movingeightmountains-blog - Tumblr blog

movingeightmountains-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Settling In

Rolling hills, unspoilt beaches, yachts bobbing gently in the water, with white sails softly blowing in the breeze, the varying blues of the sea, pretty skies, magnificent aging trees like old men watching with smiles on their faces at the children and families playing in the parks and playgrounds below, the cows and sheep quietly grazing on fields of lush, green grass…serene, peaceful, quiet…it is all so stunningly beautiful. This is New Zealand.

The safety and the sense of 'order' one feels here is tangible. Added to this is a great transport system, with buses (that run every fifteen minutes), trains and ferries (to take one across to the north shore or to one of the many islands dotted around), all of which you can easily hop on and off from early in the morning until late at night. Our house is cosy and sunny and feels more like a holiday home. Happy voices of children are heard daily in the playground across the road in the park, children climbing and running and swinging and jumping… The large trees line the winding pathways of the park, dogs pull their owners along on their leashes, or run free, tails wagging, catching the balls that are hurled in the air in front of them, the grass is luxuriously thick and green and feels soft to the feet. A walk through this park leads one to the long, superb stretch of sea and sand. Looking out to sea, the islands Rangitoto, Whangarei as well as the little village of Devonport, part of the North Island, and the Coromandel can be seen in the distance. The twisting promenade curves its way for kilometres along the beachfront - keep walking along the beach to the left (about 6 kms) and you will eventually reach the beautiful Auckland City, dominated with the Sky Tower on it’s horizon. Walk to the right and you will be able to explore the charming village of St Heliers with its quaint shops, restaurants, bakeries and little stores. Yachts all along the coastline bob up and down in the expanse of water, and stand-up paddle borders, kayakers, swimmers enjoy the gentle water protected in this bay by the land and islands surrounding it. Across the road people gather in sidewalk cafes; as you walk past, the aroma of coffee tempts one to join the other patrons and perhaps even to enjoy one of the delectable meals on offer. Looking around the restaurant you will find people working on their laptops, or just simply sitting and watching the view in front of them. People smile when they walk by, even sometimes stopping for a chat, they seem happy as they walk their dogs, ride their bicycles or scooters (called ‘limes’ ‘cos they are lime green) - both forms of transport are dotted all over the place - you can just pick one up wherever you find one lying around and then drop the bike, or scooter, off wherever you want (all done on a phone app to pay for their use - I'm yet to try one!). Despite the first couple of days of jetlag, I managed to meet Craig's colleague, Jimmy and his wife at their house; they kindly took us for a coffee and ice cream near where they live. Two days later we were off on a four-hour drive to Whakatane to visit Craig's sister, Jan. It was lovely to see her again and meet her husband and to see her children again after so many years. Also, to meet her two gorgeous and bubbly little grandchildren! Parks adorn Auckland city; the picturesque Cornwall Park was the first one that I had the pleasure to visit; it was a diving friend of Craig's birthday and we met there, with other friends, for a ‘barbeque’. This massive park reminded me of the forests in England, (there are apparently more than 800 trees), a working farm with cows and sheep, and many trails and paths for the public to enjoy, including the path up to the extinct volcano where you can be rewarded with a stunning view over Auckland and the surrounding areas. There are 48 extinct volcanoes in Auckland, I’ve walked up two so far, but I still have to experience this one! Waitawa Regional Park, about an hour's drive from home, was next on my list of places I had the opportunity to visit. This unspoilt beautiful coastline is exquisite! We met our new friends, Jonathan and Linda there for a picnic. The view of the ocean with it’s islands dotted around is spectacular. Sharing a special evening at the book launch of author, Nicky Pelligrino, with Caitie at our community library, was a special treat. Whilst sipping on a glass of wine, nibbling on dates and cheeses and other delicious snacks, Nicky spoke about her life and how she started writing books. I bought her latest book, "A Dream of Italy", which, of course she duly signed for me, a romantic novel in which various characters, and for various reasons, leave their mundane lives to buy a house and start a new life in Italy! The subtitle “Sometimes a new place changes everything” somehow appealed to me! Mt Eden is the highest extinct volcano in Auckland. A relaxed and enjoyable 2km walk along a winding path brought us to the top; it was a perfect place to appreciate the spectacular views, and to try and assimilate that yes, I am actually here, finally, in New Zealand, after years of discussions and speculating whether we would ever make this move! The 27th April was Matt's 20th birthday and we decided to take the ferry to the little village of Devonport where we wandered up the one main little street, visiting ‘old-worlde’ little shops along the way. We stopped for a coffee and apple pie and cream in an inviting little coffee shop before making our way up a winding hill to another extinct volcano, Mt Victoria. The final part of the walk were steps up and then....oh my goodness a breathtakingly-beautiful 360ﹾ view of Auckland and surrounds! I actually felt quite emotional and was taken aback by the splendour of the view that was in front of me and around me! I have had countless dreams, since I have been in New Zealand, where I am still in Johannesburg, still desperately trying to sell the house, still trying to leave South Africa and all the stress that goes with it! I still sometimes can't believe that I now live at the bottom of the world, so far from all I have known, from my brothers, from dear friends, from the familiarity of everything in South Africa. It is a weird feeling, like my body is in NZ but my brain sometimes still feels like it is still in SA. An old South African friend of mine, who now lives here and who I had the wonderful chance to spend time with again, said to expect this for the first two years of living here as she felt the same! So at least it is normal! I am getting to know the immediate area around the house and have GoogleMaps on when I drive to keep me on track! To begin with either Craig, Cates or Matt would come with me to the shops to point out the best brands etc which was a big help! The grocery shops here are mostly quite different to those in South Africa, they are very big, like warehouses, which is probably a good thing because there’s no sense in lingering in shops like these as they are quite rough. It can be rather overwhelming to walk around the many aisles, faced with so many different varieties of grocery items, and always nice to see something one recognises, whether it’s a tin of milo or the proverbial Mrs Balls chutney! Our two dogs, Marshall and Mara, seem happy, especially loving their walks to the park and beach! Our cat, Coco, however, doesn't seem to have settled quite as well as the dogs. We are keeping him inside for the moment which he doesn't seem to mind. He has taken to using a litter box quite easily but he seems a little 'skittish' at times so I hope he will settle down properly at some stage. I think generally it is the freedom here which stands out for me as the most important quality of life in New Zealand. The freedom of not having to lock doors and windows, the ‘luxury’ of being able to drive with your windows down, even at night, the freedom of being able to hop on and off buses, trains and ferries, the freedom to walk around late at night, of being able to stand outside in the garden at 3 ‘o clock in the morning waiting for Mara to ‘spend a penny’, with a little picket fence wall, and not fear that someone is going to jump over the wall and threaten your life. Driving is also a very different experience to the driving in South Africa. It is difficult at first to keep to the 50km speed limit that is the rule on most roads, but it does create a sense of order and safety on the roads. The speed limit on highways is 100km which seems plenty fast enough to me and which you soon get used to. Drivers are courteous and ready to say ‘thanks’ with a wave of a hand, politeness rules as ordinary civilians say ‘thank you’ as they get off buses…to waiting cars as they cross the pedestrian crossings…there is a ‘niceness’ here, everything seems quite calm, and one seldom hears the sound of car horns hooting or police sirens wailing, people talk softly in restaurants, even sitting on the beach is quiet as there are no waves (can be a little disconcerting!). However, (and there has to be a ‘however’ as nothing is ever perfect in life) I do miss the familiarity of the people in South Africa, the ways of doing things, the common thread that runs through South Africans in how they think and feel and do. Watching the news on New Zealand TV and listening to chat shows on the radio, the sense of humour is quite different, there is a ‘silliness’ sometimes as little things are discussed which really wouldn’t even make it on to a news or discussion show in South Africa. It can sometimes seem ‘petty’ and ‘trivial’! But I am being quite critical and probably because we are used to much more serious discussions and situations in South Africa! Maybe, with time, I will get used to ‘a lost cat’ which makes 7 ‘o clock evening news as really something to be concerned about! And that there may have been a spotting of a panther on the South Island! And that a sea-lion visited someone camping in a tent one night! And that a young man has broken a record for sitting on a park swing for 34 hours! It really is a ‘simple’ life here! What I really miss is not being able to spend time with family and friends, like my brothers Michael and Paul, and my dear friend and next-door neighbour, Alex when we used to meet in the road for a chat or for a pizza at Throbbing Strawberry, not being able to meet with Sally-Anne and Bridge for a ‘brekkies’ in the morning, or Carmel for a honey-nut latte and basil-mushrooms-on-low-GI at Woolies, or spend time with Cathy for a good chat at Lifestyle Nursery accompanied by a tasty English breakfast, visiting Uscha and Stel at their home or meeting her at our ‘head office’ vegetarian restaurant at Hobart shopping centre, or taking my brother to Cresta on Saturday mornings and enjoying a lunch from the harvest table in Woolies, or spending each day with Lorraine at school, discussing the kids, our teaching, the school, going on bush camps and field trips together, just the two of us with the children, and then enjoying time outside of school together… get-togethers with my dearest ‘luvverly ladies’ friends, Colleen, Erica, Yvonne, Denise, Bronwyn, Carmel, (and Kelly-Mae) for our chats and giggles.. Sometimes when I am grocery shopping here in NZ, I expect to bump in to someone I know, as I often used to back ‘home’ ….it is the familiarity that I miss… even writing this, I feel nauseous with longing as I wonder when I am going to see my family and friends again? In making the move abroad, because you want a ‘better’ life, mostly for your children, as safety is your concern, their future career prospects, a ‘better’ quality of life…it is a decision one makes, but the cost is great, not only financially but more importantly in missing the people you leave behind. Perhaps the older you are when you make the move, as Craig and I are, in our late fifties, the more difficult it is, or maybe it will just take longer to integrate into ‘normal’ life once again… It will be interesting to see what friends we make in time…and how we settle into a new life in a new country with new people and new ways…. So, it’s like many things in life, yin and yang, I feel extremely happy to be here, grateful, knowing it is right, and yet, at the same time, feeling sad and missing those I love. Some say it is a courageous act to emigrate, but I think it is possibly an even more courageous act to decide to stay.