Settling in!

Well, another week has passed, work is going really well, and I'm making lots of friends. The most exciting news of all is that I've brought a car! A lovely shiny Toyota Caldina, the most expensive thing I've ever brought. I feel all grown up to have a proper car, its huge so will fit plenty of gear (and friends!) in it, and there's room to sleep in it, fully stretched out, with the back seats down. So this is the key to my freedom, and the start of my NZ adventures. I also move into a new house tommorrow, with Nick and Amelia. Nick is a fire fighter, and Amelia (his girlfriend) works for the police. They live in Merivale, a lovely suburb close to the city, with plenty of nice shops, cafes and bars. So fingers crossed, it should be fun! I'm sad to leave Vera's though, everyone has been so good to me and its really helped me to settle in to life in NZ. I'll still be seeing lots of them though, me and James climb together, and we all have plans for trips to Mt Cook village and a Kayak trip to Abel Tasman National Park in summer. Plus I'll still pop round for coffee and a catch up as much as possible. I'll miss it here lots, but I feel that moving into a place of my own will be a good step towards putting down some roots and making new friends. So a big weekend for me, making my first steps towards independence (again!). Now I just want all my stuff to be shipped over, so that I can make my new room homely and comfortable. I'm missing the folks at home lots, so the sooner I settle in the better. Apart from that, I'm having the most fantastic time, I feel so happy to be in NZ! Miss you guys at home though! xx