Another NZ query - a few random questions - gardening and schools (again) and central heating

[SarfEasticatedMumma]

We're still in the early stages of considering moving to Wellington, but as we are not telling the family until we have made up our minds I don't know who else to ask. These are my current queries if you are able to help:
Gardening can you buy English cottage garden plants there, or just natives. Although I am fully prepared to engage with native plants, I will need some plants to remind me of home: roses, lilac, iris, peony etc
Montessori I have noticed that there is a Montessori school near where we are moving to, which follows the mainstream curriculum. It looks lovely and just what I'd like for my DD7. I guess I just want to know whether doing this will mark us out as hippies, and possible count against DD when she tries to get a job or whether it's quite common for people to chose different kinds of schools for their kids.

heat pumps now I know that central heating doesn't exist there, and people rely on gas heaters, wood burning stoves and heat pumps. How about under floor heating? I hate being cold, so am trying to work out what I need to look out for in the estate agents details. There are some brick built houses, but I guess that they aren't so good in an earthquake.

Also - heat pumps are useless in my experience. We have econo heaters (electric panel heaters) and a fab wood burning stove. Our house is wooden with double glazing through half the house and insulation.

It does get cold here and our old house was very chilly particularly in the mornings. You just have to insulate and choose the right heating method. It very rarely snows (it did for the first time in 40years a few years ago!) but we have had the odd heavy frost.

You can get central heating fitted (a friend of ours had it done recently) but it is not easy to find the experts to do this.

Please do not worry about the wind. Frankly, it has never bothered me, and I rather like the odd windy day to blow away the bad weather. It is often followed by a glorious sunny day like you can only get in Welly :)

That's very useful to know whatshesaid. I would imagine that they will spend a couple of days wherever they stopover, but I had never thought of Seoul, so thanks for that.

Thank you lavenderbongo much appreciated. Will have a think for some questions. :)

OK - here goes:
How have you found the job market there? I understood that employers are more open to taking people with similar but not exactly relevant experience - has that been your experience?
If you have children of school age, how have they found kiwi schools?
Was it difficult for you to get a place in a local school?
Do you travel much out of NZ, what do you do for holidays?
What do you miss most about home?
What don't you miss at all about home?

I'm not frightened of wind really, grew up on the Kent coast so used to be buffetted around.
Very interested to hear about central heating, but your plug in radiators sound good too - not keen on gas fires really.

Thank you Lavender. and anyone else who may wish to join in :)

Hi SEL,

I'm a nearly 3-year expat so will try to answer some of your questions.

My experience with job hunting is that employers are willing to be flexible, a function of the work you do likely to be more generalist, broader than what you're used to. I had specialist skills which I don't really use in my current role, but could kind of apply those skills in a different way (if that makes sense!).

I love the kiwi schools, and I wouldn't leap into Montessori before gauging the primary up the road, it may be more in line with your educational wishes than you expect. The curriculum seems far less structured than the UK, with teachers having more freedom to take classes in the direction they choose, and without the pressure of testing I saw on the UK. There is more flexibility in looking at children's needs, so that pupils repeat a year, to join at a different level, with no problems. You are guaranteed a place in your 'zoned' school, so important to pick your house carefully.

We've travelled lots in NZ, and Australia too. I thought we'd travel further, but it's actually really expensive, and a really long way from even SE Asia. In the summer holidays we don't go far, most kiwis stay in NZ for those holidays, and the whole country shuts down for a couple of weeks after Christmas.

Which probably leads in to what I miss: proximity to continental Europe, cheap travel, quality TV, radio, newspapers, Waitrose, M&S food hall and clothes shops.

The thing I found the biggest shock was how expensive day to day life can be. 3 years in I still wince at my supermarket bill, the cost of utilities, the net, electricity is shocking. Very averagely designed and made clothes are 2-3x the price of in the UK. But on the other hand certain important costs are cheaper, housing, childcare, commuting.

The wind in Welly can be brutal. But I don't think it gets really cold. And unlike in the UK you don't get those weeks of grey cloud, like someone up thread said, it will rain, the wind will blow the weather through, and even in winter you will have blue-skied sunny days where you go for a wander on the Petone foreshore, build a fort from driftwood, then warm up with the best coffee in the world at one of the many cafes on Jackson Street ????

I love it, feel very privileged to be here, it's the most wonderful place to live and bring up children, and plan to be here forever.

Hi.
DH was offered a job before we emigrated and has moved into the same line of work as in the UK with no problems. I have been able to find part time work in the same area as previously as well. I have also found employers, in my field, to be very family friendly. All my previous qualifications have been accepted and recognised here.

Kiwi school are great at primary level. Lots of fun, hands on, active learning. I only have experience of a decile 10 school though in a very nice area so cant vouch for them all being the same. Class sizes in our school are around mid twenties (late teens for years 1 and 2).

You also start school on your 5th birthday which is a great individualised start to school.

Look at school zones carefully when deciding where to live. Some schools are strictly zoned and some take out of zone kids. Best bet is to contact schools to find out there policies. It all depends on the popularity of particular schools. If you are in zone, they have to take you.

We holiday in NZ at the moment. Saving money to visit the UK and currently enjoying exploring this country. Planning to take kids to the UK via Paris and Hong Kong next time we travel back. Family flights are expensive, although getting to Australia is not too bad.

I dont really miss anything in the UK apart from my family. And possibly the BBC. TV here is awful. If you're clever though there are still ways to see most BBC shows anyway!

I don't miss the crowds, queuing in supermarkets, snobbery, restrictions on where the kids can play, traffic, long distance commutes, no work life balance... There is a lot...

People might suggest I am not giving a very balanced view of NZ. But I love it here. When I look back at the way we used to live in the UK, I cant believe how lucky we now are. Things are never perfect anywhere. But I do think Ive found my little slice of heaven :)

Thanks both! maybe I'll see you at the Dowse one day LuubyLuu.
Both of your comments on the primary schools are exactly what I was hoping to hear. I hate the way British schools are going.
Thanks for the comments on cost of living, wonder how I would go about getting BBC - how will I live without Radio4!
I'll need to get a house with a decent sleepout so my parents can stay for a while, but yes, not looking forward to leaving them.
Thanks again :)

Radio 4's easy, you can listen to any radio station from around the world through an app called TuneIn. Or download podcasts or listen through the R4 website. I listen to the Archers every morning :)

A life without Ambridge would be no life at all!

Slightly sensitive question - how are you viewed as a Brit? Positively, or with suspicion? I am really very happy to pitch in with the community etc, but don't really want people to assume that I am some kind of up-myself pom. Which I really am not by the way.
Both of my UK friends/sisters in law have acquired a Kiwi accent pretty early on... will that be necessary? I quite like my SE London nasal twang!

I'm from the SE and still have my accent after 6/7 yearss :) my kids lost their english accent almost immediately and are now pure kiwi.

I don't think anyone is bothered about my accent at all. There are so may different accents here its not really an issue. It may be an advantage in my career (teaching) as my kids at school have said to me they assume I know it all as I sound intelligent :) (little do the know its all an act!)

So no I dont think there is any sort of negative prejudice against people with accents. Mainly because everyone here has some sort of foriegn ancestory anyway.

That's good to hear lavender.

Never had an issue with accents.

Things expats may miss -

proximity of Europe - lots of different countries/cultures so close. Here Aus and Pacific Islands are 3 hours flight and pretty much everywhere else 10+ hours away.

• history/ culture of UK

• variety of shops and goods to buy

• cold, uninsulated, poorly heated houses

• some things more expensive

• UK tv, radio and print media (all radio can be accessed online and some newspapers, there are ways to get uk tv if you miss it that much. TV here shows a lot of British and US stuff anyway)

What they may like -

Mostly relaxed pace of life
Less class structure/snobbery
Emptiness of much of the country including miles and miles of beaches
Schools less pressured
Decent weather (mostly guaranteed summer where I am Jan-Apr)

School entry quite simple, no LEA, you apply direct to school. If you are in zone you are guaranteed a place. If out of zone you can apply for a place, some schools take out-of-zoners, some don't. If a school is not zoned anyone can go there

We holiday within nz, haven't been overseas since 2008, can't really afford it. Lots of lovely places in nz to see, wouldn't mind a trip to the uk but $10K just for flights for 4 of us is off-putting :)

Ha, I don't mean they will miss cold houses. They will miss lovely toasty centrally heated houses. 8 degrees in our kitchen in winter before we put insulation in.

Thanks everyone, you're right about drafty houses - I will definitely miss central heating, and may have to sew myself into a onesie in Autumn! Are there any green grants that allow people to insulate their homes?
I keep feeling a bit panicky about being so far away from my family and the life I know here. I guess we could keep our flat here and rent it out as a safety net.
Also my other current worry (along with rising sea levels and the flatness of Petone) is skin cancer. NZ has one of the highest rates of it doesn't it. DD and I are really fair.
I don't like hokey pokey icecream, fish and chips, pineapple lumps or feijoa ether. Am hoping I can get salted caramel icecream somewhere!
(can you tell I'm freaking out a bit?)
We'll be there at the end of July though, so will know how we feel about it soon enough.
Can anyone explain the property market to me? Houses are mostly sold by tender by the looks of it, how do you know what to offer? Is there the same kind ethos of property making a profit, or do people just buy a house and live in it? this house looks lovely to me, but I could be missing something quite important.
Thanks for you help

That epitomises a cold ,draughty and damp NZ house !!
You would freeze.

On my visits (which have only been in their summer ) I have been colder indoors than I've ever been in the UK.
My sister has central heating put in her house but it is the only house I have ever seen with radiators .

Arriving end of July - the coldest time of the year. At least you'll know the worst when you get here!
My advice re housing would be to try to get somewhere with a heat pump or woodburner and also a house that faces north and gets a lot of sun. It can make a huge difference to internal temperatures. The older houses look lovely but are more likely to be freezing. Newer builds are more likely to have insulation etc. Don't just rely on an estate agent's word about insulation etc - if you are buying you will get a builders report so that should confirm stuff like that.

You can heat a house just by plug- in heaters but it will work out v expensive.

The sun is strong but you just learn to be cautious. Lots of sun block, hats, staying out of the sun at the hottest time of the day. Rash suits for kids (with sleeves and legs) at the beach rather than strappy swimsuits that require constant reapplying of sunblock to shoulders etc. Most schools have a "no sun hat, no outside play" policy from about Oct-Apr.

I don't know about buying houses by tender as our house had an asking price on so we escaped all the tender/auction business. There is an issue with people buying houses just to make a profit in Auckland (where prices have gone crazy in the last few years) but not in Wellington as far as I know.

In the spirit of sharing, I'm going to post the 3 houses I currently love...
any insider knowledge would be appreciated :)
Korokoro
Eastbourne
Lyall Bay no garden though :(

Do you expect the prices of NZ houses to rise much, or is the market pretty stable. Do people tend to just go for the Victorian bungalows, and not like the 1960's houses like in London or is the aesthetic different. I can't work out whether I want a place in the hills with a view but a steep garden, or somewhere on the flat where we can walk everywhere. I don't want to get into a driving everywhere situation...

The Lyall Bay and Eastbourne ones make no mention of heating. Is this because there isn't any?

Does the Lyall Bay at least have a courtyard garden?

It's difficult to say Echt. it does say 262 m2 Land, 160 m2 Floor so there must be some, and this is the aerial view.

I prefer the look of the Korokoro house as it is a bit more tucked away. Just not sure if it is possible to walk down to the beach from there or not.

On the link to the Korokoro property picture four, that might be a heat pump up on the wall.

Wellington is windy most of the time. The wind blew our roof off one night - right off, into the harbour. We were quite exposed though. Whilst we currently live in a house with a wood burner and an overnight storage heater, we used to own a house in Wadestown with central heating. It was gas and consisted of big pipes under the house (the house sat on piles and so was raised) that blew warm air into the rooms through ducts in the corners. I know someone who heats their house with underfloor heating - it is hellishly expensive to run. I am wondering why Petone? I find Petone very mixed and schools can be less consistent that in Wellington itself. There is a large Steiner school out in the Hutt that is apparently well regarded - not that i would touch Steiner myself when there are many many other good local schools in the Wellington region. Plimmerton is nice - famous for being very English and I also like Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay. In Wellington itself, my fave places to live with a family would be Khandallah, Ngaio, Wadestown, Island Bay, Seatoun is nice but really expensive. Lots of people love Karori, but I find it a bit dull and Kelburn is nice, but very expensive. For less wind, try Nelson (only joking) - might be better on the Kapiti Coast - Waikanae or Raumati.

That Lyall Bay one is very close to the airport.

Thanks all. Petone is where my IL all live, so DD could walk to her cousin's houses easily. That's the idea anyway. All the children go to Catholic Schools, but we will just be going to normal state schools.