ok, from now on in nothing much interesting uis going to happen.
first will update you on our where abouts.

you know that place ccalled kiwi house i mentioned? well thats where i am at the moment and where we're going to be staying for at least the next week if not until we leave (which hopefully will be at the end of november as we plan to go travelling again and see all the bits we missed) if you want the adress email me and i'll tell you.
(just in case anyone wants to send me anything: though not bannana leaves as it won't get through customs)
it does have a landline phone but i can't remember the number. i do however have a mobile number, which i can also email to folks. (btw its cheeper for me to txt from out here back home than it was in england) we moved in on wednesday, and unpacked!! yes we are no longer living out of ruksacs. we're living out of plastic boxes instead.
some people don't stay long (a night or two) but the longer you stay the cheeper it is. at the moment as we only booked 2 weeks we're paying $13 a night (bout 4-5 pounds) but if we stay more than 4 weeks it will be about 10 a night (3pounds) the longer you stay the better it is also because you get to know more people and it feels more like home. in our dorm there are four other more permant stayers. Bronwhin from austrailia, sebestian from france, a belgium who's name i can't pronounce let alone spell, and a korain and a german who's names i have yet to learn. they're all nice people, so don't worry.

the past week has somehow filled itself with many trips to the library (we're thinking of takin up resisdence there we go so much) visiting job agencys in scary tall shiny buildings with lifts, and wandering around the streets looking for help wanted signs in shop windows. (emma walks down one side, i walk down the other and we meet at the end to compare notes) at 11 we're going to kiwi bank to set up our accounts. i've just finished phoneing round a bunch of cafes and bars who had advertised in the newspaper. the only one who sounded more hopfull than the rest was washing up at the arport which really doesn't sound as bad as all that.

we have done some touristy things. we took the tram on thrusday and also visited the fudge shop and took the tour of the kitchen. the smell down there was delicous. as were the piles of free samples they gave out.

yesterday we went to ann bell's for tea. ann is my great aunts pen friend of over 50 years and her daughter is called jennie. jennie picked us up and drove us out to ashburton. they're both completely lovely.

that morning we experienced being the newbies at church. kinda nervwracking but really exciting at hesame time. church was called solid rock (or rock solid can't remember which) and was at a school hall down the road from us. i only recognised about one of the songs but was great all the same. a little like soul survivor big top only without mike pilavachi and a lot lot smaller. everyone said hello and they even pointed us out during the noices. met some great people, one called emma, the others i don't recall at the present moment, but emma is 17 and at nanny coledge staying in a christian flat. we're all gonna meet up at some point. i love being in church, even though you've never met you all instantly have one thing in common.
over and out!