Spa Pool and Sounds of the Summer!

Last night, Jennie had a BBQ at her house with her house mates. It was really nice to meet yet more lovely people, including her friend Becky who's also from England, and best of all she has a hot tub on her deck which we got to have a sit in! It was so relaxing and I've told her that I'll now be down there every evening after school! :) Today, after going to the library with Jennie (where you're allowed to take out 35 books would you believe?!), Sharon invited me along with her friends to Sounds of the Summer. This is part of a series of free music concerts around Auckland which are put on by Auckland City Council and Telecom (like BT) and this particular one was at Point Chevalier (not sure of the spelling) near the beach and had some great bands from New Zealand on but ones I'd never heard of! The main act were called Katchafire and were a reggae band who apparently supported UB40 on tour! It was really good fun-we took a picnic to share and it's been so hot today it was good to be outside. There are a few more different concerts on over the next couple of months so I'm hoping to catch another one in St Hellier's Bay near where I live. Also, they are also putting on movies outside, all linked to NZ in some way (setting, actors, director, etc) so I'd like to go and see some of those as well. Tomorrow I'll just be sorting school stuff and planning-boo! I've been enjoying the lovely long summer holiday but 2 days last week exhausted me so not sure how I'm going to survive this week! I'll let you know how I get on with my new class asap! x

First day at school

I've been at school for teacher training day today and I'm completely overwhelmed! They seem to have loads of different names for all of the things I'm familiar with and I feel like a fish out of the water but I'm sure I'll get used to it all...still haven't got my room sorted so lots to do before the kids are in on Monday-Help! x

Kohi Bay

Just waiting for Kai to drop my 'new' car round so thought I'd post some new pics on here. This is Kohimarama Bay; the nearest beach to where I live (about a 10-15 minute walk). I went down for a cup of tea at Cafe on Kohi with Michelle this morning and it looked so pretty that I thought I'd take a few photos. The beaches around the city near where I live aren't the best because they're really popular and get a bit dirty but the views are great and it's lovely to walk along the waterfront, especially when the sun is shining like today! There are a few cafes, restaurants and shops down there but it's not as big as Mission Bay which is the next beach along so is nice and relaxing. From the photos you can see Devonport and the two hills over there, Rangitoto in the middle and on the right is Waiheke and another smaller island which I can't remember the name of... Just sorting some stuff out for school now-it's all go! :D xxx

My new class...Room 13

I forgot to mention my new class...I have 25 (14 boys and 11 girls) and am teaching a mixed Year 5/6 class (aged 9-11). There are four Year 5/6 classes I think and they are split mainly by ability because we don't set for Literacy and Maths so I will teach my class all the time. Their names are going to take some getting used to! First names aren't too bad (Michael, Tiana, Frank, Tracey, George) but the surnames are seemingly unpronounceable to me at the moment! For example, Aliimatafitafi and Akaruru-Wuatai are two of the particularly tricky looking ones! I'm sure I'll get used to them as I did in South Africa but I really do hope I don't offend any of the children in the meantime by getting them wrong!

Wish me luck! x

My first visit to my new school...

Today Jennie (Miss Gottwald) took me down to see Yendarra, my new school. The drive is not too long but it's in a different city called Manukau so we have to go on the motorway to get there. Jennie lives just around the corner from me in Kohi Bay so we're going to share lifts which will be great for saving money and the environment! :)

The school is huge! It has a really grand entrance which is really modern and there's an amazing reception area and staff room; I felt like I was going into a conference centre or university, not a primary school! The classrooms are all accessed from the outside where there is a big playground and a play area each for upper and lower juniors (called junior and senior). Jennie showed me her room, room 9, which she has made so lovely and then took me to my classroom, room 13 (unlucky for some!). The classes don't have names and instead are just described by their room so I will have to get used to shouting 'Room 13!' ;)

My room is big but very bare and basic-the school isn't resourced in the same way as at home so if I want anything for my walls and even some of the resources, I have to buy it myself or borrow from the library which is very strange and will take some getting used to! I had a few bits with me so I put those up but there are so many display boards to fill, it will take me a while to get it all just right. Although parts of the building are very new, the classrooms are quite old but I have my own cloakroom area and toilets just for my class which is nice. They are just completing the building of a library and some offices for the Deputy Heads which will look fantastic when they're done. Hopefully they'll be finished by the time the children are in on Monday.

I met a few staff and started on my room and then Jennie took me took a huge stationary shop and a teacher's shop (an amazing place but very dangerous for teachers as so easy to spend a fortune in there!). I've spent the rest of the day just filling in paperwork given to me by the school and tonight I think I'm going to a quiz night which should be fun!

Enjoy the pics! I'll put more on once the room is better decorated and the children are in! xxx

Magic Sheep!

As I was coming to New Zealand and there are apparently 20 sheep to every person here, my friend Jenny gave me a Magic Sheep to bring with me to help me settle in. It is made from some kind of cardboard and was quite tricky to put together (but nowhere near as exhausting as the bed!) but looks very cute and has worked really well so I thought I would share it with you! His name is Shaun (for obvious reasons, although it's a little strange as one of my new house mates is called Shaun!) and I had to put him in some magic liquid to make crystals grow like wool all over him. It only took about 4 hours before they started appearing and after one night he was covered in crystals! Very impressive I think you'll agree?! Shame they now keep dropping off so not sure how long he will last! xxx
(Pictures show before and after shots of little Shaun!)

Long Bay

Yesterday was a public holiday (keep saying bank holiday but no-one calls it that here!) for Auckland Anniversary so I went along to the beach with Michelle, her friend Melissa and boyfriend Gareth. It was a beach called Long Bay and is on the North Shore so I took my first trip over the Auckland Harbour bridge! A momentous occasion but I couldn't escape the very strong smell of fish whilst travelling over it thanks to all the fishing around there! We spent the day lazing and reading. The weather was really hot and the sun is very strong here so I kept topping up with suncream and cooling off in the sea! All very nice and relaxing... xxx

Fireworks, Waiheke and Fiesta Del Sol!

I've had such a busy weekend...again! This weekend it's been Auckland's anniversary weekend which is the day that Auckland was 'born' so it's a bank holiday tomorrow and there have been loads of fun things going on around the city (including a seafood festival which is apparently amazing but obviously of little interest to vegetarian me!)

On Friday there were some live bands at the harbour and a really amazing firework display. I was staying at Michelle's for the weekend whose apartment looks out over the harbour so we could enjoy the whole show from the comfort of her balcony (which they call deck here) so that was pretty cool! The bands were so loud it was like we had front row seats at a concert and some of the fireworks were choreographed to music so it was really impressive. Photos of fireworks never come out very well but I've tried to post one on for you to see.

Yesterday it was Fiesta Del Sol, the party I was going to with Michelle and her friends. It was over on a nearby island called Waiheke which is about 45 minutes away by ferry and we spent the afternoon on a beach called Onetangi before heading to the party in the evening. It was held on this famous vineyard called Stonyridge which was really beautiful (see photo!). We had to get the ferry back really late last night which seemed to take forever but it was worth it and it was a really fun night!

Today I'm just sorting some things out and will probably spend the rest of the day on our deck reading my book. I've joined a book club with Michelle and some of her friends so need to get this book finished and read another one in the next few weeks and I'm a very slow reader so need to get a move on with it!

The other photo which I've put on here is the view from the ferry of the beaches closest to me - Mission Bay, Kohimarama Bay and St Hellier's Bay. You can't see my house from the bay because I live up the hill but all of these beaches are within walking distance so I'm very lucky! We're planning to go to a beach tomorrow but probably one out of the city because apparently they're much nicer and quieter.

Thanks for all your comments-I'm so pleased to hear from you all and that you're all keeping up to date with what I've been up to! I'll write soon xxx

Bed Building!

Well the bed arrived and I built it! :D It was quite complicated but I'm very proud of my achievement. Here's some video and photo evidence for you to enjoy..! xxx


The finished article!

New address

If anyone wants it, this is my new address:
251 Kohimarama Road
Kohimarama
Auckland 1071
New Zealand

New home and lots of shopping!

I'm now settled in my new home and just sat eating dinner and watching New Zealand's Got Talent! It's just like ours and seemingly there's about the same amount of talent here as at home! ;)

I've been very busy shopping today because my room is totally empty and I've had to buy a bed, bedding, drawers, etc. It has been quite fun but very expensive! My bed's being delivered tomorrow but is flat packed so wish me luck in putting it together! I'll definately post some photos when it's all finished. Michelle was really sweet and drove me all over the place finding things which we just about managed to cram into her car! I bought her an ice cream from this lovely place called Movenpick on Mission Bay near where I live which was very yummy! :P

Hopefully this video works as it is a very grand tour of my lovely new home but I couldn't seem to see anything when I tried playing it so hope you can't just hear my voice!

xxx

Photos!

Hopefully this will work...x

Devonport!

I've had a lovely couple of days in between house and car hunting and some photos to share! The first pictures are from One Tree Hill where I went with Jennie (Miss Gottwald!) the other day.

The rest are from Devonport where I went yesterday on the ferry. It's about 15 minutes away across the harbour and is where the first British people settled in New Zealand in the mid 1800s. It's quite strange because it looks very English and all the place names are English people or places like King Edward's Parade, Victoria Hill (after Queen Victoria) and Cheltenham Beach. It was very nice over there though with lots of beautiful houses and I did a little bus tour around and the man was a local whose parents moved over in the early 1930s so he knew loads about the place. There are two hills there called North Head and the higher one, Mount Victoria so these photos are of these and the views from the top. The last one shows the island, Rangintoto, the volcano I climbed on Friday - it looks flat but didn't feel it when I was climbing up!

Enjoy! x

I have a home...and a car!! :D

Yes, this evening I will be moving into my new home! It's on the Kohimarama Road which is in Kohimarama Bay near the beach (everyone calls it Kohi Bay which is a bit less of a mouthful!) I'm moving in with three New Zealanders - two men and a woman and they all seem very nice! It's a lovely house and as soon as I'm there I will put some photos on to give you a better idea...

I also have a new car (well not really new-it's over 10 years old but is new to me!) which I'll be picking up next Wednesday ready to start school next Thursday. It's a little white Astra and has been owned by a German man who has been working at Auckland University but is now going back home.

I'll post photos as soon as I can!

xxx

Exciting Times!!

Well for most people, not that exciting but I'm very excited to have had very productive house-hunting day today and maybe even possibly car-hunting but will come on to that in a minute!

I tried to log on yesterday to tell you about my busy Sunday but couldn't so yesterday...I met a lovely teacher called Jennie (Miss Gottwald) who works at the school I'll be teaching at. She told me all about the lovely staff and children at Yendarra and I'm very excited about starting there! Their day is very different to ours (no break until 11.10am!) but I'm sure I'll get used to it all! She took my along the waterfront which is beautiful and we saw lots of joggers, cyclists, skaters, etc. Maybe that's where I'll do some running! ;) We went up a hill to see a memorial-lovely views from there and apparently lots of people choose to get married there. We then went to see he house before going for a walk through Cornwall Park (where I saw my first NZ sheep!) and up One Tree Hill. There are so many hills in Auckland which were all once volcanoes but I'm not getting any better at climbing them!! It's called One Tree Hill because there is a stump of a tree at the top which was cut down by white settlers in NZ. Apparently, this really offended the Maouri people (NZ natives) so when they were improving relations with the Maouri people they build a monument here to show that the NZ Europeans respected the Maouri's and their culture and beliefs. I do have pics but can't get them onto this computer for some reason so will upload them another time! Again, beautiful views from up there of Auckland and Rangintoto...!

After this, we went for lunch at a beach called Mission Bay-this is along the waterfront and is where lots of rich people live near the coast. (Coincidentally, it is also the location of my favourite house from my search today but I don't think I fit in with that description of the residents!) During the meal, I heard from Jill (Caroline's friend who lives in Auckland) and she invited me along to a clothes swap at her house...this is a party of girls who all take along old clothes that they don't wear anymore and swap them for other people's unwanted clothes! It's a brilliant way to recycle things and despite having nothing to contribute myself, I managed to come away with a few bits and pieces which was great! All of her friends are really lovely too and it was fantastic to meet them all. :D

Today, I've just been getting a few jobs done and relaxing-had lunch at the harbour and an ice cream! :) I've discovered, on recommendation by Jennie, the NZ favourite in ice cream flavours which is called Hokey Pokey! It's caramel ice cream with honeycomb bits in (like a Crunchie) and is delicious! Yum! :P My first ice cream in NZ was excellent and probably the first of many as there are ice cream parlours all over the place!

This evening I've visited 3 potential new homes and loved all of them. They're all very different and in different places and similar priced so am having trouble deciding which to go for but am going to sleep on ti and hopefully be able to make the right decision tomorrow! I'm going to be getting a room in a shared house and so the people who live there already are quite important and all of these were so friendly it's going to make the decision very tough!

Also, one of the rooms is available because the man staying there is moving back to Germany and luckily, he is also selling his car so I may have myself a little motor too! :D

All round an excellent but tiring couple of days so I'm off to bed!

Hope you're all well. Thank you for reading my blog (sorry my posts are so long but you know I love to talk!). Well done for sticking with it and thank you for all of your kind messages and comments-it means a lot that you're all thinking of me because you're all certainly in my thoughts!

I'll be sure to send more personal replies when I'm more settled and not paying for the Internet per hour!

xxx

PS. I'm so glad to hear you're getting on well with Mrs Ansell and Mrs Davies, 4E - I knew you would! I'll soon be a distant memory! :'(

House hunting!

Not having much luck with the house-hunting. All of the houses round here are beautiful-big villas which look so lovely to live in in the sunshine but probably get pretty cold in the winter! I've looked at a couple today but it's so exhausting as have to get the bus around everywhere until I get my car but hopefully will find something soon!

I met Nat's NZ friend, Michelle, for lunch today which was really lovely-nice to see another familiar face! She's invited me to a party next weekend called Fiesta Del Sol and is at a vineyard on a nearby island called Wahaikhe (where Caroline and Chris did a wine tour) so that should be fun!

I'm hoping to work out how to get some photos on here for you to look at so fingers crossed it works! If so, they're of the sky tower, the island i visited yesterday and the view from the summit of my new home, Auckland!! xxx

My first few days in NZ...

It's now Friday evening and I've been here 3 days and done so much! I managed to get some sleep on Wednesday which sorted my jet lag out and then went out for dinner at the harbour with Katy's friend Caroline and her husband Chris who have been travelling around Australia and New Zealand and are spending a few days in Auckland. We also met her friend Jill who lives in Auckland and she gave me lots of helpful tips about settling in!

Yesterday, I went up the Sky Tower which is over 200m (apparently bigger than the Eiffel Tower) and the views from up there were amazing! It's been beautiful and sunny since I've been here and the sky was so blue, I could see for miles. I ate lunch up in the Sky Tower cafe and contemplated doing a Sky Jump (base jumping with a wire) or a Sky Walk (where you walk around the outside of the tower with nothing to hold onto and only an overhead harness to stop you falling! Eek!) but surprisingly decided neither were really for me!

After climbing the Sky Tower, I took a bus around the city and saw loads of really nice areas outside of the main city centre. I'm trying to find a place to live so it was good to see where I might like to make my home! I found a lovely park to sit and spent the afternoon sunbathing and reading so I just fel like I'm on holiday at the moment really! Think it'll be a bit of a shock when I have to start teaching again! Last night the hostel I'm staying in were giving everyone free pizza so that was dinner sorted! :)

Today I went to meet Caroline and Chris again for breakfast as they leave tomorrow-we went to a little cafe in Ponsonby which is a lovely area where I'd quite like to live if I can find somewhere.

This afternoon, I took a boat over to an island called Rogintoto (not sure about the spelling!) which was formed by a volcanic eruption from under the sea! It was covered in lava rocks and there were loads of plants there because it's so fertile. It last erupted 600 years ago but it's now dormant (but not extinct!) which means it's sort of sleeping and probably won't erupt again. It was pretty steep climb to the top and boiling hot but it was worth it: the views were spectacular! I could see the Sky Tower and all of the islands in the gulf around Auckland (there's about 50 of them). It was really beautiful and although my photos don't do it justice, I'll try to get some on here soon.

Tomorrow I'm meeting Michelle, my friend Nat's old housemate who is from New Zealand and has recently moved back. I'm also planning to view some flats so fingers crossed I'll find somewhere as I'm not enjoying the top bunk of the bunk bed I'm currently staying in! I can't get down and it's probably very amusing watching me try!!

Missing you all and hope you're getting on okay with your new teachers, 4E!!

xxx

I've arrived!!

I'm finally here after an extremely painful flight! I can't believe I've actually arrived as the flight seemed to go on forever!!

Just got to the hostel and waiting to check in in a few hours time but really need a sleep to make me feel less like a zombie!

The weather here is beautiful and sunny-around 20 degrees. I just went on a walk with a girl I've met who's from Norway (I can't pronounce her name!) We went down to the harbour where there are lots of ferries to take you all around Auckland which is all very nice!

I'll update you soon on how I'm getting on! :)

Yendarra School

Just thought I'd let you have a look at the school I'm going to be working at...

http://www.yendarra.school.nz/
(maybe you'll see my face on this website soon!!)

It's called Yendarra School and is in the very south of Auckland in a place called Manakau City. It's quite a multi-cultural area there which means there will be lots of people going to or working at the school who are from different communities in and around New Zealand (mostly the Pacific Islands like Samoa and Tonga). Lots of the children even speak different languages so I wonder if I'll pick up any words or phrases while I'm there! ;)

Welcome to my blog! I'm about to leave for Auckland...

Hi Everyone!

I know my blog is looking very empty at the moment but I shall endeavour to keep updating it while I'm away and will use this spot to keep you posted on what I've been up to on my adventure in New Zealand! Hopefully, I'll also figure out how to upload photos once in Auckland!

I leave in just a few days and am feeling very excited about all the people I'll be meeting and all the new things I'm going to have the chance to do. I can't wait to meet my new class and tell them all about England and school here! At the same time though, I am slightly terrified! I'm very nervous about being in a new place where I know absolutely no one but hopeful that it's going to be a lot of fun and I'll have lots to tell you about! Not really looking forward to spending 26 hours on a plane though!

Wish me luck!
xxx