21 things about living in New Zealand: our first year here

As of 28th January, we have been here in Wellington for a year.  I can’t believe it – the time just seems to have flown past.  I thought I would try to make a list of 21 things from our first year, but it proved so difficult as I could come up with a whole lot more – our wine tasting trip, living so close to the Botanic Gardens and Zealandia, meeting up with old friends, going to Napier, Rotorua and Auckland, seeing some new and interesting dance, finding a great Pilates studio, eating new foods, a great trip to Bay of Islands, experiencing Christmas in the summer and sun…anyway, here are 21 random things about our first year and New Zealand.  These are in no particular order and are an odd mix, but I think they reflect the year.

1.  New Zealand is a very beautiful country.  If you’ve been either following the blog or looking at my endless photographs on Facebook, you probably know this already!

2. Coming from northern Europe, I really appreciate it being green here all year round, even in the middle of winter.

The trees outside our house

3.  It is really easy to buy good, fresh fish here.  Even the cheapest supermarket chain has a fresh fish counter and fresh green lipped mussels for sale in season.

Supermarket fish counter

4.  Wellington is small and easy to walk about in.  There are lots of nice places to go within easy reach, and we are discovering new places all the time.  I love being able to walk about without getting knocked over by cyclists!  People smile and are friendly.

Wellington

5.  There are hills, beaches, hot springs, volcanoes…

6. …and earthquakes.  One thing I have learned is that no two earthquakes are the same.  Some go up and down, some side to side, some are deep, some are not, and it depends on the type of rock and building how much damage is done.  Anyway, duck, dive, hold…..

7.  There is a fantastic foodie culture here.  Lots of good cheeses, excellent meat, good veges, lots of cafes and restaurants, and too-easy-to-be tempted cakes and biscuits.  I’m not a coffee drinker, but I am told the coffee here is excellent.  As a tea drinker, you can get a cracking cup of tea here.

8. And good wine – lots of it

4 mini bottles of sparkling rose

9. And good beer – lots of it.  There are lots of craft breweries and beer festivals such as Beervana.

10. And new tastes – faijoas (hmmm…not sure…but I did make an excellent chutney with them), tangelos, tamarillos, yummy yams….and different ciders…

Possibly the best of the new foods I have tried?

11.  Wanting some culture as a change from looking at nature and eating delicious food?  On my doorstep I have the Royal New Zealand Ballet, the City Art Gallery, Te Papa museum to name but three things.  There are some really nice cinemas in this city too.

The Embassy Cinema, Wellington

12.  And on the subject of culture…Eleanor Catton’s ‘The Luminaries’ won the Booker (and a first class book it is too), Lorde has just won two Grammys and the New Zealand Festival is on in 2014.

13.  And on books by Kiwi authors….as well as Ngaio Marsh (getting through the Inspector Alleyn books bit by bit), Kathryn Mansfield, Janet Frame and Keri Hulme, there is Anne Kennedy (looking forward to ‘The Last Days of the National Costume’), Liam McIlvanney, Vanda Symon……

14.  We have a number of visiting cats, though chief among them, and a permanent fixture of our lives here is Misse Moj.

Misse Moj on guard duty

15.  We live in a wooden house that moves and creaks.

16.  We have to climb 100 steps from the street below to reach our house.  I haven’t counted the ones to the top street yet.

17. People say ‘thank you’ to the bus drivers, and school kids stand up to give adults a seat on the bus.  Or rather, when the are in uniform!  We can also travel home by cable car.

18. I now say jandals, paddock and gum boots, have been heard to say ‘sweet as’.  The boys frequently say ‘yeah, nah’.

19. Wildlife – I’ve seen a baby tuatara running about at Zealandia wildlife reserve, numerous new birds and of course, dealt with a giant weta in the laundry room.  We have tuis, silver eyes and fan tails as frequent visitors in our garden.

Takahe

20. As you might guess, rugby rules as far as sport goes in NZ, but don’t forget cricket, netball, rugby league and of course the America’s Cup, which was far too stressful an event in 2013.

21. We’ve only been to places in the North Island – Martinborough, Napier, Auckland, Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Taupo…and many others.  Next year we need to go to South Island, eat more delicious food, try more beers and wine, do more walks to shed the extra pounds put on by all that food.  Thank you New Zealand for a great first year!