Memories.....

It goes without saying how much I miss my family and friends; hence they are not discussed here. It is a little debilitating not being able to dash up to see my family for a few days at short notice or to be able to call friends to spontaneously invite them over to dinner that night. It’s a different world for me here. Despite those two mammoth elements that I miss in my new life here, it has become apparent that there are several more and I realise what an important part of my life they were. The fact that I miss these physical elements of living in Australia is by no way intended as a criticism or disrespectful in any way of what I do have here in New Zealand. I love it here and wouldn’t want to change anything. These ramblings are solely about what I miss about Australia, not what I think would improve my experience here.

Horizons and a sense of space. A bit hard when there are hills and mountains all around even though they are still really beautiful hills and mountains, every time I get to a place where I can see for miles, something becomes really familiar and comfortable.

The colours. Everything is green over here, bright green, which again is really beautiful, but I do miss the contrasts of the dry earth with the grey green gum leaves and their mottled trunks, the dark green of the Australian bush and the blue sky which over sees it all.

Birds. There are only 51 species of birds found in NZ, 37of them introduced such as sparrows, starling, blackbirds etc. There are no huge flocks of colourful parrots or cockatoos screeching overhead, nor vibrant finches darting through the undergrowth or wrens with shimmering blue and melodic warbles. None of the avian colour and vibrancy which we take for granted in Australia brings the New Zealand landscape to life in the same way.

Mammals. Prior to humans arriving, NZ was largely uninhabited by mammals apart from a few bats and marine species. Since the arrival of humans however, there has been a large number of species successfully introduced including pigs and rats right through to mountain goats, hedgehogs, stoats, cats and foxes. A lot of these animals go unseen except for the dead possums and hedgehogs added to the road sides each morning. Driving through beautiful countryside and spotting sheep and cows doesn’t quite make a good wildlife spotting experience. Coming from our farm in Rockleigh we had a host of bats, kangaroos, wallaroos, possums, echidnas and even a few wombats. Not a day would go by without something hopping past the window, or racing alongside the the car down the dirt road to the freeway. I realise now, one of life’s simple pleasures.

Reptiles. As with birds and mammals, NZ has a tiny number of species compared to Australia. There are no big sleepy lizards, blue tongue lizards or bearded dragons to dodge on the roads, no 3 metre long deadly snakes relaxing on the doorstep and no startled lizards scurrying in every direction in the gardens.

And finally - Pub meals with snitzel nights, homemade burgers and crispy chips served with seasonal vegies which all taste the same as they are drowned in a white sauce.

But remember, things are never better or worse, just different!

Expect nothing, live frugally on surprise.