Abandoned ship.....and back on board again!

[Cherry]

Hi there....

Haven't been on here since the Earthquake hit Christchurch which sadly resulted in us deciding to stay in the UK.

Since then....we took our house off the market, bought a puppy, I got a new job and we have just spent £4,000+ on a new kitchen....which leads me to our problem...

WE HAVE CHANGED OUR MINDS AGAIN....and decided that we should have never let the earthquake put us off and if we don't go and give it a shot we will always live to regret our decision not to go.

I am having feelings of excitement again, along with all the other emotions felt the first time round when initially planning our venture.

We are still going to go for Christchurch, and I have been led to believe that Engineering (civil) is in the plentiful which pleases my husband.
We only have until November to get things moving so let the rat race begin...

If anyone has any advice to offer me in this hectic time I would be most grateful in terms of rentals, jobs, any general advice on christchurch city for living.

Thank you....JC

[JandM]

Hello again.

[Carnegie]

Hi Cherry,

If it's any consolation we spent £40k on home improvements and we'll be very lucky just to cover our mortgage when we sell.

Don't care though - we're happy to live in a shack if necessary and rebuild our lives in NZ. It ain't about the money for the likes of us, eh?

[Mamee & Co]

Hi Cherry,

PLeased to see you again!!! I understand your feelings totally...it is why we are here as we did not wish to reach 80 and say if only!!

I assume you know to check out seek.co.nz and trademe.co.nz for jobs. You can also get seek to send you daily emails with new positions in your area.

Trademe also will give you an idea of what is available in the rental market. If you do not want earthquake disruption currently stick to the north and west of the city. I love where we are in the hills on the east coast...but a lot of people think that I am nuts!

Holidayhomes and Bookabach website are good for furnished holiday accomodation immediately on arrival, which will give you a chance to check out rentals and areas.

The ministry of education website will let you know of school zoning areas.

Also check out the Christchurch City Council website for info on services, disruptions etc. The CERA (Canterbury earthquake recovery authority) may also help provide you with info to make decisions.

Finally, and without wanting to scaremonger, check out the get thru website http://www.getthru.govt.nz/web/GetTh...F?opendocument

This will give you info on preparedness for earthquakes. For us, we reckon having lots of water in store is probably the most important thing, which we found so useful in June.

Feel free to ask any questions, there are lots of us around, in various areas of the city, who can help out with things.

[April]

Glad you've got over the initial shock of the quake and have decided not to let it stop you coming. However, as far as Christchurch goes, I would seriously reconsider - I have several friends there who have just about had enough with the thousands of quakes they've had since the big one - almost daily. Some very strong people I know have become nervous, depressed and very unhappy due to the constant shakes. Also, with regards to work, I really feel that existing residents of the region should and probably will be prioritised - their need is obviously greater than new migrants.

Why not look elsewhere to avoid starting your new life with so much uncertainty and constant worry, and give yourselves the very best chance of success in your new life.

[Duncan74]

Lots of jobs for engineers in ChCh at the moment as you imagine, although the balance will change with time. Lots of Project managers needed at the moment, and it's still largely a demolition phase at the moment. But in 6-12 months then the rebuild will be in full force.

[benandclare]

Good to see ya back Cherry, having just got back from UK know where we'd rather live , right here

[victoria24]

Good to see ya back Cherry, having just got back from UK know where we'd rather live , right here

dont forget you promised to post your findings on your UK trip

[April]

dont forget you promised to post your findings on your UK trip

I'm dying to hear about it too - we often wonder how we'll find it on our first trip back.

[Cherry]

....Well, there's no turning back now...unless we are going to throw away another £2300...flights are booked for November 2nd. I feel sick! :0

Thank you for your kind and helpful words, as always!

Cherry xxx