Week One
And what a doozy it was!
It wasn’t a relaxing “week off,” but it was certainly productive. By category, here are some of the things we accomplished.
Went shopping: groceries at PAK’nSAVE and Woolworths (a grocery store, not the department store of 1950s Main Streets), shelving at Mitre 10 (even has the same color scheme as Home Depot), a cheap dresser at Big Save, a robe for Mom at Farmers (kind of like a Macy’s), cars at Toyota (Hilux for Dad, Rav4 for Mom), and myriad trips for miscellaneous items (hangers, laundry baskets, a scooter for Little Brother) at the Kmart equivalent, The Warehouse (not to be confused with actual Kmart, which is alive and well in New Zealand and is more like a Target.)
Games for sale at The Warehouse 
Yes it’s a diesel. Started school! We met the principal on a Monday, bought school uniforms that same day, did a 90 minute practice run on a Tuesday, and attended three full days for the rest of the week. There was a welcoming ceremony for all 5 new students (this is the beginning of quarter 4 of the school year) and new school board members during which the students sang the school song (in Maori). The boys join a “walking school bus” each morning with 3 other students, one other dad and two dogs. There are two 30 minute recesses in a 6 hour day, which both boys (especially Little Brother) enjoy immensely. Lunch and snack are eaten in the classrooms (there is no cafeteria), and we haven’t seen any homework yet.
Bucket hats are compulsory during terms 1 and 4 for sun protection. Socialized: While applying for jobs earlier this year, we befriended another American couple who have been in New Zealand for 5 years now. They have twin girls who are one grade below Big Brother and they live 2 blocks from our current Airbnb. We went out to brunch with them last Sunday and had dinner at their house (carnitas and margaritas!) on Friday night. The kids pop over to visit/play on the weekends, and we are fortunate to have a fountain of knowledge from which to learn: Is jaywalking illegal? What neighborhoods should we explore for home buying? What do we do for Halloween here? Their presence has made this landing exponentially easier.
Sunset photo taken by new friends Eaten food: In addition to exploring grocery stores & coffee shops and brunching with friends, we tried a local brew pub and discovered an addictively delicious ice cream shop. Big Brother learns that he loves lamb, so much so that he made delectable lamb chops along with a spaghetti bolognese for his Kids’ Cook Off meal earlier this week (a family tradition). Little Brother cooked chicken breasts and seasoned them with coriander (cilantro) from the neighbor’s garden. At the farmer’s market in Geraldine yesterday, we bought fresh eggs and homemade ciabatta bread. We also sampled countless syrups and jams at Barker’s while waiting for our lunch.
Recreated: We spent a few hours last weekend at a nearby aquatic center where the boys enjoyed a hydroslide, 3 meter “Bombing Tower” and a lazy river. We visited the playground and skate park several times, which has an aviary as well. Yesterday we finally touched the ocean and attended our first rugby match: South Canterbury vs. Thames Valley. Unfortunately, the home team lost the semi-finals match :-(
Toured houses. So. Many. Houses. That will be another post.
Today we will clean up the house, walk along the sea to the blooming canola fields, visit the aquatic center, and buy some (more) groceries for the upcoming week. We hope you enjoy your Sunday as well.
I'm so excited to have found you here! My family, my partner and two teens, are waiting our AEWV application approval with a job waiting for me in Wellington!
Wow! You’ve discovered, accomplished and learned so much in just
your first week! I love that the boys are cooking :)). Thanks for the update 🤗