Two weeks in....

After all the farewells and the very long flight we are finally here....in the winter! Although the temperatures are above freezing the cold southerlies from the antarctic can make the wind chill quite severe.

After viewing many properties all over the city we have finally found a house in the hills overlooking Wellington Harbour to rent...sounds great but in reality with the topography of wellington 75% of the houses fall into this category :o)

We knew that the houses did not have heating, but we didn’t appreciate how cold the houses get....and as a result another layer of clothing is worn at all times with a fan heater in each room. Lets hope the reported high power bills are not that bad!

Everywhere we go, we are greeted with warm welcomes....the people hear are so generous and friendly. We have been given a TV, air bed, blankets and even a surfboard while we wait for our furniture which at the moment is somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Theresa has started her student life well, finishing her homework on time and enjoying a 4 day week, while I am making some progress on the job front, while waiting for my application to be reviewed. In the meantime I have a new project of converting a Nissan Van into a Camper van which will keep me occupied for a little while :o)

We have started the Kiwi lifestyle by going for walks in the hills and joining a gym.....everywhere we go we see people running, cycling and walking. So plenty of motivation for us!!!
One of the walks is a “City to the Sea” finishing at a beach cafe near the surfing beach. The sign inside the cafe records that last time an Orca was sighted only a couple of months ago......I think I need to improve my surfing quickly to avoid being fish food.

So the summary for the first 2 weeks is:

- A big cafe culture
- Everyone is exercising, healthy and very friendly
- Houses are cold!!!