On the whole setting up life in New Zealand was easier than expected and easier than the UK. Banks believe that you are who you say you are and everything else is available on Trademe, NZ’s equivalent of Ebay and Gumtree rolled into one.
Most of our admin was completed in one morning. A 9.30 visit to the local official to confirm Kate’s qualifications (involving another fee) meant that Kate could practise medicine in NZ. Next stop the hospital to get a pass, register for computer access and set up payroll. This was quickly followed by a trip to ANZ bank who gave us a bank account and complementary SIM mobile phone card. The hospital had advised Kate that she needed a tax number and so if was off to the AA (yes as in the Automobile Association) who for $10 organised Kate a tax number and converted her UK AA membership to a NZ one. This was a classic example of Kiwi efficiency that is lacking in the UK, as this process would have taken days with our beloved HMRC.
All of the above was fairly simple. What was not simple was navigating around Auckland in a 6.5m campervan using only a Lonely Planet New Zealand Guide book. Luckily the van was white, and as in the UK the locals respected that white vans do not always behave as you would expect! Still while driving around the city I was very glad for the fully comprehensive van insurance we had taken out. The only other matter was the Sharpe – Woodmansey relationship that came under some strain, but on the whole survived intact, though Kate’s occasional “whoops can you just turn around”, were occasionally met with a steely look from Nick with a face that says “do you know how big a road you need to do a three point turn in one of these”.
With the admin done it was time to head out of the city north to the aptly named Northland.
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