proper bikes

Years ago Michael and I were very keen motorcyclists. In our 20's and early 30's we enjoyed hundreds of bike rallies, camping weekends, foreign rallies and a lot of European touring. We both rode our own bikes and we were seasoned riders. But as time goes on circumstances change ie. children! our motorcycling days petered out to the back burner then merely a pilot light of happy memories.
After watching the Charley Boorman and Ewen McGreggor DVD, their epic trips around the world and through Africa, the pilot light lit the flame again and we both got the biking bug back.
So after a lot of browsing we bought an old but good condition Kawasaki 500.
Georgia was very excited about the purchase and she thinks its really cool to be picked up from school on it.
Well, we gave the bike a good long run out on Tuesday up to Rotorua via the back roads. The thing about roads in New Zealand are that the main roads are like UK back roads and NZ back roads are merely gravel tracks. The tarmac literally stops and then you spend the next 10kms or so getting bounced out the saddle and pinged by loose stones. The road we chose was obviously rarely used as even the cows and sheep stood up and stared at us with incredulous looks on their faces as we wobbled past.
It took about 2 hours to get to Rotorua where we had a coffee and did a little bit of Christmas shopping. We were also fortunate to be entertained by a really good army swing band in the town centre.
We took the more direct route home as we realised at 1.45 that we had to get back to our parental responsibilities and collect Georgia from school at 3pm.

break away

For a few weeks now Georgia has been getting more and more excited about school camp. She and 59 other classmates are off to Huntly on the West Coast to Lakewood Lodge. They would be enjoying 4 days of out door fun including an overnight survival, fire building and cooking on it, horse riding, kayaking, swimming and orienteering plus the all important disco and Singstar challenge. Of course being away from home with your friends, having midnight feasts and toasting marshmallows are the main attractions - a 3 night sleep over - great!
So we decided that while the child is away the adults should play so we booked a hotel in Auckland, jumped in the car and headed off for a couple of days in the capital city. By European standards Auckland is small, tiny even but compared to Mount Maunganui its a metropolis. People, noise, big shops, office tower blocks, central Parks. Like most, if not all, towns and cities in New Zealand though, it is lacking a centre, or heart. European cities grow from the inside out around a central market place, but New Zealand cities tend to be extended main streets stretching out in a long line. There is the usual Central Business District but its not quite the same.
Anyway, the weather was beautiful so we were going to make the most of it and being just the 2 of us made a nice change. When you are away with children, you tend to look for somewhere to go and something to do - the zoo, a museum, a park, whatever, but when you're on your own its a refreshing change just to wander about, nipping in the odd pub (I mean odd pubs), browse the shops without buying anything or just sitting in the park chilling with out being asked 'what are we going to do now'. So we probably would have gone to the zoo and the museum had Georgia been with us but we will save that for the next visit when shes with us.
The marina in Auckland was quite recently revamped and tarted up very nicely to host the Americas cup. No matter where you are in the world marinas have a peaceful, tranquil feel and Aucklands is no exception. Huge cruise liners dock alongside million dollar launches as well as more modest craft and because the marina is right on the edge of the city and the city is on the edge of the sea the passengers of the liners have the great advantage of actually walking off the gangplank and straight into town.
We got on one of the town buses to Parnel, a small suburb. Its very pretty with boutique shops, bars and cafes. Lots of cobbled paths and hanging flower baskets over shop windows. Very quaint, very expensive. We did manage to stumble on the token Irish bar though with the wonderfully appealing name 'The Bog'.
Well a couple of hours later back to the hotel then out to hit the night life. Lots of people about, we follow the crowds but they all seem to be going home. Its only 9pm! Oh well, this pub looks ok......

bikes and burns

The weather is warming up now as we move into summer so we took it upon ourselves to dust off the push bikes and go for a pedal today. I have a great aversion to cycling up hill so we headed out to Papamoa mainly because it is the coast road which is very flat but also because there are lots of coffee stops on the way. The road really is the road to nowhere, just one long stretch of tarmac ending at a farm gate with a sign telling you to turn round and go back the way you came.
We started from the Mount and cycled past the dunes which are particularly pretty at this time of year with the dune flowers out in bloom. After what must have been at least 2 hours but turned out to be 20 minutes we stopped at Fashion Island for our first caffeine intake.
Million dollar houses sit on both sides of the road, some almost on the beach. Some of these houses are very strange looking, individually designed by private architects with windows in odd places to ensure a view or peep of the sea even if this means towers on top of 3 storeys. New Zealanders will go to great lengths to ensure a house by the beach even if this means living in a house built in someones back yard.
Heading on to Papamoa East houses become smaller with much more space between neighbours. Its a very peaceful and relaxed almost sleepy district.
We eventually reached the ominous farm gate and turned round to head back for lunch at a roadside cafe then of course back to Fashion Island for another coffee.
Our legs and butts were aching by now so we had a rest on the beach and watched a couple of fishermen using one of those remote controlled fishing lines (seems a bit of a cheat to me) then cycled back home.
The air temperature was very pleasant all day and we didn't get over heated but we had become victims of the fierce sun. After the 30km round trip we both did excellent impressions of red and white pandas. Fortunately after a couple of pints of Murphy's Red we were convinced we looked sort of 'rugged' and 'out doorsy'.

house sitting?

Moving permanently to another country is a big step, we all know that. For a lot of people who consider the move; the upheaval, hassle and leaving behind the comfort zone is just too much and never actually take the step. But perhaps that could be something they might regret later on in life.
The only way to know what it is like to live in another country is to actually do it. But how do you know if you will like the area you have chosen without committing to either buying or renting a house or apartment? No matter how many hours you spend looking at places on the Internet it just isn't the same as living there.
Renting is pretty easy in New Zealand and a good option before deciding where you would like to live. Lots of nice rental accommodation is available both furnished and unfurnished, long term and short term. But have you ever considered house sitting? This is something I hadn't really heard of before we lived in New Zealand but it is very popular here. You live in someone else's house while they are away, keeping the place clean and tidy, doing a few light jobs such as mowing the lawns and usually looking after the family pets. It doesn't cost you anything except your utility bill usage and can be for anything from a week to 6 months or more.
Our friends Norman and Linda have house sat a few of times here and has been a great success for them. One place they looked after for a couple of weeks was up in the hills just out of town in a lovely house set in pretty gardens with spectacular views all round. They had to look after the dog and cat and feed the chickens. Norman kept the lawns nice and they had fresh eggs for breakfast everyday. How hard is that? What they gained from the experience was that, although it was nice to live in a quiet rural area they wouldn't want to do it permanently. Valuable experience for them. A bit like try before you buy.
I decided to investigate this further and discovered that house sitting is available all over the world.
It could be the perfect option for 'living' in an area in a non-committal way before taking the permanent plunge.
The house Norman and Linda house sat had a horse paddock
Beautiful views from the deck


Georgia getting a lesson on chook keeping from Norman

Below - looking after Rosie the dog was part of the house sit deal. She was lovely!

Orca on the beach

There was huge excitement on the beach at Papamoa today. A huge whale (named Nobbie, for some reason) was washed up and stranded on the beach. Loads of people rushed to help it. I've never seen one of these creatures so close up and he was HUGE! The only beached whales I've ever seen are the 2 legged variety, usually pink and on the Mediterranean beach.
Anyway, Nobbie was desperately trying to breathe and volunteers were trying to keep him wet with buckets of sea water. Someone dashed off and brought some blankets and quilt covers to protect him from drying out and he looked very smart in the blue flowery one you can see in the photo. A digger was called in and dug out a trench ready for the tide to turn and take him back out to sea. Apparently he was chasing a sting ray and got stuck on a sand bank as the tide was going out. It was a thrill to see him swim off again safe and sound and probably not too badly affected by his ordeal. But as I've said so many times before, its events like this that give me more reason to keep out of the sea.

investing in property

Having lived in New Zealand now for almost 5 years I am often asked if I have bought a house yet. It seems that you can't be settled properly if you don't own a property and lain down 'roots'. Well, we have settled here but haven't bought our own property and to be honest I don't think I ever would. New Zealand houses are way over priced for what they are and mortgage rates are far too high.
At the moment we rent a lovely sunny town house 2 minutes walk from the beach, shops, pubs and our workplace. We pay our rent each week and enjoy hassle free living without the millstones of mortgage repayments, repairs, DIY etc.
But I do believe that property can be an excellent investment and that a lot of profit can be made in a relatively short time if you choose the investment wisely.
With that in mind I have bought a beautiful brand new villa off plan in Brazil. (See picture above) Why Brazil, I hear you say! Well Brazil is fast becoming a very popular holiday destination especially in the North East near the city of Recife. We have a lot of lovely Brazilian friends in New Zealand and all of them agree this part of Brazil is very beautiful, extremely safe with a relatively cheap cost of living. There is an international airport just been built close by as well as golf courses and of course fantastic beaches. The villa is on a complex being built right on the beach front - one of the first in the area. Property prices are already increasing by 20% each year and as I got an excellent price on the villa I know that once its built (work starts 2009) and I resell I will make a very handsome profit.
The bargain prices are obviously limited to buy off plan so if you are interested then you would need to have a look now.
I am very excited that I have got in on something big at the start. Having never done anything like this before I was impressed with the way this firm helped me through the legal processes of purchasing Investment Bonds then property. It was quick, easy and not stressful at all.
So move over pizza shop I'm a property investor now!!

food for kids

With summer now on its way business in our pizza shop is on the up again. More families and visitors are heading to the Mount at the weekends. This is great for us and signals more good times ahead but with the increase in people comes the endless round of the same questions I get asked every year...'do you sell phone cards?'....'what time do the buses run to town?'...'do you do fish and chips?'....'are you from Ireland?' and my favourite 'what food do you do for children?'
I answer these questions pleasantly and to the best of my knowledge but the last one never fails to amuse me.
In our shop we have a wide range of pizzas, paninis, toasted sandwiches and burgers. We don't do anything fried and we use fresh ingredients for all the recipes. I make the pizza dough from scratch and make the burgers with fresh mince from the local butchers shop.
When a family of say 2 adults and 3 children come in to order dinner, Mum and Dad usually select a pizza each or a hot meat roll, the oldest child will maybe have a pizza, the middle one a burger but when it comes to the youngest out pops the question 'what do you have for kids?'
'Well, what does she like?' I say
'Oh, the usual things that kids like' comes the reply.
'What about a toasted sandwich or a small Hawaiian pizza'
'Hmm...do you do hot chips?'
'No'
'Wedges?'
'No'
'Chicken nuggets?'
'No'
And so it goes on. Now the point is this - why do children have to have a different menu to everyone else? Why do adults happily choose fresh baked pizza for themselves then want their children to eat frozen reconstituted chicken mush deep fried in breadcrumbs full of fat and sugar?
I know that chips and chicken nuggets and other such things may seem like an easy option to the parents of a fussy child but if they are not conditioned to having different food to adults then they would expect just to have the same food and be willing to try more. There is no reason why children should eat 'kids food' its just the TV advertisers telling us thats what they want.

Banking - the big rip off

Its not very often I read books on financial matters. In fact I don't think I had ever read one previous to a little book called 'At What Cost' by Robert Anderson. Michael got it from the library the other day and as it was small, with big text and cartoon pictures in it I thought I would have a read through.
It was pretty interesting I can tell you!
It gave a basic insight on the huge scam that we are all being conned by the big world bankers to ensure countries and the people are crippled by debt. Debt is of course the way we are are being controlled. We want things so we have to work, pay tax, borrow more, pay interest, work more, pay more etc. etc
I have often wondered why the Government can't just print more money for public projects or infrastructure and apparently they can but the foreign banks insist that the Governments borrow money off them at huge interest rates. Why do the Governments do this? Well basically because the banks own the Governments and they ensure that the leaders are bought and sold before they go on to 'lead' the country.
New Zealand was one of the last countries to have independent banking right up until the 1980's when the Labour Government came into power and sold off the small independent banks to the big boys such as ANZ and Westpack.
Up until this time New Zealand financed its own money lending and interest on loans was kept within the country to the benefit of everyone. Now it borrows from foreign banks and pays back obscene amounts of interest to them and of course we pay for that with increased food and petrol prices and high taxes. It just doesn't make sense.
But it is one of those situations where you feel a bit powerless. What can be done about it? I suppose awareness is a start.
A lot of British people come to New Zealand unaware of the taxation system here with its no free pay and high interest rates on mortgages and loans and then to discover that the reason for it is to pay off unnecessary interest to international banks is tragic.

telecom grrr!!

The most annoying things about using the internet are waiting for pages to open and files to download. We had Telecom broadband and it was so slow I seemed to spend half my life watching that little 'wait' circle going round and round and round.
It got so slow that the computers' screen saver came on before a page had opened.
The speed got noticeably slower in our new house so we complained to Telecom but they told us there was nothing wrong with the connection or the line so it must be our computer - what a cheek there was nothing wrong with our computer in the old house! And how on earth a man in India knows that there is a problem with my computer is way beyond me.
So to save me wasting my life watching that little circle go round and round we have had the phone disconnected. This means we save $90 per month, I don't get infuriated with the computer and I don't get stressed talking to Telecoms' useless costomer help desk. AHH I feel less stressed already!
We now use a mobile plug in device now and it works fine.

travellers return

Well, we are back. The holiday is over and the heat, sunshine and sangria are well behind us now. What a fantastic time we had!! Spain was hot, dry, hassely, noisy, beautiful, peaceful, friendly and hostile all in one package.

Fuengirola on the Costa Del Sol is home to over 52,000 Brits looking for a new life in the sun.

Meeting up with some of our family there after 4 1/2 years was great and to witness their new lives in a foreign country was very interesting. One of the biggest hurdles was the language. At least moving to New Zealand we didn't have this problem and it really brings it home how much of a barrier a foreign language can be when living, not holidaying in a foreign country. Things like sorting out your telephone connection can be a major headache and everyday occurrences such as trying to tell the checkout girl in the supermarket that the juice she charged 3 euros for should only be 80 cents as it was on special offer just end up leaving you feeling exhausted and frustrated as you hand over your 3 euros. Its at times like these when I realise how pitiful my knowledge of the Spanish language is. These constant daily events of normal life result in the expat community rallying together to help each other out which leads to the fact that you are a British person living in Spain rather than a British person living with the Spanish people.

Fuengirola town was a small fishing village which succumbed to huge tourism development but quite a lot of the original village still survives if you look for it. The narrow streets and pretty church squares are there in amongst the bars and high rise hotels.

A relatively short drive in to the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada took us to Mijas and Frigialana which are 2 traditional white Spanish towns. They are spectacularly beautiful, peaceful and soaked in history with steep stepped streets built into the mountain side only wide enough for a donkey. We relished in taking in the architecture and atmosphere which is lacking in New Zealand.

One day we had a trip to Gibraltar which is of course still British. Seeing the monkeys that live there for real was a treat especially for Georgia!

One of the thrills for the expats though, is to go to Morrison's supermarket and Marks and Spencer's for 'English things', neither of which had any appeal for me. But again I think this has something to do with living in a totally foreign country.

Spain has a lot of appeal, beautiful scenery, lively people, excellent weather plus family living there and we were very sad to leave but we left with mixed emotions because its not as if we were returning to an ugly country. New Zealand is beautiful and peaceful and to be honest the constant noise and hassle in the main towns in Spain was very tiring. But New Zealand is so far away....

take a break

There is a definite air of excitement in our household at the moment. But it is the sort of restrained excitement that bubbles under the surface that could erupt into hysterics at any moment. The reason is, of course, is that we go on holiday this Sunday to visit Michael's brother, Bob and his wife, Tricia, in Spain. They moved there 3 years ago and have settled very well. So apart from the thrill of meeting up with some family again (first time in 2 and 1/2 years) we will also have the chance to see how they have coped with emigrating and setting up their new life.

We booked this trip 5 months ago and now with just 5 days to go last minute preparations are in overdrive. The cases have been packed and un packed at least 20 times, Michael's pile of clothes to take is bigger than mine so I'll have to do more shopping, Georgia's moaning that there's nothing in her wardrobe because everything is 'put away for holiday'. But on the whole we are pretty well organised. Just got to remember tickets, passports, money and everything else will fall into place.

Just to add a bit more pressure I needed to buy a butane gas cartridge for my cordless hair tongs so I headed to the chemist who had no idea what I was talking about, neither did Harvey Norman Electricals, Noel Leeming Appliances, Kmart or Farmers Department store. Its the usual story that shopping in New Zealand is just so much harder work than in the UK. You cant just walk into a shop and expect to get what you want, you have to put in a bit of effort. Anyway, Linda suggested Guinness Appliances which sells kitchen equipment and what do you know they knew what I was after! But they didn't have any. But they would ring me as soon as they got them in. That was 3 weeks ago. Oh well.

netball again

Its netball season again and after a year off Georgia decided to join the netball team again at her new school. New Zealand certainly takes its sport seriously and from an early age they are coached in the game. She chose to be either goal keeper or goal defence as these positions don't involve too much running about (that's my girl, good thinking). So she did well in the trials and secured her place on the B team. Over 150 girls from Georgias school alone are in a team.

On Saturday morning all the local teams get together and play a game which gives focus and point to all the practice they do during the week.

And what an event it is. You have to marvel at the organisation behind getting the teams together. They all play at Blake Park Netball centre which has 18 courts so after a quick bit of mental maths that's 20 players for each game with 5 games played on each court making at least 1800 players, plus parents, other family members, coaches, referees, managers etc it makes one big event. (This doesn't include the 5 rugby pitches next to the netball courts which hosts matches at the same time for the boys.) So about 1/2 of the local population are there. You have to take your hat off to the Kiwis when it comes to managing sporting events. Everyone knows exactly where to go and who they are playing and someone also keeps all the scores to build a league table. Its all very professional, with some hoping to be spotted as a budding Silver Fern but for many its just for fun.

Anyway, the first match has given Georgia's coach something to work on - they lost BIG TIME but they all seemed to enjoy themselves and its good exercise and if it gets Georgia out of bed on a Saturday morning that's got to be a good thing.

bloody poms

While Norman and Linda were at the shop with us the other night, we all got talking to a customer, Nigel, who regularly enjoys our pizzas. He was cursing the fact that his mobile phone was on the blink and blaming Vodafone for the problem. Norman has also had a lot of problems with Vodafone so this sparked a lively debate which led on to the general state of New Zealand. Politics, tax, big business, the social divide were all discussed.
Eventually the conversation touched on immigration. Nigel, a returning Kiwi was lamenting the fact that New Zealand has been overwhelmed by 'foreigners' and that Brits could just 'walk' into New Zealand with out any trouble from The Immigration Department. This is a popular misconception by many Pakeha (White New Zealanders of European descent). They believe that British people (or Poms) can just come to New Zealand, cream off the assets and reap the benefits of the New Zealand lifestyle. He believed that immigration just signed applications with no questions asked. Who is he kidding? Obtaining residency visas and citizen ship in New Zealand can be a daunting process; costly and sometimes very lenghthy. In fact it is easier to get into Australia. And just what are we creaming off New Zealand? It is hardly a wealthy country. We run our business and pay our taxes to enable us to enjoy the New Zealand lifestyle, no free ride expected.
I was also taken aback by Nigel's open racism towards Chinese and Indians living here and in particular 'those Middle Eastern types, who were not to be trusted'.
It is unfortunate that we have encountered this kind of thing before - we are known as the couple of Poms that own the pizza shop. He also didn't seem to mind spouting off his opinions to the five of us from England!
I wonder if he ever considered that while he was working in the UK for 5 years and Australia for 15 years that he was the 'foreigner' 'creaming off' the high wages of these countries. Probably didn't even enter his head.

smells and senses

Of all the bodies senses, its the sense of smell that can send distant memories rushing to your mind the most. Last Sunday was cold and damp and as soon as Georgia stepped out of the door she said 'oh it smells like England.' Walking through the wooded area at Maketu the other day the whiff of wild garlic and damp earth propels us back to the river banks of the Wear in Durham.

Over the summer months when the air was hot and dry here it almost smelled Mediterranean but for the lack of that strange drainy smell that you get at Spanish resorts.

When you think about it though, the cold and damp reminds us where we lived in England and the heat and dry remind us of great holidays abroad....

Considering we are fast approaching winter here in New Zealand and temperatures in the Bay are still around 13 - 16 degrees, plus the sun shines most days, I feel quite happy to enjoy the memories of the cold and damp stimulated by smells and not actually experience it!

Hamilton Zoo

As it is the school holidays again we decided to visit Hamilton Zoo.

It's quite a small zoo but set out very nicely in picturesque grounds and keeps you occupied for a good couple of hours. We did seem to spend quite a lot of time peering into cages that didn't have anything in them but the chimpanzee house is very entertaining and you get a good view of inside their enclosure.
The zoo has 2 large tigers who looked at us with total disdain as only felines can. This one stared straight at us and you can almost hear it thinking 'I could rip you to pieces in one go, if I could be bothered"
The giraffes are the definite stars of the show, they really are huge elegant creatures.
After heckling the rhinos for a while we decided to move off when the calf started to make a meal of its mothers' droppings - nice. We then headed for the cafe for a very good coffee and walnut cake.
Hamilton town is the 4th biggest town in New Zealand (I think!) and has a very good museum which we had a browse round. Of course we managed to get lost and ended up riding in a lift which was for staff only but we were eventually politely pointed in the right direction by a very helpful lady.
Anyway, the Maori carvings in the museum are excellent.
On the outskirts of town there are some great looking garden walks with sculptures and exhibits to look at but as it started to rain we decided to head home but will definitely return sometime.

Another birthday

April seems to be a month of birthdays. Our friend Norman turned 21 again last week so we invited him and Linda round to ours for a meal and a few drinkies. We went into town for a couple of pre dinner drinks first then wandered back home for the meal. Of course we all ate far too much and probably drank too much (well one glass of wine for me nowadays is too much!) but the chat was good! Normans philosophy on life is happiness must come first and if you have happy positive thoughts then happy positive things will happen to you and you will achieve all the things you desire in life health wise and wealth wise. He is a great believer in the motto "what goes around, comes around' That is a very good outlook on life and one which we should all adhere to. He also believes that a Turbo Bentley parked on his drive would assist in these happy thoughts. Well, maybe next year Norman!

Testing your self

It has been very sad reading the tragic stories of the 6 teenagers and their teacher who drowned on a school camp here last week. They were out on a trek with a qualified instructor, and part of this trek involved climbing down a ravine then walking through a shallow river. But the weather was so bad that the river swelled to a raging torrent within minutes and they were swept away over a dam and drowned.
What another pointless waste of life! Whoever is to blame for the event doesn't answer the question why? Not why did it have to happen but why were they led down a wet slippery ravine, risking their lives for fun?
Some people would say that it is character building to take risks and achieve tough goals which is true up to a point, but surely you don't have to put yourself in unnecessary danger to do this.
When I was at school I don't remember ever doing anything so dangerous that I could drown in a swollen river or slip down a 100 metre ravine in an attempt to feel challenged. Our Geography field trips were about walking up hills and locating land features and enjoying the thrill of being away from home. The feeling of independence at that age was character building enough for me.

birthdays and communication

Its a strange fact that I communicate more with my brother and sister now that I live in New Zealand than I did when we lived just a few miles apart. We used to meet up for special occasions such as birthdays or sometimes a coffee in town but we just took for granted that we were there and that was it. Now that I have moved to the other side of the world I chat with my brother on an almost daily basis on the computer via Skype and exchange emails with my sister at least twice a week plus texting. I am more up to date with their lives than I ever was!

Modern communication is great but one item I have never been a big user of is the humble telephone. I don't know why. I much prefer texting, and emailing and talking face to face than using the phone. So as a surprise I thought I would give my sister, Shirley, a call on her 50th birthday at her work. And she was surprised! We chatted about a few things as sisters do and the conversation got round to TV and how useless it is in New Zealand with all the commercials. Shirley asked if we paid a TV licence here. No we don't. I had forgotten about that lovely bill that used to arrive each year, how you were terrified not to pay it as the man in the detector van would know if you hadn't paid and he could knock on the door in the middle of Eastenders with a fine of 2000 pounds. The TV licence is now 130 pounds! So I am now quite happy to use the VCR and fast forward the commercials!

We also discussed age, as you do on your birthday once you get past 21. She recons her 40's went by faster than her 30's so does that mean she will be 60 before she knows it. What a thought - life speeding up as you get older. Some people are obsessed with how old they are, which is crazy because there's not a lot you can do about the passing of time. I must admit though I keep forgetting how old I am. Is that a good sign or just a sign that I'm losing my memory? Keeping fit and healthy and happy is the best cure for the onset of old age plus believing that you are still only 25.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Shirley.

rips and bodies

I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of the ocean. Too many man eating creatures and evil things lurking. Also these rip tides which are so dangerous. I had never heard of a rip before coming to New Zealand but to Kiwis its all part of their upbringing to know about them. They are caused when the tide is changing and the drag out to sea is stronger than the flow to the beach so if you get caught in the drag you are literally sucked out to sea. These rips are formed just yards off the beach and surfers use them all the time to take them out to the next wave. But for the inexperienced they can suck you under and roll you over and over under the waves. There are a few signs to spot a rip tide like smooth water, waves that don't break on the sand straight but apart form that it is down to experience. The water can swirl around so strongly that it can dig deep holes in the sand which are nicely disguised by shallow water, the perfect trap for you to fall into. So if these things are so common why is there not more signs along the beach warning people and giving advice? Over the summer months the life guards mark out safe areas to swim but obviously they can't patrol the hundreds of miles of New Zealand beaches.

Anyway, we had a tragic event here last week when a British tourist, a 19 year old boy, went for a play in the sea with 5 of his mates. Apparently the area they chose to swim in is renowned for dangerous rips (local knowledge - no warning signs) They quickly got into trouble and were all helped back to shore by some surfers and other passerbys apart from this one boy. The rescuers just couldn't get to him and he was sucked under. His friends had the trauma of waiting on the beach for him but the search had to be abandoned until the next day. His body washed up on the shore 2 days later. This happened on a part of the beach just 10 minutes from our house. They were only having a bit of fun just 20 yards out. What a waste of life.

Take a look at these pictures and see how close the rips can be to the beach, and be warned the sea is a mighty force not to be messed with - I for one will enjoy paddling up to my ankles but no further!

new views

What a week! Firstly, we had visitors last weekend of Michael's cousin from Adelaide, Marion, and her partner, Ray, staying with us. We were the first stop on their 3 month trip around the world. It was nice to meet them and they were very easy house guests. Then on Tuesday we moved house! We had lived in Papamoa for 18 months and were quite happy with the house but the landlord decided to put the property on the market so we decided to move out before we were actually given notice. It seems that the landlord is one of a growing number of New Zealanders who are feeling the bite of the high mortgage interest rates after enjoying a 3 or 5 years of low fixed rates and realising that they just can't afford to pay it.
We found a nice little town house back in Mount Maunganui 2 minutes from the beach, 3 minutes commute to work and 3 minutes from the main street shops. The actual move was quite tiring but pretty painless with the help of a man with a van and Norman and Linda. This is our 4th move since living in New Zealand so we are well practised. This house is smaller than the one we were in but as we don't hoard 'stuff' any more this wasn't a problem. The majority of boxes belonged to Georgia - packing up the Barbie emporium took days! Anyway, we're all sorted now - nice and cosy and homely and it is great to be able to go out for a meal at night just along the street.
Now just to finish off the week we have Easter weekend which is one of the busiest times for us in the pizza shop. Saturday night and tonight were like Christmas time all over again! But it has been a brilliant week weather wise which brings out the crowds.

bbqs

In the UK we were never that keen on BB Q's. It seemed that you spent 6 hours firing the thing up just to blacken a few sausages and burgers, standing out in the rain while everyone else enjoyed the party in the house. It was usually fortunate that it was dark by the time the food was ready so no one could see that the sausages were actually still breathing underneath all the carbon.
But yesterday we decided to try one of the free gas BB Q's provided by the council. There are loads of these things all along the coast and in parks.
Calling in at the supermarket we stocked up with a strange looking fish and some fresh green lipped mussels and completely the ignored sausages and burgers. A couple of baked potatoes, a huge dish of salad and fresh crusty rolls and we were set for a feast. We've never cooked fresh mussels on the BBQ before and we had been told by Norman, just to chuck 'em on and when the shells pop open they're ready. I did feel a bit sorry for them, mind, one minute in the sea, next wondering why it was suddenly so hot but they were delicious!
Well after a good feed we had a great game of beach cricket which came to an abrupt end when Michael scored a six and the ball split in half! Good quality stuff from the $2 Shop!
So we packed everything up and went for a walk to the estuary which, although man- made is very pretty and has some very weird looking geese to feed.
All in all a very enjoyable evening!

Georgia with the ball after Michael's slog!













Michael makes a new friend.

old friends

Way back in December last year I got a phone call from a colleague of mine from my old life in the UK, Jim Williamson. He told me he and his wife, Christine, were coming to New Zealand on holiday in February and would we like to meet up. Well, of course we would! Its been 4 years since we last saw them so we arranged to meet in Bravo cafe in Tauranga on 27th February at 9am. Quite a precise arrangement made from the other side of the world and what do you know - it worked out! It was a beautiful sunny morning and we had a great 'catch up' chat! We also talked about living in the UK compared with New Zealand and it reminded us of the reasons why we made the move.

Jim gave me a photo of the ladies I used to work with. I had worked with some of them for over 10 years and we had become friends as well as work mates. As I studied that photo though, I realised how much I was glad I wasn't there. Everyone looked the same, standing against the back drop of my familiar workplace. The only difference was the lady who took my job was standing with them instead of me. Did I wish I was back there with them? Nah - no way!! When I look back at what we have gone through and achieved over the past 4 years with the move to New Zealand, how much we have all changed and how we have lived through the ups and downs, I know that if I was still in the UK that would be me still standing in that photo, same faces, same background, same comfort zone.

Jim and Christine are well travelled and love New Zealand. They are hopefully coming back next year so I will look forward to meeting up again for a coffee and chat.

day trip

Georgia was at school camp this week so we decided to take full advantage of no school run on our day off and take a trip to Taupo with our friends Norman and Linda.

It was a beautiful bright sunny day so heading to the hills seemed the best option.

Its about a 2 hour drive to Taupo from Tauranga along quiet roads through some stunning scenery.

We stopped on the out skirts of Taupo and viewed the mighty Waikato River Huka Falls. These very impressive raging falls really are the bright turquoise colour you see in the photo. If you painted a picture that colour it would not look real!

Further on we stopped at the bunji jumping centre where thrill seekers can, for a price, jump off a platform high over the river with their ankles tied together suspended on a piece of elastic. Not something I would like to try but each to his own I guess. We saw 3 people jump off - they must be mad!

Taupo itself is dominated by the huge Lake Taupo. It is so vast it could be an ocean, and again it was that beautiful turquoise colour. We inspected the boats on the marina and contemplated the fact that if you had a boat on a lake you couldn't really sail off into the wide blue yonder as you would only be able to go round in circles.

We had a wander around town and had a very decent meal and half of beer in a brilliant Irish bar. We could have stayed there all day! We moved on to the museum but it was closing.

A walk through the park brought us back down to the river where lots of people were relaxing in some natural hot water springs. We dipped our feet in and were amazed at just how hot the water was.

After a play in the park (well, there was no one else there) we headed off home.

We had a brilliant day, saw some beautiful scenery and really appreciated what a lovely country New Zealand is.

easy visas

It seems the British Government want to abolish the rule whereby the New Zealand ancestors of UK residents born in the UK can live and work in the UK for up to four years without any qualifications or work experience.
Well, I say good for them, the British Government, that is.
After the hoops we had to jump through to get our New Zealand residence visas in 2004 why should it be easier for kiwis to go to the UK just because their Grandparents were born there.
If my Grandparents had been born in New Zealand then emigrated to England I would have had no automatic visa rights at all so why should it work the other way?
Its also true to say that the 'returning Kiwis' who have enjoyed earning and stashing away the high UK wages have been a big factor in ensuring house prices in New Zealand continue to be ridiculously inflated.
So there!!

end of season

volley ball match in progress



Georgia looking for sharks



Some of the medalists from the volley ball


The weather has been and still is lovely this year. The Mount has been really busy all through the summer and even though we're coming to the end of the season there is still loads going on. This weekend there was the Tauranga Air show and the kids Weetbix triathlon plus beach volley ball competitions and a yacht race.


The Weetbix triathlon was held in Tauranga this year whereas in previous years it was held at the Mount and the competitors aged 8 to 15 would run and cycle passed our shop after doing the swim bit in the bay.


The Mount Main Beach was the venue for the inter college volley ball championships and was well supported. The boys in the photo were more than willing to line up and have their photos taken to show off their medals!


After watching some of the volley ball we walked up the peninsular which is a popular spot for fishers and divers (divers off the rocks that is, not scuba divers) This has often amazed me as the water they are diving in is popularly known as shark alley but it doesnt seem to put them off.

Back to school

We have been having a play with Google analytics for a couple of months now, and its nice to see that there are on average 400 visitors each week having a read of this blog in over 30 different countries. So hello to everyone!!

We are settling back into our routine now that the mad busy spell is just about over at the Mount. Yesterday was Waitingi Day which is a bank holiday to mark the anniversary of the Maori leaders being coerced into signing the treaty to asign their lands to the British before the French came. The nice weather is holding out this year and so we had a very busy day.

Most of the schools have started their new terms now and Georgia had her big day of starting Intermediate school on Monday. She was a bit nervous and arranged to meet her friend at the gates so they could go in together. As usual though, the best laid plans don't always come off and they were waiting at different gates! After waiting a few minutes Georgia asked if I would go in with her. I was a bit surprised at this as I would have been mortified if my Mam had come with me on my first day at secondary school but of course I was happy to go in with her. We soon saw some friends in the yard from her junior school looking just as nervous so we hung around with them chatting until the bell went. It is on occasions like that that you realise how family orientated New Zealand is. There was no embarassment from the children that their parents were with them and I was quite surprised to see lots of parents standing in the yard with the pupils.

Well, anyway, her first day was a huge success, she loved it and couldnt wait to go back. She said her teacher was old but really cool. Everything is new and exciting with a trip to an adventure park next week then camp for three days at the end of the month. She even doesn't mind the uniform and clumpy school shoes now.!

sunny Spain!!

This is the time we start planning our annual holiday. We all work hard over the summer here so we like to have a holiday to look forward to in June. In previous years we have been to Australia twice and Fiji.
This year we have decided to visit Michael's brother, Bob and his wife, Tricia in Spain! We haven't seen them for over 3 years after they came to visit us here. They loved New Zealand but it was nigh on impossible for Bob to get a visa so after returning to the UK they decided to emigrate to Spain and it has been a very good move for them, they re very happy there.
So after deciding where to go we get down to the time consuming business of finding the best fare deal. We trawled the Internet ourselves and managed to come up with some reasonable prices but decided to get a couple of travel agents to come up with something cheaper. Michael sent an email to the Flight Centre who guarantee the best prices. No reply after 2 days so I phoned them and the lady said she had been too busy to get round to doing us a quote but will get on to it straight away. (Still heard nothing 10 days later). In the meantime we popped into the Holiday Shop in the Mount Main street. The conversation with the girl behind the desk went something like this...... 'Hi, could you give us a quote for 2 adults and 1 child to fly return to Malaga, in June, please' This was greeted with a total blank expression from the girl. 'Malaga, in Spain?' Still nothing. 'Spain, in Europe' Finally the penny dropped, she had heard of Europe!! Good we might get somewhere now. 'Oh no' she said with a look of horror on her face, 'I couldn't do that'
Hello? Have we wandered into the wrong shop. Are we in the gift shop next door by accident? No, no it definitely says Travel Shop on the sign out side. 'Sorry? What do you mean, you can't do a quote?'
'Well I wouldn't know where to start to do something like that, I think you had better go to the other agents down the street' !!
Another case of fantastic Kiwi customer service!!
Anyway, Travel Com have come up trumps for a deal for us. A brilliant girl called Dunja from Switzerland who works there got us a great deal flying via Seoul, with Korean airways. Her service was great, replied to emails straight away, sorted out transfers, in fact everything a travel agent should do. And she knew where Spain was, so what more could you ask.
So 'this year we're off to sunny Spain, el viva Espania' etc etc

sun sea and sharks

I like the sea.... to look at. Not so keen on getting in it. Too many unseen dangers lurking. Just the other week as I was out on my usual morning run the beach was covered in dead blue box jelly fish. These things look like pretty little blue blobs of jelly with long tentacles which can give a vicious sting even when dead! So what are they like when they are alive? There have been lots of stories in the paper of people standing on them and getting nasty stings on their feet and legs and curious kids getting stung on their hands. I couldn't think about swimming in water where something unmentionable could brush up against your leg. Makes me shudder. Apparently, when lots of blue box jelly fish are washed up like that it means there has been a big hurricane somewhere and that the sea temperature has risen a few degrees. OK I'll take you word for it.

There have been lots of shark sightings as well round NZ, including Mount Maunganui so the surfers have to keep a look out for any suspicious looking fins breaking the surface of the water.

Not only has the ocean got dangerous animals patrolling the shallows for tasty snacks it seems rips and dangerous tides are a problem too. I f you don't swim or surf between the flags put out by the life guards then expect to be dragged out to sea by a rip. I didn't know what a rip was until I came to New Zealand. It's where the undercurrent of the waves going out are stronger than the surface comes in, so if you are caught in a rip you are sucked out to sea. If its a big one you are sucked under as well. Nice. There has been lots of advice offered in the papers such as don't panic (yeah, right) and just go with the rip until you are out of it and then can swim safely to shore. One lady in the paper was out on her boogie board and got caught in a rip and was tossed around as if in a washing machine. She would have drowned if a nearby surfer hadn't spotted her and dragged her out. She was only in 4 foot of water a few yards from the beach!

Talking of life guards, I hear the ones around Mount Maunganui do a sterling service offering helpful advice on how not to drown, or how to beat off a shark attack as well as rescuing the brainless holiday makers who try to get across to Matakana Island on a lilo. One of the guards said they had had a busy year so far but no drownings, which is very comforting. I was a bit concerned that this guard was 20 years old and this was his 7th year as a lifeguard!!

Anyway, I will enjoy the ocean up to my ankles, avoiding the blue wobbly things.

Kiwis can't wait!!

Its a well known beleif that the Kiwis are a relaxed, laid back lt. Happy to enjoy life at a slower pace where everything is 'sweet as', 'choice' and 'awesome'. But make a Kiwi wait and he shows himself in a new light!

There's always someone in the paper each week complaining that the traffic into town over the bridge was so busy that they had to sit and wait 10 minutes. They want to try getting through Newcastle in rush hour!

Mount Maunganui is very busy this time of year yet customers don't expect to wait any longer in shops and cafes than at any other time of year. Just the other night in our shop, someone called David ordered some pizzas by telephone, we told him the wait was 30 minutes as we were so busy. He said that was OK then he turned up 15 minutes later and started shouting at me because he had been kept waiting an hour and his pizzas weren't ready! Duh!!
Unfortunately he is not an isolated case.

Why is this, I wonder?

I think it is down to a population thing again. Being such a small population, most towns are over subscribed with services so there is no reason to queue or wait so when there is a bit of a delay they can't handle it. British people are programmed to queue and wait. If I went into town in the UK I would expect to join a queue in the post office and wait for 15 minutes or I would think myself lucky to find a checkout in Salisbury's with only 6 people in front of me. So coming to New Zealand and walking straight up to counters or to empty check outs is great. Even at the Boxing Day sales Georgia and I had whole changing rooms to ourselves!

Now having said all that I have come to realise that I too have become afflicted with this 'kiwis can't wait' phenomena. I found myself the other day hopping from foot to foot because there were 3 people if front of me in the bank and I changed my mind about getting some shoes because the queue at the counter had 4 people in it!!

Anyway, a Scottish guy was in the shop the other day and he asked the usual questions of how long we have been here, do we like it etc but he also said that if we ever went back to the UK we would be surprised a how KIWIFIED we will have become without even knowing it. Do you know, I think he may be right!

clean and green

Every year thousands of people head for the Mount at this time of year to enjoy the sun, surf and hopefully lots of pizza from our shop. Its the time of year when we traders hope to top up the bank accounts to see us through the quiet months and fortunately this year is no exception. Its been wall to wall customers since Boxing Day. In fact the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year is called 'the silly season' then its pretty full on for the rest of the school hols.
But one thing that really spoils the season is the amount of rubbish littered every where. It is an illusion that New Zealanders care more for their environment than other parts of the world. When it comes to littering they are as bad as anyone. The road sides are covered in empty beer bottles, cans and other rubbish that has been thrown out of cars.
Next to our shop there is an ice-cream parlour and a dairy (corner shop) and the piles of icecream wrappers, empty bottles, serviettes, paper cups and pizza boxes thrown on the street is disgraceful even though there are plenty of bins around. Its a sad fact that where there are lots of people there is lots of rubbish and the only reason New Zealand seems cleaner than other countries is the concentration of population. People seem happy with the attitude that someone else will clean it up, never mind being environmentaly friendly.