four months here...

[sinead&dave]

Hey everyone,
i havent been on the form since i left home in june! so much has been happening and time goes to quick!
well my first week in new zealand i bought a jeep, my second week i got somewhere to rent and my third week in i got a job!
i arrived into christchurch and drove up to nelson, stayed in a lovely hostel there for around 5 nights and then got a lovely place to rent in Mapua north of nelson, beautiful small town on the coast.
i got a great job as sous chef in a lovely restaurant down at the wharfside in Mapua, 15 minute walk!
The cats arrived into nelson around 6 weeks after i arrived and they have settled in very well, getting use to all the new sounds of the birds. i have bells on them so the birds can hear them before they see them!!
My OH arrived 5 weeks ago, so it was great to see him when i picked him up in nelsons small little airport. he has never been to nz before but is loving it and settling in well. he just needs a job now! he is a stonemason so if anybody knows of anything!
he was only here a week and we went to sydney to meet my dad. and i had a nice surprise as he got down on one knee and popped the question! so hopefully a wedding in nz in a couple of years!!
the one thing i have noticed is the price of food, thats one thing! and the quality! there is not much competion in nelson to supply resturants so i was surprise and dissapointed. been a chef i was expecting alot more. some quality with the fish and meats is not up to the standards with what i had in ireland! i couldnt believe when i went to the shop and it was $4 for a capsicum, yes it was winter prices but i had a little shock! and then i couldnt get diced lamb anywhere, the guy in new world said it was to expencive and they export all the nice lamb! that was another disapointment. and what do they feed some of the chickens, as there breasts are like turkey!
sorry i dont mean to go on, i just noticed that probable cos working with food all the time.
but i love the country and the people have been very friendly, we hope to buy somewhere next year, prices are a little more expencive up around here, so we will wait and see what happens next year!

im really happy here and not home sick at all! so thats a good start.

[Mickfin]

Congratulations on such a smooth transition. May it last for you and your OH and everything stay great!

Cool about the wedding. I think it is the first one I have heard about on here.

Food prices were shocking to us too. We must have come from bad food in the states or be in an excellent area here. Yes, it is very expensive but we have been delighted with the quality of meat and dairy. Just overwhelmed with the prices.

BTW, what kind of Jeep did you get?

[JandM]

All the best.

[lin]

yeah, Sinead, that's great news, congrats to you both. What a lovely surprise.

I couldn't believe the price of the peppers (capsicum) too - made the mistake of buying 1 in Countdown which was priced per kilo. Then was over in New World and they had them on special for less than $2, typcial! Can't get over the price of the tomatoes too. Am learning to shop by seasonal veg, which is helping me broaden my veggie horizons!

[gonzo]

capsicums -68pence full price in sainsbury & tesco. Aldi pack of 3 for 1.05 and lidl had them a week or so back at 38pence on special. All imported from Holland I expect.

[frootbat]

Gonzo please don't it's not fair.

FWIW we buy jars of the ready roasted peppers as well as fresh. They're $5-6 for a jar of 4, so you can use these in certain recipes and save money. We're also growing our own. Anything to save a few dollars!

[sinead&dave]

thanks all.
mickfin i bought a isuzu diesel 1991, it goes quite well!

[dbonnett]

If you are in Mapua, I will have to stop by and say hi - the brewpub across from you is a client of mine and I often park near the wharf to go for a cycle ride up to the Moutere. We live around the bay, north of Nelson in Atawhai, but we are often down your way. Which days do you work? I generally do my rides on Wednesdays.

[Aquarian]

Lovely place Mapua spent more than a few happy days there, congratulations !

[NAP]

Happy arrival and big congrats on the engagement. Lovely surprise.
Know what you mean about the price of food and choice - tis a shock coming from Ireland where we have such a choice. However you get used to it and where we are there are soo many veggie huts along the roads with more reasonable prices than the Supermarkets. We have also started our own veggie garden..
I find going to the butchers that are connected to meatworks (a few up where we are in northland) for good price and quality - but yes, the choice is not there!
LOL about the diced lamb - I went looking for exact same thing and told the same thing! For a country full of the woolly animals you would think diced lamb would be everywhere!

Good luck with the rest of settling in..