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!!

Morning. Or evening should I say.

Well this is the week DP gets his contract and we find out which office he has been allocated.

Then it's police checks and medicals to get through. There doesn't seem to be many panel doctors in the UK. Which one did you all have to use? Think we have to travel to Surrey for ours.

We've been wondering if it's worth bringing over items like the washing machine/Fridge/freezer and Tv's or if it's easier to buy once there. We'll be shipping out our sofa so I suppose it makes sense to bring the other stuff as well.

Hope you are ok AB must be very difficult being so far away. I'll have a toast to your Gran on Friday.

AE if you are going to ship a lot of stuff over and will have a container to fill, it's probably worth bringing your TV etc with you - though I guess the plugs would all have to be changed.

If you want to work out what it would cost to buy new stuff here (electronic and other) this site www.priceme.co.nz/ is good. I know lots of people do bring all their stuff over as it costs a lot to buy everything again all at once.

If you want to check out buying stuff second hand once here, www.trademe.co.nz/ is the king of online auction sites here. You can also check out property and rental prices on there.

Whether to bring stuff also depends on whether this will be a permanent move to NZ or whether you think it may just be for a few years.

I didn't bring any stuff over as I arrived here for a year with a backpack and have now been here 11 years so I just got stuff as I went along.

Can't help with panel doctors as, again, I did all my residency stuff over here.

Shells I get kid's jandals from the Warehouse and they're fine - I mean they last the kids 6 months over summer and then they're a bit past their best but for $6 a pair I can't really complain. I've never bought "proper" shoes from there.

Don't worry about changing plugs. Just get a few adaptors and them some of those multi socket things. Then you can plug the four way multi socket thing in with an nz adaptor and get four of your uk things plugged in.

We don't have much uk stuff left now. Only the food processor and my hair dryer.

AE shop about for your panel doctors. I had 4 to choose from - 2 very local. One wanted £265 and adult and £150 a kid and the other wanted £225 adult and £50 kid. So I saved about £500 (4 kids) by going left rather than right at the traffic lights at the end of my road. I was shocked as I though the price was standard but not so.

Littlest - Edinburgh is always baltic. I always forget how bad January gets when you can see your own vreath in your house and you have to go to bed in a fleece and dressing gown. Beauitful but baltic. Remember the sideways rain that cuts welts in your face? - my particular favourite.

Feijoas taste like washing powder

Nooooo! Heresy!

PS - AE - check kids passports will stay in date for 2 years after you enter country. I got caught out and delayed 2 weeks having to get new one for DS1 as the passports are only for 5 years not 10 like an adults. You can't get a new one though unless within 9 months of expiry so bit of a catch 22 situation. Ds2's was going to expire but I just wrote with the letter with all the stuff that I couldn't a renewal as passport office wouldn't issue it.

Yep, I remember. I used to arrive back at Waverley and walk home over North Bridge is the horizontal rain. Edinburgh is beautiful and will always love it. But the weather is shocking. I will be packing my thermals for our October trip.

I need to book a trip to Europe that flies into one city and out of another. Anyone any hints on how to do this without booking on separate tickets? We'd like a through ticket on the return leg to keep the connections short.

WSS - ming, ming, minging. But kiwiberries are nice

What are kiwiberries? Kiwifruit? - but not those yucky yellow ones you get in supermarkets. Golden or something.
And you're WRONG about feijoas.

Kiwiberries are some cross between kiwifruit and gooseberries I think. I saw some the other day but have never actually tried them.

Welcome AE. How exciting for you - re electrical goods, I would bring everything that fits into a container. For the TV you will need the remote and run it through sky or else it won't work apparently but I could have been spun a line!

Feijoas - eurghhhh, was given a bag the other week as a thank you for helping somebody - graciously said thank you then promptly took them into work for people to help themselves. Am avoiding the 'thank you for the feijoas again they were lovely conversation' in case one day I am at her house and have to confess that I don't like them, they taste like a combination of washing powder and lavender. Weird....Like tamarillos though but they make my mouth blister so tend not to eat them

My new friend bought me some fejoa's,and I thought oooh,these look yummy. I ate a bit of one...and then the taste hit.
I am afraid I spat it into the bin saying,
"new friend,why do you hate me??!"
she said
" yeeeah,you either love 'em or hate 'em!"
They taste like TCP...fecking vile!
And then I recalled when we were still in UK,and a package arrived.
It was from the secretary of dh's new work. She has made up a little package of all things kiwi,which was very lovely of her. We dealt out the whittakers choccie to all awaiting little hands and then dh and I stuffed some into our gobs! Almost simultaneously...the eyes widened and the wretching began! NOW, I know what it was! Bloody fejoia chocolate!!

Off to the midwife now,wish me luck

That's what the smell is from the feijoas - tcp!! I haven't risked a fresh one, but something about the mix with apple and stewing it all gives it an almost custardy flavour. Is very delicious.

Once I get a bit better organised this week I'm going to do a massive batch of apple & feijoa and freeze it for crumbles over the winter.

We have an apple and fejoia tree in the garden. I'm going to give it a shot.

Just come out of 2nd round interview for a job. Down to me and another candidate. Have to go for psychometric testing tomorrow .

Good luck Lolly. I had to do psychometric testing for this job I just started. Obviously I not a psycho, but I think it may have been close. . .

Good luck lolly

How did it go at the mw's AB?

Omg my head is mashed after the psychometric testing. The computer kept asking if I liked gambling and stealing for some reason.

Ha, they had a tip off,lolly

It was fine thanks whatshesaid, got more tests on Monday,and an early scan the week after that. The mdwf said "I'm pretty sure the 1st scan is free"...
I was like"erm,you have to pay for the rest of the scans then??" (quietly panicking!) she reckoned it would just be a sur charge of around $30,rather than the full price which is around $300...phew!

In other news,I think I am going to have to change dd's school. I really don't want to,but I'm just not happy with it at all. Her school in Uk was SOOO brilliant. The kids were all smart and well behaved (on the whole). The teaching was excellent. The headmistress was fantastic...and ran a tight ship. The school was well presented...I could go on. The new school seems to be the polar opposite.
I'm loathe to change because it's just more upheaval for her. But it's pretty bad. The classroom is a tip,there is NO reading record???!The teacher is lazy and coasting imo and she had to write a "newspaper" over Easter recording what she did (headlines,pics etc) she has been back nearly 2 weeks and it is still in her bag!

My parents are teachers and went they came over they went in to help in the class. They were "depressed" when they came out.
Apparantly,there is no use going to the Head because 1. If he is not aware of this..Why is he not aware
and 2. I fhe IS aware of it,he has done nothing about it. In either case it means he is crap and ineffectual

dd is really bright,she has a reading age of 10/11 (she has just turned 6) her old school was brilliant with her and I feel I will be failing her if I leave her in this one. Thing is,she loves it. She has loads of friends and she likes the class (I know why,she is one that needs a firm hand/discipline from a teacher...and she is running rings around this one,so doesn't want to leave)

Also,another tricky thing is the zoning. What if we move dd to a different school. Then our house sells,enabling us to buy here...and we buy out of her zone??
Sorry,this is a novel!!

Yep, I paid between about $10-$25 for my scans, just a little surcharge on top of what the government pays for them.

Wouldn't know what to advise about schools as mine aren't school age yet...

Anyone else baltic today? It was 16C in DD's room this morning. Brrr. We're getting insulation fitted soon and they gave us a free econoheater with it so that's my weekend of DIY sorted!

4 months till spring apparently.

AB once you're enrolled at a school you can move out of zone and it would be highly unlikely that they'd ask you to leave (primary school that is). In fact I've never heard of that happening to anyone. I think it's legally possible, just not enforced. My older DD (10 years, Y6) attends a school out of zone - we've always been out of zone, she was lucky to get in - but there's never been a moment's suggestion that she would not continue there, and in fact her sister has been accepted to start there next Jan despite them being in high demand now.

You might also be interested in this website for your 6yo DD. It's a forum a bit like Mumsnet but aimed at families of Gifted Kids www.giftedchildren.org.nz/forum/read.php?f=3&i=2527&t=2527

You can get free scans if you go to the hospital. But you also have to elect to use the hospital midwives, which means all ante natal appointments also at the hospital. I suspect you'd be better off staying with a community midwife who comes to your home and avoiding the travel costs.

Hi AnxiouslyExcited! As Shells said I'm another MNetter in Wellington if you end up coming here. Feel free to ask questions!

Hi AB,
Sorry to hear that school is not good. A few things that I would do.

1. Talk to other parents. Do you think that other parents feel the same? I guess there's a possibility that its just one rubbish teacher, in which case it might be worth hanging in there. Try and talk with other parents with older children and get their thoughts. Parents who've been around usually have opinions on all the teachers and on other schools too.

1. Whats the ERO report like? Do they seem to be achieving? It does sound a bit crap.

1. Don't do anything til you've figured out what you're doing about housing! As Buzzy says, you can probably stay at your school, wherever you move, but moving might open up other options. And especially if you are buying and going to stay somewhere long term, then you'll want to be part of that community.

And apart from that - all sounds good on the midwife front. Fingers crossed!

Bloody freezing in our house too.