niterider

Nope, we've ditched the green one (except for Miss 8, obviously). One less thing to worry about. For now its easier to fly relatives out here to visit. I don't plan to be going back for a while, so hopefully the visa situation has changed by then

Achievement unlocked

I had my B1/B2 visa within 2 or 3 days after the interview. Not sure if its different for different classes of visa though.

Its not a big mission sending money over from here to SA. I make payment here online and my mom gets a call from her bank the next day to confirm the reason for the payment, and thats it.

The Rinnai system is a gas heater. The water is stored cold and heated on demand. We use this with our tank water.

Congrats Hayley! Enjoy the new adventure! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What intern said. Plus if you live in Birkenhead, Northcote or Devonport the ferry is also a great option to the city.

Good news, Whitford Forest will be open from next week. All the trails that were amongst the pines will be gone, but the native tracks should have survived, and probably just need a tidy up. Working bees coming soon. https://www.trailforks.com/region/whitford-forest/?lat=-36.937516&lon=175.025666&z=14&m=trailforks

This is usually the point that I punt my local trails at Maraetai Forest (East Auckland), however they have just closed for logging, likely until next summer . Rotorua is pretty awesome, and I far prefer the redwoods to skyline. You can ride in the forest for hours, there's a huge range of different trails and some spots are just awesome to take in the scents of nature. Closer to home, I haven't been to Woodhill for a while, but apparently its a bit better than the last time I was there. Totara Park is ok for some winter xc laps. Hunua forest has some nice xc loops through native bush. 440 is good fun and now that Maraetai is closed I'll need to head out there again.

https://www.absoluteit.co.nz/

Wayne, taking time out will be the best thing you ever did. Its so hard to think with a clear brain when you're dealing with the pressures of an existing job. My wife has been through that twice, once by just resigning with no idea of what she would do next, and the second time after moving to NZ. Having space for clear thoughts brings out all sorts of ideas and possibilities, and having some actual time to act on those thoughts amplifies their potential.

Done!

Just wait a couple of months until you come out this way, so the trails can dry out. Pretty slick and muddy at the moment. https://www.trailforks.com/region/maraetai-forest/

So some googling tells me that an expired passport is fine for the citizenship application.

Speaking of no more admin, do you know if RSA passports are in any way required for the citizenship paperwork? My daughter's passport is expiring, and I'm loathing having to get a new one and wait 6-12 months (apparently) for the new one, when we'll be able to get citizenship in 16 months time anyway. Obviously we can't go on any overseas holidays until then without her passport, but being forced to family holiday locally is not a big deal.