[Kathy]

Hi All,

My family and I are about to embark on the adventure of our lives! Like most of you we are captivated by NZ and hope to settle there. I have been lurking for a little while and am very impressed by all the advice and information that is available here, but most especially the friendliness :yes

We exchanged contracts on our house yesterday and booked flights last night, so we leave the UK on 22nd Feb! We have already been over to NZ for a 8 month mission, which was lovely and so we do know a little of what to expect. But the feeling will be much different this time, because before we had our lovely home to come back too....but now that has all changed. We are off to possibly the most expensive place in NZ...that is Queenstown....so let's hope our pennies can be exchanged for enough cents to get something nice. :roll

We have residency status, and there are four of us, me, hubby and two young adults....who are feeling varying degrees of uncertainty right now....I can certainly empathise with that. It really is an exciting, yet scary time...definitely many rollercoaster moments ahead.

Thanks for having us!

And oooh, best wishes to everyone for Christmas!

Kathy :)

[Caroline and Dave]

Hi Kathy and welcome to the forum We are coming over in March 07 with two young adults( I call them young but they are 22 and 24) and although I am coming over without them first they will join me Dec 07. This is the best bunch of forumites out. If you want to know anything just ask,someone usually knows. We are settling in North shore,Auckland which is a bit far away from you.
We wish you all the best for the future

Kindest regards

Caroline and Dave

[pinkpiggy]

Hi Kathy, welcome to the forum. We don't have any dates yet - still to be given a case officer and still to sell the house, although we have had an offer which we rejected. Hopefully we will make it out there some time around March/April 07. They'll be me, my husband and two boys (10 and 8). We're hoping to head to Christchurch but may have to settle somewhere close to Wellington - that seems to be where the bulk of the IT jobs are that OH can do - Chch seems to be more software based (from what I have seen).

Anyway, all the very best on your adventure and have a great Christmas.

Paula

[wiki]

Best of luck! Queenstown is one of the most lovely places in NZ, and despite it's influx of tourists, it's still a great family place.

Good luck with the renting - I know accommodation is vey short up there, but the lake and the ski-slopes are worth a bit extra.

(and if it does get too pricy, try Te Anau - just as beautiful, but a little more laid back)

[Smiler]

Kathy

Welcome to the forum. :cheers:cheers

Well done on selling the house, biggest hurdle over. It is a scary roller coaster ride, but you've already had a test run. Good luck with the next few months. :nice1

[Tia Maria]

Kathy - you lucky thing getting to live where most people only get to go on holiday.

Caroline & Dave - There are quite a few of us on the North Shore now, soon we'll have taken the place over.

PinkPiggy - Good luck with the house selling, and trying to keep the place tidy for viewings with 2 boys.

Cheers

Tia

[scoobydoo]

Welcome to the forum

:cool:

[StevieD]

We have residency status, and there are four of us, me, hubby and two young adults....who are feeling varying degrees of uncertainty right now....I can certainly empathise with that. It really is an exciting, yet scary time...definitely many rollercoaster moments ahead.


Kathy, welcome to the forum! Yes, we are all on shaky ground, very scary but exciting at the same time. A real adventure.

Good luck to you all.

Steve

[Kathy]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Caroline & Dave - Thanks for your message... My young adults are 19 and 21. The 19 yr old is flying with us and 21 yr old might be following us several weeks after our departure, or hopefully will come on the same day. It is difficult for them when they have their own tight web of friends etc. Glad to hear yours will be joining you too...it really must help a great deal. Best wishes for your move!

Paula - Thanks for your reply. I hope your house sale goes smoothly, it is really hard waiting for a buyer. We did get a reduced offer as well, but decided it was just about good enough to take, especially as it was a cash buyer and we had a job offer to go too. Difficult to get the balance right though isn't it. Shall be crossing my fingers for you!

Wiki - Thanks for the message. Queenstown is so amazing, a place of many contrasts. We lived in Queenstown/Arrowtown for 8 months so it helps to know a little about it... The rental market seems very up and down dependant on the season. Hopefully going in late Feb will okay...difficult to say right now. I agree Te Anau is lovely too...absolutely gorgeous. We did the 'Doubtful Sound' from there a while ago....loved it!

Smiler - Thanks for the welcome. I hope the biggest hurdles are over...though I am nervous about the roller coaster. But I must remember to adopt the most positive attitude I can...I'm sure it makes all the difference. Thanks for the good luck.

Tia and Fingers Crossed and Steve - Thank you all for your messages and welcome!

Best wishes all :) and thanks again for the very warm welcome! :)