Housing:
- Rent is by the week, not the month. We've seen 1-3 bedroom houses start at $150 p/wk and go well over $1,000p/wk depending on size, quality and location.
- Structurally, homes here appear to be the same as most other places in the world. They vary in size, age and style but seem to function equally.
- The living room has a large sliding door that opens from the right and the top half of the left side of the window frame open about 5 inches by pushing out on it.
- Only the Living room/Kitchen and the Master Bedroom in the house we are staying in have heating/cooling units built into the wall. They are similar to a window ac but almost twice the size and not removable.
- This one's for you Jill! The toilets here are the same as in the US except they have two flush options. One for lighter business and one for heavier business. *See photo
- It seems that most homes have a washing machine but no dryer. I "hung the wash" for the first time today! There's a very nice laundry rack attached to the side fence that pulls up to use and folds back down to store. *See photo
- I am very happy with the pull out/drawer style stainless steal dish washer this home is equip with, especially since I didn't have a dish washer this past year and a half! Small but sufficient, energy saving and quiet. I really hope wherever we end up has one too!
Perks:
- The kitchen and bathroom floors here are tile and the builder opted to make them heated! They are controlled by a thermostat on the wall. I don't think this is a normal perk to all New Zealand homes but my toes are thankful for the time we have with them. :)
Cars/Driving:
- There are very few American made cars here since New Zealand is so close to Japan. Cars are imported new and used and manufactured for the driver to be on the right side of the car, not the left like in America.
- Driving on the left side of the road isn't so bad. We just keep telling ourselves to keep the closest curb on our left and if we are on the same side of the road as the side of the car we are sitting on something is very wrong! There's only been a couple of times when we turned around or made a turn at a light where we've caught ourselves wanting to drift to the other side of the street, but we're being very careful and taking it slowly. (That was for you moms and dads ;) I feel very comfortable driving on the opposite side of the car, but for some reason I am not too comfortable SITTING on the opposite side of the car as a passenger. I feel completely out of control!
Food:
- We are finding that New Zealand makes a lot of it's food and beverages here (free range eggs, beef/pork/lamb, milk, orange juice), but prices can be inflated quite a bit depending on where you shop. There is one discount market down the street that is similar to a Market Basket (for all you East Coasters) and perhaps a Food City or a Fry's (for all you West Coasters).
Electricity:
- Voltage and plugs are different here so we do have an adapter for electronics we brought from the US like the computer and ipad. Each socket has it's own individual "on/off" switch which is a nice energy saving option.
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