Our year abroad started in China and finished in Australia. In between we spent most of our time living and working in Wellington, the City at the Heart of the Edge of the World and the capital of New Zealand. Having written our last post from New Zealand we've now returned to our previous address in Chesterfield (near Sheffield, in the Midlands) where we've found that some things have changed, and some things never change. For all intents and purposes Project Koru has run its course, although we would like to think the essence of our experience will endure.
Continue reading 'Back in Britain'
Author archive for Bruce + Simone
We've left Wellington and will shortly leave New Zealand and begin our journey back to the UK via Australia. Project Koru, our "year out" from life in the UK, has essentially run its course.
Continue reading 'Last post from New Zealand'
Although we had pre-arranged accommodation in Wellington for the first month, we almost immediately began the search for a place to stay in the longer-term. We used the Internet to look into a number of options prior to departing the UK, and had decided that renting was the most feasible and the most comfortable proposition. Finding a place thus meant having feet on the ground, and the urgency of success was dictated more by Simone's impending full-time work commitment than anything else. Here we share a few insights into the process of finding a rental property.
Continue reading 'A place to live in Wellington'
Moving your life? The whole idea of packing for a year abroad is daunting: where do you start? How do you overcome personal baggage allowance restrictions when three pairs of your favourite underpants won't last a year? What is involved in sending baggage unaccompanied? How do you minimize the chances of things going wrong? Allow us to share our experience.
We've just seen the back end of our first month in Wellington. The city already feels "comfortable" and we are confident we'll enjoy our time here. Not everything has gone exactly according to plan (does it ever?), but then there have been no major upsets either. Our biggest initial hurdles were around interim accommodation and parking while we sought somewhere to live in the longer term. If you're planning a similar adventure and need short-term accommodation and parking, we suggest you book (week-by-week) into a motel.
Continue reading 'Recapping our first month in NZ'
We travelled to China in Sep/Oct 2006 with CTS Horizons. The first part of our itinerary focused on China's waterways and gardens. The second part of our itinerary focused on China's history and ancient capital. This third part of our itinerary focused on China's natural scenery, taking in the Yangtze and Li rivers before concluding in the rather unnatural glass and concrete cacophony that is Hong Kong.
Continue reading 'China's natural scenery'
