*With apologies to Alistair CookeKia Ora. Well, here we are again. First, I must apologise for the delay, and further apologies to Alistair Cooke: it’s been pointed out that his ‘letters’ were weekly! Sorry, things have been moving at a pace and I’d be spending all my time adding bits and pieces to the letter.
Right, first things first: a quick overview of New Zealand and its people, then on to the things that we have achieved since the last update.
New Zealand is all the good things that people back in UK think it is: a beautiful country with spectacular scenery and warm friendly people to complement it. I can’t praise it enough. Of course, it has its problems like other countries, and strives to address them, but the genuine atmosphere of friendliness cannot be underestimated. The weather has been glorious, with the odd rainy day (and many windy ones); we have been out and about exploring, travelling up the Kapiti coast, a beautiful nearby coastal region with rolling hills and expansive bays. While exploring up the coast, we have found a new Japanese café that sells wonderful “kiwi-afied” Japanese food. By coincidence, the owner opened the day we landed in New Zealand and I think he and his family will do well here, because their food is excellent. We have been to a couple of barbeques and outdoor parties and met some lovely people who are always willing to offer advice and share their experiences to help overcome our ‘newness’. The Rugby 7s tournament has just finished and it certainly reinforced the fact that the Kiwis know how to party, so much energy and fun without a lot of violence or disorder.
Now on to the personal stuff: well, we now own a piece of New Zealand - quite a big, beautiful piece, with sea views and wooden decks (or ‘dicks’ as they are pronounced here!) and a balcony (some photos attached). We have bought a house in Whitby, a small place about 27 km up the coast from Wellington, around the same distance as Livingston is from where we lived in Edinburgh (for the locals). It is a beautiful area with all the street names linked to James Cook and his journeys. We will miss living in the centre of the city, as it’s very convenient; however the extra commuting will be more than offset by actually being able to see the sky and being able to tell if the sun is shining. We’re all looking forward to some peace and quiet as well, and having our own green outdoor space will be fantastic (although Liz is muttering about getting someone in to do the “giant garden” – it’s not really, just seems like it after our last one). We move next week on 10th February (we get the keys on 9th) and our container is coming on 10th as well. To compensate for the commuting and transport, we have bought cars: I was banned from getting another Jeep (too uncomfortable for the passengers!) so I’ve settled on a Honda CRV and Liz has acquired a Rav4 (she loves them!). With all the upheaval, it will be good to be settled in our own home, it feels as if we are on an extremely long holiday.
I have been working for two weeks now and I’m still finding my feet. It's a good place to work and the organisation has a good reputation on the employee relations front.I’ve already flown down to Christchurch (South Island) and spent a few days meeting the teams down there.
Adam is still chilling out and also applying for jobs, but the holiday season is just coming to an end here, so he’s hoping that more companies will be taking on staff in the near future.
Well folks, that’s all for now, I'll try and get the next one done a little sooner, although settling into normality might make them a little boring....
The outside...
View from the front balcony
Rear deck
Dining area
Hallway
