Wellington - what I wouldn't miss.....
It has been nearly a year since I started this blog and one of my first posts was about the drawbacks and benefits of London - the things I would miss and those that I wouldn't. Well having formally lived in Wellington since February here are my musings about what I wouldn't miss if I were to move away.....
1) Earthquake risk.
Most of NZ is on a major fault line. Wellingon is slap bang in the middle of a major fault line. Earthquakely wobbles are a regular event in Wellington and most topics of conversation come round to "we are due a big one". This totally freaks me out. I've moved from a city with high crime, terrorist threats and nor many natural disasters to a location that could be hit by a big eathquake or a tsunami. This frightens me but I have to learn to live with it. I've swapped one set of risks for another?
2) Windy weather
Boy is Wellington windy. When a southerly hits you really know about it. My sister in Hampshire called to tell me they had 40 mile an hour winds. 90 mile an hour winds are often recorded in Wellington. It helps if you have insulated houses and a strong tolerance to storm noise.
3) Friends
It takes a while to build "history" with new friends. We are certainly meeting some lovely people and a network and social life is evolving. We do miss our friends back in the UK, I've had some moments of real sadness this winter when I think about how much I miss my pals. Still, thanks to communication today I do feel I'm keeping mostly up to date with them. Its still not the same as putting the world right over a glass of wine with my wonderful pals though. I miss you all loads.
4) Indoor options for kids entertainment
Wellington has lots to do that is inside. Loads of galleries, cafes, cinemas and theatres but I really feel it is lacking in things to do indoors with kids. Te Papa, the museum, is wonderful but how often can you really go? I always felt in London there was plenty of low cost (and free) options for kids when you needed to escape the weather. For example in central Wellington there is only one soft play. Just a few moments from my house in London there were three. Is this a business opportunity I wonder?
5) Goat tracks
Otherwise known as Wellington roads and pathways!! Wellington is seriously hilly, while this means some wonderful views it also means getting to places up some very hilly (read scary) roads and pathways. Listen I learned to drive in Cambridge which is as flat as a pancake, I then mostly drove in London and the south where hills are rolling and gentle. These Wellington hills are still freaking me out six months down the line. I know I'll get used to them, I have no choice, but would I miss them? No I don't think I would.
1) Earthquake risk.
Most of NZ is on a major fault line. Wellingon is slap bang in the middle of a major fault line. Earthquakely wobbles are a regular event in Wellington and most topics of conversation come round to "we are due a big one". This totally freaks me out. I've moved from a city with high crime, terrorist threats and nor many natural disasters to a location that could be hit by a big eathquake or a tsunami. This frightens me but I have to learn to live with it. I've swapped one set of risks for another?
2) Windy weather
Boy is Wellington windy. When a southerly hits you really know about it. My sister in Hampshire called to tell me they had 40 mile an hour winds. 90 mile an hour winds are often recorded in Wellington. It helps if you have insulated houses and a strong tolerance to storm noise.
3) Friends
It takes a while to build "history" with new friends. We are certainly meeting some lovely people and a network and social life is evolving. We do miss our friends back in the UK, I've had some moments of real sadness this winter when I think about how much I miss my pals. Still, thanks to communication today I do feel I'm keeping mostly up to date with them. Its still not the same as putting the world right over a glass of wine with my wonderful pals though. I miss you all loads.
4) Indoor options for kids entertainment
Wellington has lots to do that is inside. Loads of galleries, cafes, cinemas and theatres but I really feel it is lacking in things to do indoors with kids. Te Papa, the museum, is wonderful but how often can you really go? I always felt in London there was plenty of low cost (and free) options for kids when you needed to escape the weather. For example in central Wellington there is only one soft play. Just a few moments from my house in London there were three. Is this a business opportunity I wonder?
5) Goat tracks
Otherwise known as Wellington roads and pathways!! Wellington is seriously hilly, while this means some wonderful views it also means getting to places up some very hilly (read scary) roads and pathways. Listen I learned to drive in Cambridge which is as flat as a pancake, I then mostly drove in London and the south where hills are rolling and gentle. These Wellington hills are still freaking me out six months down the line. I know I'll get used to them, I have no choice, but would I miss them? No I don't think I would.
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