Dawes Family in New Zealand

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Living In A Caravan
2008-03-31 08:27:00
It's whenever I brag about the weather that we end up with rain, you would think I would learn by now and stop doing it, but I just can't help it! The NZ summer this year has been amazing, local news reporting on 'Endless Summer' makes it easy to be complacent. Now I am not saying we don't need the rain, recently Wellington were banned from using sprinklers and possible hosepipes due to the depleting water supplies. So this weekend hit us with a huge downpour and vivid memories came flooding back for us both of our holidays in Scotland as children. Our new home is all on one level and has the typical kiwi tin roof, and as the rooms go to the rafters when it rains it sounds just like being in a caravan. We both remember being 'trapped', staring through the condensation with that feeling of impending boredom, Mam fluttering around in the background and coming up with daft ideas like tramping through the forest. Board games, cards and domino's were always the favourites, normal...
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Disaster Avoided
2008-03-29 06:41:00
Now I absolutely hate posting photos of myself on here, especially from the neck down, but I wanted to tell you of my hair disaster yesterday. As it is that it costs heaps to get 'the works' at the hairdressers I had opted for the cheaper option and I started to colour my own hair. I have had two successful home colouring sessions, well that was till yesterday anyway.I stepped out of the shower after rinsing off my 'natural blond' and was greeted by a mass of orange staring back at me (sorry Dad but it's just not the look this season). I got back in the shower and came out slowly hoping that I had just imagined my worst nightmare, but unfortunately it was still there. I didn't know what to do. I didn't. I mean, it was like the end of the world. I paced back and forth, I felt really sick and I was panicking. So I rang my husband hoping for some type of solution, here is the conversation:Me: "Oh my god babe, I have coloured my hair and it's orange, and I mean REALLY orange!!"M...
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Pronunciation
2008-03-26 21:42:00
To quote Te Ara, the NZ Enclyopedia:Wh: There is some difference of opinion in respect to the correct pronunciation of the wh sound. It is not a compound of w and h, but represents the single voiceless consonant corresponding with w and is pronounced by emitting the breath sharply between the lips. Most tribes in New Zealand today assimilate the sound to that of f in English.With that in mind, here's an example of NZ advertising. Click to enlarge!*EDIT* this advert has since been removed by it's owners, see the following news story
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When It Means More Than Distance
2008-03-26 07:53:00
Moving to NZ was one of the biggest things I will ever do, it was the biggest thing in my life and in doing it I risked a lot, and sadly, I have lost along the way. Recently a forever friendship ended. My oldest soul mate has closed the curtain on our life performance together and it has broken my heart. I don't want to go too far into what has happened as it is a long story, but sadly the real truth is that the distance definitely killed what we had. I have always found that lurking in my mind is the background of what I used to have. The friends I shared my life with and the magical times we had. You can never take my memories and I will cherish them forever, but recently when I needed that person who gave me my special memories it was too late, she was already gone. The distance was just too much. As I get older I start to think about the people who have been in my life and the people who have made an impression on my heart it wells tears in my eyes. I have never had many friend...

Upside Down Easter
2008-03-25 05:56:00
Well we are on the other side of the world now, so wouldn't everything be upside down?! Happy Easter everyone (well belated wishes anyway!) - we hope you gorged yourself sick on those yummy eggs and had some beautiful times on the long weekend.Over the last few months it's been rare for us as a 3 to just have time together as a family, I mean we are together but there is always so much else that needs doing. With Christmas, the build to to the move, the actual move and then getting ready for my parents coming (and going *tears*) its all just been non stop. Despite Michael actually working on Easter Monday we had a lovely fun filled 3 days, and the weather has been absolutely brilliant - sorry to our family and friends in the UK who are freezing in minus 4 tonight! Friday was a fantastic day, we were invited to brunch at our gorgeous friends house - Dawn and Darren. We met Dawn and Darren last year through our blog as they were expats from the US and we clicked straight away. They ...
More About: Upside

Man Space
2008-03-23 01:44:00
Man space is important. It's somewhere sacred, somewhere that a man can go to ponder, contemplate the meaning of life (42), drink a beer and stare at the power tools he is yet to learn how to wield. I now have such an area, and it's my domain. Until recently, the garage has been half box storage, half car park. Now, it's mine... All of it!!!I spent about 4 hours in there yesterday, neglecting any family and parental duties in the hope of achieving the desired result. I moved boxes, drank beer, organised shelves and regained control over the floor. The result was this:The floor is now clear and ready for me to build a work bench, where I'll add a vice for added man space authenticity.I also have the obligatory dart board and beer fridge, because to be honest -what man space would be complete without them?
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A Big Night In
2008-03-22 08:14:00
Last Saturday my friend Jo and I were treated to the most amazing well deserved massages. We were given vouchers for our birthdays last year by 'the girls' and being the hard working parents that we are we have only just got round to using them! We booked ourselves in at the East Day Spa where we were literally treated like royalty. Magical candle lit incense fragranced rooms, so peaceful, filled only with ambient music. We had the most amazing head, shoulder, back and face massage we have ever had! We literally floated out of the building. Afterwards it was back to Jo's house as 'the girls' Susan, Joan and Jo's cousin Kayla were coming over for a night of drinking, eating and playing Buzz!! Have any of you played Buzz? Well if you haven't then I would either say do because its it truly fantastic, and don't because it is highly addictive! we had a brilliant night supping cocktails, stuffing our faces with pizza and snacks and becoming very competitive on the games. It's fan...
More About: Night

Help!
2008-03-21 06:41:00
I just got caught out big time. Last year I must have been content or had a fridge full of beer, so it didn't matter.Beer. All I want is some beer. How naive can I be? Surely I knew about this law where by I can't legally buy beer on Good Friday? You'd think so wouldn't you? No. They didn't tell me that on the way in to New Zealand!So on a day where I can't go out and buy beer, they call it Good Friday? What exactly is good about a day where beer is not available? It really is time to start that home brew again!

100% Pure New Zealand
2008-03-20 06:56:00
Alright...that's it... We need a 6 weeks off work and a camper van!
More About: New Zealand , Pure , Zealand

Child Psychic?
2008-03-19 10:08:00
So how many of you have young children? How many of you have young children that make spooky predictions? Our family and friends are aware of our 'special' little girl. She seems to have the ability to predict when things will happen, my mother in law Lynn said she experienced this also with Helen when she was a young child (Michael's sister) and it's enough to freak you out for life. When we lived in the old house Bethany woke up one night crying in bed, she said a fire was coming and that we wouldn't be able to get into the house, at the time we just laughed it off and said it was a bad dream. Only a month later we had bush fires outside our home and we were unable to get into our house for a while. A little while later she told me about it 'going dark' in the garage and that we wouldn't be able to get out...again we laughed it off, and again a little while later I was in there with Bethany when the bulb went and we were stranded in darkness - AND the internal access door ...
More About: Child , Psychic

Another Piece Of Paradise
2008-03-18 06:02:00
At the weekend Michael went out on his motorbike with a buddy and was treated to a ride along some dramatic coastline views, views we didn't even know existed despite driving past the lookout point many times! About 30 minutes away from here is the delightful scenery of Kapiti Coast, and if you can get up high the views can be utterly stunning. So Michael took Bethany and I for a surprise drive, he knows how much I love awesome views and so we were all excited when we arrived.A little ride up Paikakariki Hill and we were greeted with all that can be described as breathtaking sweeping views of Paraparaumu beach and onto Kapiti Island which is perched out in the ocean.We stood for a while in awe, being able to have these amazing places by us is the most magical lift anyone could ever need, don't think it can get better than this really...
More About: Paradise , Piece

The Secret Garden
2008-03-15 23:36:00
When we chose our home it was not only for it's perfectly private location and it's incredible charm, but it was for the fact the garden was simply stunning. Landscaped and kept impeccable there wasn't much for us to do - many of our friends have commented that it's like stepping into 'The Secret Garden '.The only other thing I planned on doing was getting a veggie patch. That was near impossible at the old house due to the Cook Strait winds taking care of anything delicate. Here the climate is more settled and so I have started the 'patch'. My Grandad was an amazing gardener. He had a wonderland of the most amazing flowers, voluptuous fruit and magnificent vegetables growing and often won awards for his efforts. I think get my green fingers from him. Here are some photos of my amazing late Grandad...So here are my creations...so far I have spring onions, cos lettuce, chili and mixed lettuce all growing fantastically and I have just planted some red onions, chives and tomatoe...
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The Fame Continues
2008-03-14 05:39:00
Not letting the recent fame go to our heads, I recently did an interview on behalf of our Mountain Bike group for a local newspaper, which was published on Tuesday this week.Can I just say before you read the article, at no point did I use the word 'tremendous' - I actually said 'awesome' but seems to have been edited by someone who maybe thought it would appeal to those public school-types!
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Living Abroad Magazine
2008-03-12 05:48:00
There are many things we proud of, but one of the most amazing achievements we have ever made was to not only move to the other side of the world successfully but to be 110% content with our new life. Over the last few months we have established a huge network through our blog. We have met the most interesting and amazing people, had emails asking us advice and questions and had people commend us on such a wonderful account of our life. Now most recently we feature in a magazine!Living Abroad Magazine is a UK based publication offering advice to anyone thinking of emigrating and telling stories on those who have done it. This month we feature alongside some other expat blogs in an article called Blogging All Over The World and get a mention too - how fantastic is that?! Anyway, here is what featured - click on the photos to make them bigger. Or for those of you in the UK you can buy this magazine in any decent newsagents or supermarket. Imagine our big proud smiles whilst you read i...

A Beginning, A Middle, But No End...
2008-03-10 06:13:00
...Just an aftermath.My parents visiting this time was a completely different experience to the last time. The build up was massive for me, a whole year apart and the anticipation took its toll. I have never felt so sick, worried and overwhelmed with happiness, it was so bad I was actually shaking. A volcano of emotions erupted.In the blink of an eye it's now over, and too difficult to explain how I feel. Yesterday was horrendous, I spent most of the morning bursting into tears (out of sight of everyone of course) and being on the verge of vomiting. The anguish that came from knowing I had to say goodbye was terrible. A whole two and a bit weeks came flooding back to me, I felt disappointed by the fact we hadn't done more, but happy at the time we spent together. I felt sad at the fact I hadn't cuddled them more, yet pleased I still had the chance. I felt scared knowing I had no idea when I would see them again, yet grateful for the fact they still want to live here one day. One ...
More About: Middle

Sandy Toes
2008-03-08 10:47:00
The last proper day for us all together today and we spent it by taking a trip to Otaki where we spent some quality time having fun, enjoying the sun and doing one of our favourite activities - fruit and veggie picking! Afterwards we headed to the breath taking Raumati Beach where we enjoyed the ocean, meandered along the sand reminising on our time together. A short post tonight, we have just finished a lovely meal which was made more special as we used the vegetables we picked today. Now it's time for opening another bottle of wine whilst we console ourselves of what tomorrow will bring.
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Time Flies When...
2008-03-07 05:50:00
Heck. Our happy 'visitors from the UK Party' is nearly over already. Parents due to depart Sunday and it feels like only yesterday we were excited by their arrival. Time can be cruel, yet extremely rewarding. We have had some beautiful times over the last few weeks and we have done heaps, been places we never imagined and bonded like never before. So as you can imagine we have been spending some quality time with my parents but felt it was time to update whats been going on, the last mammoth post on the South Island feels like forever ago already!So where have we been? Where haven't we been would probably be a quicker post!Oriental Parade has been one of ours favourite places to visit. Its a gorgeous part of the city that has an amazing sandy beach. We had a really nice walk, paddle, play and relax! We have been to Days Bay a few times, my parents really taking a liking to the stunning suburb. One day we went for lunch at The Chocolate Frog and a walk on the beach which impressed...
More About: Flies

Dawes Family In Te Wai Pounamu
2008-03-03 08:19:00
We're back!!! What an amazing time we have had...grab a drink, sit back and read on... Thursday 28th February:Started the morning with wishing my parents a Happy Anniversary; 32 years married! Packed and ready to leave at 6am we set off for the Interislander Ferry, we would be sailing on the Kaitaki. Extremely excited we left Wellington heading into the sunrise. 3 hours went by so quickly as we explored the ship, and as we arrived at the mouth of the South Island we we greeted with amazing views of the Queen Charlotte Sounds. We watched in utter awe the amazing views, the blue skies and the pure serenity. A few years back a relative of the Lee Family (my side) traced our family tree back and we learned that in the 1860's our ancestors arrived in New Zealand and became sheep farmers. As part of all this we then learned that we had a distant relative living in Blenheim. After making a quick phone call we arranged a get together, at her home we met our lovely host Pam and her cousin....

Lots Of Sightseeing...
2008-02-27 09:31:00
Last year when my parents were here it was quite a mad few weeks trying to fit in as much as we could and show them everything here that was wonderful - and anyone who reads this blog or lives here knows that's a lot of stuff! So this year we decided to move at a slower pace, our days don't really start till lunch time making sure every morning we fit in a BBQ breakfast! It's been a lovely week already of just spending quality time together. So after a leisurely weekend Monday rolled round in a blink of an eye, making the most of it we headed to Te Papa. I have always liked Te Papa (well apart from peak tourist season!), its an interactive world of pure amazement, I'm always proud to show it off. We had a wonderful time viewing all the different areas, my parents taking time out with Bethany (whilst I hung out at the cafe in peace) to view the new Whales Tohorā exhibition. We took a fantastic trip back in time at the old junk shop that comes to life at Golden Days, and had a wo...
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House Warming Party!
2008-02-25 09:40:00
Not only was the timing right to have a house warming party, but it was also a good time to have a get together and introduce all our closest friends to my parents. Scheduled for 1pm start it was funny that the UK friends arrived early with the Kiwi friends filtering in over the next few hours!!As always I took heaps of photos (along with the help of Jenny) and those really tell the story. We really had the best time, my parents got to meet the most inspirational people in our new life and we got to spend the afternoon doing what we do best - eating, drinking and having fun!! A wonderful day, reconfirming a thousand times just how much we love NZ, our friends and the amazing lifestyle.
More About: House , Party , House Warming

Quality Time
2008-02-24 08:07:00
As you know my parents arrived on Tuesday, the initial meeting was overwhelming but then everything seemed to fall into place like we had never been apart - magical. We spent the first few days literally catching up, wandering around at home and grabbing heaps of special moments together.Wednesday was the usual for us with Bethany going to her swimming lessons. She started last week at Togzone and although different, it's a very good school. As with everything it takes time to get used to and the change has been a little confusing at times for Bethany but it's all come out well so far. She loves it and this week showed off to Grandma in style! Thursday we just hung around at home, enjoying the blistering sunshine and having some good quality time together, and as you know from one of the previous posts I had a little break from the norm (but we wont go into that again!). However despite all that happened late Friday we did manage to have a brilliant day out. First off we went ...
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Unbelievable Times
2008-02-23 08:25:00
That's actually the name of a business in Wellington who hire a variety of motorbikes and scooters, and going by todays activities, most definately lives up to it's name. Having not had the time to actually get out for a social bike ride since getting the 636 in December, I used my father in law coming to stay as the perfect excuse! We rolled up to the bike shop on Dixon Street around 7pm on Friday night. We were met by Frank who runs the business and chatted about the various bikes he had on offer for Peter. After some deliberation between a Harley and a Triumph, the British bike won out over the fat American pig... I mean hog... Peter followed me back to our house, enjoying the wind that Wellington had to offer. After a few Km's he was used to the feel and was up on the seat, doing hands free wheelies down State Highway 2. (Legal disclaimer: that never actually happened.) We were met this morning by a good friend of mine who lives up the coast in Raumati. I met him and his love...
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An Overreaction
2008-02-22 07:55:00
This was me today!Last night we all sat outside enjoying a drink and a chat into the early hours and today I was at the emergency room getting an adrenaline shot!!Over the last few weeks I have been bug bitten here and there, last week I developed blister type bites on my feet, they were very painful but went down. Then last night I started to scratch when we came in. This morning I have counted 6 'normal' bites on my feet and ankles, 3 huge tennis ball sized bites on my left thigh and 3 areas on my right forearm which have swollen to twice the size - the pain is terrible.We had a great day (post to follow another time) but the day became difficult as the lumps and bumps got bigger and bigger, by 4pm I just didn't feel right and was finding it hard to breath. Luckily the nurse at the doctors surgery said she would see me and she got the doctor to look at me straight away, I was jabbed with adrenaline and Michael had to come get me. If I had left it any longer I might have gone to...

They Have Arrived!
2008-02-19 09:08:00
Yep, my parents have made it! On Saturday they left the UK bound to NZ, stopping off on the way in Singapore. Last year they did the flight straight through and vowed never again, and so this time chose a stop over. They had a fantastic time in Singapore, venturing out into the local shopping centres and taking in the sights of the city. Then after a night in a lovely hotel they made the last leg to Wellington via Sydney. The views coming into New Zealand were as always stunning from the plane. At 2.22pm their plane finally touched down meaning they were here. We waited what seemed like forever, a 35 minute wait for them to come through those doors nearly killed us, but at last they were there. Many tears, hugs, and kisses later we were on our way to our new home. We had the best time showing them around, Bethany of course showing off her bedroom and receiving many gifts from the UK. An obligatory BBQ as the first meal and we have just settled down to drinks and stories of the time ...

'Some' Photos!
2008-02-17 08:48:00
For quite some time now...well actually nearly 6 months, I have been working on a compilation of all our favourite photos from each month we have been in NZ. Its taken quite some time to do what with having to chose them, upload them, edit them and then publish, and with 19 folders to create its taken me longer than I thought. However if you scroll down the right hand side of our blog you will see the months I have done have been added, just click to view our favourite photos from that month. As the months go on I will add a new folder each time so keep an eye out for new folders added. It took me a llooonnnggg time to pull all these together and it would be lovely if you get time to look at them, but one thing that makes me smile is knowing that with one click all our amazing memories are now right there...
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Beyond Excited
2008-02-15 07:27:00
Wish my parents well - they leave the UK bound for NZ tomorrow!I am a nervous, emotional, undecided, erratic, thought provoked, unorganised, sick to the stomach, insomnia crazed person, and all because I cant wait for them to arrive!It's been a whole year since I saw them last, since we hugged, since looked into each others eyes and since we told each other how much we love each other face to face. The year has gone pretty fast though, with having the most magical piece of software called Skype the distance didn't seem as far really. They don't arrive till Tuesday as they are having a stop-over in Singapore but to know they are on their way to us brings tears to my eyes.Every expat I have ever met has told me about their 'loss', the people they have left behind and the pain from missing them. I can barely think of those I love in the UK without tears in my eyes (oh no here I go again!) and despite the time we have been here, although easier, the pain never gets any less.As it i...

Dublin; Make Mine A Pint!
2008-02-13 06:59:00
We knew where we were going in life now, we had talked about things and just needed to make that life changing trip a reality, but first, we took a last minute birthday trip to Dublin in October 2005. We love Dublin, it's certainly up there with some of the most amazing cities, steeped in history but more recently modernly raised - its the somewhere that's only an hour on a plane away that we miss. Bethany looked after the Grandparents whilst we took to the skies, probably our last ever time alone without her so we needed to make the most of it, there were no more babysitters where we were going! I think just like any country, stunning views from the plane and plenty of refreshments to keep us happy! We stayed in a quaint street, recently converted from cobbles to tarmac but it still had a tram running through the street, although again - more modernised!We spent lots of time in St Stephens Green which is the beautiful gardens in the heart of Dublin. There was a company offering h...
More About: Mine , Make

Reconnaissance
2008-02-10 11:29:00
Another chance to do a 'journey back in time' piece! I don't know if we talked much about our reasons for coming to NZ or how we made the decision but it was basically a mixed bag of disappointment, worry and hard times in the UK. The usual thing I think for any expat is the fact their 'home' country didn't feel like home anymore and this develops the need and want to know what else there is in the world and how you can make your life better for your family. So we made the decision in December 2005 to travel to New Zealand on a bit of a recon mission really, just to scope things out and see what it was really like here. Of course we knew it was going to be difficult trying to figure out it all whilst staying in a fancy hotel and being tourists, but we gave it all we could! We planned our trip as best we could, this was our first long haul flight and of course we had Bethany who wasn't even 2 yet. We had, what we thought was the best idea to take a night flight so that Bethany...

Kindergarten Ease
2008-02-08 08:37:00
It's been two weeks already that Bethany has been attending Kindy - and she loves it. As you know last Monday was her first day and that went well, I stayed and was included in her learning and exploring - it was brilliant to be part of it all.Then Tuesday she was starting to ease away from me, heading off to play but always looking back to make sure I was still there. I left for an hour that morning and when I returned she was playing musical instruments and singing songs in a group with the teacher, I sat by myself for the rest of that session!Wednesday - that was it. Hardly got through the gate when she said 'OK, you can go now'. And with a tug on my heart and tears in my eyes I left her there. My little girl, in big Kindy, alone. Of course I got home, sat on the sofa and didn't know what to do, I just sat looking at the house phone and my mobile waiting for them to ring...but they never did.Here we are now, two weeks in and she is fine. She really absolutely loves it, talks ...
More About: Ease , Kindergarten

If Only!
2008-02-06 19:08:00
It's every mans dream - a job that pays in beer, and a fantastic NZ beer at that!If only!