We really hope that you have been checking every now and again to see if we have been able to add to this blog - here you go!
After some faffing about finding our feet and sorting things out, we bought a second hand lap-top computer this morning from a shop in Hamilton (for a really good price) and are hence able to put some thoughts down for you to see.
But - back to the beginning - or at least back to where we last published a post.
The packing up and loading of all our worldly goods took a full four days in Wolmaransstad and the huge truck left on Friday afternoon for Bloemfontein - apparently, the container was packed there and then the whole caboodle gets trucked down to Durban harbour, from where it begins its long sea voyage to New Zealand.
Everything, and I really mean everything, has been double wrapped in cardboard and bubble wrap and both the motorbikes and both the pianos have duly been loaded.
One of our really big concerns have been for the two hounds - they have been installed on a farm outside Wolmaransstad! A huge relief to both of us and the two dogs bounded into the back of the bakkie en -route to the farm as if they knew they were also off on a big adventure! It wasn't so easy for the two of us to say goodbye to them, but we are glad that things did work out well in the end.
We spent a couple of days in a B and B in Wollies while we finalised the house things and cleared everything so that the new owners could move in - once that was done, we ambled our way up to Joburg to spend the last few days with family and got a chance to say cheers to everyone.
On Wednesday morning we dropped the Jetta off with the dealer in Joburg and Boetie and Barbara drove us to the airport.
The customs thing was straight forward and although the flight to Sydney was very full, the trip went quickly enough. A couple of hours at Sydney airport then on to Auckland - by the time we were through customs and declarations that we weren't carrying any biltong or plants of any kind, had our luggage and found the chap who had been sent to pick us up, it was 11pm on Thursday! In the course of the trip, we had of course gained 11 hours and so the jet lag has hit us quite hard!
For those of you who haven't experienced the delights of jet-lag - yes there is such a thing - this is what jet-lag does. You yawn your way through the afternoon, hit the sack not too early (cos you know what's going to happen) and then wake at 3am, starving hungry and wide awake with scratchy eyes - your tummy is convinced it's lunch time and the rest of the world is dead asleep since it's actually the dead of night.
Anyway - this was never meant to be a blow by blow account (how boring) so suffice it to say that we are safely installed in a Motel in Hamilton very close to the city centre with a supermarket just over the road for essentials like bread and milk.
First Impressions that might interest you!
New Zealand is very clean and green - both in vegetation and in the whole recycling thing.
Hamilton is a beautiful city set around the Waikato River which flows through the middle of the town.
Lots of huge old oak trees along the streets and banks of agapanthus beside lots of the bigger routes. Plenty of traffic circles (called roundabouts like in Scotland Jo and Allan) - most of which are planted with seas of marigolds and or petunias - all in full flower at the moment.
Speed limits in town are 50 kph for the most part, 80kph slightly outside town and 100kph on the open road. People keep to the limits and there are no taxis!
Roads are in very good nick - haven't come across one pothole yet - we're told that when it rains for days on end, potholes do actually happen.
Pretty well all the cars are in a road worthy condition - probably because they go through the tests every six months if they are not brand new cars.
There are plenty of 4X4 style vehicles - like the States, they are called 'utes' and today I saw a little label on the canopy of a ute parked outside our room which advertised the company as 'Beaut Utes' - accessories and so on for utes, I gather!
Volkswagen cars are known as " Vee dubs" and on that note, www. is known as dub dub dub - I would imagine of rub a dub dub fame!
The people we have come across that are not ex SA, are incredibly friendly and lots of them ask where we are from, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they are just checking if they are right when they guess that we are South African - one chap did think we might have been Zimbabwean but most recognise the accent.
We have taken to taking a calculator with us to the shops - doing the conversion to Rand at this stage is only for reference purposes - at the moment the dollar prices mean absolutely nothing - everything looks really cheap since there are 5.5 Rand to the Dollar at the moment - we have no frame of reference so we don't know if something is a bargain or not - for example $4.99 for 100g of Nescafe coffee means nothing until you do the math and figure the whole thing out. Hopefully, very soon we will know what is a bargain and what is not without having to do any conversions!
The 'funny money' is really quite weird - feels like stiff parachute fabric - plastic mixed with fabric - the notes have two small ' holes' in them - clear cellaphane with the denomination of note printed in one, and a silver fern in the other! On some of the notes, Her Majesty the Queen stares out at you with her usual stern and disapproving demeanour complete with sash and diamond tiara - I gather stamping her approval on the Kiwi notes!
On Fridays, we understand that everyone is 'casual' at work - shorts are acceptable - but frankly, most of the other days that we have thought to look, everyone looks pretty casual to us - Kiwi women as a rule are not apparently too concerned with things matching or fitting too well!
We ordered 'a coffee' at one of the shopping centres the other day - they don't know what filter coffee is! We found out that we wanted a 'flat white' coffee as opposed to a 'long black' - and that is not a tall Xhosa - obviously coffees like latte and cappuccino are pretty straight forward.
Once you have placed your order for flat white or whatever, you get your till slip (with colour advertisements on the back) along with a plastic disc with a number on it - we figured out that the disc is to place in the wire stand on the table that you choose to sit at and then the waitress emerging from the back of wherever with your order, finds where you have chosen to sit, by the number inserted into the wire stand - very clever - I guess keeps the boring job a little interesting since you don't know which table will be where on which day!
Here's Jo!
Nou wat moet ekkis nou se?? Blykbaar sal Alta nou nie die Ingels lees nie en sal ek seker nou maar moet vertel hoe en wat en waar en hoeffel en so aan. (vernaam die hoeffel!!)
Vandat ons hier aangekom het was ons oorval met vriendelikheid en gaafgeit en allerhande ander goeie geite. Die mens is vreeslik vriendelik en hulpvaardig en behulpsaam. Ons moet natuurlik iewers soek om te bly en iets soek om mee rond te beweeg. Die Motel en gehuurde kar is nou lekker en so aan maar net tot op 'n punt en dan wat?? Die huissoekery gaan fluks voort en ons het al na sowat 250 gaan kyk, (nee dit klink darem nou te erg, seker maar so 25, of is dit nou 2,5, maar dit voel soo baie). Die huise is almal van hout en sommiges is al redelik vrotterig en andere lyk soos baksteen huise totdat jy aan die mure klop en dan hoor hoe die planke antwoord. Duur is hulle beslis ook. Vir 'n gewone 3 slaapkamer huis met 'n dubbel garage kan die huur wissel tussen $300 to $450 PER WEEK, Ja dis reg. per week, moer!! As jy die somme maak werk dit uit op so R 1650 tot R 2700 PER WEEK, afhangend van die wisselkoers. Laas toe ek die som gemaak het was dit so R 12 000 per maand. (Magtag! nou klink dit eers erg) Miskien moet ons die Owerhede hier bekendstel aan 'n regte egte Suid-Afrikaanse Plakkerskamp. Miskien beweeg dit die Regering om die huishuurpryse te beheer of te subsidieer net om van die pondokkies ontslae te raak. (MMmm dalk glad nie so 'n slegte plan nie)
Anyway, ons het toe 'n paar oulike en "bekostigbare" huisies gaan kyk en laat blyk dat ons belangstel net om die antie se verbaasde gesig te sien toe die "bekostigbare" huis, erg uitmekaar wou val. Darem nou nie regtig nie, ons sal maar sien of ons een van die ouliker plekkies kan kry voordat ons goeters hier aankom en opdaag en nie in die straat hoef te loop staan nie. (O ja, dis nou seker hierdie 1974 Cabernet Sauvignon van Nedeburg, in die Goeie Ou Kaap, hier in my hand, by die supermark oorkant die straat gekoop, wat my so spitsvondig en skertsend laat skrywe, of is dit nou Pinotage en Coke?)
Die vlug was lankerig en ek vir twee dae met 'n heup geloop daana, maar ons is nou hier en dit gaan eintlik verbasend goed, behalwe vir die donner wat my nou wil dagvaar oor die huis se verkopery en hy dink hy's geregtig op 'n komissie vir die niks wat hy gedoen het en die liegery wat hy probeer. Verder gaan dit baie goed dankie. (Hierdie is nou vir Barbara se oogge)
Toe ons op die lughawe by Auckland land en deur die 'Customs' is, wag daar toe vir ons, een van die aanstaande kollegas en bring ons toe Hamilton toe met die baas se nuwe kar, en besorg ons hier by die motel, waar daar 'n lekker mandjie vol kossies en wyntjie en goedjietjies vir ons wag om te verorber, en ja 'n splinter nuwe, OK amper nuwe Toyota Corolla om mee rond te ry en die plek te verken. Dis nou jammer dis 'n automatic, maar met die heup, help dit toe darem.
Ons was Sondag hier in Hamilton by die erediens van die Afrikaanse Christelike Kerk in New Zealand en het die gaafste Klomp Afrikaanse mense ontmoet. Daar was seker so tussen 100 en 120 van die goed en almal praat gelyk en gesels en vra vrae en heet welkom en bied hulp aan en gee raad. Te lekker. Dadelik het ons beddens en stowe en mikrogolfoonde en goeters om te leen totdat ons 'container' hier opdaag. Lyk my hier gaan dit nog lekker word.
Ek moes toe maar gou vanoggend 'n komputer loop koop, sodat ek vir julle hierdie storie kan opdis, en my epos kon lees (dankie Sussa) en het toe maar die verskriklike bedrag van $ 350 (R1950, 'n bargen sou ek se vir 'n leptop) uit moes haal, maar nou kan ons darem weer gesels en ons voel darem nie heeltemal so ver nie.
Diane se: "dis nou maar dit" Of op Ingels "That's all"
Nouja die pantoffelregering is maar erg jong. (Kyk nou net hoe biewe ek van vrieeees)(hehehe)
Praat nou bietjie terug toe man. Ons wag vir die kommentare en kretiekke en op- en aanmerkings.
Ghoebaai for niow en cheers vir eers
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