Where's Best to Live in NZ and what do we need to know: PART TWO!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow,have just gone to post and it wouldn't except it! So have had to start a new thread. Hope everyone finds it ok.I feel a bit like we've all been out for the night and somehow got seperated and no one has their mobile!!
Anyway,this was the question I've had to cut and paste from the old thread:...

Sorry,have had a quick look but can't see...has anyone used emirates?
I think the sky couch thing looks good,but we'd have to buy a couple and that would be pricey.
Dh reckons Emirates are fine,but I don't think he's anticipating how different it's going to be travelling that disatnce with 3 exhausted infants.
He has limited travel experience as it is and the longest he has been on a plane with them is 3 hours. He keeps saying it will be fine,they'll sleep for loads of it...somehow I'm thinking this will not happen!!

Sorry to hear the bad news Scoob and AB. These things are hard even when you are able to be home.

AB I'm sorry about your gran - I remember how I cried when I'd read about you saying bye to her. I found saying bye to my gran the worst bit of all as she's 89 and although she's as fit as a lop I worry (especially as my mum is in NZ again so not near her to help). I did smile when I read 'away and boil your heed' though - reminded me of home.

Like you said Shels I've found everyone has been so so friendly towards me offering me loads of advice and help. I've had women in the playground giving me toys, the playgroup which apparently you need to have your kids name down for whilst still pregnant have offered me a place and we've been round to my old neighbour's daughter's house this pm and they were so kind - gave us lunch, are going to find me a washing machine and some plates etc as he's in the trade and is going to help me collect my sofa. I'm a bit overwhelmed to be honest about the kindness. And the sun is still shining so DH is happy (although he's been a grumpy arse all day so I can't be arsed with him just now but that's another story).

We were talking today about how amazing it is over here (OK I'm shiny new still I know) and I was wondering where the catch is but it seems like it's really down to family distance and situations like these when they get sick or refuse to come out and see you.

Whoo Hoo - get ye to pak n sav - St Clair is on special for $10!!! It's my favourite. I'm a happy girl. And I've found this Whittakers chocolate with kiwi pieces in it which is yum. How weird though that everything closes over Easter.

Did you notice there's no ads on TV though - nice .

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I'll try not to be depressing anymore!
Yes,lolly people are really kind here. I mean really really! I think I told you all about the peole that helped us when we moved,it was astonishing. And in turn,I try to give it back where I can! Have made some easter cakes with chicks and eggs and will deliver next door later
I'm still stunned at how friendly people are. My step dad said " a fella just walked past me and asked how I was...and I think he really wanted to know!! "

Don't want to take over the thread but feel the need to vent without being hung out to dry by the 'divorce him' mob if I post in the 'am i being unreasonable' section. We move on the 20th so less than 2 weeks to go. DH insisted we go to the beach, which was great and we had a good time but at the back of my mind were the packing boxes sitting at home. So, we head back and what does DH do, blow the leaves into a pile, mow the lawn and weed - FFS WE ARE MOVING. I pack, lug and label boxes...and am nowhere near where I thought we were going to be at as I was basing my packing on it being a 2 man job! Breath......Of course it will be done, but I think I may need to re-think my packing strategy as he has announced that - 'I think one more run of the garden and lawn next weekend and that will be it until we move'. AAArggh....

I can feel a chardonnay coming on and maybe a bit of Easter Egg.....

I'm so glad it's not just me when it comes to moving Sibble. I've told OH he is doing the next one on his own as he is so useless.

But I have to recommend packers. I think it cost us 95$ per hour and took four hours. It means you can do a bit but leave most of it till the day before and keep on living your life. Of all the costs to do with moving it is the only one I don't mind.

Sibble - it could be worse. You could be married to mine. So he did F all to help with the emigration and packing up the house. So the packers arrive on the doorstep and he's literally packing his clothes around them. He then goes out that night and gets shit faced. The next morning when they arrive back at 9am he's swanning round in his boxers eating weetabix saying 'I think I'll just go to the gym this morning'. I actually wanted to divorce him at that point. I mean what part of 'we're emigrating and we need to be out this house in 8 hours' did he not understand.

I only take consolation in the fact that alot of my friends are married to similar examples. It does make me so mad though. He once admitted to me that he doesn't bother with all the planning stuff as he knows if he doesn't I'll sort it out for him.

Hmmm, well we had agreed on packers coming in the day before having used them when we moved here and decided that I would never move again without using packers, but DH said he thought it wouldn't actually take long to pack so ordered the boxes..... Mind you he did also promise if we moved he would deal with the solicitor, real estate agents and do all the change of addresses - no prizes for guessing who has done all that as well so far..... While I wouldn't change him he hasn't a clue. It is reassuring though that he is not alone!

Have promised the ds's that on the day's I'm not working between now and moving we will spend half the day packing and the other half doing something fun.

Was actually dreading going to Wellington with work next week for a few days (great timing!) but am now quite looking forward to spending 2 nights in a hotel on expenses and not a packing box in sight.

2 nights in a hotel on your own sounds like pure luxury to me.

It's amazing how they can sort out this stuff within the hours of 9-5 for the purposes of work but once you move it into the 'home' domain they regress to the ability of a 5 year old and 'mum' has to sort it all out.

In 3 days I have to repack our 5 cases and our accumulated crap (including 10 tonnes of crap I bought from Briscoes today - how cheap is that place!?) and the thought of it is just exhausting. Don't envy you the move having just gone through it.

I have come to the conclusion they are all like this re packing.

When we moved into our house I spent weeks doing a little bit of packing at a time. Dh's contribution was shoving all his clothes into bin liners on the day we moved .

DH was actually the opposite in some ways about packing - we had packers coming in and he kept wanting to put glassware etc in boxes no matter how many times I told him that the packers would wrap & pack it for us.

Mind you, I packed his suitcase a week before the packers arrived because I knew he'd decide to do it just as they were dismantling the furniture

He did end up having a phone interview in the middle of the whole thing, just to add to the chaos!

Does anyone else here get annoyed with the supermarkets here?

Over the summer I've been quite annoyed that I've bought a lot of strawberries that were pretty manky. I even saw some for sale in Farro that had actual mould on them. And today i bought some cheese that was a MONTH out of date. I rang them up cos it was 10$ worth of cheese and they didn't even ask what sort it was to take it off the shelves. Just to take it back for a refund! I eventually said I was going to report them and got a manager who seemed more concerned. I wonder if they will remove it though.

I was the one that didn't do much to help with the emigration! Think I was in denial!
Couple of questions...I know we've covered this,but where does everyone get nappies? There was somewhere online I hink but dont want to search the whole 2 threads! They are really expensive here,and the Pak n Save ones leak!
Also,where do you guys buy ham?? I don't want to buy the wafer thin processed packaged type. The butcher doesn't seem to do it.The stuff that's on the deli counter looks revolting,too...all pre cut,rolled up and dried out...eyw! I used to go toBooths and just get them to slice me some honey roast gammon ham...am a bit stuck here.
Looks like the rain is due back

I get nappies from Baby Online . I get the Dry Ups, boxes of 300 cost about $100 (for the next-to-biggest size). Never had any probs with them.

I but Treasures or Huggies in the supermarket when they are on sale. Treasures are normally $10 for 18 on sale.

Also the Home Brand ones from Countdown are actually fine - I didn't use them for ages as I assumed they'd be rubbish. They aren't. The Budget ones from Pak n Save/New World aren't great though.

I buy whatever is on special at Countdown. Huggies or the homebrand ones usually. Had to do an emergency run to New World the other day (sitting in cafe, realised forgot nappies) and got 'Pams' ones - actually seemed pretty ok too and were v cheap.

Like a lot of things, I've noticed there's a massive mark up on nappies at small shops. I bought a small pack once in a dairy that cost nearly the same as a pack 3 times the size from the supermarket.

Mine are a long time out of nappies but in the past I have used the good brands overnight when you definitely want them dry but cheaper brands during the day when they are being changed alot. Especially when they are at day care as they change them on a time based roster.

Yes, sibble I have had 3 wet babygro mornings with the cheapy pak n save kind on overnight. Dh came home with the home brand ones,they look ok...we'll see what the morning brings!

potty training starts for DS3 in the next couple of weeks when we get into our new place cos ther nappies are so expensive (don't start me on the wipes). In on Friday now (13th -is this ominous?) with our 5 suitcases and no washer, fridges, beds enything apart from my Briscoes airbeds.

Been to MOTAT today and joined for $65 - bargin. The boys loved it and although we got rained on it was warm rain .

I'm loving breakfast TV. It's a bit like Kath and Kim (and I mean that in the nicest possible way) it makes me smile.

Can't help on the nappy front as DS is way past all that ....

But ham, I either buy from the growers market on a Saturday morning or I bake it myself. You can get ham's for baking from all the supermarkets. AB, there's a farmers market each week in Hamilton in the Claudelands car park I think. You might be able to find decent ham there and some decent sausages.

Lolly - isn't MOTAT is fab for boys big and small. DS and DH often have boys day there riding back and forward between the two sites on the trams.

lolly- have you seen the facebook group 'things to do with toddlers in auckland' or something like that.... Wynyard Quarter is quite good too. The tram is a bit expensive though.

oh it was so sweet. We were there at 4.30 hiding from the rain in the model train bit and the boys were loving it and this employee came in who was obvioulsy totally train mad and he started opening the windows and showing the boys all his trains (which were mainly his own personal collection). I was so touched. I learn't a lot about couplings . Again I can't get over how friendly folk are but if another person says 'you have 4 kids, they're all boys, wow you're game' I think I may scream. It seems to be a bigger deal here than in the UK and I had thought it would be the opposite tbh.

AB - I'm veggie and am making the boys eat the shaved stuff from the counter at Countdown. Should I stop? Is it minging? Shels - wouldn't know where to start with cooking a ham.

How nice is Caramello btw??