The other stuff

The weather has once again left us with a week or so of little or no flying. I'm on the third cancellation of one flight now - managed seven cancellations of a flight last week though one of my colleagues holds the record at eleven attempts! 

So in the spare time I thought I'd do a good vs bad run-down of life in NZ to give an idea of what life is like out here away from the airport.

Let's start with the not-so-good things, i.e. things where the UK definitely has the upper hand over NZ. In no particular order:

1. Winter Weather: We all complain about the weather in the UK all the time but it is equally restrictive over here during the winter. I'm sure the Summer is lovely but at the moment we move from high pressure systems that are dominated by morning fog and poor visibility for the rest of the day to heavy rain and winds in the low pressure systems, aggravated by the high terrain that dominates the entire country. All pretty frustrating during a VFR training course.

An all too common sight

2. Shopping: Anything that is out of season or just generally imported is expensive. That's not just due to a poor exchange rate either. Things like deodorant, toothpaste, peppers, salad, pasta etc are all significantly more expensive than the UK. You have to shop carefully!

3. Beer: Being somewhat of a fan of this, I have been fairly disappointed with the local offerings. It's all carbonated and cold so any beer that might have a bit of flavour has that beaten out of it by the way it's served. There are some delicious craft brews around but they are hideously expensive as opposed to very expensive. Expect to pay something in the region of £5 in a normal pub for (nearly) a pint (500ml) of very ordinary beer. This however is excellent: http://www.goodgeorge.co.nz/

4. Driving: Top speed limit anywhere is 100kph. On the twisty country roads (that's most of them) it's fine but the main highway to Auckland seems pretty sluggish.

5. Public transport: Limited. Bus services aren't too bad but pricey. Trains are literally non-existent so realistically you have to drive everywhere (see point 4). Regional flights with Air NZ exist but are generally very expensive. It is usually cheaper for example to fly to Australia than from the North to the South Island.

So that isn't too bad, is it? All sounds a bit negative but it's ok because here are the positives:

1. Summer weather: When we arrived in April it was still fairly glorious and I estimate from news of other people's flight training that we should be in for some great conditions in the not too distant future.

2. Shopping: Shop cleverly and you can land yourself some amazing bargains. Vegetables that are in season are pretty well priced but the real bargain is meat: Beef in particular around this region is unfeasibly cheap. A fillet steak of the highest quality can be purchased for just a couple of pounds. The supermarkets often have excellent offers too so buy it when it's there and freeze it.

3. Wine: Being somewhat of a fan of this, I have been hugely impressed with the local offerings. It's the famous Sauvignon Blanc that excels in terms of value-for-money. Well worth a try are the Riesling and Pinot Gris varieties too. Cloudy Bay is possibly the most famous example of this and is about $30 in the supermarket here. That's roughly half the price of the UK but you can find examples of similar quality for as little as $10. The reds are available too but it's not as easy to get a high quality bargain. As an addendum, there are some stunning local gins too. Lighthouse is particularly good.

 Can't really complain at £15 a bottle

4. Cars: It's not the easiest thing to find a bargain basement car in good order but it's worth the hunt. We have two Mitsubishi Galants which cost less than £2500 in total and run very well indeed. Fuel is pretty cheap and though they're not the most economical cars ever, it all works out relatively inexpensively.

5. The people: You often hear talk of how friendly the Kiwis are and it really is true. The laid-back attitude to life is great and I've invariably felt extremely welcome in any group situation I've encountered. Sure, there are bits of town you don't go to as with anywhere in the world, but as a rule, NZ is safe, friendly and happy.

6. The scenery: You've heard about it, you've seen Lord of the Rings - well it's all true. When the place isn't covered in cloud and you can get up there and see it, it's stunning. Everywhere. I've already posted so many pics of beautiful scenes but here's a few more just to prove it:

And there was one more positive than negative so I guess that wins!