hayleyearth

Me! I am probably the whitest I have ever been over December (well after the one where I spent the complete month in Canada!) I desperately need some time in the sun on the beach!

We bought something 2 weeks ago online, can't remember the purchase price, but knew about the added GST rules so went to calculate that before buying from overseas, it worked out to only $58, so knew we would be okay (shipping cost was not added to the amount when calculated). Parcel was ordered on the Friday from UK, was on our porch on the Tuesday. (Didn't expect that.)

Anyone here ever bought a collapsible / foldable water bottle before? (vol anything over 500ml - 750ml)

Because it falls under the "New Zealand doing harm to you " (when a spider bites you) area

Oh goodness...it is classified as a leasehold Here is a screen shot of the title document: Here is the land plan showing it is separate standing houses:

Leasehold. I know the difference, been looking around for a while. Wont live in a flat/ apartment, so generally won't fall in the cross-lease section. Find houses around are more in the other two areas. I know I have said it before, but damn child care is so so expensive!! $300/week, and we are already over our holiday allowance (3 weeks you can take the paying only 50% while child not at school), so we will basically be throwing money in the water over Dec holiday! (Enough money to cover international flights )

Another bad of NZ- the amount of leasehold properties! Every house I have been looking at was a leasehold property! Crazy as the sales prices was +-$1mil anyway! (And these aren't fancy places, just simple houses in our street.

7 months old, she was on 3 wheels, no at 16 months we are starting the 2 wheels We have a Thule rear seat, they wont work on a dualie, as they clamp to the seat stay where the rear suspension is. Also not to be used on carbon bikes. I am actually in the market now for a new bike, just so I can put her on my bike too and not have to use her dad's bike all the time (setting seat height is a pain). I also would go to disk brakes, so possibly a cyclo cross / gravel type bike.

I think there is way less races and clubs etc here in NZ than in SA. Talking MTB and Road. Agree though, enduro racing is much larger here and by enduro I mean in the term as we use it in SA, here in NZ it means something totally totally different. Here enduro is like the long distance nissan trail seeker races. (so bikes generally with small travel suspension) 2W in NZ is enduro in SA - the race atmosphere is buzzing with plenty of riders around!

Today was an absolute stunner!! Even lots of people swimming in the sea water when we cycled past @17:15! Perfect weather is say, not to hot either but hope enough for short sleeves and slops

Let me tell you how my take is on the feeling of safety here with how my day has been thus far... This morning we got woken up by out little one being restless in her cot, not by hearing a dodgy sound outside of the house in our garden or in the street We moved around in our house from the rooms to the kitchen without having to unlock any doors or separation gates (as I know many houses in SA also now have) Our little one opened our curtains to windows with a view of trees etc without the obstruction of bars across the windows We opened the doors to the porch by unlocking one lock and without having to open a security gate and some of the window we opened are left open during the day while no one is home We got our bicycles out of the garage and left them leaning on the side of the house while we were getting our stuff inside the house without a worry that they wont be there when we go out again My partner and I cycled our little 15 month old to school this morning passing a beautiful beach and calm waters with boats drifting offshore, then we rode to work (I must add, she just looooves it!) Our bikes are on a bike stand with all the lights still attached in a car park open to public (we do have a chain on both bikes though, mostly because we don't want them to be bumped over by all the other people using the bike racks these days) This afternoon we will cycle back to the little ones school, where we will once again leave our bicycles leaning on the front gate while we go in to fetch her We will cycle back home pass the beautiful beach with a 'not so low hanging sun anymore due to daylight saving' and we will get to a home where we have to turn one key to get inside We will make our dinner and eat it and most probably walk to the beach again before bedtime routine My partner will go for his run outside around 8pm and without thought or a worry I know he will return safely Crime is never on my mind, if it is, it is because my parents are still in SA

Count me in too!

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12274084&fbclid=IwAR22f_4hToAhPZ6PbjOmeU-uOWIFtwq99Ad9oK--NVcs-CIb8jg-wnP1W2A I'm glad they upped the required salary, bit they really made a big jump.

Lots more tighter rules for immigration coming through from Oct! The increase of minimum annually income from $55k to +$79 is going to kick many people out. Many of those already here on a work visa that won't be able to apply for residency and won't get a new work visa either due to this new rule alone ...

I have a new bike mechanic!!

Don't even get me started on the work ethic of people here (well the lack there of). In my company I often wonder what most of the people do there including management level as most are just walking around with fancy coffee cups and chit chatting in the passage ways.... There is no such thing as timelines/deadlines in my company..... Don't know how we are almost always in the top 4 on the NZ stock market!

I wouldn't. For me there isn't a SA city that compares to here... There's to many boats all over on the water, the city feels different.

There's TONS of Frenchies in Auckland... Actually I know a Frenchie in Vancouver too, we are going to visit him (and his family) next (mid) year ...

Me too! I would love to get back on a bike!

Maybe look at better 1st world countries, not worse ones.

Speak about not wanting 'hand outs', I didn't even spend any time at the hospital or birthing center, I went home a few hours after giving birth, didn't have time to even charge a phone, nevermind a laptop.

Unfortunately for the lower income families is a win to have a child. They get their full salary till $560pw plus $60 per child per week. So no loss for them. Not getting a cent from government must be because your wife didn't work according to the rules to qualify for compensation. (I.e. had no job or didn't work at least 20hours a week for 6 or 12 months before having the children). I don't know another woman that work that got any more than the government payments. Quite a few companies that's not supporting it. Unfortunately quite the opposite to what you are saying actually, because NZ when compared to other 1st works countries has done of the worst maternity rules and hence they have started to change it last year slowly but surely

That wage per person maybe. While I was on maternity leave our income was about 1.5 that and we 'just just made it'.

Our rent (which is a super small house), water & elec, Layla's school, internet and basic groceries (no alcohol, little meat, no fancy toiletries, etc) costs us R45k a month. That's no fuel, no insurance, no clothes, no going out or away, no haircuts or any other things people usually do. No debt, no car payments etc etc. We live a very very simply life (day to day living), according to Auckland council our average consumption for water a month is at the 50% mark for 1 person, we are 3 in the house. I earn the same in Auckland than I did in JHB. There my monthly expenses (the need to pays) were less than R9k pm (and that included many dinners out). I honestly don't know how people survive in Auckland when only one is working or if they are teachers etc. and want to stay in their own place (renting, forget about buying).

I have a big negative.... Going on maternity leave in NZ. Most companies don't give you a cent in whole time you are away. You get monies from the government now for 22weeks, but it's easy less a month than I pay tax when working full time... The biggest thing is how the company treats you when you get back, which like like is now going to be something I'll be taking up further (think discrimination actions). It's a huge loss to a family when the woman use to work a good income job and then take time to have a baby, unfortunately our also seems its a loss year to year the company plans if we don't take actions now. Fortunately for me I have a partner that probably believes more than me in woman equity and rights than myself and he (in my absence at the company as I'm currently in SA) took it up with the HR head and we now have the big ball rolling.