Where To Live

No big update today. Just trying to find a place to live once we get out of quarantine. The majority of quarantine hotels are around Auckland so we are assuming we’ll be there but there’s a chance we won’t. Once we are finished there, we’ll fly down to Christchurch. It’s a cute city and the largest on the South Island. Hub’s brother and dad live nearby and mum lives not too far from there. The city is actually more than cute. I’ve been a few times, starting with a brief visit in 1997 when I met those wonderful people that would eventually become my in-laws. The city, and its people, were devastated by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. More than 150 people were killed and thousands of buildings suffered severe damage. There is an amazing recovery and rebuilding project still in progress. On one of our visits, we saw a section of the city where local shop owners, whose shops were destroyed, set up temporary shops in shipping containers. We also saw where dozens of homes were absolutely decimated. It had to be so scary for the residents but it sounds like they’ve come back stronger than ever.

Christchurch has a lot of great neighborhoods, including a vibrant central business district (CBD). While we’re looking for our new home, we’re also looking at the schools they are zoned for, closeness to family, and the beach. I mean, it’s an island with some great beaches so of course that’s on the priority list. The plan is to rent for a year while we get a handle on the area. And before even then, we’re planning to rent a furnished place until our container arrives. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of furnished rentals there so we’ll see how it goes. Plan B is renting in a zone we’d like and furnishing with the bare minimum.

We’ve been talking about the kids a lot. Cases of covid are very low in our county right now (knock on wood!) but still…. We purposely haven’t put them in any sports or activities this summer, but I so wish we could. There aren’t a lot available and those that are, are being safe in that the kids are masked and distanced. I want them to be able to run amok and meet other kids. To have friends over, to do sports freely… all the things. Our oldest is 12 and he will have the second dose of the vaccine later this week. Our 10-year-old is a little jealous.

I’m truly excited about the adventure, but today I am overwhelmed.