Moving On

I arrived in New Zealand on the 20-something’th of January in 2011. I arrived not knowing anyone, with only my sister – Robyn – to keep me company. What followed was a stress-fuelled 3-month tour of New Zealand’s North Island as we scrounged around for a job. Eventually we landed in Napier, managing to both get work here.

After a year, Robyn couldn’t get her work visa renewed and made the decision to go back to South Africa. I was able to stay, and so I did. Over the last almost-10 years, New Zealand became my home. I visited South Africa a few times, but always came back home. I met my wife here, bought two houses, made life-long friends, and even had a cat for 9 years. Napier was home, although my accent would beg to differ.

And now…
Well practically 10 years to the day, it’s time to move on. You see, Simone and I have made the decision to move to Melbourne, Australia. And we’re officially leaving on the 15th of January 2021. What will we discover there, no one knows. All I know is that this is our next adventure. Apartment, big city living, and everything that comes with. Not having to travel to see bands, when they become a thing again. All this and more to look forward to!

Luckily, we visited Melbourne last year, going over to see one of our friends who had moved the year before. Spending a week exploring the city, eating the yummy food, getting to grips with the trains… I am glad I did it. It means this move is not such a big deal. Well, it’s a big deal, but it’s less of a big deal compared to New Zealand. Simone has a job to go to, and I am trying to organise some interviews before I go. Although the thought of becoming a house-hubby for a few months does sound appealing…

And now the packing begins. The organising, the cleaning, the selling. All the madness that goes with the “holy crap this is real” moment. In what is a monumental move for me, I have not decided to bring my PC with me. You may shrug and say, “so what”, but I’ll kindly remind you that my entire PC was packed up and shipped over from South Africa back in 2011… And while it’s been upgraded and replaced completely over the years, it’s still my PC.

This will take the most getting used to – not the new country, the weird accents, or the deadly local wildlife. The no-computer part. But isn’t that what new adventures are for? Pushing you out of your comfort zone and forcing you to adapt. Adapt and overcome. Plus, it’s not like I am going into the deepest darkest jungles of Africa!

So yeah… At the end of 10 years in New Zealand, with 4 of those being a real kiwi, it’s time for the next adventure. We’re getting ourselves ready, we’re organising friends, family, rentals, insurance… And we’re selling almost everything we own. We want to live as minimally as possible and become more intentional with our time, attention, and lives. This will be the perfect opportunity to explore that. You wouldn’t be amiss to expect more blog posts about this journey too.

Right, so do you know anyone that wants to buy a gaming computer? Mates rates, I promise!