Reaching our 6 month milestone

And pondering what it's really like living in New Zealand…

Hello friends!

Can you believe that we have already celebrated our semi-anniversary in New Zealand? I actually need to pinch myself. Time has just zipped by, bringing some of our most amazing times together as a couple, as well as some of the toughest times of my life.

This morning as I sat on the bus going into town, I had deep thoughts about this first phase of our relocation and I am in total awe of how quickly we adapted to this new way of living, this unfamiliar country and the transformations in lifestyle. I can now actually drive around town without a GPS, (and even big parts of the neighboring town) (if you know how bad I am with direction you’d know that this is a big achievement) I already have some favorite shops and I can recommend amazing places to eat and hang out with friends, hike, cycle and relax.

So I was sitting on this bus, that, I have to add, is running for free at the moment, and contrary to what I am used to, I felt totally safe and confident in the public transport. It took me back to a simpler time and an easier way of living, something that I've only heard my parents and grandparents talk about. Then my mind wandered to all the things that made New Zealand so unique and such a home away from home. Just looking out of the bus window at the amazing views surrounding us set my mind in motion.

Among the things that I have found interesting, endearing and pleasant are the kindness of the people, the diversity in cultures, efficient service delivery, the scenery and how most people really embrace the outdoors.

People are outside all the time, even in extremely cold, snowy weather. They walk around, they hike and tramp the mountains, they bicycle, they take their families to parks, they ski and snowboard, they enjoy the life in town, they take boat rides, and jet boat on the river (yes about every family owns a boat). Where we live you see small planes, paragliders, parachutes and hot air balloons in the air daily. Additionally, there are several locations to zip-line, and one of the first bungee’s in the world are also situated here.

Living in an adventure capital means you are constantly surrounded with young vibrant free-spirited people that loves the outdoors and bring a good mood wherever they go.

Another thing that we love about the neighborhoods but still find so strange is that most houses doesn’t have any fences around them, especially in the front yard, it is so open and inviting. Also, it is very common to see people leave their things outside all the time. You can drive around and see children’s bicycles, helmets, sporting gear, toys, the entire family’s shoes, some backpacks and their courier packages, on the front lawn or in front of the door. Nothing happens to it.

Additionally, public services are extremely helpful and effective. You receive your post through the public post office in a week or less, it always arrives at the right place at the right time. Applying for my driver’s license took 30 minutes, the staff was accommodating and kind and I waited a mere 7 days for it to be delivered to my door. Up to this point we have not experienced any power cuts or loadshedding, as it's known in SA, the water is clean and safe to use, potholes and damaged roads gets fixed within a very reasonable time frame and our town boasts with lovely community amenities like an event center with sporting grounds of all sorts, a public swimming pool, actually three, one Olympic size for exercise, one for entertainment and a hot pool for adults. The public bathrooms all around are kept clean and tidy.

Something that we really needed to get used to was the Kiwi slang language, although English is the main language around here, they have created a lot of unique lingo for everyday words. Also, they tend to use Maori vocabulary in their English sentences, so you need to know a few basic Maori words. What I have realized is rather to ask about the meaning of the words, which they seem to appreciate a lot. A few examples include Kumara instead of sweet potato, lollies for sweets, cookies are known as bikki’s and casual dinner is known as tea in certain families. Also, a bakkie is known as a Ute, a holiday home is a bach, they call an air-con a heat pump and say togs instead of swimwear. Likewise, most people will say cheers for thank you and tramping instead of hiking, just to name a few.

On the other hand, we had to get used to filling up our own car with gas, wash our windows etc. not every gas station works in exactly the same way, for some you have to pay upfront, other you pay inside, others you pay at the filling point. You sure get used to asking for help.

The weather in New Zealand can sometimes be very similar to what we were used to in Gauteng, except that the winter is definitely longer and colder. You do have the added bonus of watching snow dressing up the mountains and participating in snow activities. Personally I am in love with the snow, but nature is really a lot different around here. We already experienced 4 earthquakes in our small time on the South Island, all of them reaching between 5 and 6 on the Richter scale. It is terrifying and it is my least favorite part of staying here but nobody makes a fuss about it and carries on as if it is the most normal thing in the world. Moreover, there is a lot less wildlife to enjoy apart from a few different types of dear, birds and goats. Being real animal lovers, we miss the abundance of Africa. On the flip side they have no aggressive animals or snakes around so hiking and camping is safer, yet somewhat less thrilling.

Of course, no place is perfect and although it feels as if we stay in paradise most of the time, we obviously experienced the drawbacks of life in NZ as well.

Some of the negative aspects include a severe lack of parking space, especially in Auckland and in the middle of Queenstown. Most parking spaces are either assigned to specific companies and their personnel and the public parking’s require you to pay, often an expensive rate, and is time limited. If there is a tow away sign, be assured that your car will be towed if you dare to park there. Another annoying issue is that people park in the road although the streets already seem narrower than what we were used to in SA.

One other thing that we really struggle with is that groceries are really expensive in general, but now in winter time the fresh provisions are even more costly. We just had to get used to the fact that we spend more than double on groceries to what we spent in SA.

We like New Zealand and we adore Queenstown. We learn more about the Land of the long white cloud every day and every weekend feels like an adventure. It is not only a perfect vacation destination, but we can really picture a life here.

For now, and for the most part, we remain foreigners, and we're loving it!