A brief history and introduction

Since we have moved to New Zealand at the end of February 2005, I wrote our adventures and everyday live stories at a Dutch website. But since we have more and more friends who are not able to read Dutch, I have decided that it is time to create an english website as well.

Most of you know what happened with us in the past year but as a start of this website and a little reminder for you all I will give a brief history of this very eventful year.

We had planned to go to New Zealand for a six week holiday. Departure date 30 October 2004.
Our first intention was the have a really great holiday but as well to have a chance to look around to see if there were possibilities to find a job so we would be able to move to this country.
Contacts to arrange this were already made in Holland. We had a really good time in New Zealand, enjoying the beautiful nature at both islands, with the highlights: Abel Tasman National Park, Mount Cook and the area around Queenstown. We also had the chance to meet family and friends. But the best thing was that we really felt "at home" in New Zealand and especially in Wellington. Because of this feelings we more and more got the feeling that we wanted to live in the country so you will all understand that we were really happy that, at our last day of our holiday, we could pick up a job offer, John Paul indeed found a job.

Back in Holland we had 2.5 months to arrange our move. Selling the house, quitting jobs, arranging the movers and saying goodbye to friends and family. A busy and exciting time.
But it worked out perfectly and on the 26th of February we were ready to go.

Now we are already more than six months in Wellington. We first stayed in a furnished apartment for more than 2 months. Now we are living in a nice apartment in the CBD of Wellington. We walk to work, perfect. We both have a good job and starting up a "new" social live. We are getting used to New Zealand habits. Yes I'm an All Blacks fan already.
We have made already a couple of trips on both the north and south Island. We have been to the far North, we stayed in Napier, we walked again a part of the Abel Tasman coastal Track and we stayed with friends and family in Hamilton and Blenheim. We really enjoy our live in Wellington. Nothing beats having a coffee at the Cuba Mall and watching people. Or walking along the waterfront and enjoy the sun on a bench in front of the Te Papa Museum.

My intention of this website is to give "my readers" a view at our normal everyday live and as well to give you some touristic information based on our own experience so that if you decided to come and visit this beautiful country you actually know where to go and what to do.

I really hope you will enjoy reading this website. Please let me know.