Shifting

At the end of last year, we moved a lot. We lived out of suit-cases and ate a lot of take-aways. Then we settled into our flat on the hill and thought, Damn it feels good not to be moving. We unpacked, settled in... bought a couch. And, well... that didn't last long. 6 months to be exact. We've shifted again. And we're about to shift again. And we're eating a lot of take-aways again (ok, we kind of never stopped. We really like eating out.) Let me explain...

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) needs to do repairs on our old house. That is really no big deal usually, but this particular house had structural issues and we were needing to move out for at least 8 weeks. This fact, coupled with some insurance issues (apparently), made for a looming homelessness without an actual timeframe. Talk about stressful. Our lease happened to be up on June 20th though, and we decided to grasp the opportunity and just take a look at what else is out there.

Here's the thing about Christchurch though. There are heaps of people here on a temporary basis. Construction workers for 6 months, engineers for 6 weeks, architects and designers for a month here and a month there. Many of them either get a hefty stipend to spend on housing, or they can flat out afford a fancy spot, and that drives the prices up. Then there are also heaps of people who are displaced whilst the EQC is fixing their house, and they need a temporary place to stay. Now add all of those people together, and subtract the number of houses that were destroyed by the earthquake. You'll find a deficit. (The hotels are always full, even.) Now divide the number of landlords who are keeping their rates reasonable by the number of landlords who are seizing a huge financial opportunity from the aforementioned deficit. The result? Lots of expensive, crappy houses. In all seriousness, a 2 bed/1 bath house in a bad neighborhood is at least $325/week. A 3 bed/2 bath house with all the amenities (like a dishwasher and washing machine, not a tennis court and cabana boy) is seriously $550/week or more. I know this is unimpressive for San Francisco. But this is not San Francisco, people.

Anyways... we didn't have a ton of requirements for the new house, but we had a few:

- Secure Garage
- 2+ Bedrooms
- Dishwasher
- Safe Neighborhood
- Bike Friendly Location
- No more than $400/week

In the end, I looked at two houses. Thats how many made the cut. And actually, we veto-ed one in the end because it was up a ridiculously steep hill, which is quite bike-unfriendly. So there was one house left. But it ticks all the boxes, and more.

Moving in was a bit of a drama: the storm of the century hit New Zealand and lasted exactly the 4 days we had to move, I apparently have bronchitis, the couch didn't fit through the door, etc. etc. But now it's done, and I'm ecstatic.

It turns out we're only paying 6% more than what we were paying at the old spot, yet everything is better. Our list of nags and niggles at the old house was pretty long (from a super sticky front door key, to horrible hot water pressure, to a tiny kitchen, and on....) and pretty much every single one of them has been resolved. So anyways, here's what you actually care about: pictures!

I decided to do a comparison of the old and new, mostly so we can look back in a few years and laugh about that first place we lived in. But it did have a great view!

Full disclosure: All photos of the old house are after we moved out and cleaned it; and so it looks dismal and empty. All photos of the new house are after we moved in and I cleaned it, so it looks homey and nice. It's my blog and I can do what I want.

Entryway:

EQ damage to the front of the old house

Old
Ok, the front door to our old house was possibly cooler. But the key stuck.

New
Ok, maybe not as cool. But the shiny numbers are neat. And I have plans for those dead plants...

Living Space

Old
Freezing cold, and those sliding doors always stuck.

New
Low ceilings, recessed lighting, warm...

New
(Like our camp chairs?)

Kitchen

Old
No dishwasher, average storage space, small fridge

New
There is no comparison.... its just all better

Bathroom

Old
Was all good and fine except for the hot water pressure. Which was awful.

New
Not pictured: Shower that is actually warm when you use it!

Bedrooms

Old
Guest Room

New
Guest Bed, see below for view from window. I couldn't get a good photo of the two together.

Old
Master Bedroom

New
Scott chose this as the master because he said it felt like a castle!
Yeah, we've got some work to do in here on the EQ damage. That's just Christchurch housing.

Bonus Room

Yep, we now have a 3rd bedroom, and it's a dedicated bike room!

Yard

Old
Front Yard. 32 stairs, in case you were trying to count.

Old
Back Yard. Pretty sweet, huh?

New
Back Yard (Ok, we don't have any front yard- it's just a driveway. Whatevs.)

New
Backyard Planters, can't wait to grow some summer crops!

The View

Old
As you all know, the view from the old place was not too shabby. Especially for morning sunrise shots.

New
Obviously, we've not sacrificed my favorite thing about living up on the hill!

We have a view of the ocean (above) and down on Christchurch city

And of the southern alps

And the city lights at night. Love!

So I am one very happy girl, let me tell you!

But if you'll recall... we're moving again. On Friday. It's almost like a cruel joke... but it's not that bad. We're house sitting for a friend for the month of July, and caring for their wonderful dog, Sally. The house is lovely, has a fireplace, and a TV (which is only exciting because our timing is perfect and the Tour de France will be on!) We'll get a taste of what it's like to live on the flat land (pictured above... we'll be one of those lights), closer to work, stores, and the gym. Although I'm really looking forward to having a pup for a month, I'm pretty sure we'll be stoked to be back up on the hill come August!

Happy New Years Eve from New Zealand!

While everyone else on our radar is having a normal Sunday evening, Scott & I are gearing up for New Years Eve here in New Zealand. By "gearing up", I mean it's already 8:35pm, and we just got back from doing shuttle runs in Victoria Park, about 10 minutes from our house. We still need to shower and eat dinner, and no champagne corks have been popped. Yet.

Anyways, I feel like trying to sum up the most poignant moments of our 2012 would be just silly. It's pretty obvious, and really, most of it is all chronicled in this journal of mine anyways. But to state the obvious:

We said goodbye (for now) to family and friends, we said farewell to my amazing and inspirational grandfather, we quit our jobs, rented out our house, sold our cars, and moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. Everything that happened before Fall 2012 just seems like a blur, most of which was preparing for the big move.

So, we're here! We're getting ready to enjoy Cassels & Sons Brewery's NYE party, and we're oh so excited about everything to come in 2013. Tomorrow we're starting the year off right with a biking trip to Hanmer Springs! ...I will not leave without my shoes.

Breathtaking moon last night, from our house.

The estuary 2 minutes from our house this morning. So beautiful.

Grocery Shopping

There is a term that I kept hearing before we left, and keep hearing since we've arrived in New Zealand. To be honest, I am sick of this term. It's used too much and probably inappropriately used, really. It's also pessimistic and in my opinion, comes from downright laziness, which are 2 of my very least favorite things. Lazy pessimists, get off my island. The phrase?

"New Zealand/food/petrol/cars/accommodation/_fill in the blank   is so expensive."

Yes, some things such as your frozen lean cuisine from the US or your 64GB imported limited iPhone 5 are truly expensive. It's an island. Stuff has to come here on a boat. From really far away.

But on the whole, if you are creative and tenacious, you will not be broke.

This brings me to the event that was my biggest fear: grocery shopping. Everyone (mostly expats and Americans who have visited NZ) gripes about the prices of food. I've read sporadic articles about how if one is able to shop with regard to the season (no bruschetta in winter ya'll, get over it) then it shouldn't be so bad. But more commonly, I read and heard about how unreasonable all food is here, to the point that some expats have left New Zealand and returned to America, land of government subsidized poison GMO ridden mass-produced food.

So how'd it go? Well it went pretty damn great. I have a habit of doing "mental math" while I shop to see how close I can get to the actual price when it's all rung up at the end. Weird, I know. I admit, I was pretty distracted by all the super weird brands and packaging to really focus on my math game, but regardless, we came in $25 under what I expected, with a total of $125. For perspective, we bought a lot of essentials... food for a brand new flat, cleaning supplies, a few kitchenwares, etc.

Fun facts:

Tomatos cost $2.99/kg. Thats roughly $1.30/lb, which is unheard of in the states. Oh, and they aren't from hothouses in Mexico.
There is peanut butter, and everyone that told us that there isn't is a liar.
There are also tortillas. In varying shapes and flavors. More lies.
Eggs aren't refrigerated. And the yolks are so yellow they look orange.
Bell peppers are called "capsicum".
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and especially boysenberries are all cheaper (but probably only for this month. Things are very seasonal here.)
Honey is a solid, kind of like a butter color and texture.
Wine is barely more expensive, if at all. Beer is astronomical. (Stella, gross, on sale for $20/12 pack.) Liquor is more expensive, but not like beer.

One of my favorite things was the "confection free" line. There are 2 check-out lines dedicated to having no candy, and therefore no grubby hands grabbing wildly, no toddler meltdowns, and probably even a reduced temptation to those who would otherwise grab that un-needed Snickers. The confection free line does offer raisins, nuts, etc. however. The other mama-friendly tidbit I noticed was "family parking" right next to the handicapped parking places. Pretty cool.

The best deal were the venison hamburgers we got, 6 patties freshly made with seasoning and everything for $7. They are AMAZING. Oh, and the salmon fillet we got. Big enough for 2, caught 12 kilometers out of Christchurch, $8. A very, very tasty win.

Anyways, since I didn't take any pictures of my groceries, I'll leave you with a picture of a little trail up at the top of our street.

Home!

As mentioned earlier in my grinch-y post about not having internet access, Scott & I finally moved into our new house! And now it finally has internet.

As it turned out, we weren't able to move in until the day I started work. I worked Thursday & Friday this week, so I wasn't really able to enjoy, unpack, or decorate (ha) until today. Decorating, unfortunately, won't really happen until our boat full of stuff arrives on January 11. But we did receive some festive stockings to hang from Scott's folks, and the view luckily serves as decoration enough for now.

Here's a few pictures of the inside of our humble abode, pre-cleaning.

Living Room

Cluttered Kitchen, pre-paint

Atrium (and front yard down there)

Today Scott & I scrubbed and washed just about every surface, cabinet, baseboard, and appliance in the house. Scott also painted the entire kitchen and bathroom, which honestly made the whole place look new. After our belongings arrive I'll post some "after" apartment pics. I'm excited to get some furniture, decorate the rooms and back yard, and generally make the place ours.

Tonight's our first night out on the town, hopefully we'll meet some interesting people and hear some good music.