Florida

[ArthurWood]

Re: Political climate

Greetings Chippie. Re: Dubya - he has the highest approval rating of any president in recent history and in a survey I saw the other day, he is the US's most admired person. Says a lot, doesn't it! However, although a large majority support his plans to attack Iraq, a similar-sized majority say he should not go it alone. TV discussion progs, of which there are few good ones, do have a fair number of dissenters who question the Administration's foreign policies and in particular ask for evidence of Iraq's WMD programs. Whichever way you look at it, his bombast has stirred up a hornets' nest around the world.

 

[Chris771]

Re: Political climate

#I spent a few years living in New Plymouth during the mid 80's. Lovely place, NP is in the shadow of Mount Taranaki (near perfect volcanic cone very similar to Mount Fuji) halfway up the rainier West Coast of North Island.

Certainly felt a few degrees warmer than UK to me, though South Island does get cold in winter. In NP never needed to put anti freeze in the car. One of the few places where you could go skiing up the mountain in the morning, sailing or scuba diving in the afternoon and drink some reasonable beer in the evenings. Also found the scenery around the Marlborough Sounds at the north end of South Island to be most beautiful. The long rias give good sheltered boating waters, though it does get quite windy around Wellington and the Cook Strait can be quite boisterous, especially in winter. Whilst the waters are a bit cool needing a 5 or 6 mm wetsuit being down around 18 to 22 C around southern North Island, one is rewarded with plenty of crayfish, though there is a limit of six per diver. Up North around the Bay of Islands the diving is much warmer and the Poor Knights are a Marine Reserve of Worldwide renown.

Auckland and the Hauraki Gulf are probably the most famous NZ boating waters, though Tasman Bay and the sounds at the top of South Island can be really nice in summer.

When doing the tourist bit Milford Sound and Mitre peak at the southwest corner of South Island are breathtaking if you can find a dry day to see the peak. It is the rainiest place in NZ with about 300 days per year. I was lucky - spent three days there and the sun came out on the last afternoon just before I set off on the long drive back through the mountain wilderness to Invercargill. Once across the mountains and past Te Anau it it was really warm and sunny and the lake was beautiful, so I just slept the night in the car. Aotearoa does it for me!

If the Maui offshore gasfield could have kept me employed full time I would still be there. Having also worked in Aussie I did find most Kiwis to be much friendlier to Brits than the average Aussie.

As it is, I am now buying an apartment in Paphos, Cyprus. Good boating diving and about 300 days of sun with reasonable cost of living and mostly nice people. Waters are warm and crystal clear for ideal diving, though rather few fish (eaten them all?). Apartment running costs are forecast to come in at less then £CY 1000 per year.


Chris

 

[chippie]

Re: Political climate

I'm glad you enjoyed your time here, I was being a little bit facetious about the similarity of Britain's climate to ours.
The Maui gas field is expected to run out within the next 10 years, so there will be a winding down of natural gas usage to some extent as the newer fields are nowhere as big as Maui.
The coast from the Hauraki Gulf northwards is the area I know best and are great cruising grounds up to and past the Bay of Islands.
The Milford Sounds and the high rainfall are only about 50 miles in a straight line from the area of the least rainfall but of course there is a mountain range between them.
I think you are right about the way the Kiwis are friendlier to the Poms than the Aussies are, When I worked in Queensland the Aussies referred to me as a south seas pom. My reply was always that they were a bunch of convicts and we were the youngest sons of the aristocracy. Not true really but it used to shut them up.
It sounds like you have a good setup in Cyprus, and at the right price, I have some shares in a company that operates there but dont know much about it really.
Maybe you'll get a chance to visit here again, the pound goes a long way.

Cheers

 

[Chris771]

Re: Political climate

Hi Chippie

G'day mate, now's my opportunity to start WW3 and say that well balanced Ockers have an equal chip on each shoulder, takes their minds off the sores on the ankles.

No......give me K 1 W any day and you brew proper beer too, the south seas poms went there because they wanted to! Your wine is pretty good too.

Chris