I am a PE girl born and bred! I completed my education at, firstly, Erica Girls' Primary School and then went on to Victoria Park High School, finishing matric in 1970. After school I spent a year at the Russell Road Tech completing a secretarial course. I worked for various firms including GJ van der Linde, Vogel & Kemp (solicitors) and PE Municipality. In 1976 I went over to Australia where I did quite a bit of travelling and returned to PE 14 months later. I then worked at Colonial Mutual Insurance and later at Ellerman & Bucknall. In 1980 I moved to Cape Town where I worked for a year and then in May 1981 I left South Africa bound for a holiday in New Zealand, where I was to meet up with Chris Powell whom I'd met on the prom in PE in 1974!

Of course, my timing couldn't have been worse, as the Boks came out to NZ just after that and the "dreaded" tour followed, where flour bombs were dropped from planes whilst the game between the All Blacks & Boks played, plus there were so many protestors against the tour - you didn't want it known that you were a South African!

But, hey, 27 ½ yrs later - and I'm still here! I married Chris and we have two beautiful daughters - Hayley (nearly 23yrs) and Ashleigh (20yrs). Hayley has actually been living in Brisbane for 2 ½ yrs where she worked for American Express as a corporate travel consultant. She is coming home for this Christmas and will then apply for a visa for the UK - so she will be off on her big OE! Ashleigh is also in the travel industry - she works as a consultant at our local Information Centre where her duties are various - from booking trips around NZ to helping visitors with information on our area. I have been working in a school office for the past 14½ yrs whilst Chris is a foreman/mechanic at our local Holden/Toyota outlet.

New Zealand has the most exquisite scenery! From our home in Otorohanga we have a beautiful view of hills, farmland and especially of Mt Ruapehu in the distance when snow has fallen. It doesn't actually snow in Otorohanga but it does get very cold. We have a fire going all day every day during winter. When the day starts off with a frost, it fines up into a gorgeous sunny winter's day. On the other hand, when it rains it's very dismal. I still haven't got used to the winters here!

But the positives far outweigh the negatives, for instance, here in Otorohanga we don't have burglar-bars on our windows, no high fences surrounding our property, and sometimes when I'm popping downtown for a short period, I don't even lock the house! The children are able to play quite happily outside on the lawn, ride their bicycles on the road, walk downtown or to the netball courts without any fear of being abducted. On an average I pay NZ$15 for a visit to the doctor and any check-ups at a hospital which have been referred by the doctor are free of charge. If you use a public hospital you don't have to pay, although there is quite a long waiting list for operations, so if you choose to go private then you pay.

Our area is quite a tourist attraction as not only do we have a kiwi-house, but we have the famous Waitomo Caves nearby. Therefore most of the tourist buses stop in Otorohanga for lunch or morning/afternoon tea on their way from/to Auckland, which is 2 ½ hrs north. This is a pretty small town (approx 3000 inhabitants) so it was a major culture shock for me coming from PE! It does have its advantages and disadvantages - when you telephone to make an appointment they know exactly who they're talking to, but on the other hand everyone knows what happens around town!

Over on the east coast there are some beautiful beaches with golden sand (the west coast has black sand!). We have a house in Whangamata which reminds me of Jeffreys Bay - it's a good surfing spot and has surf shops, cafes and bars. This house is rented out fulltime (unfortunately!) and is our investment for the future. Chris' mum and other family members live there permanently, so most long weekends and Christmases we go to Whangamata.

I do miss my very good friends who are still in South Africa. I often wish I could just pop in for a chat over a glass of wine! I feel you never make those same friends when you can say, "Remember when …?". I long for the day that they are able to visit me in Otorohanga!

If anyone would like to contact me, please email me on c.s.powells@paradise.net.nz. I'd love to hear from you!