moving to New Zealand

9th November. Managed to get two chairs to sit on when we move. Have purchased a BBQ to be delivered on the 27th and booked a handy man to erect it one week later. Can't have Christmas in NZ without tossing a prawn on the Barbie, can we?

We have managed well in the Barn with restricted cooking facilities. It is amazing what you can conjour up with two Halogen hot plates and a microwave! However it will be good to get to Kereru and have a big fridge freezer, an oven, our own washing machine and a huge tele with sky sports!!!!!!! All we will need then is the contents of our container before Christmas so we can get the house ready for Jill's visit.

Lynn going for her morning walk on Papamoa Beach before lunch at The Blue Bar and Eatery. Fabulous place right on the waters edge. Thanks Sue and Rick for the recommendation!

This is an alternative way to arrive in Tauranga. Will let Richard decide what the plane is but it seats about 60. 

Dave and Vrons visited at the barn and gave it the thumbs up. Have taken a list of things we have asked to borrow for our "Glamping Experience!"

Busy day today over in Pyes Pa. Have signed up with a doctor's practice and a dentist. Shock horror! when we make our appointment with the Dentist then the Hygenist..... each appointment will be for an hour!!!!!!!  Lynn's gag reflex is pretty awful at the best of times. Good luck trying to take an x ray of her teeth!! We ventured past the house to make sure it was still there and are getting quite excited about the move.  Here it is from the road.

Then lunch out by the sea followed by an hour reading our books here.

One more stop at the Work and Income Centre to apply for our Gold Cards....... Seniors..... free Bus..... Discounts etc so we will see. Also got  forms to complete for Community Services which might mean help with health and prescription costs. One hour with a bloody Dentist will need a mighty slice of help!!!!

Another lovely day at the water's edge. This time at Ferguson Park. What amazes me is these parks, and there are masses of them, are free with clean toilet and shower facilities....... free gas BBQ to cook on and all provided by the Tauronga Council. We just rocked up to this one today....... parked no charge at any stage of the year and read our books and had some lunch. Magic!

17 th November. The adventure today was to go closer to where we are going to live to check out parks and Falls. Went to the Mclaren Falls and it was gorgeous. Then found a park on our side of the bay with all the usual amenities.

On the Rocks.

Nice spot for relaxing in the future at Rotary Park.

Weather has turned April showersy so have used the opportunity to get some more jobs done.Library first so Lynn can stock up on her reading. Vodaphone to  discuss our contract options. We have our English numbers until December 20th but I think then we will swop to a New Zealand number as our three months grace in a Commonwealth Country will be at an end. However as we are using WhatsApp to phone England it will  need to know the change of number to connect. Will note it in the next blog which will be the Christmas edition.

21st November More rain and more jobs to do. Applied for NZ driving Licence at the AA office and accepted quote for contents insurance, picked up Modem from Dave and Vrons, bought Landline telephone for $129.00 for three walkabout phones..... told the man we had applied for our Gold Card but it hadn't come so showed English Driving Licence to prove age and when we looked at the ticket..... discount for being old ......59.99 dollars!!!!!! So only cost $70.00 for three Panasonic phones which is £35.00!  We are made up with that! 

Now got landline number which is +64 7 543 5138 which you could WhatsApp us on. 

The other exciting news apart from Rob and Flick turning up here soon is that Jill is coming for New Year and staying until the end of Jan and then Karen and Janice are coming for just over a week from Perth!. Eileen and Dave will be here in March. OMG this is so exciting.

Eight weeks ago this was happening.

Eight weeks on we get the keys to our new place. Here it is on the inside.

Lounge followed by bathroom and bedroom.

Lynn Lounge and Kitchen.

Have met our landlord and he was so nice. Gave us a hug on first meeting! The place is fantastic and we love it already. Glamping starts next week so next blog should find our stuff in situ and seasons greetings attached.

For now ...........Haere ra.

Early December.

Last of the torrential rain that has blighted the whole of NZ and warming up a treat. Had nice surprise with a visit from our landlords and a gift of a bottle of wine. They stayed for a cuppa and a chat which was great. They are heading off next week for a six week road trip down to the South island in their camper van. They have an umbrella for outside which they are going to give us as it is spare!

Richard, the handy man came to erect the BBQ. So glad I booked him because it took him two hours.  

It took me 2 and 1/2 hours to build a coffee table at the start of the week. Ordered garden table and 6 chairs from The Warehouse. Chairs have arrived but no table yet.

Friday we went to Paula Knight's Studio on the beach front. I showed some of you her work and we have bought a piece with the money LWGC members gave us as a leaving present. Collect Monday 10th so photo later in the blog. Afterward went for coffee and lunch at our favourite cafe in Papamoa Beach. The Pohutukawa trees are just coming out and look gorgeous.

This is such a great spot.

How sad to hear they have found the British Backpackers body. Grace Millane is being remembered all over New Zealand. You may remember when we first stayed on the West Coast of New Zealand we said how in the middle of bloody nowhere we were. Well she was discovered just off the Scenic Highway, which we travelled on when we headed North for our roadtrip. Very sad day.

We have both got our NI numbers which we need for tax purposes. They found Lynn's from when she worked here in the 70's! Had first Gin and Tonic on Friday with lemons off our tree!!!!!! 

Getting Richard, handy man, to come back and tie up the grapes that are in abundance.  Vrons and Dave called in for a cuppa before they drove to Auckland to collect Vrons brother and partner. Win is coming on Sunday to advise on plants in garden. 

Early stages of Sauvignon Parkhouse!!!!!!!  Win came with her great gardening knowledge and taught us how to cut and train the grapes. She brought us a little herb garden which was lovely and was one of the things we had talked about getting.

Monday 10th December. Busy couple of days ahead. Looking for a base for the umbrella John and Alexis gave us, paint to touch up here and there if we move picture hooks, first health check with the nurses at the surgery and a gas man to check over the BBQ.  As well as a visit to NZVanlines who are moving us eventually and a request to Dave and Lynne, our neighbours, to come and help us hang the picture that we collected today from Paula Knight's studio. Check out her work at https://www.paulaknight.co.nz/

All tasks completed and may know more at end of the week re the container but to be honest my two apps VesselFinder and ShipTracking mean we know as much as they do!

Dave and Lynne have come and the picture is up. Thank you all at LWGC for this magnificent gift and will mean we think of you all daily. I hope you like it. It is Opito Bay in the Coromandel Region, which is just up the road from here. 

Wednesday 12th December. A day of chasing and more buying. Chasing the container with phone calls to the shipping line in Sydney........hopefully will be shipped tomorrow and arrive before Christmas. Chasing garden table ordered with the six chairs already received... no luck so far. Buying stuff eg Christmas present for each other although I suspect we will be spending  much of Christmas Day unwrapping 96 boxes of stuff!!!!!! Happy Birthday Jenny Burt. 

Went for hair cut today to a place this side of town. Walked into The Sharing Shed which is probably a pun on shearing and didn't have to wait. Very good cutter but didn't have a lot to chat about. Lynn's hairdresser much chattier. When we went to pay Lynn said her girl lived in Bedford before moving to New Zealand. A brief exchange finds she was born in Bedford Hospital, where I had my tonsils out!!!!  How amazing is that?

Thursday 13th December. Another good day. Pruned the grapes and then took masses of packaging to the tip.Went to pictures to see The Children's Act with Emma Thompson, who was again excellent as a judge presiding over difficult cases. Shop and home for first BBQ on new machine. More good news and that is our container has been loaded onto a ship in Sydney and leaves tomorrow . Eta tomorrow when known. First doctor's visit tomorrow for blood tests and prescriptions.  First BBQ was stonking with homemade burger by Lynn and cooked on the BBQ by Alison. 

We constantly ask ourselves why do New Zealand trees have beautiful flowers on them?

Jacaranda and Pohutukawa in town. This down the road from us....... with Agapanthus in the background.

Our front entrance and rear garden.

Container has left Sydney but still has uncertainty attached re destination and timings. Won't say anymore until definite information exists.

NZ really is a beautiful place to live. Doctor introduced herself as Nicola...... very nice and a good find. Had fifteen minutes with her and she had clearly read the notes from the Nurses interview and spoke to you as if she knew your history. What a refreshing change!!!!!  It cost $41.00 for the appointment which I think is pretty good for 15 minutes. If the NHS did this for people of means maybe they would be able to offer more affordable care for the have nots!

Saturday 14th Cathy called today for first visit and bought us the most beautiful box of strawberries from Whakatane.

They are the nicest strawberries I have ever tasted. On the eve of Lynn's birthday we are having garlic prawns on the BBQ......yummy yum scrum. The birthday girl will have to wait for her steak til tomorrow.

Monday 17th . Had day of phone calls around Lynn's birthday. Good to catch up with family and friends. Had a lovely surprise present from Rex which was The history of Manchester United through newspaper cuttings from 1909. Also glorious Country File calendar with some great photos. Thanks for all your cards and well wishes...... here comes some more!

We get post three times a week....Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The birthday meal went well and the steak was gorgeous. First of many methinks!

We have a date for our stuff moving in, which is Christmas Eve at 8 am so that will be nice. At least Jill will have a bed to sleep on when she gets here on the 29th. I will leave you at the end of Blog 6 with all our lovely cards and well wishes. I hope you have a lovely Christmas..........  

Haere ra