Category: Living in New Zealand
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The 190 million year old insect
“Ew, Mum, there’s a cockroach in my room!” screeched my daughter. “Is it big one?” I shouted from the kitchen. Roaches can be huge here and my rule of thumb is that if it doesn’t fit under a glass tumbler, there’s no way I’m going anywhere near it; those things can move bloody fast. I…
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10 things I’ve learned about puppies
If you’ve read my post ‘Dog’ you’ll know that I’m an armchair dog owner. Or was. Now I’m a real dog owner and the learning curve isn’t so much steep as vertical. For any new dog owners out there (and for the amusement of seasoned puppy parents), here are some things that our Daphne has…
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Bank
If you have a valid visa before you come to New Zealand (a work or residence visa) you can open a bank account when you get here or even before you get here. No such luck for me. I came to New Zealand on a critical purpose visa (thanks to Lady Rona) meaning that I…
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New Zealand Post
Say what you like about Royal Mail but they know how to deliver stuff quickly. When they’re not on strike, that is. It might not seem like it to us Brits but Royal Mail is the seventh most efficient postal service in the world according to Statista.com, bested only by uber organised countries like Germany,…
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Dog
I have always been interested in dogs. I used to love watching Crufts as a child and could tell you the name of nearly every breed by sight if asked, although I was never given the opportunity to show off my skill. Gundogs, working dogs, hound dogs, utility dogs, I knew them all and was…
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Pavlova
It’s pretty hard to piss off a Kiwi. Other than belittling rugby or asking them if they’ve ever visited Middle Earth, they’re a pretty easy going bunch of people. Unless of course, you make the mistake of vocalising that the pavlova was invented in Australia. In 2010, the Oxford English Dictionary claimed to have settled…
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Learning to speak Kiwi
While the English and New Zealanders speak the same language, there are many words that Kiwis use for everyday things or situations that an English person probably wouldn’t recognise. To help you blend in on your next visit to Aotearoa, here’s is a list of the ones I have come across that you can experiment…
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Pete’s Emporium
“They have everything there, Mummy,” my daughter explained with some authority after her friend’s mother had taken them on shopping spree to buy Halloween costumes. She twirled around in her new outfit. “What do you think of my tutu and horns?” she asked, and then without waiting for an answer she disappeared into her room…
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Slip, slop, slap and wrap
If I’m honest, I’ve never been bothered about putting on sun screen. My skin is pretty robust and tends to tan rather than burn, and therefore I’ve been pretty lax about slapping on the Soltan during the summer months in the UK. Even during my radiotherapy sessions where I was exposed to radiation every day…
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Honk
My family and I were driving to Miramar a few weeks ago to visit the Weta Workshop. Our journey took us through the centre of Wellington and through the Mount Victoria tunnel. Think the Blackwall Tunnel but half the length. As we passed through the entrance, the bare concrete tunnel walls became illuminated with rows…
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