Two Americans emigrate to New Zealand from Colorado,
USA.
We share our Kiwi immigration story and talk about
our new life in Nelson, New Zealand
May 2008 | Blog home | July 2008
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It's been an eventful May, and it's June so I am not sure where May went, but it's gone!
We were excited to welcome guests Lindsay and Gareth to Nelson during their two week vacation in New Zealand, their second. They are in the process of applying to emigrate and I've been corresponding with Lindsay for months now. It's exciting to finally meet her, and husband Gareth. They were here investigating places to live once they make the shift, and it sounds like they fell in love with Christchurch! It's great to find the place that suits you, and I'll look forward to meeting up with them once they land in Christchurch for good.
The best thing, of course, is they brought gifts. So many people who have contacted me have offered to bring us anything from America ... and Lindsay was kind enough to slog over even MORE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese packets, after seeing my blog that John and Star also brought me some. It's a crazy need, but I am well stocked for awhile now! LOL
Last Friday Joe and Deanna, Don's parents, landed in Nelson after trekking through the North Island for a week and then the South Island for two weeks. Unfortunately, they got their share of winter weather in Southland, but not 
much one can do about the weather! They've seen a lot and visited many out of the way places, just what they love to do. We spent the past three days showing them around Nelson and what we do. We took them to Nelson Lakes, where this photograph is taken. They plan to come back and rent a caravan and really take their time seeing sights during warmer months.
Joe and Deanna likewise brought us many gifts, and it feels appropriate when the weather is so wintery! Midwinter in New Zealand is a long slog, for sure, but we're glad to have them stay with us and to have a few treasures one can only get in the States.
There isn't much more narrative from our Australia trip, but there are a few more photos to share, one of an amazing sunset we woke up to on our last day. As usual, photos just don't do anything justice--primarily because we took them with our old worthless camera ... Joe and Deanna brought our new, fancy schmanzy camera and it is SOOOO awesome, we'll be taking much better photos from here on out! How exciting!
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We don't know what these birds are, but they were out and about wandering on the grass, mostly in groups. Their beaks were enormous! |
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This bird is gorgeous, I thought parrots only were in cages in homes and used as pets (not really, but ...). Who ever thought they actually existed somewhere in the wild??!! Well, they do, and they live in trees on the Gold Coast. |
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There were several parrots fluttering around in these trees, but they were hard to capture up close with the camera. Here is a pair, but the best shot we got is the one above where you can see the colours. |
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Our hotel, and our room was on the far left, the highest floor without a floor above it, before it cascades upward and right to the penthouse -- no one was above us and we had a massive deck. |
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A photo of the sunrise, unfortunately we had to capture it between the two high rises in front of us. But it was incredible to watch. |
As I've written, we welcomed visitors over the past couple weeks, family even! Don's parents, Joe and Deanna, spent about a week with us in Nelson after touring around the North and South Islands for over three weeks. 
We sent them off last weekend for a stop off in Hawaii on their way back to Colorado.
They landed on our door late in the day on a Friday and, after three weeks 
exploring, they had a lot of laundry. They were keen with how we air dry clothes in New Zealand, but were befuddled at first in putting together the airer. LOL. Finally, though, success. Don't they look proud!
Just like our friends John and Star, we got a suitcase full of gifts! And the suitcase as well! Our new camera arrived with lots of supplies, and Don was like a kid in a candy shop. I have to remind him to this day that it is OUR camera. But we proceeded to take lots of photos with it right away. And there were books and yarn and all sorts of goodies. Indeed, it was another Christmas during our mid-winter season.
So Friday night was a relaxing catch up after dinner out (I ALWAYS enjoy not having to cook!). Saturday we took them to the Nelson Market and and walked around town and showed them where we lived when we first moved in.
We also ventured over to Founders Heritage Park, which is a historic park featuring original and recreated buildings from Nelson's past all the way back to the 1840s. Just the thing Joe and Deanna love. And Don and I got to go to the annual book fair and buy a few things just before closing.
But what I will remember forever, in particular, was being attacked by a black swan. See that nice looking swan up in the photo above? He was eating along with other swans and some baby swans, and a bunch of ducks and pukekos. They looked so happy and peaceful, ripe for a photograph to be taken with the new camera. So off I went. Without backup.
But who knew black swans are so mean and vicious!
Well, the first photo shows you the peaceful swans, but the in the one above you can see him turn and face me, he started walking. I thought nothing of it.
Left, you can see he's moving toward me, but I didn't realise at the time that he was intent on actually coming to me and having his say. In not so nice a way.
So at this point, at right, he is making a beeline right at me and I'm starting to freak out. I no longer am thinking "oh, look at that graceful, very large black swan." About 5 seconds after I took this photo, the charging beast had me turning, with camera in hand, screaming, and running away toward, as it turned out, a father and young daughter -- to whom I immediately apologised because I thought I'd probably scared her to death with my screaming and running.
But honestly, this massive black duck actually lifted his wings, took flight a foot or so off the ground as he was chasing me! YIKES, it was scary, I wasn't sure what kind of danger I was in, how much damage can he do? But he was seriously really, really big!
After I was safely away and he had calmed his big ol' self down, we all watched him attack another woman who approached to take photographs like I did. He marched (more like waddled, right? I can make fun this time as I was not the victim) right over toward this woman, and she didn't bat an eye. She kind of shoo-ed him away, even as he circled her and opened his beak for a snap. She didn't even flinch! Gosh, what a wuss I was. I was a bit nervous for that poor woman.
After, we made our way to Nelson Lakes and did some nice, flat walking. Deanna remarked at the varieties of trees and Don and I cooed at ducks, as usual. Dunno why those adorable things are so funny, but they just are.
We did quite a bit of walking on tracks and trails around Nelson as well, visiting the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary for a walk around Nelson's old water supply route up the Brook Valley.
Joe and Deanna headed out midweek to see parts of Golden Bay while Don and I worked a long 3-day week after Queen's Birthday weekend.
They returned to us for one last day, and Don had a brilliant idea to take his parents - from whom he sprang forth, the people who have known him since he was but a wee cell, and who have raised and diapered him - to the wastewater treatment plant. Can you see it in all its glory behind them in the photo to the left? Yes, that is Nelson's proud destination for all wastewater. In case you don't know, wastewater is, as my friend Jade says, 'poos and wees.' Sewage. But, Don's quite proud of his work at Council where he does analyst work in the sewage area, so rightly so he wanted to show off. I guess.
And afterward, they left us to head off for a few days in Hawaii for their anniversary, and then off toward home. It was great to see family and have visitors!
Hi there, sorry we've been away for a bit, taking a mid-winter break! The weather has been sooooo lovely in Nelson, there's just too much to do.
I ran across this television ad here for a local bank (our bank as it happens, am thinking of swapping now after this outrage) and here are photos of our TV showing their latest ad. Can you spot what the outrage is?
Maybe you can't really comprehend the atrocity unless you're a hockey fan. But here's a closer look:
What is up with THAT? A New Zealand bank showing an ad with someone wearing a Detroit Red Wings sweater patronising the bank??? They don't even follow hockey in this country (ice hockey, as it's known here because hockey here means field hockey). There's rugby and netball and cricket and tennis. But no hockey. What is the point of this I wonder? I think I'll write the bank and find out. I'll let you know if I get a reply.
Well, what has been going on lately with us? It's been a whirlwind June (and May for that matter), yet it feels like the year is still creeping by. Joe and Deanna were here for a visit that you've already read about, both Don and I have been working full time, although my stint is scheduled to end at the end of next week. I have my fingers crossed that I'll go back down in hours, but I'm not getting any hints that that will happen. Ugh.
One fun adventure happened last Friday, 13 June. My friend Kate, pictured right, turned 40 on the 9 June and Jade and I decided months ago to surprise her with a day shopping trip to Wellington. We bought the tickets and made the plans, informing her husband Colin of our adventure so he could scheme and plot along with us. Although he didn't like that part of it very much at all ... I was a good guide for him.
We wanted to keep it a surprise until the morning when Colin dropped her off at the airport, but we didn't quite make it that far. All the players gave it a good effort, but Kate was dogged in her anticipation and even asked Colin about the surprise: "Is my mum coming for a visit?" Uh, no, it's just Jade and I! We decided rather than risk a big let down at the airport (it being a drop off of Kate and not a pick up of mum), we better let Kate in on the secret the day before. She was surprised and completely thrilled, so all was good.
We all had a wonderful day shopping and eating bagels and drinking cocktails. Kate, armed with birthday money, did the most damage, but we all managed to get a few things, each buying a pair of shoes amongst the other goodies. How girlie is that!
Happy 40th birthday Kate!
We're moving! Unfortunately our long-term plans to stay in our existing rental pretty much went out the window a couple of months ago, so we've been trying to figure out what to do ... more on this to come!
Angela says: BTW, following up on my blog posting of 19 June where I showed you how the Red Wings sweater made it into a local bank television ad, I contacted the bank (my bank) to see why/how/whaaa? Here's what they said:
Great spotting. Actually there's not too much mystery to the choice at all. The talent is a staff member wearing his own shirt. No doubt a souvenir from his OE [overseas experience].
~ Marketing and Communications Manager
Back to Don...
Generally, we have found New Zealand is far beyond the States in the area of environmental sensitivity and being green. It's not just government policy, it's people's actions and beliefs that being green is the right thing to do. Sure, it's not everyone or everywhere, but taken as a whole, the government drives a lot and the people seem to care more.
Here's just one example of NZ's dedication to this cause (taken from Ministry of Econmic Development website:
New Zealand's aspiration is to be carbon neutral. To get there New Zealand is adopting the following targets:
Achieving these targets will allow us to be effectively:
Amazing, now if only more countries would start down this road as well.
Nelson City Council has included a sustainability policy in its most recent Annual Plan. Like many other countries in the world sustainability has become a major topic throughout New Zealand. Many national and local government agencies here are pushing sustainable initiatives (a couple interesting websites on the topic are www.sustainablehouseholds.org.nz and www.sustainableliving.org.nz (the official government site is www.sustainability.govt.nz).
As you probably know, sustainability is much more than just being environmental friendly – it focuses on ensuring present needs are met without compromising future generations. Recycling and reducing carbon emissions are part of this but so are ensuring historical places and cultural influences are maintained.
The overall recycling of products in this country and in Nelson is fantastic. Nelson City has a kerbside recycling program that is used by over 80% of the residents (no recycling for businesses yet). This program is covered by everyone’s taxes so no extra charge. One downside is that Nelson only takes 1 and 2 plastics so if you want to recycle the rest they have to be taken down the road to the Tasman recycling centre. Hopefully Nelson will collect the 3-7’s in the future. We have glass taken one week and the rest (plastics, paper, newspaper, cardboard, etc.) taken the next. The problem with glass recycling right now is there is no market for recycling the product so it is ground up into fine particles and added to road surfacing. I’ve also heard it was used as sand at golf courses and as a fertilizer for vineyards (supposedly the glass reflects the sun under the vines and helps the grapes grow).
At work, the Council recently started an improvement on its recycling effort. It collected cardboard and 
paper, but has increased its effort to collect all other recyclables including food scraps for composting. Every department has a food scrap bin, as does each floor's kitchen and in our cafeteria. The food scraps are collected and emptied daily and delivered to the Council nursery where they use the compost materials for the gardens there. As you can see in the photo, this is now our trash can (or rubbish bin as they call it here). The idea is that everything else should be recycled so you don't need a large can - yes, that is a coffee cup inside - it's just wee (to coin Angela's favourite term).
I think another highly important, but less emphasized, form of recycling is the focus on fixing old items and reusing rather than simply buying something new. Everyone here keeps products longer and just makes do. Broken items are repaired or, if a new item is purchased, the old item is usually sold off to someone else. The second hand market is huge here. Most people don’t think twice about buying a washing machine, TV, computer, etc. second hand.
While public transport is a problem here in Nelson, many people walk and cycle rather than drive. The positive in this is that commutes are usually short. Better public transport here is something that will probably be addressed in the near future.
A couple items that I have come across in my new role: The sewage is all treated naturally, no chemicals that could have negative implications downstream. Plus the solids that can’t be sent back into the ocean are used for fertilizer. We’re now experimenting with irrigating using the treated sewage as well. Methane captured from our landfill is used for heating the hospital. There will be the opportunity in the future to use methane capture at the treatment plant to supply all the power needed to run the facility.
Renewable sources are used for much of the electricity but we are encountering shortages during the winter months as many hydrogenation plants are lacking adequate water supplies to keep this running at 100%. Wind farms supply a lot of energy and they are now starting to experiment with electricity generation from tidal and wave flow.
While New Zealand certainly does its share of environmentally friendly things, it isn’t a green paradise. The woodburners here can turn the city into a smog zone during many winter days. A lot of glass still finds its way to the road surfaces without being ground up (stupid youth). While there is a Warrant of Fitness test for cars (to test road worthiness) they don’t do emissions testing. Plus a lot of goods sold in the country are made in China and shipped here (I won’t even get into the environmental issues there). And, as you’ve heard from us many times before, the lack of adequate insulation in houses is a major problem.
All in all however I feel New Zealand is much farther down the right path – many people here are aware that climate change is real and the government is leading the charge on ensuring the right policies are in place to protect the planet (plus many agencies provide funding to encourage sustainable living). Too bad we are just .06% of the world population and .1% of the world’s land area. The US needs to drive change and then get China and India to follow.
Next time, in part 2, I'll tell you what we've done ourselves to contribute to keeping the planet safe.
My mother will think I posted this in response to our conversation today, but I had already written it. We got into a discussion after she commented about people in the States are in a tizzy over the price of gas (petrol). She says, it is awful, so expensive, blah blah blah. I had to remind her for the umpteenth time that no matter how expensive it is there, the rest of the world pays more (except the Middle East, of course).
She didn't really care, and who can blame her and everyone feeling the same way ... 'all politics is local' kind of mentality. I get it. It SHOULD come as no shock that with the economy in the States in a shambles and prices skyrocketing that the same exact thing is happening around the world. It should come as no surprise, but it does!
Here are some examples of what is going on now in New Zealand and Nelson.
Sealord, one of Nelson's largest employers, confirmed it will lay off more than 300 workers. Following on this, Motueka-based Talley's Fisheries has applied to import nearly 100 migrant labourers. Sound familiar?
Following the announcement by Sealord that 323 of its Nelson based mussel plant workers would be made redundant, the company confirmed a further seven fulltime and two part-time staff at a subsidiary will also lose their jobs.
Now Talleys wants to use migrant labour, which means employers don't have to compete for staff and wages stagnate with the use of more and more migrant labour to fill the gaps. Union leaders say it takes away the workers' ability to bargain.
Nationally New Zealanders are being asked to save power amid fears of winter blackouts due to low southern hydro lake levels, now at about half their average levels. The dry lake levels have really affected power levels throughout much of the South Island since it relies on hydro power. The North Island is being affected also, since the two islands share power sources. Power suppliers have advised that the situation is not so dire that people stop using their electric heaters at home. Phew!!! That's all we have! (for now) I'm told by kiwis that this 'crisis' happens every year. Strange why nothing gets done about avoiding it??? Of course, all this power savings is a good thing for the monthly bill, which for most people can average $300-$400 per month in winter.
Nelson is experiencing an exodus of real estate agents from the industry as property sales slump. The Real Estate Agents Licensing Board says 15 percent of salespeople in the Nelson-Marlborough region did not renew their licence at the start of April. The trend was similar throughout New Zealand.
The number of houses sold in the top of the south has fallen from 307 in May 2007 to just 179 in May 2008.
The price of petrol has jumped from about the NZ$1.70 per litre for 85 octane a few weeks ago to over $2.00 during Joe and Deanna's visit in May, and last week it went up 10c to $2.10 in one week. Now it's at $2.12. For those of you like my MOTHER who doesn't believe that things are as expensive anywhere in the world as they are in America, that $NZ2.12 per LITRE is the equivalent of US$6.50 per GALLON, so moaning about $4 per gallon doesn't really make me feel that badly for you all! But yes, it sucks all over the world for petrol right now.
Economists are predicting that petrol prices will keep rising by up to 12c a litre even if world oil prices stabilise. That would push 91-octane petrol to at least $2.23c a litre.
Amongst a few bits of OK news, here's what has happened:
The worst is yet to come and the Reserve Bank may soon be forced to react, even in the face of short-term inflation pressure. One expert says "it is a cyclical correction exacerbated by a number of shocks. This means the length of the adjustment process threatens to be longer than the 1998 downturn, and the pick-up on the other side less aggressive."
Boy, times are tough everywhere, time to hunker down and slog through. (thanks, george bush. great idea that war of yours.)
Because we are moving the first of August, the blog is going to take a break from mid July through to mid August. I hope we can post some photos of the new house in early August, but we'll see how things go. Such is the life of a renter! We'll do our best to not be gone too long, and you may hear from us in bits and chunks, but thought it best to warn you anyway!
