I have now been in New Zealand for almost 5 months…
I have now been in New Zealand for almost 5 months so I thought I would update you all on my progress. What a journey this has been and what a great adventure we are having. New Zealand has definitely lived up to all of our expectations and we are really enjoying life. One of the challenges I set myself was to get out and see this beautiful Country and what it has to offer. I didn’t want to fall into the trap that I have in the past where work takes over everything and you put your head down and when you finally lift it, a year has gone and you haven’t achieved anything that you set out to.
My colleagues at the Warehouse have really encouraged me to get out and travel and have given me the confidence to do this. The work life balance is definitely not a myth here, its reality and I have done more in the past 5 months that I had done in 5 years in the UK. The weather has also been great and the warm summer has extended into autumn. As I am writing this, the Warehouse have started their winter sales in earnest but yet it is averaging 20 degrees here during the day and there are some people still walking around in shorts and flip flops. If this were the UK, we would be freezing in the rain and snow and feeling sorry for ourselves. Covering Northland has given me a great opportunity to see this beautiful and picturesque part of New Zealand. I took the family up to Paihia which is a seaside town situated in the Bay of Islands which is quite simply stunning. We spent 4 days there, swimming, kayaking, parasailing and exploring. We also went Dolphin watching and got to swim with them. Can you imagine the sense of wonder and awe my kids got from being up close to dolphins in the wild, it was amazing.
It is also home to Waitangi were the Treaty of New Zealand was signed in 1840 which I really wanted the boys to see as it gave them a real understanding of how New Zealand became a Country and how important the Maori culture is to its history. Corey and Dylan loved watching the Maori dancing and were happy to become honorary warriors and participate in the Haka.
We also went to Manganui, which is a small village further North, which has a restaurant with the reputation of the “best fish and chips in New Zealand” which we were happy to put to the test and were not disappointed. I took the boys to the pier and we got our fishing rods out. In New Zealand, you can “drop a line” anywhere in the sea and fish and it was amazing to watch Corey pull out a snapper after only a few minutes. The water was crystal clear and teaming with fish and we spent a few hours catching them and throwing them back.
We took a week out and went to Rotorua, which is about 3 hours south east of Auckland. On the way, we stopped off in Matamata at the Lord of the Rings, Hobbiton movie set and had a guided tour around Hobbiton. Dylan is a real fan of the films and he said it was the best trip he had ever done as he got to stand at Bag End and at the tree were Bilbo disappeared. Our guide was very knowledgeable and told us lots of stories from the time of the filming, it was a magical experience.
Rotorua is a large town situated on 2 lakes, which are the centre of volcanic and thermal activity. We rented a cabin in the Blue Lake holiday park, which was great and had everything we needed. I got up every morning and did a 5km run around the Blue Lake through the forest park. We visited Hells Gate, which is a thermal spa, and volcanic landscape park and the boys got to see nature at its best. Mud pools, sulphur lakes and hot pools. They also got to participate in a wood carving class and made their own Maori plaques. Other highlights of the trip included a visit to a Maori village, watching and holding Kiwi birds at the sanctuary and the cable cars and luge which is a race track down the side of a mountain which the boys absolutely loved although I ended up with a few scrapes and bumps from trying to go too fast around
tight bends.
Life settling in has also been good. There are always worries when you first move such as will the kids settle into school without their work being disrupted and will the wife be able to find friends to socialise with and be happy. The schools are great and Corey was happy from his first day at Primary school, he made friends easily and has been doing fantastically well. The school have recognised his ability and have tailored schoolwork to stretch and challenge him. Caroline has also made friends with a lot of the mums and has a great network of friends now. Many of the parents are in similar circumstances to us as Auckland has a lot of migrants and locals and she has found it very easy to find friends who share similar interests to her.
We took a slightly different tact with Dylan as he had always been very strong academically and the worry was that the state school system would not be challenging enough for him. Having spent a few years in Hong Kong, he was already almost a year ahead of the New Zealand curriculum and we decided to move him to Pinehurst Academy, which is a private school with the Cambridge curriculum. This has proved an excellent investment as Dylan is excelling and is really focused. He has made lots of friends and is very happy and content.
Work for me has also been everything that I hoped it would be. The Warehouse has promised much but has also delivered. I spent the first 5 weeks doing inductions and meeting lots of people especially in the Support Office in Auckland. I have since then been let loose on my Region were I have been getting to know all of my teams and to slowly understand New Zealand retail and the customer. Life is a lot less stressful here and the marketplace is a lot easier to work in. That’s not to say you are not pushed and work hard but rather that you have more time to appreciate things and plan ahead. I can honestly say that I am finally getting to enjoy making a difference and feel as if my contribution is valued. All too often in the UK, there was no time to do this - it was always moving from one problem to the next. I currently manage 11 large format stores from Downtown Auckland, through the North Shore to Waipapa and Kaitaia in the North. The Warehouse has a great history and heritage with New Zealand customers and I feel very proud to work in such an iconic business. The people have been very welcoming and helpful. It’s been also great to be able to share experiences from my previous roles, which my colleagues have really embraced. The New Zealand economy has slowed recently and Global issues such as fuel and commodity prices have had an impact. This is why we have decided to rent for the first year as many are advising us that house prices will fall and we will get a much better deal in the future. Driving is a breeze as everything is so familiar and on the right side. The only thing you have to watch is the give way rule, which takes a bit of time getting used to. I can drive on my UK license for the first year and have already started to plan for the NZ test. My work permit allows me to be here for the next 2 years and I will be looking into applying for permanent status next year.
As you I am sure aware, Rugby is a religion over here and I have even blown the dust of my boots and started playing again. Alas! the mind is willing but the body is currently in shock and trying to remind me that I am not as I used to be. I have taken the boys to Eden Park, which is the Mecca of All Black Rugby to see the home side; the Auckland Blues play in the super 14 series against South African and Australian sides. Although they didn’t win the title, the games were very competitive and the atmosphere at the ground was brilliant and very family friendly. I have also got tickets to the All Blacks vs. England game and cant wait to see my newly adopted country destroying the Poms although I had very different loyalties when the All Blacks played Ireland.
Life is good, work is challenging but fulfilling and we are really happy. I will keep you updated on my progress.
