Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

What You REALLY Need For You New Baby Part II

2011-07-21T16:10:00.000Z

Clothing

A contentious subject. If you're short of money just put them in a sleep suit and be done with it. Affordable, easy to get your baby in and out of, don't take up much space in the changing bag, are some of the numerous advantages. That just isn't going to happen though is it - you'll want to but some nice clothes. Bear in mind though that they grow awfully quickly in the first few months - blink and some of the stuff you've bought will never be worn.

There's also the decision of whether to buy cheaply, as they'll have outgrown them soon anyway, or better quality, which means that the clothes actually still look halfway decent after 2 washes. We found that shopping for better quality in some of the discount shopping villages did help, but much of the stuff they sell is out of season and you're never quite sure how big your baby will be 3 months down the line!

We found that relatives and friends gave us a lot of clothes. It was very nice of them but beware - their taste is not necessarily yours, and may not suit your child!

Wipes

In the early months we found cotton wool and water to be perfectly adequate. Only later did we start to consider re-usable cotton wipes, but plumped for disposables as they are very convenient and easy to use. I preferred Huggies as they are thicker and tend to keep their moister for longer in the packet. My wife preferred the Pampers variety as they smelt nicer! Look out for BOGOF or even 3 for the price of 1 offers and stock up then.

The Nursery

Don't rush out and get a cot - we found that for the first few months we did not use it, though again your mileage may vary. We co-slept using a Snuggle Nest which we found worked well - our baby hated the Moses Basket, even when placed alongside the bed! The cot purchase can wait until they come up to 6 months old, the point at which WHO suggest they can start sleeping separately,

A changing table is nice to have and makes life easier when a baby is very young, but when they become more active are considered a danger (according to the UK NHS) as its a long way for them to fall. A blanket and changing mat (the one you can get free with the Boots bag in the UK) on a bed does just as well.

Its nice to have matching wardrobes and cabinets, all coordinated with the cot, but trust me, the baby really does not notice or care! Somewhere to organise and store clothes, nappies etc is vital though, as the last thing you want to do when you have a screaming baby at 2 in the morning is ton have to hunt for a clean sleep suit.

Next time we'll take a look at Breast Pumps, Toys and Car Seats

What You REALLY Need For You New Baby

2011-07-19T16:33:00.002Z

Eleven months ago we found ourselves proud parents of a little baby boy. In the run up to the big event we found ourselves running around trying to get everything prepared for the big day. I found it difficult to determine what we actually needed and what we did not. As the result of our experiences I've jotted down some of my views of what is essential, what is nice to have, and what you really could do without.

Nappies (or Diapers if talking US English)

OK, the biggy first. Do you go for one of the myriad different types of re-usables or disposables? We went for reusable at first but eventually succumbed to the guilty pleasures of disposables. We found the supposedly waterproof outer liners on the particular brand of re-usables we chose were far from waterproof as our baby grew and began to generate more waste. They are also big and bulky, meaning it is difficult to put on trousers and take up a lot of room in the changing bag (both spare and used nappies). We also found that our washing machine was constantly on the go, using up considerable amounts of electricity. If you do elect to use re-usable nappies, don't bother with all the expensive used nappy systems that claim to trap odour etc. Just get a small plastic bin from Poundshop/Ikea etc with a sealable top. Does the job just as well, until of course you need to open the lid!

Modern disposable nappies are slim and incredibly absorbent. The argument about using up landfill I think is spurious - they're made of paper and cotton and contain biomass once used - they'll degrade faster than anything else in there! You're not using vast amount of energy with the washing machine on, and with the offers that are constantly around you can get them at a reasonable price. Its easy to carry several in a changing bag, then throw them away - you're not carrying a bag of baby pooh around for the rest of the day. If you need nappy sacks, get the economy ones (about 12p for 100 in the UK) in the supermarket. They are well up to the job.

Admittedly it helped that our boy is one of those babies that just sees a full nappy as a bit of extra warmth, so we only go through a handful a day. I'd recommend disposables any day, but, as they say, your mileage may vary.

The Pushchair/Pram

This is one of the big costs a modern parent faces. You can easily spend several hundred pounds on travel systems and the like. An admission here. We have a Bugaboo Bee and we love it. Lightweight, easy to move around shops, takes a car seat on top. We've had several people come up to us to get our opinions of it as they've regretted getting the equivalent of a massive 4x4 when all they need it for is the high street. They current trend seems to be for these massive pushchairs with huge wheels. You just don't need them - they are far to big and bulky. There is the question of going cross country but how often do you actually do that? We've taken the Bee across muddy fields and tracks with few problems. Which leads me to my next point...

YOU DON'T NEED A PUSHCHAIR. Wow. Got that off my chest now. Seriously, much of the cost of the pushchairs is to enable them to be used to carry infants at a very young age. Once they're 6 months old and able to hold their head upright a cheap £20 one from a Supermarket will suffice. Up to then you can use a relatively inexpensive infant carrier or sling - a huge selection are available. It keeps your baby close to you and means you don't have to manhandle a huge pushchair around the place and you can go places a pushchair can't, like up STEPS! Once the baby gets too heavy to carry, use the £20 pushchair from the Supermarket or get a backpack baby carrier.

The Changing Bag

This is just a bag with convenient places to carry the paraphernalia that comes with having a baby, from a bottles through foodstuffs to nappies and spare clothes.

YOU DON'T NEED A CHANGING BAG. At least not at first. During the run up to your new arrival you'll get lots of vouchers and offers (in the UK at least). Among these will be one for a baby pack from Boots. Included in this is a respectable looking changing bag FREE OF CHARGE. It even includes a changing mat. This will be all you need for the first few months, until you start needing to carry solid food and bigger clothes. Even then, you have to think, is there a bag that I already have that can carry out that function? Be very careful with this purchase.

To be continued...

Next post will cover clothing, baby wipes and nursery furniture.

NZ Move Back On The Agenda

2011-07-19T14:42:00.002Z

We had almost finalised arrangements for our move to NZ, with a job lined up in Wellington and our preferred area for living reconnoitered. Unfortunately, I then found myself mobilised and in Afghanistan for 6 months. This was an incredible and exciting experience, but it meant that on my return to the UK in 2009 the job situation on NZ had completely changed with the credit crunch. NZ Immigration, quite correctly, declined our application to extend our visas so our dream of emigrating disappeared.

A couple of weeks ago we were sitting in a KFC (I know, but any port in a storm) with grey skies outside and surrounded by the establishments usual unhealthy looking clientèle and my wife turned to me and said - "I miss the cafes in New Zealand". We are now investigating option to emigrate but this time with my wife as the lead applicant, which does mean that she'll have to register as a Physiotherapist with the necessary authorities - a process more traumatic than the Immigration procedures!

Of course the other big change is a little boy in tow...

Reccie Trip... Number 3!!

2008-05-15T10:37:00.002Z

It's just over 3 weeks before we yet again take the long flight out to New Zealand, this time visiting Wellington. It's all been rather fraught, with my wife only back from abroad a few days beforehand, then my doing an unplanned job change the day we get back.

What's really complicated matters is that we were meant to be staying with relatives but that's now all fallen through. We've had to book hotel accommodation now - had we known this was going to be the case we may not have planned the trip. At least we'll be staying with other friends and relatives during our stay, including a trip down to Queenstown to go skiing.

While we'll be looking at housing, we may well fend off any plans to buy given the way the market is going.

100% Pure New Zealand

2008-01-30T15:46:00.001Z

Love this campaign!

Another trip on to NZ

2008-01-23T09:35:00.000Z

We weren't going to go out to NZ again this year, and indeed we were seriously debating whether to go out to NZ at all, but a recent funeral changed all that.

My father-in-law died out in Spain and we had to get out there in a hurry, as they tend to bury them within 24 hours out there. A relative from a completely separate part of the family had flow out to be there during the latter stages of his illness and it was she who convinced us to go out and give Wellington a try - a city we briefly visited in 2001 but both disliked. She's said she'll show us around the good parts of Wellington.

I may be able to get a job with my current firm in Wellington, and it appears that house prices are slightly lower than our previous first choice city, Christchurch. The special offer currently with Air New Zealand also means we've got a flight down to Queenstown so we'll get some skiing in!

NZ Battle Honour

2007-11-27T11:59:00.000Z

I took a photo at the weekend of these Battle Honours for HMS CALLIOPE, now a Royal Naval Reserve Uniton the banks of the Tyne in Newcastle. Interesting to see 'New Zealand 1846-47". Must have been during the Maori Wars. A later HMS CALLIOPE was to play a significant part in the beginnings of the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Strange UK Laws

2007-11-07T12:45:00.000Z

Strange UK Laws - and how they were ranked in order of ludicrousness in a pole on British TV.

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down (7%)

3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (6%)

4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned (5%)

5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter (4%)

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (4%)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen (3.5%)

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (3%)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour (3%)

10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (2%)

Honda F1

2007-09-28T14:40:00.000Z

Have a go!

For more games like this one, visit www.honda.co.uk/hondamentalism/challenge

Cerne Abbas Giant

2007-09-14T10:43:00.000Z

Over the August Bank Holiday in the UK we went for a walk around the Cerne Abbas Giant. Debate rages about how old it actually is, but it certainly is impressive!

We headed East out of Cerne Abbas village, then across the fields towards the Giant.

It was a pretty steep climb up Giant Hill.

You can't see much of the Giant from the top of the hill, so we decided to head North, then across the valley floor for a better view.

The area is actively farmed.

Approaching the Giant from the North.

The final port of call was the car park at the bottom of the valley with a great view of the Giant. Homer Simpson was clearly visible, together with a stupid 'Fathers for Justice' protest.

We then return the Cerne Abbas village and had a lovely pub lunch. The Giants Tipple isn't half bad!

NZ Photos - No 1

2007-08-28T12:28:00.000Z

First in an occasional series of photographs from our trips to New Zealand. This picture, which I've always called the 'Inkwell' for obvious reasons, was taken on a tour of the Wai-O-Tapu 'Thermal Wonderland' south of Rotorua on 18 November 2001.

Te Anau to Queenstown

2007-08-16T14:51:00.000Z

I've always enjoyed this video on YouTube of the drive from Te Anau to Queenstown. Whenever I've tried this the camera's fallen off the dashboard!

New Zealand and Hong Kong

2007-08-14T10:47:00.001Z

I can't believe how long it is since I updated this blog! I was always so conscientious, but as usual work and moving house has really eaten into our time. We have now moved from London down to Dorset, hopefully our last move before we go to New Zealand. Anyway, this update will concentrate primarily on our trip in June to New Zealand. All the 'lessons learnt' I put in a thread on the Emigrate NZ forums.

We flew on NZ 1 from London via LA, landing in Auckland early Monday morning. We collected the hire car from Hertz then straight into town to see if we could check in at the Heritage, which given the hour, we were fortunate to do. We paid a few dollars more for a suite which meant we had a kitchen and, as we stayed in the more modern Tower block, we also got a washer/dryer.

The view from our room at the surprisingly good value Heritage. It wasn't much more than a good motel per night, though parking was extra!

We'd never spent more than a day in Auckland so this time we scheduled a 5 day stopover, just to make sure we weren't making a mistake in deciding to settle in Christchurch. We took a day or two to relax and for me to contact a couple of people I knew from my employer who were in NZ. We had a beautiful lunch up the Sky Tower, though my wife spent most pf the time feeling queasy! She said it was for dis-orienting going to the toilet, coming out and finding you're in a completely different part of the restaurant. It does move very slowly and I was initially convinced we weren't moving at all!

Having spent most of the time looking at housing, we also took a day off to visit Tauranga and Mt Maunganui. Despite it being the NZ winter it was a warm and sunny day and we even managed a quick toe dip in the sea!

We flew on an internal flight to Christchurch on the Friday. As we were traveling on the same itinerary we had the same international luggage allowances. While driving from the airport to stay with our relatives my wife made the decision that she still much preferred Christchurch.

Before the weather turned a bit nastier, I managed to capture some glorious sunsets. These are looking across the harbour from Redcliffs.

We drove back along the top of Summit Road.

We spent most of our time looking at houses, finally deciding on a beautiful house in the hills south of the city. Unfortunately we were outbid, so the search goes on.

Here's a flavour of some of the houses we were looking at (or should I say being shown, as some of them were very obviously pushing our budget!). I just realised, apart from the photographs (now gone) on the Harcourts site, we have no photographs of the house we were after!

We again manged a day off to go and visit Akaroa, via the excellent gallery at Little River. Akaroa is were the French landed to claim possession of NZ, not knowing the British had already done so. They decided to stay anyway.

We took the 'Tourist Route' on the way. Some nice scenery but twisty windy, narrow roads - and in the winter rather icy! Highway 75 is actually quite scenic in itself and is a lot better road.

It was very quiet, not surprisingly on such a dismal day though the weather was forecast to be a lot worse so we were quite lucky.

It is still said to retain it's French characters - by the standards of NZ maybe.

The Britomart Monument marks the spot on 11 August 1840 where a landing party from HMS Britomart "raised the Union Jack to demonstrate British sovereignty to the people on the Janks Peninsula.and the the French Corvette L'Aube which arrived on 17 August".

Towards the end of our time in Christchurch we got rather fed up with constantly looking for houses so went for a days skiing at Mount Hutt. It was right at the beginning of the ski season so only 2 runs were open, but enough for us to have a fun day. There were less than 200 people there so there were no queues! There were stunning views across the Canterbury Plains. Jo, having had a bad fall in France earlier in the year, kept to the Magic Carpet most of the day while I gained confidence on the Green then then the Blue runs. Shame there weren't any Red ones open.

It was definitely quiet, and all the better for it!

The ski complex.

More busy runs - NOT!

The snow blowers we going full tilt in an attempt to open so more runs for the weekend.

The closed runs looked fun.

It sure got a lot darker after the sun dipped below the rim!

The main ski complex and across Canterbury Plain.

The weather was forecast to turn and you could see the fronts coming in. You can see in this shot the narrow, un-sealed road up to the ski area. Chains are a must for non-4 wheel drives.

On the way back to Christchurch I snapped this real 'Lord of the Rings' view!

We flew back via Hong Kong on the way back to the UK. We landed early Friday morning and couldn't believe the heat and humidity after the near zero temperatures in NZ. We tried to check in at the Regal Airport Hotel (again, bargains can be had if you book early enough!) but it was too early - we were so hot and bothered after the overnight flight I managed to get them to let us shower and change in the spa. Just before we were due to join our tour we managed to check in - I expected better of an airport hotel, but I suppose official check-in time was 1400! After a great lunch we picked up people from a handful of other hotels and went to Victoria Peak, a great place to look out over the former colony.

One thing I was really surprised about was how British the place still is. The roads and landmarks haven't been renamed, government departments such as the police and customs have just replaced the crown in the crest with the HK lotus leaf design etc. In fact, there is evidence the local HK Chinese want to preserve the colonial aspect of their history.

We also went to Aberdeen Fishing Village, setting for so many films including one of the Laura Croft series. Apparently the whole afloat fishing village is dying way as the youngsters can have a better standard of living ashore. Our guide reckoned within 10 years it will have gone.

We weren't in HK long enough to try out the floating restaurants. This is where you catch the boats to go out to the restaurants.

They look spectacular.

But from the back they're not so nice!

That night we saw the spectacular Symphony of Lights show which is put on every night at 2000. Several firms and other government organisations have combined to put on a laser light and music show which spans the harbour. The best place to watch it is from the Kowloon side along the waterfront east of the Star Ferry Pier. We then caught the Airport Express back to out hotel - a revelation! Fast, quiet, clean, relatively inexpensive - puts the railways in the UK to shame.

I love Hong King and want to go back for a longer visit. I wouldn't bother getting a tour from the airport either, much better and cheaper to go in on the Airport Express and pick one up in town.

Replacement Visas

2007-05-23T15:35:00.000Z

We got my wifes passport back and today I nipped into New Zealand House on Haymarket in central London to get a replacement Residence Visa and Returning Resident's Visa (RRV). Fortunately my firm has an office on South Bank, only a few minutes walk away, so I didn't have to take a half-day off work . It was a beautiful day to walk across London though, with blue skies and warm, maybe a bit too warm, temperatures.

The staff at Immigration New Zealand were very friendly and helpful and within half an hour, relieved of £35, I was out of the building with a fresh set of Visas.

For anyone wanting to call in person you can just drop in and talk with an Immigration Officer, though I made an appointment. When I was there mid-week there were only a handful of people in the entire time I was waiting, but I bet that gets a lot busier at other times. They have a desk for Temporary Visas (which includes transfers of RRV to new passports) and one for Permanent Visas. You take a ticket, colour coded red or blue according to which desk you need to visit, and wait while watching a big plasma screen flashing up facts about NZ. If you do have an appointment, I'd suggest you mention that to security downstairs as when you get up to the Immigration section there isn't a reception desk to report to, just the ticket machine.

Something I learnt today, New Zealand House stands on the site of the old Carlton Hotel and a blue plaque marks the fact that supposedly Ho Chi Minh worked there in 1913! I'm not quite sure how most Kiwi's feel about this, given the countries history inVietnam, and given the apparently unverified nature of the assertion I wonder if there are politics in play.

Busy, busy, busy

2007-05-17T16:03:00.000Z

I had meant to post recently about going to see the Oxford/Cambridge Boat race on the Thames, the Ideal Home Exhibition at Earls Court and seeing Torvill & Dean at Dancing on Ice at Wembley Arena. There's just been no time.

We're scheduled to fly out to NZ for Reccie Trip No 3 in June, but I've barely planned anything apart from the flights and the hire car. We have to go though to activate our Visas, although there's going to be a quick trip to NZ House involved as I managed to wash my wife's passport by accident so now we've had to send off for a new passport!

When we get back we move 2 weeks later for what I hope is our last move in the UK before emigrating.

BBC News Report on Emigrating to NZ

2007-03-16T12:27:00.000Z

I missed this on the BBC when it was broadcast in January. Apparently the number of British emigrating to NZ has doubled int he last few years! View the report here.

Spinnaker Tower

2007-02-05T12:06:00.000Z

On Saturday we visited some old Friends near Portsmouth. As it was such a nice day we decided to visit the 170m tall Spinnaker Tower. It was meant to be called the Millennium Tower, but after it missed its opening date by 6 years it was renamed! There are 3 floors at the top to view the surrounding city, countryside and sea.

Despite a half hour wait to pay and queue for the one serviceable lift, it wasn't too busy at the top. The Italian built exterior lift has yet to be put into operation as it hasn't worked - ever!

'HMS Warrier 1860', the UKs first armoured warship and Her Majesties Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth.

'Spice Island' and the 'Still and West', both famous pubs in Old Portsmouth, at the mouth of the Harbour.

Gosport Marina on the right, with Haslar Hospital (the former Royal Naval Hospital) and Fort Blockhouse on the left and the Isle of Wight in the background.

Across old Portsmouth towards Southsea. An Isle of Wight ferry is making its way in. The Solent Forts are in visible too.

The lowest deck has the largest glass floor in Europe, which you are welcome to walk on as long as you remove your shoes. For some reason most people didn't want to do this. I leapt at the opportunity (on re-reading this perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words). I though it was great!

The top deck is exposed to the elements. The views are quite restricted too - we all thought the lower decks were better.

Portsmouth Harbour towards Fareham Creek, with some of the many warships being disposed of in the latest round of defence cuts.

HMS Victory and whats left of the Royal Navy.

French state owned Brittany Ferries are now the only cross channel line operating out of Portsmouth after P&O left.

A little hazy, but still a clear view of Roman built Portchester Castle across Portsmouth Harbour.

First Snow

2007-01-24T10:35:00.000Z

The first snow of the winter in London fell this morning. Good stuff to, nice and fluffy and great for a morning snowball fight!

Skiing in the Alps

2007-01-24T09:47:00.000Z

We hope to ski once we're in New Zealand, so I thought it's about time I learnt! My wife is an experienced skier, but I was starting from scratch. We went to the RN Ski and Snowboard Championships in Les Menuires (said to be the ugliest ski resort in the Alps), part of the Trois Vallees regions in France. After 4 days of excellent instruction I was able to tackle some red runs, but still need to build on my confidence. Unfortunately my wife was injured twice (the second time hit by another skier who catapulted her into a ski rack from which she was just recovering her equipment) so has had much of her confidence dented.

Christmas in Dubai

2007-01-03T17:20:00.000Z

We have just flown back to the UK after spending Christmas with my parents in Dubai, practicing for those warm Christmas's in New Zealand! We flew with Virgin which we were impressed with when we flew with them to Barbados a few years ago, less so this time. I'm quite tall and felt very cramped. Air New Zealand have a much better seat pitch.

Christmas Day on the beach, with the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel in the distance.

The Christmas Tree in the Jumeriah Beach Hotel. A love this hotel, but it is very expensive unless you can get deals from the UK. If you book there in Dubai you're talking £200 a night. Over Christmas I was told they were insisting on a minimum stay of 10 nights at £400 a night, not including food!

The Creak. These vessels are mainly used for dining in the evening. The Shopping Festival was on - this usually start in January but was extended to 2 months (from the usual 1) as last year it had been cancelled with the death of the previous Sheik.

This city is growing fast, even since we last visited 18 month ago. The Burj Dubai, set to be the tallest building in the world, is half way complete now. We travelled onto the causeway of one of the famous 'palms' and you have to be impressed at their size, if not their ecological impact. Some 60% of the worlds construction cranes are in Dubai, and travelling around I can well believe it. The next phase is out into the desert (including the largest Theme Park in the world - Dubailand), which will help take Dubai from its present population of nearly 1.3 million to 10 million in ten years.

An incredible place.

Sunny London

2006-11-21T11:05:00.000Z

Last Sunday my wife had a course in central London so I dropped her off, drove to one of my employers offices on South Bank and parked my car and, as I had several hours to kill before the shops opened, went walking. After the torrential rain of the previous few days, it was clear, crisp and very autumnal - it won't be long before all the leaves are off the trees. An equivalent day in the summer would have seen a layer of haze across the city.

A vew downriver towards St Pauls Cathedral and the famous 'Gherkin'

Another view downstream from South Bank.

Looking upriver towards Hungerford Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye - what a fabulous view there must have been from the top of that. I only just thought now I should have gone up it. I've been up a couple of times before, the second time with my wife who hadn't thought it was going to be a half hour ride and was dying for the loo all the way around!

Looking down Victoria Embankment - much of the Embankment was built over the river to house Underground lines.

Looking downriver on the northern end of Waterloo bridge. The RNLI lifeboat station is in the foreground.

Charing Cross Station, one of my favourite looking stations. Hard to believe it was built in 1864 - looks so Art Deco.

In then walked down the Strand to St Mary le Strand. This church was designed by James Gibbs who later went on to create the famous St Martin's-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square. It is the official church of the Wren's. The spire of St Clement Danes, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and the official church of the RAF, can be seen in the background.

Furthe down the Strand, just before you reach Fleet Street, are the Royal Courts of Justice, which house the Court of Appeal and the High Court.

The statue of the Griffin marks the site of Temple Bar, the official boundary of the City of London and is the point at which the monarch cannot pass without the Lord Mayor of London's permission. The original stone Temple Bar which was taken down from its site in Fleet Street in 1890 to let traffic pass more freely, now sits in the Paternoster Square next to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Looking uo Ludgate Hill to St Pauls Cathedral, designed of course by Sir Christopher Wren after the original burnt to the ground in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

The southern frontage of St Pauls.

Next to St Pauls, at the top of the City Walkway, is the Firefighters Memorial honouring who gave their lives in Defence of the Realm during World War 2. Subsequently those who have given their lives in peacetime have also been added.

Looking downriver towards Tower Bridge from the Millennium Bridge.

St Pauls from the Millennium Bridge, designed by Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, as the first pedestrian bridge across the Thames in more than a hundred years. I think it's a beautiful structure, but it did have it's share of problems to begin with which forced it's closure for a period.

A vew from the top of Tate Modern, the modern art gallery

St Pauls from Tate Modern.

Inside Tate Modern. The building used to be a power station and this was the main turbine hall. The structures are The Unilever Series, created by artist Carsten Höller, and is the 7th artwork to fill this space. They are a series of slides from various levels which are free for patrons to use!

Just down the riverbank is a reconstruction of William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre,

The Globe Theatre with the chimney of Tate Modern in the background.

HMS BELFAST, a Town Class heavy cruiser, is now part of the Imperial War Museum.

The forward 6 inch guns are trained on the London Gateway Motorway Services Area on the M1, some 12.5 miles away.

The ship still proudly flies the White Ensign.

Located adjacent to HMS Belfast are the headquarters of the London Assembly, the City Hall. This is another Norman Foster designed building, and I think it looks great.

Tower Bridge is also nearby...

...and the Tower of London is straight opposite.

Tower Bridge was only built in 1894. It still holds the record for the largest bascule bridge in the world, and it's high level walkways were designed to allow the unimpeded flow of pedestrian traffic while the bridge was being raised and lowered.

I stayed in the Tower Hotel with my parents on our first visit back to the UK for 5 years in 1979 when it was first opened. I'm sure it is very nice now, but back then it was an over-priced concrete monstrosity, overun with rats!

HMS PRESIDENT, the London Royal Naval Reserve Unit.

The 900 year old Tower of London. to this day a Royal Palace and houses a garrison to protect it. No, not the Beefeaters who are really only there for the tourists, I mean regular Army with real guns.

Originally called Water Gate, the name was changed to Traitors Gate as it was used for all important prisoners entered the Tower. At high tide of course it is flooded.

The Christmas Market at Covent Garden. Not a patch on its Northern European counterparts!

After walking across much of central London I was tired, so tried the Tube. Unfortunately there was 'planned maintenance' which had shut all the Circle Line, much of the District Line, and part of the Northen and Piccadilly Lines. I wasn't best pleased, and neither were commuters on Monday morning when the works over ran.

NZ Memorial - London

2006-11-13T12:12:00.000Z

On Saturday we went and watched the dedication of the New Zealand Memorial on Hyde Park Corner in London by the Queen. This was widely covered in both the UK and NZ press, and televised live - you can watch a full re-run, the Queen's speech, Tony Blair's speech, and Helen Clark's speech.

There was a good turn out from the Royal Family, including the Queen, the Prince of Endinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew and Prince William, as well as Tony Blair and Helen Clark.

A large screen was set up so that those of us outside the cordon could see what was happening.

Security was undertstandably tight, with much of the area sealed off.

A large Honour Guard from the New Zealand Defence Force was in attendence.

The Queen was given a traditional Maori welcome.

A fly past by 3 RAF Typhoons and a RNZAF Boeing 757 Transport Aircraft marked her arrival.

The Queen's Personal Flag for New Zealand was also raised.

Inclement weather had been predicted, so all the VIP's were well protected. Here, Helen Clark is making her speech.

Meanwhile members of the NZDF stood guard around the Memorial.

We then moved around to the far side of Hyde Park Corner and got a far better view of the proceedings! By this time though the light was fading and it was difficult to get a clear picture without camera shake.

The Queen lays her wreath and pays respect.

As the Last Post was sounded, the flags of New Zealand and the Unietd Kingdom were lowered to half mast. Note that the Queen's Personal Flag remains raised to indicate the continuity of the monarch - not even on the death of a King or Queen is the Personal Flag lowered as they are immediately succeeded.

The ceremony was then concluded with the Maori performing a modified version the the Hakka, which was warmly received.

The Queen spent a lot of time speaking with everyone afterwards before leaving.

As it was cold we left to go and warm up in Harrods, doing some Christmas shopping at the same time. They announced that people would be allowed in to take a look, but by the time we got back later it had been closed off again.

A very memorable day and we were glad to be there for an important day in New Zealands history.

What English Speaking Country Are You?

2006-11-10T17:08:00.000Z

You Belong in New Zealand

Good on ya, mate
You're the best looking one of the bunch
Though you're often forgotten...
You're quite proud of who you are

What English Speaking Country Are You?

Well, that's a relief then! My time applying for Visas etc hasn't been wasted!

ANZAC Cemetery

2006-11-07T12:05:00.000Z

On Sunday we visited the ANZAC Cemetery in Harefield, which lies next to Harefield Hospital which started it's life during World War 1 as the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital. Those who died at the hosptial were buried in the largest ANZAC Cemetery outside of Australia and New Zealand. Of the more than 100 graves there, though, I couldn't identify any Kiwis though I undestand they were treated in the hospital. The unique scroll design was chosen by staff and patients.

We hope to go and visit the Cannock Chase War Cemetery where many New Zealanders are buried at some point. The New Zealand Rifle Brigade was based at Cannock Chase in the 1st World War.

Guy Fawkes

2006-11-02T13:03:00.000Z

I guess I'm a bit of a traditionalist, but I still call November the 5th Guy Fawkes night, rather than the more PC 'Fireworks' or 'Bonfire' Night. For those outside the UK and the Commonwealth, Guy Fawkes was one of a band of Catholics who tried to blow up the Parliament during the State Opening in 1605. They were found out, tortured and executed. Every year his effigy is dragged around town (with cash donations being requested - "Penny for the Guy?"), then burnt on a bonfire and everyone celebrates his death. Or at least that's what always used to happen. One of our friends is the british wife of a US Army Officer. When she describes this tradition to Americans they are absolutely horrified!!!!

Everyone still has a good time with firework displays and a great big bonfire (though the first 'virtual' bonfire is being held this year because of Health and Safety concerns about a bonfire being held).

My wife's base held a fireworks display last night, but as it was the first cold night of the winter here in the UK, we watched it from our house. I only used a handheld camera - I think I would have had better success with my proper camera on a tripod.

Rally Driving

2006-11-02T12:50:00.000Z

For my birthday earlier this year my wife bought me a rally driving experience at the Bill Gwynne Rally School. It was great fun, though not quite what I had expected, ie steaming down forest tracks! Instead it was a dirt course around the corner of an airfield. We learnt how to do handbrake turns and slding the car around corners, but with only 1.5 hours available there was not much more we could do. The cars were Ford Escort Mk1s, old cars with only 120bhp, but light! They warned us about the heavy stearing, clutch and brakes, but I didn't even notice. Maybe some of these new skills will stand me in good stead in New Zealand!

London Expo

2006-10-16T13:09:00.000Z

I went to the London NZ Expo on Sunday. My wife had to work that day so I ended up going by myself. I think it was useful to go at this stage depite that fact we won't be emigrating until early 2008. There were quite a few IT employers represented, inluding the firm I work for in the UK so I had a quick chat with them. A couple of the recruitment agencies and another IT firm asked me to upload my CV onto their website, and I must have filled in a good dozen or so forms with my e-mail address.

You should be able to do the majority of the Expo in a couple of hours if you know where you'll be settling and what employment you want. I have to say some of the regional stands were very persistent in extolling their virtues!

Visited Countries and New Zealand Radio

2006-10-11T09:57:00.000Z

A link I found from Our New Zealand Journey is Visited Countries, which allows you to select all the countries you have visted and get a map, as seen below. I was disappointed in how few I have visited in nearly 40 years of life! A friend of mine is aiming for 50 countries by age 50 - maybe I should set a goal for myself! I need to start racking them up before we leave for New Zealand.

I've also been listening to a Christchurch radio station, The Breeze, which is quite good - at least for my age group anyway! There's also Radio New Zealand which as far as I can ascertain is a cross between BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2, but with the time difference it's hard to listen to the decent stuff.

And Completed

2006-10-09T12:44:00.000Z

We are officially no longer home owners, but somewhat richer in savings! Last Friday, after seeing a huge jump in our surrent account, we completed the sale of our house in the UK. We're now living in Service Quarters and able to save for our future in New Zealand. We're taking advice from an excellent website which Martin Lewis runs. This will help with regular saving, but I'm still debating whether to send the balance of our house sale out to New Zealand now, where interest rates are a lot higher, or keep it here in the UK in case of a change in circumstances.

The other option is to max out on premium bonds and hope for that £1m win!

Exchanged!

2006-10-04T11:22:00.000Z

Thank goodness!! We exchanged yesterday and complete on Friday, so our home in the UK is now sold! I'm just opening an accounbt with HiFX to transfer the proficts of our sale to NZ, but with the exchange rate dropping every time I look we had better do it soon. It was only a few weeks ago that it was NZ$3 to the pound.

Last weekend some friends of ours came to stay with us in London where we're now living and we all went to see the American Express World Gold Championship held at The Grove near Rickmansworth. It's the first time we've been to see a golf tournament but our friends were old hands; I don't play either though my wife who does is campaigning for me to start. They were pleasantly surprised how good the facilities for spectators were.

What was even better was that we all had American Express cards so there were freebies galore, ranging from free parking through quite good portable radios to a remarkable pleasant lunch and drink. We got to see all the best golf players in the world including Tiger Woods who only comes to the UK for the Open, We bagged a place on the 9th before he arrived and it was pure luck that his shot fell only a matter of feet from where we were standing. The weather held off to so all in all a very good day out.

A Busy Few Days

2006-09-18T07:24:00.000Z

It's been a busy few days. On Thursday we went to Rythm Force at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. It was 3 hours of Jazz, Rock, Big Band and other music showing how Army bandsman don't just walk up and down playing martial music!

On Saturday we went to a Steam Fair in Coxley Green near Watford - sorry, no photgraphs; I had the camera on the side to take and yet again forgot it! Basically, it's you standard fair but using all the old rides from the early 20th Century, which mean many of the rides are steam driven. It also show how times have changed, with a distinctly patriotic feel prevalent - so unfashionable these days with the Union Flag having been taken over by the far right. I loved the dodgems, but I always do! I was having a great time until my wife insisted on going on the Octopus. Now I love roller coasters etc, which my wife hates, but I just feel ill after Waltzers - and this was one that had the added complexity of spinning in the air! I felt distinctly average from about half way through.

As it was night the whole place was lit up and it looked great, and it was a nice warm evening too. My only regret is going on the Octopus ride - knocked me out for the rest of the night.

Some good news about our house sale, we should be exchanging today. I'm also contacting our relatives to see if they managed to get around the houses we wanted them to see over the weekend.

Fish

2006-09-12T14:11:00.000Z

You know the phrase "There are always more fish in the pond"? Well, there are already another couple of potential houses. One of them is much bigger and is up for auction, but the guide price which I have just got from the agent is within our means, even taking into account the advice another agent gave us when we were in New Zealand last March; always add another NZ$75K to the guide price to avoid disappointment!

The other house is shortly to come on the market, but the agent who was handling the sale of the house which we lost, knowing we're serious buyers, has flagged it up to us. We're going to arrange for our relatives to visit it - it's not far away.

Meanwhile the saga of our own house sale trundles on - now they're concerned about subsidence and flooding which came up in the search report, neither of which are threats in our area at all.

Lost the bid

2006-09-11T13:59:00.000Z

We have bow definitely lost the bid on the house we were after - basically we were too careful and didn't get our bid in early enough. We were backup bid until the 8th, but the primary bidder has now completed the purchase so they've got our dream home!

Some good has come out of the experience. We now know the kind of house we're after and the area we want to live in. We've also got a better idea of the NZ bid process, and also now have pre-approval on finance.

We'll keep a close eye now on the various NZ real estate sites such as Harcourts and Real Estate NZ for another house.

Our own house in the UK still hasn't exchanged. Apparently they're awaiting the results of 'searches' which is taking longer than expected. I'm getting nervous.

Some photos from Spain and Gibraltar

2006-09-05T14:55:00.000Z

Some photographs from our holiday in Spain last week. They aren't good as I forgot our normal digital camera and had to use my phone.

The view outside our appartment, near Gaucin. I have yet to climb that rock!

The patio of the apartment we stayed in, part of a complex which my parents-in-law run.

We also visited the Selwo Adventure Park near Estapona. While the lions and tigers were great, for me the highlight was the vast aviary - basically they've netted over an entire valley.

And finally the Barbary Apes on the Rock of Gibraltar - should they ever leave then the Rock will cease to be British!

The Frustrations of Selling

2006-09-05T13:04:00.000Z

Our house still hasn't completed, despite the buyer wanting to be in by 1 September. Now the date has slipped right by 7 days while their solicitor asks more questions, some of which I've already answered in the original questionnaire. I suspect they're employing delaying tactics. They also spelt our surname incorrectly which really makes me angry! I'm getting our solicitor to fax me documents now and going down at lunch time to drop signed and original documents off to try and speed things up.

I think all the stress from selling originates from solicitors and estate agents not doing the job we pay them for. I seem to be the only one driving the process - they never seem to volunteer any information to me.

Back from Gib

2006-09-04T09:43:00.000Z

A week visitng relatives in Spain and attending an old firends wedding in Gibraltar has really charged our batteris. This was despite having to liaise with the agent in NZ and fax back a revised contract for our bid, despite it only being the backup! Luckily our relatives knew somewhere we could fax from (a smalls tore in the local village) otherwise we would have been lost. If the primary bid haven't sorted their details out by 8 September then we've got the house.

Spain and Gibraltar we very hot and sunny, though it wasn't particularly pleasant wearing a suit for the wedding in 30+ degree heat. Luckily the reception was at the Caleta Hotel in Catalin Bay on the East side of the rock and therefore in the shade in the late afternoon.

Bugger...

2006-08-25T08:34:00.000Z

Seems someone is outbidding us on our dream house - we obviously left it too long before placing a bid. We are now the backup bid and if we have any chance of getting the house we'll have to put in a higher bid, maybe even up to the asking price.

NZ Forums Revisited!

Another forum suggested by a reader (thanks Glenda) is movetonz. They have a great "Master NZ Website List" which has categorised links to every website about New Zealand you could ever want, and more! A great resource.

Money and Mortgages

2006-08-24T12:53:00.000Z

Today we submitted applications for an NZ bank account (ABS) and mortgages. Doing this long distance is so much more difficult when you don't have a person sitting in front of you going through the form with you. We've sent documentation off to a mortgage broker to see if we can get a better deal. There seems to be a fair amount of competition according to this website which lists all the interest rates.

After some worries surrounding the price crash in Australia and OECD report warning that New Zealand is likely to suffer a crash if interests rates are raised, we are going to place a bid for our 'dream property'. The problems we've been experiencing with our solicitor appear to have been ironed out, though I still believe they've delayed our completion.

And then we get news like this!!

Dream Home

2006-08-23T15:25:00.000Z

Well, we think we've found our dream home in Christchurch. We've had relatives look around it and they like it, we compared prices in the local area and spoken at length with the agent. We've even got the agent to fax us a contract to enter a bid, and that's where we're running into problems. The NZ process of bidding is much stricter than the UK and is legally binding.

One issue we have is that we're still waiting for our house in the UK to finalise. The new owners are meant to be moving in on 1 Sep, but we haven't even signed contracts yet, and solicitors and agents are blaming each other for the delays. As I type the my solicitor has called and says he's sending out another set of contracts "just in case the first weren't received." Well, funnily enough we haven't received them either, and they were meant to have been sent last Saturday.

This mean that we're unlikely to get our equity soon, and we need that to fulfill our obligations under the NZ bid process should are submission prove acceptable to the vendors. You then have a certain number of days (commonly 10 working days) to get building inspections done, raise any issues, get finance and pay 10% of the cost as a deposit.

Just to compound the problem we're abroad next week so won't be contactable. Funny that no matter how many times you tell everyone it still seems to come as a shock to them.

I'm sure most of the stress of selling and buying homes is caused by agents and solicitors just not communicating and not doing the job we pay lots of money for them to do. Let's hope we never have to do this again!

Number Plates

2006-08-18T20:30:00.000Z

Despite not planning to emigrate for at least another 18 months we decided to treat ourselves and get a personalised NZ number plate for my wife's car, which we'll be shipping out. I'd never have dreamt of getting them in the UK as they are horrifically expensive, and you can't pick your own phrase so they're usually a concoction of numbers and letters which you have to spend 10 minutes trying to work out what it says. Take a look at the UK DVLA site to see what I mean!

For the princely sum of NZ$699 (we went for the more expensive 'Euro' plate option as it'll be easier to fit to the car) we are now the 'proud' owners of our very own plate (incidentally, the above plate 'NZBLOG' is still available at the time of writing). We got it from Personalised Plates who are the NZ Government's contractor.

Extravagant I know, but it's one more step towards our destination.

Money, Money, Money...

2006-08-16T13:50:00.000Z

Things are moving forward now and we've found a house on the internet which both my wife and I love. Our relatives are going to check it out; they're very conversant with the Christchurch property market so we trust their judgement implicitly.

What does concern us the high price the owners are asking. We went did an online market valuation and the guide price was substantially lower. If the property checks out we may well make a bid, but not anywhere near the price they're looking for.

Meanwhile, we're busy filling in all the forms required to sell our own house in the UK, an offer for which we have accepted. Once we have that equity we can put it towards our new home in NZ. We'll still need a mortgage, and I've just come off the phone with a very helpful representative from the London office of ASB who what information they'll need for us to submit an application for a mortgage. I also discovered that unlike many of the other banks, which quite rightly will only activate the NZ account once you arrive in country and prove your identity at a branch, ASB can do this in London as they have an office here. This is much easier for us if we want to take advantage of the current exchange rates by moving our cash across now, and then have access to the money to purchase a house before we emigrate. Unfortunately interest rates are not too good for borrowers in NZ so we will be paying more - good for savers though!

NZ Forums

I've been surfing some of the NZ migrant site and I came across move2nz. It has a good range of forums and a good sized population. Each has their strengths I think and I'll continue surfing, learning from all of them!

PS - If you haven't had a chance to read A Brit in the Boonies yet, you must make time - it's hilarious!

The first steps

2006-08-14T13:18:00.000Z

Browsing through the ENZ forums the other day I came across a thread about migrant bloggers. I enjoyed reading through the joys as well as the trials of those heading to NZ so I decided to start one myself. They seemed to fall into two categories:

Those written mainly for family and friends, which seem to comprise lots of holiday snaps and family photos, and not much else.
Others offer a step by step guide in crushing detail of their experiences during the migration process and their life in NZ.

Which one this blog will turn into I don't yet know. The former is great when keeping in touch with friends and family 'back home', while the latter is very useful for other potential migrants hoping to avoid the pitfalls of previous generations (get a house with good heating seems to be the main one!).

Why New Zealand?

Back in March 2001 my wife went as the Physio for a Rugby League team touring NZ. She absolutely loved it and convinced me to go in November for a 2 week holiday. This was now post 9/11 so the level of security going through LA was impressive, though the sight of RNZN sailors at Auckland handling all the baggage for the scanners was novel!

We covered much of North Island in that trip, only briefly extending down to Christchurch in South Island. We managed to visit many distant and not so distant relations in Palmerston North, Wellington and Christchurch and my wife came home convined that she wanted to emigrate to NZ. Though I was astounded by how much house you could get for your money, I was less than convinced by the job situation in the IT market and was therefore less enthusiastic.

Well, my wife steadily whittled away my resistance until in mid 2004 I decided to see if we would be granted a visa and checked out the online Points Indicator. Shortly afterwards there appears to be a revamp in the process, and you were able to submit an 'Expression of Interest' online. I started putting one together in September 2004, but did not submit it until March 2005. We cleared this hurdle and received the 'Invitation to Apply', submitting our final documents (following a frantic search by my Mother-in-Law to find my wifes full birth certificate) in September 2005. While we received a telephone interview and passed the process later that year, we elected to delay receiving the 'blue stickers' for the full 6 months.

The 6 month delay has been brought about by a promotion my wife had received at work, but for pension purposes she has to be in post for 2 years, so we're delaying our departure to NZ to the fullest extent allowable under the Visa regulations.

House Hunting in NZ

We're using the time to prepare though, including a 3 week trip in March 2006 spent touring South Island and looking for houses in Christchurch. We were amazed how much prices have gone up and have resigned ourselves to accepting that if we're going to get that 'dream house' we'll need a mortgage.

The house hunting also taught is a lot about NZ houses themselves, ie a townhouse is quite different from what we'd call a townhouse in the UK. We learnt the about character and lifestyle homes, and how shockingly behind Europe NZ is in terms of double glazing, insulation and heating. I'd never heard of heat pumps before I went out there! Oh yes, and it's good if you have a North facing aspect!

Soon (hopefully) our house in the UK will be sold and we can look for properties in earnest around Christchurch. We're in a better position than most with relatives able and willing to check over properties.

The next 2 years will fly I'm sure!