This was a Great Headline to Wake up to

New Zealand's housing market is the riskiest, says an international study by credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.

You can read the full story here

But a little later in the day this article appeared!

There's still plenty of money to be made in the housing market, despite frightening property stories such as this one, according to one market research company who specialise in that industry.

You can read this full story here

The Uk didn't do much better in the survey. If you have a family houses are homes and I guess I'll just make this the happiest place I can.

I'm going to visit a school next week for millie. I'll be interested to see what its like. If you are used to the catchment areas of the UK you'll be interested to hear the principals comment when asked about waiting list.

Oh look if we get more children we get another teacher and form another class.

The delights of living in a country with pre school children numbering in the thousands rather than millions!

Ahhh and I've gone Gold

It was a great weekend, no trip to Wellington, as much as I like the place. I also got my Air New Zealand Gold Airpoints Card. Its great because I get a free upgrade for 2 on one sector and admission to the Koru Club, its their lounge for domestic frequent travelers. You can pay to be a member its about $300 a year I think, so complementary membership is great. You get free food and it is very relaxing.

We had a great family weekend, a walk along the beach and a trip to the tunnel trees. We also had a meal out again. It was very expensive, its a restaurant owned by friends of ours called GPK in Takapuna it was great food but it is quite expensive!! See last comment!

The Price of Fish

The cost of fish in New Zealand is huge when you think this is a South Pacific Island. 3 Snapper and 2 Chips would set me back $23. What's the cost of English Fish and Chips today?

I love the fact our NZ Veggies (as the locals insist on calling them) are seasonal. It means they are local and fresh BUT at this time of year they cost. $8 for a head of Broccoli, Cucumber $4.99, Carrots $4.99 per Kg, then organic milk at $2.42 per 1L and the killer, baby milk $20.99. If you use my equation of $1 = £1 based on earnings, would you pay £8 for broccoli? Perhaps things have changed in the UK. There are 5 of us in our house. 2 aldults and 3 kids 3.4 and 2*9 months, our weekly shop last 5 to 6 days and comes in at $358.
A nice meal out will cost $130 for two.
DVD new release about $39
Coffee out $3.50 a medium size cup.
A Big Mac combo about $8.99
A paper back book $29


It is not a cheap place to live

New Zealand Interest Rates

In New Zealand what in the UK is known as the Base Rate is called the OCR (official cash rate) Well today it took another hike to 8.25%. This was the Statement from the Reserve Bank.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard said: “The New Zealand economy is running strong. We are recording continued big increases in international commodity prices, especially dairy, reflecting solid world demand for our products.

“This is very good news for New Zealand. Given this positive situation, some of the negative commentary circulating about the economy is unwarranted.

“However, the continued tight labour market, high capacity use, and rising oil and food prices all point to sustained inflationary pressures. That is why we are increasing the OCR today.

“The New Zealand dollar has reached very high levels recently, driven by US dollar weakness and New Zealanders’ heavy demand for borrowing. This level of the currency has been hurting exports.

“The high New Zealand dollar is not sustainable medium term and investors should understand this. The higher OCR now gives strong incentives to New Zealanders to save.

“New Zealanders have been showing early signs of moderating their borrowing.

Provided they keep this up, and the pressure on resources continues to ease, we think the four successive OCR increases we have delivered will be sufficient to contain inflation.”

In the Uk the base rate is 5.75%, this means mortgages are very expensive here. It does mean that savings earn more. Great, the problem is that people spend their savings to come here and they usually buy a house! So it's not good for the people who want to come out or are coming out right now. Also of course significant amount of money is needed to set up house and home. So you'll be tranfering hard earned cash from one county to another. You will lose a significant amount - 50k UK will get you 127,499 NZD in May it would have got you 136,500 a difference of 9,000 NZD thats a renovated kitchen or a small second hand car.

The message timing is crucial! Today is not the time. But I'm looking at taking Millie to Disney Land.

The New Me

This is my Bike, it's great and today I commuted to work on my bike, something that I have not done since my Roundwood Park School Days in 1979. I cycled 3 miles there and back everyday.

I left home crossed the footbridge the joins our peninsular to the one that is Bayswater. then onto the Ferry, disembark through the Viaduct Harbor and then a walk up the very steep hill to the office. It was a little dark on the return journey especially through the church yard! I had a few moment of anxiety when I fully expected an official to tell be I couldn't take my bike on the ferry, but all in all a great experience.

It is a great way to get to work and the roads are very empty if you choose your route carefully.

Becca and I have also started Sure Slim we do need to lose a bit of weight. We will keep you posted as to the success of the programme. I will say that at this precise moment I am very hungry.

Snow Planet

So today was Thursday and because I work at the weekends I decided to have the day off. Seems like a great idea until I start getting phone calls every 10 minutes. I suppose I should be glad that they didn't just get on with it and that I clearly do actually have a role!

We took Millie and her friend Alice to Snow Planet it is an indoor ski slope. We took the Preschool package that included a toboggan, snow boot (wellies) and a crash hat, this wasn't offered but I guess we could have asked. The kids Enjoyed it but I think it is a little disappointing. The toboggan slope is tiny and you are not allowed on the bigger slope. It a shame it could have been great. I know they say it is for safety reasons and thats fine, but a better provision for little ones would have had us hooked and most people will tell you too catch 'em young to stay in business. It was a great slope and the snow quality was excellent. The Cafe is good too 10/10 for the hot chocolate and the view up the slope is great. If only my mobile hadn't been ringing off the hook.

Oh yes I took delivery of my bicyle today, it'll be my first ever bike commute tomorrow! If there are no posts fro a while you'll know it went badly!

Buses, Cars and Bikes

This is an Auckland Bus! Now a couple of things, my car has been found. I'm not too happy about that, it would have been better if it had never been found or found burnt out!
I've been using the buses. After 2 years here I've now decided I should have discovered the bus service years ago! An express bus leaves from just outside my house and 20 minutes late I'm in the CBD! There is an express lane that gets around the traffic in Esmonde Road and being Auckland the buses are not crowded. I have seen people standing but these are from higher up the motorway, probably the Albany bus station. Any how more information here.
I am also taking deliver of a bicycle this afternoon! This is in an attempt to get fit. I have made a TV show called Do or Die recently it looks at the whole issue of weight and eating from a psychological point of view. How we as human will find excuses for anything and everything, fooling ourselves into early graves! I have decided to practice what I preach and incorporate my exercise into my daily routine.
I'm not looking forward to cycling in traffic though. The Standard of driving is simply awful. I have been using Taxis to get to and from the airport on my weekly trip to Avalon Wellington it has, more often than not, been a far from relaxing experience. I suspect more on this in the future.

Interesting Sites

I came across this site today, The Daily New Zealand News. I think it is what's known as an aggregated site in that its content is drawn from other sources and it therefore has little opinion or editorial of its own. However as a source of New Zealand News it is quite interesting and up to date.

The other is for UK expats who still crave the news from home. The excellently titled The First Post is an online daily magazine that takes you through the headlines in all the UK papers. Unike the New Zealand version this site is full of independent editorial and opinion

Standards - Infant Formula safety warning

I suppose I was a bit shocked to read that the powdered formula we give our twins was the subject of a safety warning today.

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) has not been subject to the required risk-based safety assessment for the purposes of permitting their addition to infant formula products for sale in New Zealand.

The products in question, Nutricia Karicare Gold Plus Infant Formula and Follow-On Formula are commonly available at all supermarkets.
I think the point is not the warning but how can a company put untested additives into a baby formula of all things? How can this go undetected for so long? Shouldn't every baby product be the subject of the most stringent tests and checks from all the agencies involved. The fact that the New Zealand Food Safety Authority allowed the product to go on sale is the real question regardless of how knowingly the company sent the untested product to market?
These are serious questions. I will make one rather unpopular observation, I am not surprised this can happen. I have seen all to often a "she'll be alright" attitude. I have been the subject of jibes about my British over cautious adherence to rules and regulations. Particularly around insurance, safety and attention to detail. I do not care if I am cautious and pedantic, I am proud of my attention to detail.

This should not have happened. Babies are far too vulnerable and we all have a duty of care. I feel dreadful that I did not research the contents of the milk myself. You buy a product that you hope will enhance the quality of the most precious things in your life. You purchase from national manufacturers and retailers, places and people you should trust. The "she'll be right" culture of New Zealand needs to change, I'm sorry but there are some things that we have to stress about, not in fear but out of the desire to do the right thing and leave nothing to chance.

It is one thing to make false claims about the vitamin C in Ribena and quite another to put untested additives in infant formula.

Takapuna Beach and Fluffy's

We have decided to be more proactive in enjoying the benefits of Living in the Urban Seaside! So this Morning in stead of the normal lazy slide into Saturday we went for a long walk along Takapuna Beech. The air was still, no cutting UK like wind, at was clear and bright. Its a lovely beach, Millie troops along and loves watching all the dogs, dogs of every shape and size. I should also mention that I have never seen any dog mess, everyone seems to bag up.
We had coffee outside at Massimos, I had a Bacon avocado and tomato bagel, Becca had the cream cheese and Jam. Millie had a Fluffy, do they have them in the UK now? Any way it is the froth from the steamed milk with either chocolate syrup or sprinkled chocolate powder on top. Fantastic it stops kids taking the best bit of your cappuccino and they are in 7th heaven with a whole mini mug of froth!
It is so easy to forget that you are never more than 5 minutes away from a beach wherever you are in Auckland. It is so easy to get caught up in the usual suburban shop, eat, TV sleep routine, driving everywhere. YOu just need to take time and get up and do. Break the English routine or the routine of your old life wherever you came from, the whole point is to do things differently. Today we did and it was good!

Oh and here's a picture I found of what Takapuna used to look like.

Unlucky for Some

I have always had a slight superstition about Friday the 13th. Not the sort that prevents me from leaving my bed just a nervous trepidation that causes me to be aware that I am being more careful than a normal day. I suppose that would account for most of my personal catastrophes happening on days other than Friday the 13th!

So I wouldn't normally have made an appointment at the eye specialist today, it was an urgent appointment and it wasn't until the receptionist read back the details that I realized what I had done, until then blissfully unaware of the date.

Apart from the cost of a 10 minute appointment being $135 that was thankfully the only shock.

I would certianly recommend that everyone takes out health insurance in New Zealand. It is not a litigious society and the ACC will usually pay for any treatment needed due to accidents or industrial injury.

The Health System in NZ is great but can be very expensive for the unexpected things.

Words of Wisdom

Since the car has gone I've been getting the ferry to work. Becca will take me to the Devonport Pier before she drops Millie off to school or I can get the bus. $5 and 15 minutes later I'm on the other side for the 10 minute walk to the office. Not bad as the car will take 40 to 50 minutes door to door. The ferry goes every half hour and it is an uncommonly civilized way to travel. Especially in Auckland where the dictionary definition of a queue or crowd tends to run to single figures.

There are problems though, we had one hell of a storm last night 180km winds. So all the ferry services were canceled. Now that was probably the second time this year, anyone who has stood at Kingcross once a week while the leaves are cleared from the line or the overhead cable reseated will be laughing at the complaints of the biannual disruption in Auckland.

YOu may be wondering why this post is called words of Wisdom? Well you should know that I think Becca is a fantastic mum to our 3 children but I did want to share this remarkable piece of wisdom from Millie My 3 year old. After a particularly trying day where becca had a rare moment of raising her voice to Millie, as she was being put into bed Millie said.

Mummy, take those bad words and put them on a shelf up high where you cannot reach them.

Apart from the wonderful imagery in the words, I hope she becomes a leader of people because I think that is a very valuable and peaceful sentiment that I endorse for humanity.

Things to Do - School Holidays and Rain

Well surprise surprise, it's the school holiday and it is just bucketing down. I know if you are reading this in the UK you are saying, "so what I'm watching telly in my wellies."

My heart goes out to anyone who is not at home tonight because of weather damage. We had several Tornadoes hit here over the last 48 hours. Quite a lot of damage and some very lucky escapes.

Still if it is raining and your kids want to do things this site, Kidspot is a great resource. The online Magazine Kids Friendly New Zealand is a good start but like many things in New Zealand it is in need of being funked up. It is very strong on values and families but it reminds me of the "Peoples Friend." It looks like the sort of magazine Granny and Grampa bring out for day out suggestions and you can watch the kids hearts sink!

Millie, who is 3 said to me yesterday, "Daddy I want to go on a train again." I said, "I don't think we have been on a train," her reply, "Yes we did, at Butterfly Creek!" Humm, that was nearly 2 years ago, how do kids do that she was just one year old? My earliest memory was at 3 being allowed out in the rain for the first time in my Wellies and rain coat! Which gets me back to where I started...rain!


Butterfly Creek is a really great day out, sure some of it is out side, the train and the pets but we loved it there. There is always Snow Planet, we've not been but we here it is a great place to go.

Crime

Well I just had my car stolen. A few months ago the window was smashed. Both times happened in the car park I use for work which is right opposite my office my window even looks over the car park its self. If you see a Silver Forrester in Auckland it could be mine, of course I filled up with Petrol this morning, I guess that is Murphys' Law.

Oh well expect a few posts about the service from my insurance company and the Police. I must say that over the phone the lady I gave my details to at the Police station was very efficient and actually asked me if I was alright. I could have launched into No how am I going to get to work, I've got 3 children under three and I've been working 7 days a week for the last 7 weeks and I have an eye infection! But I just said "No I'm fine" a comon negative positive statement from an English speaking person! I should have said Yes I'm fine, and why do we often say Yes No in reply to questions?

Oh well I'm filling time while Becca comes to get me in the car. I'll be able to tell you all about getting the ferry from the North Shore to the CBD next!

Oh hum.

The Americas Cup

I don't suppose I should ignore this event. If you didn't know New Zealand lost in the 7th race of the Americas Cup. They incurred a penalty after the Swiss forced and error. This meant the kiwi boat had to execute a 360 degree turn at some point. It was a fantastic race with the lead changing a couple of times but the boats were never more that 120m apart, for the most part it was 5 to 30m. On the race to the line the Swiss boat was almost becalmed at 1 1/2 boat lengths from the finish line Team NZ decided to execute the penalty turn with Alinghi wallowing in the back ground. But as the bow of the boat came around Alinghi found some wind and accelerated. Team NZ were almost on the line but couldn't find the boat speed, letting Alinghi cross just 1 second in front.

For those of you who have not followed the racing, yes I did say the Swiss and I do know that is a landlocked country in the middle of Europe, Ok it has a large lake but is really more famous for skiing that sailing. It has one other claim to fame, a lot of rich people live there and that is why they could afford to pay several New Zealanders and Americans to crew and steer them to victory.

Despite the defeat it is all very positive and the government is please with the exposure the country got for the 35m dollars they put in.

As the Swiss crossed the line after one of the most exciting and titanic sporting tussles in history she muttered out loud "Bugger thats buggered the house prices." A reference to the lost opportunity for growth now the hosting rights in four years time is denied to Auckland.

Kids Things to Do

Well it's Winter here and it rains a lot, so what do you do with the kids! This is my first pick, Millie has been going since we got here, Mainly Music. Do not be put off that it may be run at a church, there is no pressure to be religious in any way, there isn't even a prayer to start and finish. What there is a great community and brilliant place to meet great mums of children. The people that Becca met here are the people she has been friends with from the beginning of this adventure. The songs are all very sweet, yes they do have a Christian element in that God is mentioned in some of the songs and the usual Christian days are celebrated.

This is actually church the way it is meant to be. A group of people that care about each other they support each other and they have sunny optimistic out looks. And the kids love it.

Each week, parents and caregivers bring their children for a thirty-minute session of music, rhyme, movement, listening and more. The adults must participate in the session, and in fact, it is vital that they do so, because this encourages the children to enter into the actions and singing.
At this session, adults and children are given snacks and refreshments. This allows time for children to enjoy each others company, and to develop social skills. It also allows those adults who don’t have a wide circle of friends to be introduced to others who have young children and they are therefore able to support each other