Prior to writing this entry, I went back and read several of my earliest entries leading up to our departure from Australia. I was brimming with enthusiasm and looking forward to the unknown challenges, both good and bad. I was optimistic about what potential adventures were in store for me and ready to embrace opportunities to go forward in my life, emotionally, physically and mentally. We have just passed the three month mark of our stay and I have got to say, all of those feelings and emotions I was experiencing prior to arriving in New Zealand are just as robust now if not more so. The transition period has been swift and full of activity yet nowhere near over. I can’t see this new environment ever becoming a staid and routine one, where everyday life takes over from the excitement of what each day is going to bring. Of course, not every day is full of vibrancy and awe with exuberance and happy smiles. Life is life after all. But there is no concern that things will grow old and comfortable because of the nature of what we are doing, who we are and where we are. Off the top of my head, here are a few of the big positives that keep me on this high:

We live in lovely cottage set in a beautiful location, summer is mild, the grass is green, crickets and cicadas chirp musically all day and night, the flowing stream near the house lulls me to sleep at night and wakes me gently in the morning, I work independently with the same goals at my colleagues, I can travel without having to reorganise my entire life, I have less reasons to be bound to the home on days off, I live less than 10 minutes to the Tasman Ocean with its beaches and rugged coastline, it rains, I get to go tramping regularly, we are saving lots of money so travel lots of travelling to do, our dogs are arriving next week from Australia, several family and friends are visiting us during the year beginning with my mum on Thursday!, I go to the gym every week and have lost almost 9kg since leaving Australia, I eat better and live healthier, we are off to the South Pacific island of Samoa next month, we have 5 chooks and to top it all off……….I feel great!

It's not how long you live, but how you live, that is the most important thing.

It is time to answer some frequent questions I have been getting so here are some specifics about our new work environment. For those not working in the zoo industry, some of these aspects may not mean anything at all. For fellow keepers, they may wet themselves with glee!
The Zoo – Hamilton Zoo is 14 hectares in size (approx 36 acres) compared to Adelaide Zoo's 8 hectares (approx 20 acres). It is situated amongst a low hilly area just outside of Hamilton, with room to grow and indeed already has a lot of land earmarked for future developments. It is a network of paths and boardwalks which criss cross through landscaped native forest and gardens, across lakes and through the biggest walk through bird aviary in the southern hemisphere - complete with waterfalls.

Browse – These are the trees and bushes that the animals eat and for keepers, good browse can be like gold to find. The zoo is so big that there are pockets of browse trees scattered around the zoo. This includes poplar, willow, paulownias, lucerne tree and mulberry. It is so easy to get enough browse, freshly picked, any time of the day. It’s such a luxury.

Again relating to the size of the zoo, we have gators and kobotas (two types of little buggies) with tray backs and trailers to zip around the zoo in. It’s great on a warm day to drive fast along the boundary roads to get a cool breeze blowing through your hair! It’s downright fun too!

The working roster is over a two week period. It is 3 days on, 2 off, 7 on, 2 off, then back to 3 on. If you don’t like the 7 days in a row, you can swap it with one of your other days off to break it up. Phil and I are both on the first roster I described, which is great for us as it allows us to go away for overnight trips on our time off. The hours are we start at 8am and finish at 5pm, with a morning and afternoon break and a lunch break. People tend to take a longer morning break or longer lunch and skip the afternoon break, which works really well. It is a very flexible working environment.

There is enough staff to cover all of the working areas each day, but we could always use more to allow for development and extra jobs that need doing. We have brief morning meetings each morning, just to get a feel for the big picture of the day ahead and sort out any extra jobs or issues that need to be dealt with. We have section meetings at least once a month, then all staff meetings every few months. Twice a year we have appraisals where we sit down with our supervisors and talk about our jobs, our roles, how we are doing and what do we want to achieve in the next 6/12/24 months. Our next one is in March and I am looking forward to that!

Please ask any questions you have about my New Zealand experience, as there is so much to tell I run the risk of boring you all to death. Better to be avoided, me thinks!

Never confuse motion with action. Benjamin Franklin