Chat for those living in New Zealand

[Shells]

Hi everyone. Thought I might start up a new chat topic as our other ones seem to have fizzled out, especially with Christmas/holidays etc. And I think maybe there are some new faces around too.

I've got lots I'd like to chat about.
Isn't it great that school is going back .
Are you worried about how the recession will affect NZ?
Why did I go camping with a one year old? and other stories from the holidays.
And it would be good to hear everyone's news really.

So, just to get the ball rolling. I'm Shells, I am a Kiwi but lived in London for 18! years. Came back 2 years ago with English DH and 2 DSs (7 and 4), and now have DD who is 13 months.

I have to agree whatshesaid - it did feel much hotter earlier in the week. The humidity has been quite unbearable, quite tropical. We've been in the pool a few times/day which has helped a bit but the pools been up to 30 degrees. It's now been raining for a day or so and the temperature has dropped considerably - so much so dh was moaning last night he was cold! Not as cold as you though mrsJC! Worldwide weather is truly mad.

We're off out to dinner tonight, booked babysitter before brain engaged and realised it was valentines day. Hoping we're not sitting amongst love sick teenagers .

Have a great weekend all.

btw is anybody else having problems getting into mumsnet - slow???

So this is where you all are! Sorry so late to the thread.

Brrr, it's FREEZING here in Wellington. Well, not freezing obv but downright chilly.

We're pleased about the rain though - the tanks were getting very low.

LOL at the lovesick teenagers Sibble. Hope it's not too twee. DH and I once found ourselves staying in a hotel on Valentine's Day - only because it was handy for an early morning flight from Luton - and were bombarded with Special Valentine's Day chocolates and cards and goodies, and when we went down to dinner, they had tied sparkly balloons to the table [cringe]. It was horrendously overdone and embarrassing.

Hi Wellie.
I went to pak n save this morning (oh joy) and they had nasty bunches of fake roses and teddy bears on sticks and other sparkly things, all done up in bouquets - for..... $89!!!! I nearly fell over!
I'm almost tempted to go back to see if they've been sold.

Of course I totally forgot about V day. I don't think DP has EVER remembered. But thats ok .

Oh, I want fake roses and a teddy bear on a stick. >

I cooked my goose years ago by saying that IMO the whole thing was just a giant marketing con, so there went any chance of being whisked away unexpectedly to a romantic location...

Can you IMAGINE how many people must be getting married today?! I read in the paper that Lorraine Downes is marrying, wait for it, Martin Crowe today!!!! What is it with that woman and ageing sports heroes...

Well meal was great, if rather strange. We chose a very nice restaurant you need a car to get to on the basis it was unlikely to be full of lovesick teenagers. Pretty normal (if we are normal) crowd except for one very drunk woman dressed in tracksuit pants and old t-shirt who was insisting in a very loud voice over and over that she wasn't drunk then proceeded to get up and dance to the background music lol......

We left her slumped (not drunk of course) on one of the parties shoulders.

Weekend a bit mixed, very full on but the boys are either very tired from going back to day care/school or coming down with something. We went to the polo finals yesterday (a bit of a local event) and they were positively obnoxious. I can't get to grips with the boy fighting thing.........all very exhausting really.

I'm afraid I don't really know who Martin Crowe is. God - thats terribly un-NZ of me isn't it. I suspect he must be a rugby player or cricketer.... enlighten me please.

Sibble - fighting boys. I spend my whole time trying to ignore it (much to the horror of visitors sometimes) and then occasionally resort to roaring at them which stops them temporarily. And then they start again. Sigh.

Shells his few moments of fame were probably while you were in the UK. Former captain of NZ cricket team, brother Jeff Crowe was also on team. She was formerly married to Murray Mexted who most Wellingtonians now know as the owner of Mexted Motors in Tawa rather than as former All Black!

Oh and if you happen to watch Campbell Live tomorrow night (tue) you might see an item about "the real estate agent who failed to disclose what he knew about the house he was selling" - i.e. that the construction site next door was about to become a childcare centre co-owned by yours truly. Keep your fingers crossed that we get no negative publicity by association! MrsJC if you see this took your advice and told everyone to maintain a "no comment" line and not get involved. In fact they only filmed from the street and never approached us but the teachers were all keen that we contact TV3 to make sure we got our say but I fully agree that the risks of that escalating into a story focused on us were too big to take, so we'll just have to wait and see...

oh I hope it is OK Buzzy! I have to work tomorrow night I think so prob won't be able to see it, but fingers crossed

we had a BEATIFUL day yesterday, sunny, 23 etc - but today it's pissy again and it's going to be 7 again tonight. Brrrrr. I had to go and buy the children new socks because it's been so long since they wore them that they've grown out of them.

other than that, non-eventful here. I have quite a lot of work coming up now until May, so soon I'm going to be knackered from being out every evening and fighting with DD most of the day (oh I thought 4 would be easier - it so isn't). Oh, we have a lovely new kitten from the SPCA - she has fitted in beautifully and it's great to have a cat again.

I saw the ad for it and excitedly told dh that I thought it might be 'someone from mumsnet".

I am so glad you are not dignifying it with a response, so the story stays about the real estate agent. Your place looks totally lovely BTW.

I did find that book on dealing with the media - I guess you won't be wanting it now! But if you do - I can see it here and could pop it in the post tomorrow.

welliemum has my cellphone number and Mrs JCusack has my other details.

Sorry, it was you twentypence! Got my mumsnet Mums mixed...thanks I'll take you up on that if things escalate any further but for the moment will stick with the strong silent approach. Am dreading that they might name me personally so really hoping they only refer to the centre name in passing and it doesn't get down to a personal level other than in relation to estate agent. The neighbours are rather hysterical about the whole thing - makes for good TV I suppose - hence the "my life is a nightmare" stuff, I ask you!!

I liked "our life has been ruined", that'll play well just after scenes from the Victoria bush fires.

I don't think the public has a lot of sympathy for this sort of thing at the moment.

I saw the trailer and thought it must be your centre buzzy. I had ds1's meet the teacher night so missed it. Hope it wasn't too bad.

is this a good thread to ask what Auckland is like? We're in the UK, lived in Canada for 18 months. May be a job for DH in Auckland; I'm mad keen, he's not so sure.

What is school like? Too many Q's!!

Hi Highlander - a few Aklders here but I'm not one sorry! But I do know there are some great schools and some not so good ones.

Well the item wasn't as bad as I'd feared thankfully...in fact arguably we just got several $1000s worth of free publicity (or that's what I'm going to tell myself...)

Hi Highlander. We've been in Auckland for 6 years. In very brief (so let me know if there's anything more specific you want to know)

It covers quite a sprawl so is quite a diverse area. If you don't know it too well I would rent to start with so you can get a feel for which area suits you.

The pluses...weather mild so great in Summer not too bad in winter but we're close enough to the ski fields if that's your thing, very outdoorsy, fantastic beaches, most swimming pools free, great parks, restaurants etc....I think primary school education is great but obviously schools will vary. Check out the government website once you start thinking about areas. I can't think what the UK equivalent is but they tell you about the school achievements.

www.ero.govt.nz

Minuses - Public transport is not too good unless you stay pretty central, it's not a great city compared to London, Sydney, Melbourne etc....we have theater, concerts, museums but not to a great extent, Wellington has a more cosmopolitan feel and the central city is easier to get around (but our weather is better .

The pluses outweigh the minuses for us as with 2 littlies we hardly head into town for culture!!!

Anything specific let me know. Whatshesaid is also in Auckland, I'm South and she's West.

Hi Highlander. We've been in Auckland for 6 years. In very brief (so let me know if there's anything more specific you want to know)

It covers quite a sprawl so is quite a diverse area. If you don't know it too well I would rent to start with so you can get a feel for which area suits you.

The pluses...weather mild so great in Summer not too bad in winter but we're close enough to the ski fields if that's your thing, very outdoorsy, fantastic beaches, most swimming pools free, great parks, restaurants etc....I think primary school education is great but obviously schools will vary. Check out the government website once you start thinking about areas. I can't think what the UK equivalent is but they tell you about the school achievements.

www.ero.govt.nz

Minuses - Public transport is not too good unless you stay pretty central, it's not a great city compared to London, Sydney, Melbourne etc....we have theater, concerts, museums but not to a great extent, Wellington has a more cosmopolitan feel and the central city is easier to get around (but our weather is better .

The pluses outweigh the minuses for us as with 2 littlies we hardly head into town for culture!!!

Anything specific let me know. Whatshesaid is also in Auckland, I'm South and she's West.

I think you got free publicity - we all saw how lovely the centre looked on the trailers, and presumably the show (sorry I was teaching and missed it).

A dignified silence was the best thing.

yes I didn't think it was me that advised you -sounded far too sensible for me to have said it

glad it was OK

sibble - you star!! We're both skiers, so nearby ski runs are a huge plus. I surf as well.

DH would be going for the big hospital (Greenhills?). Our neighbour has a firm job offer there.

Food-wise (and this is very middle-class) is it all grown in NZ, or imported?

We currently live in NE England so we're definitely not looking for a London-esque city.

is it fairly multi-cultural? One thing we just loved about vancouver was the multi-ethnicity. I'm trying to woo DH with the promise of sushi bars

Hi Highlander, food here tends to be seasonal and predominantly NZ grown (with a few exceptions of products that can't be produced here). Coming from London and used to buying everything all year round in packets in Sainsbury's it took me some getting used to. We now however have our own veggie garden and grow most of our own produce, apart from that go to the local farmers market on Sundays (very middle-class too! lol).

For surfing the west coast is best, we've a bach (beach house) on the west coast just an hour from Auckland lifeguard patrolled surf beach and the ds's love it although they scare the pants off me half the time.

Re. multicultural, it depends on which area you live, there are alot of Asians (here that's chinese, koreans....), Pacific Islanders, Maori (obviously) and South Africans. Absolutely no problem getting sushi but people kind of live in pockets. It's very white where I am but 10 mins down the road is where the Islanders and Maori live, 10 mins east a huge number of Asians and South Africans (who also live in huge numbers on the north shore which is virtually all white). Of course this is a generalisation and I guess people live with like people elsewhere but we chose south for alot of reasons one of which was the multicultural mix - I love it.

If it's Greenlane Hospital, it's quite central and near some nice areas but also easily accessible from where I live and west. Would avoid North as getting over the Harbour Bridge is a nightmare. What does dh do?

That should have come with a nosey emotion and you don't have to answer of course

Even the South Island with its mere 1 million people can manage sushi places. Lots more food at Woolworths seems to say "produce of Australia or New Zealand". which makes for an interesting shopping experience.

DH is an interventional cardiologist (angioplasty). Green Lane is one of the biggest centres in the world, producing top class research (quoting neighbour and DH here!!)

Went on an expat site and was pretty shocked how negative people are about there NZ experience. Mind you (tell me what you think), I think NZ is so populated with Brits and their 'don't get involved', 'can't do, won't do' attitude, I think they need to wise up themselves, i.e. if you emigrate for a better life, you have to ahem, change yourself!

I hear books are v expensive

Is there much conflict with UK immigrants/NZers/Maoris?