For the next two weeks, we are staying in an Airbnb in Mount Pleasant. For the first time, it feels like a real home because we have a beautiful, spacious, and cozy kitchen-living area, the children each have their own room, and the view of the Pacific Ocean from the living room is simply stunning. The house has a great layout, so we aren’t tripping over each other, and everyone can focus on their work or hobbies undisturbed.
A bit of a daily routine is slowly settling in. We’ve started our first house viewings and immediately received an offer, which we ended up declining because the house wasn’t in the zone for our preferred school. Vroni visited the school administration in person and learned that the school is so popular they have a long waiting list and currently don’t accept any students living outside their zone.
Opening a bank account online went smoothly, but the address verification was rejected by ANZ. Our current landlord is visiting England and was kind enough to sign and scan the rental confirmation from there, but the bank insists on a hard copy with an original signature. We were faced with either waiting or trying another bank. So, Vroni took the landlord’s proof of address (on the ANZ form!) to a Bank of New Zealand branch and came back beaming—they even accepted the scan on the ANZ form. We quickly opened an account online with BNZ, which was confirmed and activated the very next day.
We’ve started inviting our first new acquaintances and friends over, spending quality time together with good food, drinks, and great conversation.
Other highlights of this week: We finally have our very own VACUUM CLEANER! 🙂 And the following day, Vicy’s red car—along with the Christmas tree she shipped all the way from Ireland—arrives safe and sound.
We are exploring the area every day and finding our way around better and better. On Saturday, we visit the Lyttelton Market and then hike up to the top station of the Christchurch Gondola, which offers a fantastic panoramic view of the entire region.
Karte mit Schiffsposition in Fenster öffnen
We’ve made it our mission to drive down to Lyttelton Harbour for the arrival of our container to welcome the ship. Because of this, we are regularly checking its current location. It’s getting closer—though it’s currently west of Africa and still quite a long way off.
The beginning of the following week is once again filled with errands. Our car is getting its windows tinted, our bank account is finally open, and there are more house viewings on the schedule. In between, we still find time for a wonderful hike to the summit of Mount Pleasant, which offers a magnificent view over Christchurch and the Banks Peninsula.
The last four days have been completely washed out. We’ve both been hunched over our computers, catching up on emails, making transfers, and scheduling house viewings. Whenever the rain lets up, I squeeze in short rides on my gravel bike. Getting caught in the drizzle isn’t so bad with temperatures around 17°C, but the extremely gusty and ever-changing winds are a new challenge. Even though I’m well aware of the rule ‘speed gives stability,’ I ride quite slowly, especially on the descents, as the wind nearly knocks me off my bike. I think I’ll need a bit more time to get used to it.
