Back to Kaikoura...

Well another fortnight has whizzed by since my last posting and so much to tell you about!

Maria is now settling into her permanent part-time role of Occupational Health Nurse at Solid Energy and seems to be enjoying it. I think she has been given the task of organising the company's entry into a local Corporate Challenge Event - a running competition of some sort - which is a novel part of the job description!

She had a couple of days off last week as it was her birthday last Tuesday. We went cycling out to Sumner on the Monday and had a pleasant relax in the Rock Cafe once we had arrived - it was a head wind all the way - quite tough - but much more fun heading back with the wind on our backs.

Maria was treated to some birthday pampering at the local BeautE salon and then we wandered into town for some champagne in the sun - sitting in a bar on Oxford Terrace watching the world go by - very continental indeed. Indeed a great novelty for October.


I had been running the previous weekend - taking part in the "iconic" Takahe to Akaroa relay race - which was the NZ National Relay Championships this year. It was a 80km race in teams of 8 - I ran for the Port Hills Runners - and just like a few weekends ago, I went off too quickly and really hurt for the second part of my 10.7km leg. I did a time of 42 mins 15 secs which was OK under the conditions - of me being seriously exhausted!

I've continued with more networking over the past 2 weeks. It's a hard job I currently have! I also hosted a free seminar last Thursday which seemed to go down well with those who attended. I have another one planned for Nov 4th with a couple of other guys I have linked up with - the subject is "Committing to Excellence". I'm really looking forward to it - it should be a bit easier than going solo and hopefully there will be a few more people coming along to listen to what we have to say.

We also took possession of a campervan this week. Maria's brother - Brendan - is visiting in December and he has decided to buy and then re-sell a vehicle rather than simply rent whilst he's here. So I guess I'll be doing a bit of touch-up over the next few weeks trying to get it ready for his tour of NZ. Might even give it a test-out one weekend - possibly nip back to Akaroa with Maria when Sarah is on school camp in November?

Last weekend, Maria, Sarah and I ventured back to Kaikoura. This time we had been invited to stay at Shearwater Lodge by Nicky, our landlady. She runs Kaikoura Wilderness Walks which is based on the Puhi Nature Reserve at the Lodge. It's an hours drive from Kaikoura into the hills - across lots of unsealed roads and river fords - followed by a 5 hour "tramp" up into the mountains.

The lodge is at around 3000ft. It's in total wilderness - but 5-star luxury! It's amazing. The weather wasn't at its best, but we still had a great time. We didn't manage to get up to the 5000ft peak that is usually the destination of the Day 2 walk due to low cloud - but there's always next time! The walk out was a bit wet, to say the least and was made worse by the fact that we knew there were some fantastic views just through the clouds! And those small fords that we crossed on the way up there.....well they were now raging rivers on our return journey and it made for an interesting time! But we managed to get out - and cannot wait for the cahnce to go back again.
Take a look for yourself at: www.kaikourawilderness.co.nz

Sarah's back at school after here 2 week Spring Term holiday. She seems to be more settled and is loking forward to a few extra curricular activities this term. There is a "twilight fayre" next week that she will be helping out at - I think we have voluteered our services too.

Chris is still holding down the night shift job at McDonalds. We don't see that much of him when he's working - out all night and sleeping all day - at least we know where he is! He's just spent a bit more of his "car savings" on a set of surround sound speakers for his room - that'son the heels of him investing in a PS3 a few weeks ago. I think it may take a bit longer than he expected to get that car after all? Though he does keep mentioning the fact that it's his 18th birthday soon!

How could I forget McLean's Island?!

Well, somewhere back in September (Sun 13th to be precise) Maria, Sarah and I visited McLeans Island for an enjoyable hour or so on trial bikes cycling around the forest tracks.
It was really good, and we got to see the Waimakariri river too - the watercourse used on the NZ Coast to Coast race.

I became frustrated at not having a bike, so I went out and bought a Giant Trial bike (not a big one - that's the brand) and subsequently went riding over the Port Hills as a pre-seminar warm-up. Fantastic weather for the ride, bizarrely followed by a severe hail storm (fortunately) once I had returned back to base. It really was a "4-seasons in one day" day!

My seminar went well. People turned up and listened politely. Sometimes they smiled a bit too! I guess it's something to build on. I got some good and useful feedback from the attendees.

I also attended the Champion Canterbury Awards evening at the Christchurch Convention Centre on 24th Sept. A black-tie do - mine was still in the container so I had to hire a suit for the evening. I met some interesting people there and had a very pleasant evening all round!

On Sat 26th, I competed in my first event since the Derby 10K back in April 2008. This time it was the Port Hills Running Club's Annual Road Championships, held at Rangiori. A flat 8K course saw me finish in 31 mins and 11 secs - a very pleasing result given so long out of competitions and still way off any decent level of fitness! Sarah and Maria came out to cheer me on - which was very much appreciated.

Maria was offered a permanent job with Solid Energy (the NZ Coal Board) - to work 12 hours a week providing their occupational health needs. She's really pleased as she says it has a good feel about the place. She can still work other temporary hours around this post giving her flexibility on total hours worked during the week.

The main event last week was the arrival of our belongings from the UK - 13 weeks to the day of our arrival here in NZ. It's amazing how long you can last with the bare essentials! A week later and there's not too many boxes still to unpack - we managed to get most of it sorted quite quickly.

It wasn't long before Maria and I headed off for a long awaited bike ride on the road bikes. We headed off westward along the Avon to New Brighton - not the most scenic of places, but a beach and a nice cafe was all we wanted. It was another gloriously sunny day as the Nor'Wester blew across the Canterbury Plains sending the temperature into the mid-20's. We spent the (Friday) afternoon lunching with Di Illston (her 60th birthday celebration) and then campervan testing for Brendan.
On the way home we stopped off for a post-work drink at Aikman's bar with the Frodshams (at least Steve had been at work!). Most of Merivale were at the pub with us - there was a great summer-buzz about the place.

Sarah has been on school holidays last week and has had a friend (Franny) around a few times. They have even ventured into the swimming pool - despite it not having yet been cleaned or heated. Still, they didn't seem to care!

Chris has been working the night shifts at McDonalds and he has treated himself to a PS3 with his first few weeks wages. I'm not sure how well his saving up for a car is going, but I do know he has now opened up a separate savings account and is transferring some money across on a weekly basis.

Last weekend, Maria competed in the PhysioMed Womens Triathlon here in Chritchurch. Despite not having had much bike practice, she performed magnificently in the challenging conditions - it was fair cold at 8 am on the Sunday morning!

Maria, Sarah and I headed off to Kaikoura for a night on Monday, to catch Nicky's (landlady) art exhibition and to see what else the place has to offer in the school hols! We stayed at "Judes Place" - a pleasant seaside bach on South Bay owned by Jude and Ian - pals of Nicky.

The weather wasn't great - it was a bit wet on the Monday and cold and windy onthe Tuesday - but we still has a good time. We managed to see plenty of seals - including some seal cubs playing around in a waterfall stream about 20 mins drive north of Kaikoura - it was amazing! We visite Fyffe House on the Kaikoura Peninsula, but didn't do the Peninsula walk as it was a bit too cold and windy. The mountains at Kaikoura are particularly stunning, especially as they had received a fresh "dusting" of snow.

So back to Christchurch....Maria's back at work for a couple of days, I have a few more networking events in my diary plus I'm preparing for next week's seminar #2, Sarah is arranging shopping trips with Franny to Riccarton Mall and Chris is preparing himself for a run of late shifts.

"How our behaviour is driven by our thoughts"

Apologies for the delay in the latest blog - must have been very busy - we'll see!

Well Chris has started his shifts at McDonalds and has tended to be on a late or night shift. It means he gets to spend most of his day in bed (Nothing new there then) and he spends his waking hours earning money - plus spending some of it on Angus Burgers at break-time! One major plus he has discovered is that the restaurant has a huge plasma TV showing Sky Sport throughout the night - even though the restaurant is closed (except for drive-through) - so between building the burgers and cleaning the equipment he gets to watch all the sport he can take! He texted me at about 3am this morning just to let me know that Michael Owen had scored the winner against the dirty Blues. My annoyance at being woken at that time soon passed once the news actually registered!

So we've not seen that much of Chris this last fortnight - maybe the odd sighting around meal time when he ghosts on through getting ready for his depart to work. Though he's already moaning about not knowing where his money is going and is starting to show concern that it won't be that easy to save up $10K for a car before Christmas!


Christchurch remains in the grip of a very warm and dry spring - it's hardly rained during September (apart from Friday night - just as Chris was cycling home from work!).

The blossoms out around the Park and there seem to be Magnolia trees everywhere you turn. It's glorious.


Sarah had been due to go on a skiing trip last Friday with the school (and Maria as a helper) but high winds over the mountains put an end to outing. Shame really - both of them were really looking forward to it. Not sure whether there will be any more trips to the slopes this "winter" - it's getting towards the end of the season and the centres will be closing down.

Sarah also spent Saturday morning at the Girl's High School sitting some tests with the rest of the Year 9 intake - they are for streaming purposes. She felt she did OK - except for the Mauri language test where she didn't have a clue what was being asked of her!!

Maria had a 3 day trip up to Wellington the week before last - attending the NZ Occupational Health Nursing Annual Conference. She spent a couple of pleasant nights with the Guyomars in Lower Hutt - leading them astray (according to Mike, that is) insisting they drink lots of nice Sauvignon Blanc during the week.
The trip proved very useful for Maria from a networking perspective and looks encouraging for future work opportunities.

I too have remained busy on the networking front - especially last Thursday when I spent 3 hours clambering around the Adrenalin Forest (Go Ape) Park at an event promoted by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. Despite it not sounding like work (by the way it was quite tough up in them trees!) I met some good people and again it looks as though some opportunities may come out of it.

I've booked a venue to host a free seminar tomorrow evening (22nd Sept) - the first i2i event in NZ. The title of the seminar is "how our behaviour is driven by our thoughts". I'm really looking forward to it - and will no doubt make comment in a future blog.

I've had a bit of a cough over the past week and had to ease back on my running with the Port Hills Runners. Fortunately, the rest of the family weren't affected and have been fit and well.

Yesterday we went around to Matt and Lou's for a BBQ with a few of their pals. It was another gloriously sunny day - just perfect for siting out in the garden drinking beer and wine and eating barbequed steak - yum, yum.

Dream building at the Boat Show

Another sunny week here in Christchurch - when will my bike turn up? Latest forecast from "The Moving Co" is 15th September. Bring it on. Have just bought a helmet, lock and lights to enable Chris to use one of the "House bikes" this week for commuting to and from work. The restaurant opens tomorrow (Monday) after a week of cleaning, sorting, stocking, testing, etc. He gave me a tour of the place last night when I picked him up after a long days work. Enjoyed a brief chat and glass of wine with the franchise owner, Bruce. Seems a good guy and he said that Chris has been working hard - so that's a great relief!! His initial shifts are not great - he's doing night shifts to start with - 10pm to 6am! till, it's a start and it should help him to save his earnings as he'll probably be in bed for the rest of the day!

Maria had a couple of days work this week with Medica and a few days off - so I think it was more to her liking! We had a trip over to the Port Hills on Thursday morning and had a run along the Harry Ell track from the Sign of the Takahe to the Sign of the Kiwi. It was lovely and sunny with great views back across Christchurch - if you stopped to take a look, that is! Maria has now entered a series of 3 "triathlons for women" running October to December so she's back in training - she's out running around Hagley Park as I type this. We also went to Jellie Park on Friday for a swim - getting serious! I've picked up a bit of a chesty cough so I'm easing off for a day or 2.

I did have a good start to the week on the exercise front, though, having a great workout with the Port Hill Runners on Monday night. We were running for an hour and 20 mins with a tough middle section of around 11km - 3 x 3.75km negative split laps for those interested! Sore legs on Tuesday.

On the work front it's been quite busy again - though still looking forward to receiving a payment! Have engaged someone to re-design my web-page and I've had some brochures printed. I've also booked a venue to host a couple of seminars in the next month or so - it gives me something to focus on and direct my marketing and networking towards. Should be fun.

I went to an "Evening with Steve Venables" on Thursday - hosted by the NZ Alpine Club. He was the first Brit to climb Everest without oxygen tanks. It was a really good event. Some interesting stories of triumph and near disaster. Some great photos too.

Sarah and Maria spent Saturday afternoon visiting the Museum and wandering around the park whilst I went off to watch Woolston Tech in the semi-final of the South Island Football Cup. They were winning 2-0 when I left and I've not yet heard the final score. We all went out for dinner in the evening (Saturday) - Steve and Viv Frodsham invited us around to their place. Another pleasant evening of good food, good company and good wine!

Chris was back in work today (Sunday) helping the final preparations for tomorrow's grand opening. Maria, Sarah and I went along to the Boat Show at the local WestPac Arena. There were some great boats there to help inspire me to generate some positive cash-flow! Not long now....

Feels like Spring's on its way

Well, what glorious week we've had this week. The temperature has started to rise quite markedly - brought about by the warm Nor'Westerly winds from over the Tasman Sea!

We started the week quite soberly after our excesses last weekend! Maria had a few days of work in her van - one of them was travelling north of Christchurch along the coast - which she said was a nice way to spend the working day.

Sarah wasn't feeling too good at school on Monday and had to come home - she had a couple of days off and then was back into the swing of things again. She's been on a "Mathletics" challenge this week - trying to generate lots of points for her class at Heaton by doing maths tests on-line.

Chris has been kicking his heels this week as he's waiting to start his job at McDonalds in a couple of weeks. At least he got paid for his training hours last week and was quick to draw out some money and spend it as quick as he could! He went to rugby training again, with the 3rd XV, who were preapring for their play-off final this weekend against Sumner.

We went alsong to Christchurch Park on Saturday afternoon to watch Matt in the final. It was a lovely sunny afternoon - probably not ideal for playing rucby in - but it brought a small crowd out to see the hosts (Christchurch RFC) prevail 23-0. Despite not featuring, Chris did his best to join in the post-match celebrations and sank a few beers with the boys in the changing rooms!

Maria and I had a pleasant walk from the Sign of the Takahe up to the Sign of the Kiwi along the Harold Ell Track on Thursday morning. It was a bit windy, but again, nice and sunny and the views across Christchurch were great. I think it will be one for the grandparents when they visit after Christmas!

We also had a nice stroll around Mona Vale with Sarah on Sunday afternoon - stopping off at the "Homestead" for a cream tea - very naughty but nice.

Maria and I had a run-out on Saturday morning through Hagley Park. The Park had a wonderful feeling to it with lots of activity. There were young kids playing rugby and football matches, canoists and punters out on the Avon, artists painting around the boting lake and a BBQ party was well under way. We even spotted the French Boules courts - Jack and Eve will be pleased! It's amazing how much life there already is around the Park compared to the first time we wandered through in our second week here. A sign of things to come, no doubt.

We were invited around to dinner on Saturday evening to some friends of the Guyomars who live close by - who we had been introduced to when Mike and Fiona were down here in the school hols. Mark and Cathy were our hosts and we had a really nice evening in their company - along with fellow guests, Justin and Karen. Amazingly, Justin is from Bramhall - it's a small world!

I've had a busy week continuing to follow up on contacts that I had made at a few networking sessions the previous week or so. Have started to meet some really good people who I hope I can work with in the near future. I realise that starting up the business will take a lot of patience and persistance, but I'm encouraged with the response that I'm getting when I meet with people and explain what I am about. Once it kicks off, there'll be no stopping and I'm going to need that army of Jedi's who are waiting in the wings!!!

House Warming Party

2 weeks since the last posting - does that mean life is slowing down and there's nothing exciting to write about or are we just sooooo busy doing great stuff that I'm toooooo busy to blog?! Probably neither sprinkled with a bit of both.

Maria's now had 2 weeks of working with Medica - she's officially "white van woman" - as she drives her mobile testing room around the streets of Christchurch. And we've finally got some money coming in - yippee! She's had to go to the physio's with a thumb injury - damaged ligament - that she picked up whilst skiing and they have fitted her with a thumb brace. No trip to New Zealand is complete for Maria unless she breaks a bone or damages a ligament! Maria and I enjoyed a walk up the Rapaki Track on Friday as she wasn't working that day. The walk takes you up to near the summit of Mount Vernon and you get good views from the top of Banks Peninsula and back over Christchurch.

Sarah seems to be settling in well at Heaton Intermediate School - we went to parents evening the other night to have a chat with her teacher - who also seems pleased at how well she in integrating in the class.

Chris has started his training at McDonalds at the Linwood restaurant. He's worked 3 4-hour shifts last week and is now an expert Big-Mac assembler! Not sure when he actually starts "full-time" as the restaurant hasn't been fully built yet! Sometime at the start of September apparently.

He's had a couple of outings with Christchurch Rugby Club 6th XV - been on the end of 2 heavy defeats - but still enjoyed it nevertheless. It's end of the season now so I think he's looking forward to joining a "touch-rugby" team for the spring/summer months to improve his handling and fitness. May even have a go myself.

I've been extremely busy over the past 2 weeks - setting up my business and attending various networking functions. Unfortunately that has not meant spending lots of time on the golf course or in the pubs of Christchurch - but hopefully that's something for the future.

Last Friday we all went along - with Matt and Lou - to the AMI Stadium to watch Canterbury vs Waikato in the Air New Zealand (Rugby Union) Cup.
It was my first time at a "proper" rugby match and I found it very enjoyable. The weather was a bit cold and damp - reminded me of going to an evening match at Old Trafford in February - but there was plenty of entertainment on the field - both during the match and at half-time. There was also a team mascot that looked a bit like Derby County's Rammie - though without the horns and testosterone - must be "Sheepie" then? Dan Carter - All Black kicker - was playing his way back to fitness for the AB's and demonstrated some phenomenal penalty kicking.

This weekend we hosted Di, Geoff and Sighle Illson plus "landlady" Nicky for dinner. A good time was had by all and lots of good wine was drunk by most. Maria produced a wonderful vegetarian lasagne that went very close to knocking me off the lasagne-king pedestal in the household!

Well Done Chris!

Quite an eventful and significant week this week. Chris had applied a few weeks ago to do a full-time diploma in architecture at the Polytechnic, starting next February. At last, on Friday, he received confirmation that he had been accepted onto the course! In addition to that great news, he also successfully completed his short course on Food Safety, which in turn led to the 3rd success of the day for him as he was offered a job at a brand new Macdonald's restaurant that's opens next month. So his dream of his own car before he starts college looks like a definite possibility after all. Watch out all you Boy-Racers, here comes Bad-Dog!

Sarah's second week at school seems to have gone reasonably well - though she still misses her pals back in the UK and says she'd rather be back there with them! Nevertheless, she and a friend from school got together on Saturday and went to see the latest Harry Potter film at the nearby Westfield Mall (some things are no different on the other side of the world!)- though reading her latest Facebook offering, she wasn't too impressed with the latest in the series.

Maria has been limbering up to start work on Monday and in fact has been contacted by 2 further potential employers who might be able to offer more agency-type work to supplement her existing arrangements. So it's looking good on that front.

I've had a couple of busy days at the Bizzone Business Expo here in Christchurch - doing plenty of networking with other business people from around the area. Most people I spoke with seemed interested in what I was able to offer - I guess I just need a break and a first client to get things rolling. It will happen soon enough.

This weekend, Chris had his first taste of action on the rugby (union) field with Christchurch FC - he played the first half against the CC Old Boy's - and there were some old boys playing too - made my Oxford Old Boys look positively youthful! Unfortunately, Chris' team lost but he seemed to enjoy his "blooding" - though luckily not literally.

Maria and I had a wander around Riccarton Bush - a nearby oasis of native bush in the heart of the city that is predator free and home to some elusive kiwis. It also boasts the oldest standing propert on the Canterbury Plain - the house of John Deans, an early settler and pioneer from Scotland.

On Sunday, the four of us had a drive out to Taylor's Mistake again and walked to Boulder Bay - a pretty cove with a few quirky bachs. Once again, the weather was fantastic - blue skies with a slight easterly sea breeze which made it slightly cooler than last time we walked the track - but perfect walking conditions.