Well hello there!

Welcome to this blog.  Don't ask me why I chose the name "The Gecko's Nest".  I wanted something different and quirky and fun (and of course something that was actually available).  Welcome, come in, make yourself at home.  Nice to meet you!


I've decided to take this blog off the shelf, dust it off and resurrect it.  A while ago I started and didn't get very far, so cleared it all and started again. 


Why? you may ask.  Well, I belong to some Facebook groups and some of those are specifically for a group of people interested in moving to New Zealand.  I see a lot of questions coming up and thought I might offer a value-added service by sharing some settlement information and there were some who showed a genuine interest so I will proceed with this.  But before I go on, I want to clarify a few things:

• This is not an immigration advice blog.  I am not licensed to provide this advice and won't encourage questions about this.  The only thing I can say is read the Immigration website.  Use that as your starting point.  It is really useful and tells you everything you would like to know.  The only people who are able to provide advice are licensed advisors and Immigration.  That's it.  You can opt to do your process yourself, but if you choose to use an immigration adviser, make sure they are licensed. 
• This blog is purely about settlement.  So will mostly deal with the logistical side of things.  There was a request also for the emotional well-being side and I can see how I can look to incorporate this, but initially this will be about what you need to know about moving here.  Things like how rental homes work and what are the typical expenses and so on. 
• This blog is not about who is right and who is wrong.  Which place in New Zealand is good and which place is bad.  It will share experiences (my own and then I will have some guest blog entries too).  Please keep in mind that each person's experiences are their own.  We will not criticise each other when their experiences might not be the same as others.
• I will not allow any political, hate or racist comments.  This is not a forum to share how bad things may be in South Africa or to criticise those who made the decision to move to another country.  This blog does not support any particular political party.  Again, we all have different reasons for making the decision and one person's reason might very well be quite different to yours.  For this reason I will moderate comments in the hope to keep this a positive place.
• Keep an open mind.  Take to heart what is relevant or important to you and ignore the rest.  Honestly, the information in this blog may not be what you are looking for and that is fine.  You are not forced to apply this to your own life or your own situation.

And that's it.  I will also create a website that will be linked to this blog.  I hope that through that website it will become a hub - a one stop place for people to easily find what they are looking for.  A place where I might be able to add the emotional support side of things - where people need a friendly face to meet them at the airport or to offer a room for a night or two or some regular catch-ups.  That sort of thing.  Let's see how it develops.


I will have an email address available and I hope that you will email through your stories and relevant information to help make this site an amazing place for others.  I can only share my own experiences, but with your help we could make the view a little bit broader and that might suit a wider audience.


I hope to hear from you soon! :-)  Leave me a comment and introduce yourself :-)