One thing we didn't ship was our Fridge / Freezer. In the UK we had a BIG American style one with water & ice on the front (oh the luxury!) and so when we moved into our first home we opened a new chapter in our lives which I will call: The Week Without A Fridge. We had bought one online but couldn't pick it up for a week. Now I don't know if you've ever tried to live without a fridge (or maybe had it thrust upon you if your fridge broke??) but we found this so difficult! Everything you buy pretty much has to go in the fridge / freezer - and if it doesn't (think: bread) then whatever goes with it DOES have to go in the fridge (think: butter). So it became daily routine to fill the sink with cold cold water to keep the milk, cheese & margarine in - this routine doesn't actually work very well, I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I don't know how they coped in the olden days before fridges were invented but it's not something I propose to ever try yourselves. It's just a pain in the butt.
One of the 1st things we did a few days after unwrapping the shipping was to go for a bike ride. We went along Mellons Bay (now now children) and Cockle Bay and down to Howick Beach. After being in the relatively flat Invercargill it was certainly a very good leg workout to say the least - it was so hilly! Great fun though. We have such beautiful views in Auckland - most of which I was completely oblivious of as a tourist in 2010 and I am sure that there are many many more that I'm still not aware of - but I certainly plan to become acquainted with them over the coming summer months.
Looking onto Eastern Beach
Beachlands
Maraetai
In our first week in the new place we went to Midnight Madness which is when they light the Christmas lights on the HUGE tree and all of the shops are open until midnight. It was a really lovely evening - lots of bands playing in local bars and out in the street, one jeweller's had an auction going on outside the shop selling off their jewellery at amazing prices, there were local artists and just generally lots to look at and appreciate.
Midnight Madness 2011
Finally - after moving away from my home town 4 years ago I have changed my doctors (it's a bit far to go for a doctor's appointment now that we've emigrated!). Basically in NZ you pay for a doctor's appointment but you don't pay if you need to go to hospital (whereas in the UK you don't pay for your doctors appointments or the hospital) - so I was ringing around the local doctors to find out their costs because it can vary quite dramatically from one surgery to the next. Their service and telephone manner were all much of a muchness - until I came to the very last surgery on my list. The receptionist was so attentive and helpful, she was adorable so that made my mind up for me! (Just goes to show that good customer service DOES work!) We went to register with the doctors and as I needed an appointment at the time this resulted in the most bizarre doctor's consultation I have ever had. As soon as we registered I was invited to have my appointment there and then (hence I don't mind paying for an appointment - you'd NEVER get service like this in the UK - you're usually better by the time you get to see the doctor). So I went in and the Dr was lovely - as I only needed a repeat prescription the consultation was practically over within a minute but your appointment cost is for a 15 minute consultation...so the doctor started talking to me about the following:- His cat (yep I saw a photo too)
- His friend's rabbit
- The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and so on
- America & it's presidency
- I really could go on...
...After 15 minutes the doctor said "well I should be getting on now..." as if I'd been holding him up! I felt as if they wanted me to get my moneys worth by have my full 15 minutes. It was hilarious - and I am definitely looking forward to my next appointment! He was such a lovely Doctor and the receptionist is just a gem.
The start of December saw the Farmer's Santa Parade through the centre of Auckland which we went to see. It really is an impressive spectacle to get you in the festive spirit. I am used to going to see a carnival which consists of around 10 carnival floats which have bypassed you within 10 minutes no matter how long you've been sat there waiting for it to start. But this really was something else. I don't know how many floats there were and people walking in between the floats (including jugglers, unicyclists, cheer-leading squads, etc.) but the parade was 2.2 kilometres long and it takes one hour to pass any given point in the street! People were sat on picnic blankets, camping chairs, flattened cardboard boxes, or - like us - just on the kerbside. There were loads of kids with their families enjoying it and as lots of the floats consisted of children's TV characters it was quite a learning curve for us! I'd recommend it if you've never seen it and you're in Auckland at the right time of year!
He's a monster! No he's not, he's a dinosaur...
Scottish Band - complete with bagpipes
It's a multicultural delight
Whitcoulls' impressive Christmas 'window' display
For the first 4 weeks of living in Auckland we settled back into a routine of sorts. The OH was working full time so I had time to myself to do whatever I wanted...so I created my own little routine which involved going running, doing KettleWorx workouts, washing, cleaning, dusting, etc. and before I knew it each day seems to be over and done with in no time! It was getting difficult to remember how I fitted work in! I was applying for jobs too - similar to the UK it's not easy to walk into a job in NZ at the moment. I even saw a guy on the news who's applied for over 200 jobs and hasn't had one single interview. I didn't find it quite THAT bad and after a telephone interview and 2 face to face interviews (all for the same company) I was offered a job at a successful global organisation; working in staff development - like I did in the UK. Having had my final interview on a Thursday I was sat at my desk in the office on the following Tuesday! How's that for a turnaround?? It's been great being back in work. The team I work with are so lovely and supportive - as are the extended team of employees. Unbelievably I have been doing that for a month already! Time really does fly by!To further enhance our Christmas spirit the OH had been told about a place called Franklin Road in Auckland. It's a street in which each house puts up lots of Christmas lights - it attracts quite a crowd of light spectators and being a fan of Christmas festivities we HAD to go! It really was amazing to see such commitment to Christmas - it was the kind of thing I have only ever seen previously on You Tube (yep, I'm the one who searches for 'Christmas lights to music') so it was astounding to see in real life. One of them even had it's lights set to flash to the music playing outside which was awesome!! It did make me wonder though - what came first? Did people move there and then start putting lights up (maybe peer pressure by the neighbours??) or did people move there because they love Christmas so much and already had a commitment to Christmas lights? It's the whole chicken & egg situation but on a much more Christmassy scale.
Just adorable
One day my home will look like this
That's a real Mini!
This is the house which had its lights set to music
A gorgeous tribute to Christmas!
It's now the day after Boxing Day today and we have had our first Kiwi Christmas. We were so kindly welcomed to Merv's sister Lindy's home where she and her husband Pete were hosting Christmas for around 40 members of the family! It was a real honour for us and it was such a fantastic day. When we were on the way there I felt quite emotional, like I could cry at any moment. Not for any reason in particular - just because it was Christmas Day and we were 12,000 miles away from loved ones. We pulled up at Lindy & Pete's and were greeted by Merv and Pete which was so apt - they wished us Merry Christmas and instantly made us feel at home. Then when we went inside the house it was the same all over again with Lindy & Pete and their children. Christmas dinner was a new thing for us - in the UK we're used to have a roast dinner with turkey but this year we had a feast of delights from coriander king prawns to beetroot, blue cheese & walnut salad, chicken salad, beef salad, minted potatoes which were grown by one of the guests...the food was completely delicious! Then after lunch those who had the inclination went into the outside pool for a dip and to work off enough lunch to make room for dessert. The children opened their gifts, followed by the adult 'silly presents' lucky dip. Then it was dessert time which consisted of trifles, chocolate brownies with a strawberry on top, chocolates, sweets, ice cream, a HUGE plate of lovely fruit, and so on. Then it was time for the family game of Tippit - I won't tell you what this game entails as it's a family tradition but I will say it's boys vs girls and it is very VERY serious! No one can remember the last time the boys won so I felt a real pressure to perform as it was my first ever game as part of the girls team. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and was relieved when I could hop out of the team as it whittled down in numbers over time. I am overjoyed to say that the girls won - to much screaming and shouting from the girlies and lots of heads on the table for the boys. Phew! We left the house at about 9:30pm and made our way home.I never would have imagined that I could possibly feel so welcome at someone else's family celebration on Christmas Day of all days but we really did. We were even asked to be in the family photo which was a real treat! Thank you once again to Lindy & Pete for welcoming us into your home and also every other member of the family for making us part of your extended family.
Settling down to Christmas dinner
A VERY serious game of Tippit
By the time we got home and settled after talking to family on Skype it was time for bed - for the first time in my life I didn't open my Christmas presents until Boxing Day as our day was so jam packed! (OK I opened 3 presents on Christmas Day but the majority were left until December 26th!)Boxing Day we headed to Mission Bay and had some fish & chips on the beach. The OH has been on call this week so he's looking forward to this weekend and New Year celebrations when he can fully embrace the festivities (and the beers!).
One last thing - since moving into our own place we have taken on the intense responsibility of raising our very own...first ever...tomato plant. It's a 'Supertom' so it should yield a fair amount of tomatoes. You will be delighted to hear that I'll update you with his progress via my blog. We've already had a fair amount of input on his upbringing from the OH's mum and dad who are in Wales so it's been Skype-based input. Here is his 1st pic - he doesn't have a name yet (apart from 'Tom' of course), but I am taking suggestions.
Supertom (he has since been repotted)
I hope you are all having a wonderful festive season, I look forward to updating you again in the New Year.
