Major shopping trips today as we race around looking for something to sleep on and cook with!

The white goods (Fridge/freezers, washing machines, microwaves, etc) are REALLY expensive for what they are. It’s no wonder the Kiwis mend and make do. Luckily MrRentals came up trumps with a fridge and a washing machine rental for about £10 a week – bargain! We’re going to have to look at buying some stuff back in the UK and putting it in the self-storage for bringing over if we get to stay.

The bed prices are on a par with the UK, but as we were passing a secondhand shop, we thought we’d have a look and picked up an almost brand new bed from a house clearance (the credit crunch hits families over here too) – another bargain! Mind you, the Kiwis seem to love their LARGE beds………….

Rather than spend out and replace everything we have in store back in the UK, we’ve been trawling the Kiwi equivalent of the Poundshops to keep us going for the next few months. Cathy also said that the landlords don’t mind if we store stuff in the house, so we don’t even have to trip over it back in the hotel in Wellington.