Impressions of New Zealand

I have been thinking a lot about how I am going to answer the question "How are you finding life in New Zealand?" when we get back to the UK. So to help crystalize my thoughts and to answer that question for some of you, here are some impressions:

• space - so much space - even in Auckland! I have become very used to having a big house and decent sized garden close to several parks and beaches



• green - especially out West



• affordable - there are many more free or cheap activities here which make being a mum at home a whole lot easier. On the other hand NZ salaries are much lower than I anticipated and housing is expensive. Budgeting is a fact of life.



• spiritual - although it is a very secular society many people are open to spiritual things



• media - we haven't got a TV and I don't think we are missing much. I miss having a choice of decent broadsheet newspapers. Here there is basically a choice of one mediocre paper and lots of local rags.



• we miss having family nearby



• lots of people here have spent time abroad so appreciate that it can be hard to be away from family so they have included us in some of their family events



• for Ian in the business world I think it's fair to say it really does feel like the edge of the world.



• people seem more laid-back and less stressed than in the UK.



• there is a subtle difference in attitudes here which I think is related to hang-ups from the class-structure in the UK - when meeting people here I haven't felt the need to tell anyone that "I'm at home with my son at the moment but I'm a barrister by profession" - I would like to think that that is something to do with my own maturing but i think it's more that nobody really cares! it won't alter their view of me and they'd look at me very strangely if i said something like that



• Kiwis are very friendly but a bit like the Northern Irish it can take time to build relationships that get beyond a superficial level.



• Kiwis complain about their weather just as much as the Brits.



• I miss shopping in pretty town centres but the shopping malls are a blessing in hot or wet weather - and we get plenty of both



• among Christians it doesn't seem to be as common to have prayer partners or prayer triplets. I have almost always had that in England and I miss it. I am hoping to sort something out when we get back. Ironically I think I have closer Christian female friends here than I had in England.



• In our Church at any rate, it seems to be quite difficult to encourage people to step out into leadership roles. There seems to be lots of people who are happy just to be led all the time. Perhaps it's something to do with the Tall Poppy Syndrome that they talk about here.