Tax

If you want a laugh try logging on to http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ its the uk tax site for on line tax returns. It is at the moment the slowest web site in the world. If you add to that the simple fact the Newcastle office isn't on an email system, and then try dialing the number for help you will realize why it is imperative you sort you financial details out as before you arrive.
It is impossible to do it from the other side of the world. I actually emailed a different tax department and they said they couldn't forward my email because Newcastle Tax office really doesn't have e-mail. At least they gave me a direct dial number. I spoke to a very helpful lady who said my best bet was to try an log on later today. When I pointed out I lived in New Zealand and it was already midnight she simply rplied well stay up, oh you are going to be tired tomorrow.
The thing that gauls me the most is that I owe no tax at all.
SO sort everything out before you arrive, I didn't and I am very angry at myself.

Jeremy Beadle

Just felt the need to say how sorry I was to hear about Jeremy. I worked with him on several shows "You've been Framed" for one and he was a very good friend of my mate Clive Doig. Jeremy was a top bloke and great to work with. His sense of TV was astounding and his humility was honest. I always really felt for him with the bad press image he got, I don't think the public felt anything like the same. It was almost like bullying which I'm sure he had enough of at school. He dealt with it in a very dignified and professional way.

A new Survey

Blog site and forum BritishExpats have conducted a survey and the results are reproduced below.

According to the survey, Australia still rules as the most popular destination, with the second most popular country being the US at 17.6%. However, according to the 'Happiness Index' devised by the survey, Australia lags in 4th place in terms of how happy expats are in their new country – behind Spain (where 91.3% of respondents say they are happy).
The complete list of the top five countries where British Expats are happiest include:

1. Spain (91.3%)
2. New Zealand (88.8%)
3. Canada (86.4%)
4. Australia (84.2%)
5. United States (76.6%)

The survey results also show that the top five destinations for British Expats are:

1. Australia (39.2%)
2. USA (17.6%)
3. Canada (13.4%)
4. Spain (7.6%)
5. New Zealand (7.5%)

The Auckland Regatta

Today we sat in Devonport and watched the Auckland Day Regatta. It was bliss, a rug 2 take away coffees from Java House, the best coffee in Devonport, a fluffy and morning tea. The view was fantastic the air display although not a patch on out old local at Duxford was dramatic. There were no traffic or parking issues. It was a great way to spend the morning.

Then more Rock pooling between Milford and Takapuna this time, more wild life this time and Millie loved it. My top tip collect shells and make a stick man out of them in the sand. We did this and it was so good I had to bring all the bits home, it doesn't look so good on the carpet!

Narrow Neck

Today once again the weather has been perfect. Millie and I went to Narrow Neck beach, it was about 4pm and the heat of the day had subsided slightly. Living in a country with little or no ozone above us leads to some paranoia about UV rays and sunburn. With our 3 we take about 15 minutes to slop slip slap before we go out!

It is one of the greatest joys in life, dad rock pooling with his 3 year old daughter. The simple joy of watching a crab or starfish fadging about in the water. Looking for new and interesting shells. The thing that simply amazes me, watching her utter delight at discovering the world and the fascinating stuff it contains.

The other thing that is amazing and quite gratifying is that spending one on one time with her is rewarded with angelic behavior. the worrysome thing though is how being with the twins obviously does effect her emotions and the sense of competition for our attention is clearly huge.

I write this with the boom of the fireworks from the Aquatica fair literally shaking the windows. We were going to get the kids up and drive to a vantage point as a treat. Who needs a man made spectacular when you've spent the after noon marveling at another, a crab and star fish in a rack pool?

Auckland Day

Today has been hot 27 degrees, quite beautiful. We had friends around this morning from the UK my wonderfully eccentric godmother Pat her daughter and granddaughter who is on an exchange in the Navy. Sitting in our garden, which is wooden, all decking, we had a lovely morning tea with a blissfully well behaved Millie.

It is Auckland Weekend, and we have a public holiday on Monday. It is also the annual Aquatica fair at the viaduct. This is a celebration of the city of sails. Two things, in the uk it would have been a simply awful day out. In Auckland you can wander almost unhampered by crowds. Even maneuvering a double buggy through the event was simple. We got a seat for coffee at Portofino without any fuss and the wonderful Italian waiters had time to make a huge fuss of the girls. The second thing that was a disappointment, it is actually pants, especially for children. We did have a great time, we got the boat from Devonport had a nice coffee stop and wander. The Attractions were in the main sad, the kids area was empty and for good reason, there was nothing to do or see. I always hate sounding negative, I just get cross when there is a missed opportunity which is what this was. I'm sure tonight will be great, lots of bars and music but it is not a family day out and it needs more boats. there is a regatta on Monday which we'll watch from Devonport and we are going to take the girls to the fireworks. more later.

Canyon Swing - Queenstown

Canyon Swing. In my view this is one of the best attractions in Queenstown. If you have the tummy for it it is awesome. We used it for one of the challenges on the Greek show "Go Straight". Not only that the people who run it are just great, very friendly and they want to give you an experience rather than a ride. My top tip is don't dwell too much on the bolts holding the cables to the mountain! Basicaly it does what it says, drops you in free fall and then swings you out into the canyon. Hey look at the video! Booking from any of the Queenstown out lets. They pick you up intown and drive you to the canyon which is a sight on its own. Go and soectate if you don't want to swing - you still have to book. this gets 5 stars!

Another Thursday

Today was another Thursday. Becca went out tonight and I had an osteo appointment. I describe this because anyone who commutes in the uk will recognize the implausibility of the situation. I stayed late at work, leaving at 7pm, in the light, to get to my &:30 appointment. Becca got a friends nanny to pop round at 6:30. She went out at 7pm I went to the back lady and got home at 8:15, the sitter left and becca came home. Easy and we live in the capital city, it feels like a provincial town. I could actually come home for lunch or even go for a swim!

That is why Auckland has such a high rating in the quality of life stakes.

Least Affordable Housing in the World

This was the headline that greeted us all on Moday, Humm like we didn't know already! A survey had been carried out...

The United States, Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand were studied, and the results reveal NZ house hunters face the biggest gap between earnings and house prices.

Wages are so low and house prices are so high that it takes 18 years and six months of a household's entire annual income to pay for a home, Demographia found. That measure is based on median house prices compared to median wages.

This will come as no surprise to any one here but makes for interesting reading if you are thinking about coming. Compared to the rest of the world you can probably buy a much nicer home here in a better location, well it's in New Zealand and that a great start. But once the equity you made on the sale in the UK and you've spent the cash you put away, living on NZ wages with a near 9.5% NZ mortgage with petrol up 70% in 3 years and food going through the roof, well you get my point.

You must do you sums before you get here. If you have a home in the uk keep it, rent it out. Once you decide you want to stay then you can sell if it makes sense. It is your responsibility to do the math. This is a lovely country but no matter how good the lifestyle, if you live on baked beans on toast its not fun.

Ed Hillary - State Funeral, A Sombre Day

I love this photo because you just want to know the man. The funeral was today, it was a sombre affair. I was delighted that on his last journey through the streets of Auckland the crowds clapped because this man should be applauded. The tribute on TVNZ tonight was exactly what a tribute should be. People used the word grumpy, quite a lot, I knew that I was getting the real story, a story of a man so totally loved and respected by his peers, his friends and everyone he met. The adjective was describing his reaction to people wanting to name everything after him, he clearly hated it. That if nothing else should put and end to the discussions on talkback radio about what mountain, park or public holiday should be renamed Ed Hillary day. He was a true hero and his contribution to Nepal is simply immeasurable. The wide shot in the film of him walking totally alone down the runway of the airport he built will remain with me for the rest of my life. What a life.

inappropriate google advert - sorry

I logged on to my site this morning to find that those wonderful people at gooogle adsense had delivered a deeply inappropriate ad to by site featuring young women. I can't find an email address to either report or complain to them, if you have one could you forward it to me.

I'm very sorry for any offense, this simply shouldn't happen on family web sites. I have always had issues about publishing my family photos on my site preferring to stick with a more factual account of life here in New Zealand. I'm not going to change things at the moment but google should be aware of the problem.

Communication

It rained today, alot! Now I wanted to write about communications, my mum has gone home and it strikes me one of the really important things to get right is how to keep in touch. This is even more important when you have kids here and Granny and Grandma are 12,000 miles away.

I don't want this to be very technical, a phone is a phone, we don't talk about how it works, a man plugs it in and we pay for it! The same is jst not true of the internet there are things to configure and 80 year old grand parents can suffer with their sons getting frustrated at their lack of tech savvy!

You must have broadband, unfortunately it is a little hit and miss in NZ and very very slow. Its important to remember if you are thinking of a home business. It is also the most expensive internet in the world comparatively and that sucks.

We use our computer to message, to call and to web cam. We also use our computer to Blog! We have a wireless connection and can chat or web cam from anywhere in the house. Its great to give people guided tours or to follow tottering tott as they take their first steps.

We have apple computers and all or most of our friends are PC. We need software that is cross platform. It needs to work and be simple enough for Granny and Grandma to use.

We use an apple extreme base station and a D Link ADSL2 modem. NB Do not buy Belkin I know they have some cool ipod stuff.

We make regular use of the below which are all totally free apart I guess from ichat although AIMis free.




Skype - audio only is usually great but the video feed is small and the audio becomes a problem because of the echo, the kids love to hear their own voices and conversation becomes impossible

iChat - as long as PC users have AIM installed it works very well Mac to Mac is is perfect.

MSM Messenger - great for text but the video won't work mac to PC

Google Talk - Again great chat but no video mac to PC.



ooVoo - a new cross platform video, chat and messenger that has a few sync issues but seems to work very well and it is only in beta. I was targeted as a beta tester!

We have tried others and they either don't work or open you up to spam attacks. All the above have filters etc that allow you control over your account and who sees you details.

Face Book is our community network of choice and Linkedin my business network of choice with plaxo as my contact updating and online organizer.

I blog using Blogger and Self hosted Wordpress, my hosing site is go daddy in the USA, it is the best service and the very best price. www.thevideosnack.com and www.videorevu.com are my two sites I use adsense to pay for all this (stifled laughter) I get well over 0.07 cents a day at the moment!

Thats it everything is linked do have alook and see for your self. Keeping in touch is very important!!

Fairy Queen and Walking

When you have the gift of twins some days just disappear into a big, rather stressful blur, today was one of those days. It started with one of those moments, Jessica walked properly for the first time this morning. We clapped and praised, Millie dealt with this rather well Lucy however, spent the whole day in a state of turmoil. She was well aware of her twins triumph and then, being the very determined person she is, spent the whole day playing catch up with her sister. She has a way to go but I am sure that this time next week she will have mastered walking! Her parents however, will have probably been institutionalized.

Today we are suffering at the edge of a tropical cyclone to our North and West. If you are from the UK it really is strange very hot, humid and gusty winds. So we headed off for our monthly look at the pet shop. Pets seem expensive here, Chocolate Labs at $950? I've not bought a dog ever, we normally gave ex gun dogs homes when I was a boy! We'd love a dog, the breed of choice here are surprisingly the smaller toy breed, strange I've always though for a macho farming country!

We went to the Farmers or Flea Market at Takapuna, it is fantastic. Held every Sunday in the main car park in Potters Park, behind Hurstmere Road. The produce is of the highest quality and top value for money. Everything from the basic to the exotic (and some tat) The palm stall is wonderful and has great date palms fully mature for $100 It will become a regular in our calender but with out sibling rivals and a 3 year old!

The Warkworth A and P Show 2008

It was the big day, our big day out, the Warkworth A and P show, better known to Millie as the cow party, for obvious reasons!

There's lots to see from baby long necked white Giraffe Sheep things to blue tonged lizzards (photo withheld)


Then in intense heat came the big moment, time to change for the fairy parade.





It was tense and there were a few tantis (Kiwi for strop)




But then it was time for the big parade...



Her sisters looked on with pride knowing one day it would be their turn in the Fairy Parade. They wondered how their parents would cope knowing there could be no joint first prize, who would win... and what emotional disturbance would be caused by this inequality of life and carried with them , forever.


The Judging took a long time, there were interviews, Millie when asked "where do you come from?"announced to the world (well Warkworth) "from Mummy's tummy" humm where else indeed, the rather conservative man in a cowboy hat looked perplexed at the 3 year olds grasp of the birds and bees, strange for a farmer thought Millie's daddy.

The wait and tension boiled over into some ugly back stage scenes.



You could feel the tension then, as is tradition, the results were announced in reverse order.



Then to the utter delight of Mum and Dad..... Millie won - Sash and All.



Daddy is so proud but not totally comfortable with the issues surrounding this kind of contest. Mummy is beside herself. Millie was Millie and took it all in her stride and then made daddy even more proud when, in her unfailing kindness, said,

Daddy I was sad that everyone couldn't win.

Just time for and ice cream and a go on the bouncy castle.
A perfect day, and people ask wht we came to New Zealand! The answer is written on the faces of our Children.

The Big Day Out

Today our office was deserted of everyone under 35! It is the annual music fest, the Big Day Out.
It's not Knebworth and its no Glastonbury but it is a great line up local talent. This is as many people gathered together in one place you'll ever see in New Zealand.

Tomorrow however, it is our Big Day Out, the Warkworth A and P show. These are the county fairs of New Zealand. Millie calls it "the cow party", she likes cows. It is a great day out, displays of woodsmanship, Irish dancing and Pipe Bands. Millie will love the rabbits, llamas and hopefully she'll get a pony ride, can't wait. FYI A and P stans for Agricultural and Pastoral.

The ACC : "Accident Comensation Corporation"

My back is bad, something happened over Christmas as I was packing up the car, not a click and agony just an ooch and progressive worsening until, you got it, agony. Strangely at is most pervasive while doing the washing up, something which Rebecca finds hard to believe.
SO I go to the doctor who agrees she refers me to the osteopath, she fills out an ACC form and I pay $45 instead of I think $80. It really is that simple and if you have an injury incurred in almost any way, including sporting you get compensation. Its funded by a leve system for employees paid by your employer. It is a very good system and litigation for accidents is almost unheard of in New Zealand.

Fnally if you do need the services of an Osteopath I would recommend Julia Griffiths of Devonport on 09 445 6783 at 17 Clarence Street.

My 100 Post - Auckland Sharks in the water and out!

So this is a milestone, my 100th post! We've been in New Zealand 3 years (Jan 6th) had twins, laughed, cried and recently begun to think of this place as home, it takes a while to settle!

Today sharks have been sighted massing off Omaha beach, 40 of them in water shallow enough to wade in up to you knees.

Several people have been randomly beaten by thugs with baseball bats on Milford and Takapuna beach, they have been caught.

The inflation figures are going to be bad tomorrow.

The stock market is in free fall.

The housing market is flattening if not declining.

And it was too cloudy to see the space station tonight!

Are we down hearted, no we are sitting here with all the doors open watching a UK drama on TV. We've had temperatures of 29 degrees today and Millie's first school report was sweet and brilliant, describing her as "unfailingly kind," how proud am I!! And so lucky to have such a great partner and to think we are going to celebrate just 5 years together next month. All is good in New Zealand tonight!

Moke Lake

Now just 15 KM down the Glenorchy Road from Queenstown is a track that leads to an oasis on earth. You may feel like turning back once on the track, it is a long way but look at what you are missing! It is simply divine, deserted - certainly while we were there. You may camp and if you are going for the day go early as the sun does dip behind the range placing the lake in shadow. There are some great walks
My advice, take a simple picnic of the best cheese and bread you can find, a rich pinot noir, some loved friends and simply enjoy the place. I follow the great Epicurus and his largely misunderstood philosophy, he said

Send me a pot of cheese, so that I may have a feast when I care to.

Well show me moke lake so I can feast when I want to, take it away in your mind as a very special memory and it will fortify you in moments of need.

Space Station over New Zealand

The combination of clear sky and trajectory will mean the international space station is going to be sunlit while the country is in twilight. this should mean great views as the ISS track across the sky. So look to the SW tonight at 10:12pm and tomorrow at 8.59. visible for about 4 minutes at a time. I am only too aware I have consigned the country to cloud for the next week!!

Queenstown

Yes it is stunning this is the view (Paul Hansen) down the lake to Glenorchy, sublime. I do still think Wanaka has the edge, interested to know what others think.

Queenstown is the premier destination for tourists to New Zealand. It would also be a great place to live, I think I'd actually live in Arrowtown though. If you are doing the South Island you will visit Queenstown. It is actually very cosmopolitan, lots of the operators employ immigrants on their attractions. It is the home of extreme sports and is a very young town and it has changed a lot. If you chose to live anywhere down here do not buy in the shadow of a mountain. It will cut 3 hours of your day and it will be cold and ultimately miserable. I'm going to write about each attraction as we go but for tonight this is all I can manage as I have put out my back! I'll recommend and osteopath and talk about the famous ACC (they help with medical costs) tomorrow for now enjoy the view!



PS ON A VINDICTIVE PERSONAL NOT BELKIN MODEMS ARE A USELESS WASTE OF MONEY AND THEIR SUPPORT LINE ARE USELESS DO NOT BUY THEM.

Arrowtown

If you decide to go to Wanaka from Queenstown do stop off at Arrowtown. A simply delightful place, full of history the Chinese Village is a testament to some very tough men. The resturant are just great and the main street is as enchanting a place as you'd find anywhere. Built on the gold rush era now a haven for people wanting a simple life with all the trimmings!

Wanaka

Wanaka is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Best approached by road from Queenstown, take the crown range road past the famous Cardrona Hotel
and just wait for the Vista as you enter the town. The view is breathtaking, in my view more impressive the the ever present Remarkables from Queenstown. Drive around the lake, every view is a winner. The cafe on the right along the side of the new commercial development as you enter town is to be recommended. The brunch is a must, have anything with mushrooms!
If you are in the south island you will go to Queenstown. If you dont go to Arrowtown and Wanaka you will have missed out.

Sydney NSW

I'm sitting in the Koru club at Sydney airport after a lovely day here. Balmain is a great place to have an office. I had lunch a wonderful Turkish restaurant called Efendy

A little bit expensive but the food was really worth it. I still think Sydney has lost some of its charm because of its size. With a net loss in population I guess I'm not the only one to think so, also the house prices are so high its laughable what you get for your cash.
But the weather was lovely, the atmosphere great and I would live here any time.

Sir Edmund Hillary

I couldn't let today go without mentioning this. Regardless of my new country of residence I was a keen mountaineer as a teenager. Sir Ed was a hero of mine personally. Today is a day of mourning in NZ, he is described as the greatest New Zealander ever.
Of all the famous people I've met in my life sitting in a car in St Albans with Doug Scott, another great Everest climber, is still the one I remember the most. Had I met Sir Edmund it would have been very special indeed. Sadly I shan't now have that privilege. How many people are left in this word who truly achieved a world first? Not many I think.

2008 New Years Resolution and the Internet

New Year Resolutions, I love them but rarely stick to them. One I always make is to be more organised, this involves learning a new system, buying software and I am pleased to report this year is no exception. Omni is a company that creates software for mac, I am a mac user so to my delight they have developed a task manager based on David Allens Getting Things Done, called Omni Focus. My dream - a complicated system of contexts and projects that takes a long time to get to grips with thus putting off doing the tasks but giving one the impression of actually getting on with stuff fantastic! I do recommend it though once mastered it is a great system.

The Weather here is warm at the moment warm even sticky, tomorrow I'm off to Sydney for the day. Poor becca will be left to deal with twins teething in 27 degrees! Not good!

Auckland is empty still, getting to work in 15 minutes, I fear that next monday will come as a shock once everyone is back at work.

Oh I have a new blog, www.thevideosnack.com, video snacking is what office workers do at lunchtime according to the New York Times, surfing the net over a packed lunch! Watching videos and catching up on the news. Let me know what you think Network uTube is still going strong, this is my own collection of clips you should see. If you are involved in computers and are used to broadband, stay out of New Zealand, it has the worst internet access in the developed world, slow and expensive.

Active Investor Migrant Policy

SO here it is in Black and White, for all you budding migrant with 2.5 to 20 million to spare! Ok so you lived in Chiswick and sold your home for 1 million pounds and your in!

The last Skilled Migrant selection granted 800 people entry that is low when I applied there were 1,400 successful applicants. This is good news the threshold of 140 point hasn't changed but the number of jobs on the absolute shortage list gets longer. So you get extra points for being in an occupation on that list. Here are the links to check, Immediate List Long Term List. If you work in ther health area you can just walk in, the shortage of Doctors, Nurses etc is bad.
Teachers are in Short Supply and having made use of the health services and visited schools in the UK and here, the pay may not be as good but give me a New Zealand Hospital or School to work in over one in the UK any time.

The Active Investor Migrant Policy opened on 26 November 2007. Its aim is to attract investor migrants with business experience, international connections and financial capital to New Zealand, to support our economic transformation and contribute to the development of innovative, productive, and globally competitive firms in New Zealand.



The policy is divided into three categories:



* Global Investor Category – for migrants investing NZ$20 million in New Zealand, including at least NZ$5 million in active investment.
* Professional Investor Category – for migrants investing NZ$10 million in New Zealand, including at least NZ$2 million in active investment.
* General (Active) Investor Category – for migrants investing a minimum of NZ$2.5 million in New Zealand, who have an additional NZ$1 million for settlement funds.

Departures

So I have just got back from dropping my mum at the air port and she is now on NZ39 to Hong Kong. The joy of the visits are always overshadowed by the looming departure. At 79 it is a very long trip for her and I guess the thought of when will I see them again is always there. The Kids take it all in their stride. It is very painful for Becca and I, we can only imagine what it is like to say good bye and not see the children for a year. It was a great holiday though full of very happy memories and my mum probably sees more of us here than she would if we lived in the UK.

There is a lot of analysis as to the best way to travel around the world, east/west better or worse for jet lag etc. Who knows 29 hours is a long time on a plane and it hurts whichever way around you go. Through LA you get a 30 kg baggage allowance, great for bringing the kids back home too NZ and if you are a granny good for bringing them over. However, LAX and US immigration should be avoided at all costs, rude arrogant and intolerant of kids, even passengers in general. My advice go via HK!
Found this site here for tracking flights.

So, that was Christmas

Back to work for me tomorrow after what was a fantastic Christmas. Today I met my God Mother in Devonport, she is over visiting her granddaughter who is on an exchange from the Royal Navy. Then we went to the home of one of the first people we met on arriving in Auckland for their new daughter's naming ceremony. It was delightful, Millie played with the bigger boys in the pool and held her own, Jessica and Lucy entertained the masses. Our delightful friends and their family reminded me of what quality time really means. In his message the dad basically said everyone here is going to influence the people our children become. It is so true and that is why time and using time is so important. It is why one moment spent fully engaged in a conversation with a 3 year old is going to change their lives and add to yours. New Zealand gives us all time, it is a great gift and one worth traveling 12,000 miles to the other side of the earth to receive.
I'll be sad to see my mum off at the airport tomorrow she will be heartbroken leaving the kids. But you know at the moment they are in a place that will change their lives for the better. Yes they loved their toys and the new trampette. But Millie will act out a whole play she's made up using the stairs as a stage and her teddy bears an the players, if she hasn't got her bears she uses her fingers as characters. Jessica will have more fun giggling at Lucy making funny faces than with any gifts Santa delivered. I've never heard Millie say daddy I'm bored - Call me Victorian, I think it's because they eat fantastic fresh food, cooked by a mum who is with them at home, playing, doing stuff and going to places. They have a daddy who gets to put them to bed and wake them up. We play together, none of the kids have ever seen an advert, my play station hasn't been turned on since we arrived, and I can say this as an insider, we hardly ever have the TV on.

A Kiwi 12th Night

Our last picnic before my mum goes home Shakespeare Point, again north of Auckland. The header of the blog is the view from the beach to the city. The water is so calm even Millie ventured in to her chin, a first. Sit under the pahutakawa trees on the grass in a near deserted grassy field, perfect.
We have the emotional wench of saying good bye to Granny tomorrow. She is 79 this year and the trip doesn't get any easier, nor does my guilt at making her do it! 3 children under 3 on a 27 hour trip home... I know people do it but I think the twins need to be slightly older before we can even think about it.
It's been a great Christmas, we miss our friends back home, the new ones we have here are friends indeed. The bond is often the understanding of the separation from those nearest and dearest overcoming that huge emotional precipice to live in a country with so much to offer our families. Here's to 2008.

A kiwi New Year

New Year was quiet, back in Auckland we watched the Royal Variety Performance! We loved it which rather reflects the state of Variety TV in NZ rather than the superb quality of the UK! However, as a former director of the show I did really enjoy it, great that it came from Liverpool. The weather has been very hot and sunny. We spent New Years Day at Wenderhome having a picnic under the trees.

Kiwi Christmas Continued

So Christmas Day was perfect. Were we the only parents who actually had to wake the kids because we were too excited!! We had a lovely day, the weather was very good, warm and sunny. Becca cooked a great meal of sirloin and all the trimmings we did put the twins to bed before we ate, was that bad!
Then we had a couple of days at Pauanui in the Coromandel, we've been before staying at the Ocean Breeze Resort, a group of apartments on the beech, it has a great pool and all the kids just love it. It is a great place to kick back. Don't go there looking for excitement and night clubs, there isn't a huge choice of eateries either! It is a fantastic place to relax. This is one excited young person enjoying a walk on the dunes.

A Couple of Great Resources

So if you are thinking of coming to New Zealand you may want to do a recce and see what the place has to offer? The first site very good because it follows the trip of a family who are doing the same thing, looking at moving here from the UK. I met them, albeit very briefly and they are now just waiting on the visas. Their recce was very extensive and is brilliantly documented. Do take a look at Rachel and Craig's One Way New Zealand Site.


The other site is more practical being a commercial site as the link suggests take a break is aportal that has lots of ideas for accommodation and trips it is also home to one of the largest New Zealand Web cam resources. So you can try before you buy! Chris Rodley runs the operation, they key to its usefulness is that it is very local and not corporate it has the personal touch.