Hot water? Not so much. TV/Cable? You want it when? Internet? Does this exist in NZ?
Let's talk about camping in our new home.
Our container of furniture is not expected to arrive until sometime in January. The moving estimate was 8-14 weeks from 22 November. So, we expected the lack of furniture. We went to the kiwi version of Bed, Bath, & Beyond, known as Briscoe's, and purchased an air mattress and pump to inflate it. Luckily, we thought ahead and brought our favorite sheets and some bath towels.
The air mattress is somewhat comfortable. With some borrowed blankets, we can definitely make this work for a couple of weeks or months if need be. No need to buy a bed when we have several coming in the container. Let's talk necessary amenities, or shall we say, expected amenities when you are living in a house...
#1 Hot Water. We have not had hot water for THREE days. Lee had to start work on Monday (day two) and needed to shave for his first day. Let me tell you, heating water for a shave and a sponge bath in a tea kettle is not glamping... it's CAMPING. The amount of hot water needed to shave the surface area of a man's face does not compare to the number of tea kettles necessary to cover the surface area of a woman's legs. Don't take hot water for granted!!! The first hot shower was a moment to remember :)
#2 Cable Television. One of the more memorable moments in the settling in process. The first Sky TV representative that came by to install the DVR claimed that we needed an electrician to come out and move the cable from the master bedroom to the living room...apparently cable guys don't do that sort of heavy lifting here. So no cable today. 2 days later Lee receives a call from another Sky rep saying that he is coming by to do the same thing. After explaining the first situation to the rep and bemoaning that "in America they can handle it", the guy toughened up and said that he can do the work. After coming to the house and receiving permission from the wife to drill a new small hole and move the cable.....a call to the husband was still required. "Your wife already gave me permission but I wanted to check with you first".....boys club out here.
#3 Internet. Options for internet access in New Zealand are many. Most have limited data download sizes. We opted for "Naked DSL". This allows unlimited data up and downloads and is faster as you are not required to have a home phone line to interfere with connection speed. Registration takes minutes. Receipt of your modem is within 2 days. To get up and running - connected - give that 10 business days, umpteen phone calls for support, numerous modem resets, and one final formal complaint.
The end result is the realization that living here is much different from visiting here. It is time for us to sit back and enjoy life, get to know our new friends, enjoy the current moment, and reset to "island time".
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