't at all scenic. I will probably get a telling off for saying this but so far I haven't seen beautiful NZ. The houses are all a miss match of styles in-filled so that they are on top of each other and the dominance of wood boarded house reminds me more of an over grown static home site.
But that said, the jet lag is wearing off and Im getting more used to Auckland. OH has and great luck and landed a contract until Xmas so it looks like we are staying. Our landlords have been great pointing us to mainly music sessions for the kids.
I've learnt quickly that you don't shop in the local convience store. I wish I had brought my super large IKEA bag for use at Pak & Save. You buy store cupboard stuff in supermarket, veg and bread in corner stores.
We got online realy quickly via T3G wireless broadband for $49 +GST a month for a Gb. It's a luxury but means we can skype home.
We've been here a week today and Im resevering (sp blaim it on jet lag) judgement but we are here for now and going to make the best of it. We need to find a house as we only have another 2 weeks here and renting with a dog is difficult. OH starts work in a week and the kids desperatly need some form of routeen for the sake of my sanity.
I love the parks and the open spaces everywhere and the people have been great. The rest will grow on me, hopfully.
Debbie
P.S thanks to kiwidebs for the sanity call.