Goodness me I nearly forgot the most stressful part. Amazing how the human mind blanks out the biggest nightmares.
New Zealand House
If you are coming to New Zealand from the UK, get to know New Zealand House, I was lucky, I worked in Covent Garden just a stones throw. If you need a visa go in person talk to them make fiends with them and get to know the different officials. Be there before it opens and as the gentleman comes down to explain the procedure to the group that will have formed as you move off make sure you are first up the stairs or out of the lift. I am the epitome of an English gentleman, as I waited at the lift letting all others go before me little did the realise that as last in I had to be first out not bad manners just physics, I big and blocked the door so I could not display the same manners as on entry. Then a brisk walk, so unseemly to scramble, to the little paper numbers, the sort you get at the local supermarket deli to ensure order and you are first up for the two or three officers that will serve the 20 or so people who have now gathered.
You will find that you get a different set of criteria and advice for every person you talk to. If you have enough points based on education etc you can apply for permanent residency immediately more on this later. I just wanted a work visa. I had a job to come to I would apply later for permanent residency, I just needed a visa for me my partner and our daughter. I was told everthing from no chance in hell to not a problem. The only reason we got passed the initial stane walling was a lovely young lady who was a kiwi in love with an English man and she was applying to live in the UK. She understood.
The hardest thing was proving that Becca and I were in a relationship, "defacto" as it is unromantically called. Most things were in my name only, a 8 month old baby is no proof of a relationship that is permanent ( sad fact of 2007 relationships) we didn't have joint bank accounts and we had only known each other for a year! Eventually I found a car insurance document making becca a named driver on my car, I ask you what better proof is there than a man prepared to share his car!! (that is said with a large sense of irony). This proof that we had know each other was accepted, it was a huge relive thanks to that annoying advert - the one with the phone that thinks its a car and beebs in that way that gets on your mind for hours - yes thanks to insurance direct we were going to New Zealand!
With a job and income we applied, filled out lots of forms, becca got a 2 year visitors visa, meaning she could not work. I had a 2 year working visa but I would have to work only for the company named on the visa. But, we were IN!....
More on the Visa application for permanent residency later.
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Getting Sorted
You know Becca and I have lived most of our lives in London, I've actually lived in Nottingham and Manchester as well, all big cities and all full of people. For those of you who have shared the experience of Habitat in Tottenham Court Road or Ikea at the weekend, you will be amazed to know that during one jet-lagged Saturday with a nine month old we managed to...
So for those of you who have lived in big cities in the UK or anywhere in the world you'd appreciate what a job those few tasks would be ans we did it just like that. I don't think we queued once, we always parked right outside the shop, all in all it was a great experience. The next installment will include some more detail on the rental situation and some of the down sides will become more evident!
Oh and this was the house we rented, I'll bring you a low down on the types of houses available in NZ, they are not like the UK. This is a Typical 1970 home with the living upstairs and a fantastic kiwi standard the rumpus room, every family should have one!
For appliances in Auckland got to Wairau Park at Tristram Ave off the northern motorway have a look at prices and models at Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman
For furniture go to Freedom Furniture If you need a car you can get an idea of prices at Auto Trader.
Oh a just be aware that there is no ebay in New Zealand it is Trade Me. Everyone uses it, us included its a great way of getting rid of all the stuff in the container that you never use and can't understand why you paid a fortune to ship it over!!
- Buy a car
- Find a House to Rent
- Bought two sofas
- And we did need the washer and we got it and it was delivered on the day and time the shop said it would ( I know the shock nearly killed me!)
So for those of you who have lived in big cities in the UK or anywhere in the world you'd appreciate what a job those few tasks would be ans we did it just like that. I don't think we queued once, we always parked right outside the shop, all in all it was a great experience. The next installment will include some more detail on the rental situation and some of the down sides will become more evident!
Oh and this was the house we rented, I'll bring you a low down on the types of houses available in NZ, they are not like the UK. This is a Typical 1970 home with the living upstairs and a fantastic kiwi standard the rumpus room, every family should have one!
For appliances in Auckland got to Wairau Park at Tristram Ave off the northern motorway have a look at prices and models at Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman
For furniture go to Freedom Furniture If you need a car you can get an idea of prices at Auto Trader.
Oh a just be aware that there is no ebay in New Zealand it is Trade Me. Everyone uses it, us included its a great way of getting rid of all the stuff in the container that you never use and can't understand why you paid a fortune to ship it over!!
Thursday, 22 March 2007
The Arrival
We arrived at the airport, we came business (paid for by my new employers) I have to say that 9 month olds don't understand the advantage of business travel and it makes no difference to them. For the parents it makes all the difference in the world, double the stress kids are not looked on kindly in business!
We had done a recce in November and driven around with our copy of "Where to Live in Auckland", it is hard home hunting with a baby in a hire car and living in an apartment - even a swish apartment in Prices Wharf. I think it fair to say we understood a little about the different suburbs and we decided where we didn't want to live but now in hind site I;m sure those decisions were based on the wrong criteria. We actually wrote of one are because on the day we went there was rubbish all over the side of the streets. Not just wheelie bins but old sofas, refrigerators and of course single shoes just lying in the street. It turns out that twice a year the councils have a free junk collection and we just happened to be passing through at that time!
So we were in Auckland it was Saturday, I started work on Monday, we needed a car, a house, probably a washing machine, definitely some furniture (ours was still in a container in the pacific, hopefully not under the pacific) It all seems desperate especially when this country that seems so English is actually quite foreign! Perhaps we should just go home now....
We had done a recce in November and driven around with our copy of "Where to Live in Auckland", it is hard home hunting with a baby in a hire car and living in an apartment - even a swish apartment in Prices Wharf. I think it fair to say we understood a little about the different suburbs and we decided where we didn't want to live but now in hind site I;m sure those decisions were based on the wrong criteria. We actually wrote of one are because on the day we went there was rubbish all over the side of the streets. Not just wheelie bins but old sofas, refrigerators and of course single shoes just lying in the street. It turns out that twice a year the councils have a free junk collection and we just happened to be passing through at that time!
So we were in Auckland it was Saturday, I started work on Monday, we needed a car, a house, probably a washing machine, definitely some furniture (ours was still in a container in the pacific, hopefully not under the pacific) It all seems desperate especially when this country that seems so English is actually quite foreign! Perhaps we should just go home now....
Friday, 9 March 2007
How it All Began
It was October 2004 and I had been thinking about leaving Fox television in London. I had lived all my life in the UK, I am very English and I come with some of the good bits and all the bad. To make things worse I am a Taurean, me stubborn, lets say just very tenacious.
Just over a four years ago I met Rebecca and 3 months into our relationship we fell pregnant with our first child. Why, in a story about emigrating to a new life down under, do I feel the need to tell all it was planned I don't know but it was and the result was delightful. A beautiful baby girl, I was 44 Becca 39 and neither of us thought we would be so blessed to have children at that stage in our lives.
In November we decided to travel to New Zealand after a company I had worked with replied to my e-mail basically saying, "give us a job" The Adventure had begun and we had - and still have, no idea where it will end. But I can tell you now it is invigorating, most 47 year olds are counting down their pension maturity date and worrying about endowments. Me, I was on a plane to a new life!
Just over a four years ago I met Rebecca and 3 months into our relationship we fell pregnant with our first child. Why, in a story about emigrating to a new life down under, do I feel the need to tell all it was planned I don't know but it was and the result was delightful. A beautiful baby girl, I was 44 Becca 39 and neither of us thought we would be so blessed to have children at that stage in our lives.
In November we decided to travel to New Zealand after a company I had worked with replied to my e-mail basically saying, "give us a job" The Adventure had begun and we had - and still have, no idea where it will end. But I can tell you now it is invigorating, most 47 year olds are counting down their pension maturity date and worrying about endowments. Me, I was on a plane to a new life!
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