An Extra Day and An Interesting Week

As the Devonport ferry makes another trip across the harbor it is time to reflect on another week, a strange week.

Interest Rates are up you can read the whole story here the housing market is definitely on the slide and people will find it hard to make ends meet. 10% is the middle mark, floating rate is about 10.5 and the fixed around 9.7%. that is pretty high. Great for savers but go on count the ones you know!

NZ a giant transit lounge. The thought is immigrants that's me and you, such a nice way to refer to us, are coming here to get an easy ride to citizenship and then moving straight to Australia. Here is the full story. If you have NZ citizen ship you get automatic entry to live in Australia. I find it hard to find favor in the criticism. If 2nd 3rd and 4th generation Kiwi's are leaving at an unprecedented rate how can you find fault in others? An any why while the "immigrants are here they do the jobs that keep the place going!

We are watching last years I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Grandma is having a great time with the kids. My Blogging Chums in Wellington also have visitors and are having a great time. I always feel a tinge of guilt reading their blog, breakfast BBQ's It is all we can do to have toast! Rebecca and I often don't feel we have really embraced NZ life. We watch far too much TV and UK TV at that. I could say it is part of my job, I guess we have a legitimate excuse with the twins being reasonably demanding. Or are we just too English, hummm?

I now have a second job. It will help pay for all the increased expenses, it is consultancy work. Less time for the beach but there we go needs must. I am looking forward to the weekend.

The Commute

In London I did this everyday, OK you can lose yourself in iPod seclusion and read the paper. I coudn't find a photo of the tube on a really bad day. And no picture conveys the crush smell and noise of the real thing. If you grow up knowing no different I suppose it is acceptable? Then there are the other irksome issues. A lady with a white stick was clearly anxious at the prospect of missing her stop, no one was helping her, a London Transport Attendant had helped her on the train but now she was on her own. I very gently and politely asked if I could be of assistance, her reply was "F@£$ OFF" very loudly and she repeated her request 3 times. It was then I wished the carriage was heaving, so I could disappear into anonymity, no such luck the 20 or so fellow passengers stared so hard I left the train at the next stop.

Ok so now look, yes the traffic is bad but look at the view. I get to sit on my own listening to the radio, news talk ZB and ponder the view. On petrol purchase days I even get to sip a flat white!



For the Authentic experience watch the clip. The 12 kms take me an almost guaranteed 35 minutes in the morning. Much Less than Mudchute to Covent Garden!

Grab Bag. A Major Disaster

So as I've mentioned before this is Rangitoto, it is a volcano and it is 4km from my house . Auckland is built on some 57 volcanoes and I have become rather alarmed at the frequency of the public service announcements warning us to be prepared. My question, what do they know we don't, what are they not telling us? The Herald has been asking if we are ready. The government campaign is called get through or getthru.

Their suggested emergency kit possibly leaves a few essentials off, but I'm no expert! We'll I am actually and I cant believe they have left Kendal mint cake out.

Getaway Kit

In some emergencies, such as a flood or volcanic eruption, you will need to evacuate and take your Getaway Kit with you. Don�t forget, you will also need to consider how you will care for your pets during an evacuation. Everyone in the house should have a Getaway Kit. This kit should include:

* Essential items from your Emergency Survival Kit

Family documents

* Birth and marriage certificates
* Drivers licenses and passports
* Financial information (insurance policies, mortgage information, etc)
* Family photos

Personal items

* Towels, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper and sanitary items
* Hearing aids, glasses, mobility aids for elderly or vulnerable members of your house

The Other Essential 'What to do if' guides are linked below.

• Earthquake
• Tsunami
• Eruption
  

This is the sort of commercial we've been seeing lately click here


And It looks so lovely!

The Weather

I love the NZ met service site, we cams fly through maps, its great. I mention this because today the weather is awful. It is blowing a gale but as ever it is still not cold.
Today it was Becca's birthday, we didn't see much of each other but we had a great Thai take away. My presents went down well and tomorrow Becca's mum arrives. Everyone in the house is really excited.

Sadly the simply lovely QE2 has made its last ever visit to Auckland before being turned into a floating hotel.

The Medal Saga

So the medals were of National importance. Now thanks to a heft reward they are back in the hands of the country. But it would seem that the police negotiated with the criminals, that they have themselves received some of the cash. Also one insider who clearly didn't actually take them as he was inside at the time on a drug related crime, he got bail for helping to secure the return of the items. All of which I find very disturbing. In the UK people have died because of the governments refusal the negotiate with terrorists.
More Here

Back to Reality

I was recently contacted by a British family thinking of moving to New Zealand. They asked me what I thought New Zealand and what it meant to my family. The both parents in the family are involved in occupations that bring them close to the darker side of UK life. This is my reply.

Thanks for you question, I love getting feedback.

Gosh let me start with a thought.
New Zealand is a small country and the press works is a strange way. I know I am connected with the media! In the UK you would believe that the New Zealand shock headline news of the day would be "Man Rescues Sheep!" Here in New Zealand you would believe that we are over run with gangs, crystal meth and tagging on every available wall!

The opposing view is that living in New Zealand and reading the press we would think the UK is full of drunk children, that children are stabbed every day of the week and teachers beaten on a regular basis.

The truth is that New Zealand isn't the land of calm, crime free streets you may think. If nothing else is true the death toll from the appalling driving is a national outrage. There is the most dreadful culture of domestic violence and child abuse in some sections of the community. There is a P problem and violent crime exists.

However, I used to live in the Eastend of London. Groups of teens would gather near my flat and create hell. I was pelted with stones and my car was damaged by a group of very violent teenagers from one specific ethnic back ground but they lived in the most dreadfully deprived inner city development, I lived in a riverside penthouse. No excuse but I mean to emphasize the tension in the community

In new Zealand teenage boys look at my children and smile. They will often say excuse me if they realize they have sworn in their earshot. They will help with the push chair, through doors, up steps - quite extra ordinary.

I get 3 hours a day to spend with my children that I'd spend commuting. They go to pre school of my choice with 1 caregiver to every 3 or 4 children. They run free on the beaches that are near deserted.

I live in a country where I never feel vulnerable and I feel my children are more safe and secure (apart from the driving) that at home in the UK.

My children are happy and relaxed because we are less stressed than if we lived in the UK.

In short New Zealand is not the Nirvana you may think but it is in my opinion a great place for young families. I think that teenagers are still vulnerable to drug and drink problems but that sport and the outdoor life give them a better chance of getting through than in the uk cities.

So there you have it, my personal view on the state of the community! If only it were that simple but I hope it gives an idea of the situation.

Marks out of 10

I think I did ok, as luck would have it so did becca! I ate too much but I almost did too well, Becca did quite feel missed enough! The Truth is of course we all missed her. Families are all about Mummy and they are partnerships however that works for individuals. I t was great to have the kids for the weekend, it is easier to have kids in New Zealand, the lack of crowds, traffic and the open spaces are the main factors. The other is the sense of community and the fact there is more time here.

Time is simply that one indefinable thing that we take for granted and yet plays the single most important part in our lives. We all need more time and thats what we got when we came to New Zealand.

The End is Neigh

Well Lucy does have a big thing for horses! Rebecca returns tonight, the trip to Sydney is about 3 hours (2.5 in the air) because of the 3 hour time difference it is possible to have a day trip there.

It has been a great 3 days with the kids. Not too much trouble although my uncharacteristic snappy tone has surprised me. Today we did the trip to the Browns Bay pet shop. Millie has become quite the elder sister, sharing her food and caring for her younger siblings - we went to Starbucks and Toy World.

The point being you need two parents to care for twins! And living in New Zealand makes it easier to move around go out for the morning. I still have a few imponderables.
How do I take Millie to the loo? None are big enough for all 4 of us.
How do I pop out to get apples when we run out and Millie is having a breakdown?
How can all 4 of us sit on the sofa to watch Little Einsteins without one falling off during take off (the hand patting the knees bit)

Difficult questions, impossible answers!

Thank goodness Becca is home tonight!

Narrow Neck

Could you imagine Swings in a better setting, Narrow Neck! Rangitoto Island is obviously volcanic and dominates the eastern harbour, Hauraki and shore line of Auckland. It is only about 600 years old, the name means Bloody Sky and Maori watched from the shore as it was formed. I think the 4 of us prefer looking at its dormant self from the swings!
The Beach can disappear altogether at high tide the cofee shop is a great amenity and is one of the few to operate so close to a beach.
I'm getting on fine being a solo dad. Although I will admit tea was a bit hit and miss tonight and the girls were late to bed bet they all had baths and all seem happy enough. I think mum secretly wants to call when all hell is breaking lose and she seemed a little miffed that they hadn't kept me up late with "cries of we want mummy!"

Dad on his Own

So this is is a first. I'm looking after the girls solo while becca enjoys a long weekend in Sydney! It's going to be interesting! Gymnastics with Millie today. I may not write quite so much for obvious reasons. The school run was ok yesterday, I get annoyed that people seem to take pity! Looking after 3 gorgeous girls is a whole lot better for the soul than going to work it's just harder!

The swing is famous, it featured in the Amazing Race!! www.omgtwins.com has more of our story

Negative Comments

Duncan Fallowell wrote a book called "Going as Far as I can" and the NZ Listener reviewed it this week. The controversy all started when the Sunday Star Times originally reviewed the book and latched onto the phrase.

Welcome to Hellhole

Duncan is a great writer, not up my street, but very well thought of back in the UK in literary circles.
It is very interesting because the book is really about identity. The fact that White New Zealanders seem to feel the need to deny their roots in order to create a nationalist culture. I guess that is actually the issue, not that the historic Victorian buildings have been bulldozed, which is a travesty that leaves much of Auckland looking like a bad 60's new town. In order not to appear English many people, whose grand fathers come from Oldham, will openly run down Pohms in denial of their own heritage. I often feel it is a bit like burning books!
Personally I am English, yet on my recent trip to London I didn't meet another "English" person for 24 hours. I write "England" on all my travel papers where it asks "where were you born?" Yet in my country there is little to recognize in the England of my 60's upbringing. I am simply proud of the history of who I am because it what makes me, me. If my heritage was about a pioneer who moved 12,000 miles from an industrial northern town in England, with no money, to create a farm in a very underdeveloped country, well I'd be proud of that. As a foundation to a new country I'd have thought it was a great characteristic to build on and be proud off.
New Zealand is a mix of Cultures it is what makes it special and they should all be represented in Museums and Art Galleries. The cultural heritage of every section of the community needs to be on display. New Zealanders should, in my humble view, be very proud of who they have become and concentrate less on manufacturing a National Identity. Over contemplation of any naval is sad and all political involvement in the arts a disaster.

A Regular Day

I've been away, in Marrakesh, a lovely place and according to the Herald this morning, the place to retire. Isn't it funny how you go somewhere out of the blue and suddenly read about it in the paper. I don't believe in some great mystical symbiotic conscience, no a I'm going to notice articles about the place I've just visited where as last week I't wouldn't have registered. And if it is the place to go the person who booked it knew that and that's why we went, simple logic! Whatever thats the reason for the lack of activity.

On that subject, lack of activity I want to share the photos I took today with you. At 4pm I went for a walk in central Auckland. Now I have just been in a place that literally heaves people. The population of Marrakesh is 1.5 million, the same as Auckland, well when I was told that I was standing toe to toe in the central Medina, it prompted me to assume that all 1.5 million were in the same place as me!

For the prospective immigrant, well I was in London for 24 hours, I stayed in Leicester Square. Look at the pictures taken at 4pm in the Auckland equivalent of Oxford Street, Queen Street!




Although in London's defense I went to M ans S and got 3 shirts for 5 pounds each, 7 pairs of socks for a tenner and some undies! There is nothing like M and S undies. I also went to Hamleys, the toy store, it is simple fantastic. Although I did notice that in Covent Garden there were a lot more empty units that when I worked there, is that a sign of bad things or high rents!

Still This evening I walked along the beach at 8pm, it was warm the water lovely and everyone smiled and said hello. Bliss!