Ramblings from NZ and Australia. All welcome in the midst of winter!

[dontevenblink]

So I know there are quite a few of us living here in NZ or Kiwis in the UK who might want to join in. Would anyone fancy a chat thread? I know there was one a few years ago but nothing I can see anymore.

I've been out here about 4 1/2 years, were on south island, now on north but not in either of the big cities. Weather is sunny but cold today. It was so cold last night our taps didnt run this morning properly until a load of orange gunk came out, we now have hot water again luckily. How do you stop the pipes from freezing without central heating? The house was empty for years before we got it and the pipes had burst apparently. Luckily we just rent it. I've been onto the landlord to ask for a heat pump as there is no heating apart from the plug in oil radiators we have and you can see your breath in the mornings! Did anyone else also have a crazy amount of rain this week? We've had nothing for ages so the farmers were all worrying so was definitely a good thing for them.

On the very plus side it has been mainly still hot here and this is the first week I haven't wanted to venture out with the dog (although obviously still have). Still love walking and seeing the beautiful surroundings we live in, never gets old.

It's that time of year again (where did the year go?!) when all the toy sale catalogues are coming out and dc have been flicking through debating already what they want for Christmas. I normally buy a few things to put away for Christmas so as to spread it out but not sure I can be bothered yet [lazy emoticon]. Plus they keep changing their minds... It normally feels christmassy too at this time of year which puts me in the mood, but not as much this year for some reason. Does anyone else do layby?

Anyone else want to join me in my kiwi ramblings?

We were pleasantly surprised to hear you can get gas central heating installed (3 bed house) for NZD7000 or so. Just need the 7k now... And we gave that Sainsbury's Gruffalo outfit too! Can't remember now who had it. Such a good buy!!

*have

Massive storm here! It's been raining non stop since Thursday eve now and the wind is crazily strong, was so noisy last night. We had a power cut from 3-5 last night (only know this as ds2 woke up screaming that it was too dark then dd2 decided having been woken up it was too boring to go back to sleep...) and the power went off again about 10am. It's out in our town and the next apparently! We're thinking of getting in the car and driving till we find somewhere with power and therefore coffee and warmth...

How is the rest of NZ? I think it's the east coasts that have been worst hit by the looks of it. Weather any better in Australia?

Brie how funny about you having the same gruffalo outfit, it is fab isn't it That's cheaper than I thought for central heating actually.

Just cold and wet here in The Waikato, no power cuts, my mum had them in Gissy so I suspect the East Coast is getting the worst of it. Soccer got cancelled this morning, the grounds are sodden so we stayed in, so pleased!

Still here in NZ enjoying the snow
Quick question for the locals
I had my hair coloured in a salon and asked for a full head of highlights. The stylist asked if I wanted streaks ? Which I didn't understand so I said no just foils .
The result was barely noticeable , very patchy and still left with noticeable badger stripe .

She put in a fraction of the usual 100 or so foils I normally have at home ( half of that for a 1/2 head and 1/4 for a t section )
I am going back to get it fixed but I just wondered if anyone knows what was lost in translation ?

Also as I hate complaining I feel awful going back but it was the same price as home for a very bad job.
It was a place that was well recommended too.

Glad you're enjoying the snow habibi you've come at the right time! There are still people without power up on the hills where I am and the Napier to Taupo road was closed for four days with a 5 hour diversion!! No idea about the highlights I very rarely make it to a hairdressers. I've never heard of streaks, I've seen full or half heads of highlights on sites such as grabone though. Could you pop into another hairdressers first and ask them for an opinion? If you're in Christchurch I know of a couple of hairdressers. Hope someone else a bit more knowledgeable will come along!

So for those of you in NZ, and seen on the news, I live in the town that's water has been contaminated with campylobacta and has a large part of the town down with a nasty gastrobug DH been really ill since Thursday and only started to get better yesterday, youngest dc up with fever last night and eldest one complaining of cramps. Middle two ok so far but can take up to 10 days to appear apparently. I'm feeling delicate and it's horrible waiting to see if we all get it! 330 pupils away from my dcs school today Council apparently knew about this in Thursday but didn't alert people straight away, I only found out as school sent a message out Friday saying they had almost 100 children away with a gastrobug and the dhb were looking into it. We were drinking the water all week and presumably reinfecting ourselves. I'm not sure how I can trust the drinking water again, I think I'm going to stick to bottled water for a good while. Never really crossed my mind that it wouldn't be safe to drink the water!

Sorry for the rant, I'm feeling really sad and worried about all this and needed somewhere to vent.

On a more lighthearted note there were a few news cameras at school this morning and I inadvertently managed to look right into one this morning so am really hoping I am not on the national news tonight...

donteven I grew up in the area, and have never heard of anything like it! In all my years have never had a water scare, so hopefully this is a once off and the water goes back to being ok. Will look for you on the news ;)

am absolutely agog that a lot of houses don't have central heating! It gets cold in Aus and NZ

Anyway, NZ sounds absolutely beautiful.

I had a gap year in Aus (loved it) and had a visa for NZ but ended up moving to Canada instead so never visited. Will get there one day.

Love the fact that you are all moaning about the temperature - I googled the weather and it's 13 degrees and sunny at the moment!?

You kids don't know you are born!! Try minus 30 and windy.

Great idea for a thread.

Hi everyone! Thank you, this is just the thread I needed to sustain me through this rainy, windy night in Perth. We got here just over 2 weeks ago and the latest status is:
House: rental found - mostly empty, BUT there is heating, yay!
Toddler: full of beans and enjoying the adventure
Jobs: dozens of applications sent - no joy yet
Bank balance: rapidly dwindling. Dad: getting anxious, Mum: grumpy and homesick.

Hence, lovely to read some more cheerful posts from those who are happily settled in NZ or Aus. :-) Thank you. I know things will get better eventually! If anyone in Perth is reading; where do you take the little ones? We've found lots of playgrounds but I'm hoping for something a bit more sociable, what is the equivalent of our (endangered) SureStart childrens' centres for example?

I will end this post with the positives I have found so far:
No Brexit news
Limited Trump related news
Channel 22 - thank goodness for that
There is Ikea!
Erm - sorry that's all I've got for now but will be sure to check back in with much more positive news soon. :-D xxx

Hi everyone. Please let me know if I should start a new thread for this.
I have a lovely 18 yo son looking to work as a 'Manny'/male au pair in Sydney ( or elsewhere I suppose..) this coming school year ( end of Sept onwards I would say.)
Ideally he would be best with older children, at school or whatever. Does anyone know of a lovely family who need something or give me pointers where to look.
Obv I am his mother so think he is wonderful but he is relaxed, easy going, popular with older work colleagues and teachers and just so easy to live with.
Any tips would be warmly received,

Mazey, have you tried a local soft play? They tend to only cost about $5 entry so lots of mums use them for informal socialising and wearing the kids out. Playgroups here tend to have waiting lists and you pay/sign up a term at a time.(am based in Melbourne)

Has spring sprung anywhere yet?

It was warm enough to set off the cicadas this evening in Melbourne, though not officially spring until Thursday.

Whenever I say this, a cold snap ensues for the next month.

Hi Mazey13

Congratulations on moving to Perth (my hometown - but been in UK 20 years).

The equivalent to SureStart is your local playgroup. You should be able to find details through your local council and might be on their website or if not give them a call and they will point you in the right direction. Usually held in a local hall once a week, run to school term time and there is a small fee for joining. very socialable and a great place to meet local Mums with toddlers. I was a member of one a few years ago (had a year in Perth as Dad was terminally ill) in the Western Suburbs and it was a lifesaver!

Also check out the local library they sometimes have story reading afternoons, rhyme times and some even have toy libraries (you pay a small fee to join then you can pay a small amount to borrow toys, weekly or fort nightly. you might also have to volunteer to help now and then). My DS used to love going to chose a different toy each time.

Jimbaroo was another great one for tiring out my then 2 year old and meeting other Mums.

Have you been up to the lovely playground at Kings Park - The Ivey Watson Playground - you can take a picnic lunch and kill a few hours or they have a little cafe so you can get a light lunch, coffees, icecreams

I really really miss it.... Especially the beach....

PM me if you have any other questions happy to help out.

Moved back to NZ after 11 years in the UK, accompanied by the ultimate holiday souvenir - a Mancunian husband! Living now in the paradise known as Northland. DH wakes every morning (we're retired) to sit on the veranda with a cuppa, looking down over the harbour as the sun rises over the water. He truly believes he has found the best place in the world to live, and after many years travelling the world in the Royal Navy, that is saying something. The sun shines most days, the "winters" are laughably mild, fruit grows everywhere for the picking. I've already planted my tomatoes, and it's not even spring yet! The harbour is full of fish, dolphins play in the water just below our place, everything I plant in the garden grows with abandon. The people are friendly and supportive, medical care is free and very efficient. We bought our little house for just under 100k(pounds), and have spent another 40k to turn it into a little palace. It's on a third of an acre with 180 degree views of the water. Life is good. I love the UK for its history and culture and the fact that my DNA is 96% British means that I have a deep spiritual attachment to the place - but for the perfect life, it's got to be NZ.

Hi all. I'm in Adelaide but from Scotland. About to head home for a wee holiday very soon and can't wait. Looking forward to some lovely, crisp Autumn days.

Planning on taking some 'Aussie treats' home for friends' kiddies but it's been a while and I'm not sure what you can get here but not there. Any suggestions? Not vegemite, though, I want them to like me!

Mazey13 DH and I will be emigrating to Perth early-mid 2018 with toddler (he'll be 3.5 then) and baby (I'm currently pregnant). We have friends there and went for a visit in March this year and loved it. Try a FB site called BuggyBuddies - friends said we should follow it it and I still do. Loads of stuff on it for toddlers. Keen to hear how you get on! We're both a bit worried about the job situation over there especially as we have good jobs here!!

pollyglot your post was great thanks so much, we are moving back after 14yrs in the UK, different stage of life as our souvenirs include offspring of 8 & 5yrs but we love the UK and will miss it so very much but our life is too self contained here, the kids need to make connections with extended family, my parents lived here for 7yrs back in NZ now and the kids miss them so much.

I'm equal parts excited and terrified.

KiwiD - I'm sure you won't regret being back in the bosom of your family in Godzone. Good for you for making the decision. The best place for raising children, without a doubt. Where are you heading to? I'm sure you're aware that house prices have gone crazy over here, sadly. Best of luck!

Mazey, where abouts in Perth are you? Playgroup WA website will have details of local playgroups you can join, I might be able to help with other kid friendly activities depending on where you are based.

I am in Perth too, there are heaps of groups etc if you know where to look. I am NOR if you want any suggestions around here. My boys are 6 and 9 so not so up on the toddler thing but they were 4 and 18months when we arrived so know what its like trying to get established.

Hello again and thanks so much for all the helpful replies, sorry I haven't been on here for a while! We're in Kinross which I have recently found out it also known as "Little Britain", doh... :-D We went to the Kings Park playground for the first time today (came across it by chance on the way home from the immunisation clinic), how did it take me so long? Lovely place. We've been to the local playgroup a couple of times which was really good (but I did find the whole "signing up for a whole term" thing a bit odd as someone mentioned above). Been to the local soft play too which she enjoyed, but I didn't really manage to speak to anyone.
I have only just (finally) found some temp work which of course makes me look at our early days together in a whole new light (always the way isn't it)! Luckily dd seems to be having a great time at the local nursery. Husband found a job which was a huge relief, obviously... see I did promise some more cheerful tidings... :-D
Other good things:

• My Mum came to visit for a fortnight and we had a lovely time
• The orange blossom in the garden is smelling lovely
• I finally had an interview for a "proper" FT job - haven't heard anything back yet but it was cheering to be asked anyway.
• Weather vastly improved. Enjoying autumnal FB posts from UK friends.

Heatherbell1978: yes I must admit the job situation has taken us by surprise! But things may well be looking up again by 2018, the various recruiters/HR people I have spoken to seem to think things may improve next year. Fingers crossed. On the plus side, we had no problem finding a rental place!

Has anyone used the M&S Australian website btw? I just had a look but it seemed a bit of a pale imitation to me. I might just wait until we go home for Christmas!
Over and out xx

How exciting a NZ and Oz thread!
Well I am an Australian who lived in the UK for years then came back to Australia and now live in Central Queensland. I am actually wanting to head back to England in about four years but with DH in tow.

Just checking everyone in NZ is ok. We felt it here in Hawkes Bay, house was creaking really loudly. Old neighbours of ours by the coast in Christchurch were evacuated at 2am but they're back home now, although they said the tsunami warning sirens are going off hourly still. Watching news now, awful So many places we know so well affected. Hope everyone else is ok