[Lupin]

This is going to have to be very quick as I'm typing in a library and the children have limited patience as the sun is shining and they've chosen their books, so I'll go for a list format.

I'm loving: the parks and swimming pools, the fruit and vegetables, the weather (Hawkes Bay really *is* hot and sunny and obviously often so as everywhere looks rather similar to South Western Western Australia!), the craggy hills and mountains, automatic cars, friendly Kiwis, the weather, the deserted beaches (and these are popular beaches in summer hols!!!!!), the tofu and tempeh, the library, the town in general (and this is "grotty" Hastings), the ice cream and did I mention the weather?!

I'm not so keen on: the house prices, the cost of groceries (but I haven't yet gotten savvy with the Sunday market so that may improve) the intensity of the sunshine (sunnies an absolute must...almost more so than Aus, very strange!), the distance between me and my family or my husband starting work (but to be fair that's not really a NZ gripe.....).

Had a WONDERFUL two weeks in WA....loved the weather, because of the coastal breeze the 30's was very pleasant, had a rotten night flight over with two uncomfortable kids, no sleep for any of us and a long wait in the domestic for our flight to Hawkes Bay. But we're here, S has started work, we've explored the area, joined the library, activated our bank accounts, been to the beach and Ocean Spa, made some friends and applied for family assistance.

Can't believe we're here after all the planning, the waiting and the awful goodbyes, the washout Christmas and the terrible lurgy (last two related, obviously).

But we are :)

[gil]

Brillaint post Lupin, great to hear you love it so! (As do we!0
Take care,

Gil
x

[Mexican in NZ]

Is great to know ur enjoying NZ...i agree with you about the prices, but is something minor compared with all the positive things this country has to offer.
Have a great one and keep enjoying,
adriana and anton

[K&CS]

Glad to hear all's well. You just need to shop around to get the grocery bill down. I'm definitely spending less on groceries here now than I did in the UK, but then, I never really tried to budget in the UK!

Enjoy!

Kate x

[Smiler]

Welcome to New Zealand Lupin and Family. :cheers

It took me a long time to get into shopping here, but once you become more familiar with it, it gets much easier. :nice1

[Xaviera]

Welcome to Hawkes Bay Lupin!

It is so hot today - my backyard temp has just dropped from 39.9C to 38.2C . A bit too hot for me - reckon we should send a few degrees Welly way!

[Trigirl]

i wouldn't bother - its been warm as you like here too today!

welcome to NZ lupin - hope you settle quickly and happily.

[femke]

Welcome to Hawkes Bay Lupin, don't think its been this hot in the 2yrs we have been here. Oh well thank goodness for the village pool. :laugh
Moira

[Singel]

Welcome to the Land of the Long White Cloud :clap

Good Luck with setting up your home and to your hubby's new job :nice1 :nice1

Any piccs ;)

[veronica]

the suns a lot stronger here than Oz cos the ozone layer is so thin. its not so much about heat as the intensity of the rays.

[pinkpiggy]

Lupin, good to see you made it in one piece and that you're able to enjoy the weather.

[The Hodges]

Hi ya Lupin and family

Well done on your first post from NZ. Good to hear that all is well with you. :clap

All you need to do now is change your location and your signature... :laugh

[SarahEDH]

Hello Lupin,

Great post. You mentioned tofu and tempeh -- did you find these in the regular stores? I'm vegetarian, not that one has to be in order to like soy, and for future reference I'm taking good notes on where to find this stuff.

regards,
Sarah

[KerryS]

You mentioned tofu and tempeh -- did you find these in the regular stores?

You can get them in most supermarkets, and I get really good tofu from a stall at Otara markets on Saturday mornings, if you are heading for Auckland.

[KerryS]

You mentioned tofu and tempeh -- did you find these in the regular stores?

You can get them in most supermarkets, and I get really good tofu from a stall at Otara markets on Saturday mornings, if you are heading for Auckland.

Welcome to NZ Lupin - sounds as though you are enjoying all it has to offer.

[Lupin]

Tofu, tempeh etc are in all the supermarkets and super nice stuff from health food stores. There are veggie sausages etc but they quite dear and not too special.

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

[willsken]

Hey great first post from NZ! Agree with all you say. The food shopping is something I need to get my head around at some point. I know I am spending far more than I need to at the moment but we have found some places like a butcher and green grocer. I also need to learn the veggie seasons as I don't know what should be when. (In the UK there wasn't one in ASDA) The house prices are quite high but that’s why we decided no to Napier and yes to Waipuk. You really do get so much more for your money and we love the small feel to the place.

[StevieD]

Good luck guys, remember slip,slop,slap or whatever the saying is.

[Lupin]

I'm trialing once a day factor 30 and so far so good. It's non greasy, sweat and swim proof (to a degree) and easy to put on. Pity it costs $30 a tube!

We're a few days away from moving to our second accomodation (first two weeks were in a motel payed for by employer in Hastings), which is near the beach so I'm really looking forward to getting some rural peace and quiet (not really a city person, although Hastings is quite pleasant as they go).

We've been for some wonderful walks (most lovely in a scenic reserve north of Napier), and adore Ocean beach. Waimarama is lovely too but Ocean beach is special in it's un-developed rugged feel. Wonderful fush and chips at Waimarama.

All my dealings with Kiwis so far (from buying a car to looking at land and houses to getting insurance quotes to just making friends) have found them to be laid back, helpful adn genuine.

It's really great to be home :)

To all those further back in the process shivering in Blighty or wherever, don't underestimate how the process can be stressful. My hair has finally stopped falling out, I'm sleeping at night again and I seem to be back to having a cycle (sorry if tmi, just wanted to make sure those of you totally stressed are not alone). I *thought* it wasn't getting to me but how much I've unwound over the past month (has two weeks in WA) has shown me I'd totally underestimated the impact.

But it's all worth it. I'm really enjoying the hecticness at this end as we're just chilling and letting everything happen as it does. Look forward to being online more and perhaps helping some other people at the start of this loooong journey!

[gil]

I'm trialing once a day factor 30 and so far so good. It's non greasy, sweat and swim proof (to a degree) and easy to put on. Pity it costs $30 a tube!

Seems quite dear, Lupin, the Cancer Society ones are factor 30 and about $18 a big bottle! They're not billed as once a day but I've been using them as such and fine!

Gil