Glenn
12th November 2004, 10:40 PM
G,Day to everyone
Well it has been a while but we are starting to settle down. We have been here 3 1/2 weeks and so far everything is going great.
We arrived at Edinburgh airport for our flight out and were 48 kilos overweight. The girl on the desk said it would be over £2000 in excess baggage to Christchurch but I pleaded ignorant and said we were allowed more baggage as going on one way ticket to NZ. She let me off with the baggage.
Flight was really good. Flew with Singapore Airlines and couldn't fault them. The service and meals were excellent and the kids enjoyed the entertainment and video games. We stopped off in Singapore for 3 hours and got a shower and freshened up which was really good.
On our arrival at Christchurch we knew we would have to rush for our next flight as we only had an hour or so to get our bags and get through customs. Everything went smoothly and were through customs in about 20 minutes. Then we had to have our baggage weighed again for our flight to Blenheim. The guy on the reception didn't even mention the weight and the bags were all sent through, all 9 of them.
We went through to the departure lounge and saw our plane for the journey up to Blenheim. It was like a Ford Transit with wings, 19 seats altogether, we had 6 of them and all that luggage (Will it take off we asked ourselves??) This was a big step down after the Jumbo.
We arrived in Blenheim where we were met by my new boss and his wife and were taken to their house where we stayed for the next 2 1/2 weeks. They had had a phone call about a rental which we went to look at. It wasn't brilliant but you can't be choosy as rentals are usually snapped up before they are on the market.
New Zealand hospitality is exceptional and everyone makes you welcome and makes a point of making you feel wanted. Everone you speak to welcomes you to their country or town and wishes you all the best with the move, It's really good.
We opened a bank account with ASB Bank before we left the UK and all we needed to do was show 2 forms of ID and the account was up and running. They issue a debit card there and then over the counter. If you have a mortgage with them they waive most of the transaction fees.
We have bought a car, a 1999 Toyota Previa with 85000km's for $16000 which I thought was very good. The petrol is cheap at $1.25 per Ltre, the road tax is cheap at $55 for 6 months and the insurance is really cheap at $303 full comp for a year with windscreen cover and breakdown cover.
Food is a little cheaper than in the UK but it will be a while before we know the actual cost of living.
We have just put an offer in for a house, it is a 4 year old bungalow, 216m2 on a 1000m2 section, 4 bedrooms with ensuite, 2 living areas and double garage for $395000 which we think is a bargain. So we hope we get it as it is really nice.
Well I'll clos now as it is late. If anyone has any questions about our experiences just send me a reply
Regards
Glenn
Well it has been a while but we are starting to settle down. We have been here 3 1/2 weeks and so far everything is going great.
We arrived at Edinburgh airport for our flight out and were 48 kilos overweight. The girl on the desk said it would be over £2000 in excess baggage to Christchurch but I pleaded ignorant and said we were allowed more baggage as going on one way ticket to NZ. She let me off with the baggage.
Flight was really good. Flew with Singapore Airlines and couldn't fault them. The service and meals were excellent and the kids enjoyed the entertainment and video games. We stopped off in Singapore for 3 hours and got a shower and freshened up which was really good.
On our arrival at Christchurch we knew we would have to rush for our next flight as we only had an hour or so to get our bags and get through customs. Everything went smoothly and were through customs in about 20 minutes. Then we had to have our baggage weighed again for our flight to Blenheim. The guy on the reception didn't even mention the weight and the bags were all sent through, all 9 of them.
We went through to the departure lounge and saw our plane for the journey up to Blenheim. It was like a Ford Transit with wings, 19 seats altogether, we had 6 of them and all that luggage (Will it take off we asked ourselves??) This was a big step down after the Jumbo.
We arrived in Blenheim where we were met by my new boss and his wife and were taken to their house where we stayed for the next 2 1/2 weeks. They had had a phone call about a rental which we went to look at. It wasn't brilliant but you can't be choosy as rentals are usually snapped up before they are on the market.
New Zealand hospitality is exceptional and everyone makes you welcome and makes a point of making you feel wanted. Everone you speak to welcomes you to their country or town and wishes you all the best with the move, It's really good.
We opened a bank account with ASB Bank before we left the UK and all we needed to do was show 2 forms of ID and the account was up and running. They issue a debit card there and then over the counter. If you have a mortgage with them they waive most of the transaction fees.
We have bought a car, a 1999 Toyota Previa with 85000km's for $16000 which I thought was very good. The petrol is cheap at $1.25 per Ltre, the road tax is cheap at $55 for 6 months and the insurance is really cheap at $303 full comp for a year with windscreen cover and breakdown cover.
Food is a little cheaper than in the UK but it will be a while before we know the actual cost of living.
We have just put an offer in for a house, it is a 4 year old bungalow, 216m2 on a 1000m2 section, 4 bedrooms with ensuite, 2 living areas and double garage for $395000 which we think is a bargain. So we hope we get it as it is really nice.
Well I'll clos now as it is late. If anyone has any questions about our experiences just send me a reply
Regards
Glenn