There is a shop located in the North Shore of Auckland called 'MyBreadMix. You can order online and let them send you a parcel (around $3.50/25kg when you are in Auckland up to $11 everywhere else) or pick up at their warehouse every Saturday during the Silverdale Farmers Market hours. They sell rye flour for ~$3/kg and wheat flour for ~$1/kg also premixes, spelt & durum flour, flakes, sourdough, malt and all the things you need to make additive free, fresh German bread (or Italian pizza base) at home. They also have many recipes on their website. The potato bread is great & easy (see picture ;))! www.mybreadmix.co.nz

As with any country, if you are considering where to live, it helps to have an idea of what natural hazards pose a risk to your new lifestyle. Here is a quick summary. EARTHQUAKE New Zealand is known as "The shaky isles" and is located on the Pacific "ring of fire". Major fault lines run the length of the country, and small localised faults may also cause damaging quakes. In the North Island, the high-risk zone includes Wellington, Wairarapa and the entire East Coast (Hawkes bay and Gisborne). Northland and Auckland are comparitively low-risk and the rest of the island is moderate risk. Bay of Plenty and the Central plateau have also been noted for having swarms of small earthquakes in...

New Plymouth has a small zoo in Pukekura Park, which is well worth the visit. I has an endangered red panda, oriental small-clawed otters, ring-tailed lemurs, tamarin monkeys, and a free-flight aviary.

While you are settling in why not have the relaxed lifestyle of a beach resort? The Nautilus Orewa is handy for the Auckland North Shore business districts and not too far from the central city. Check out www.thenautilus.co.nz It's neat and a great way to get the family loving their new location.

We can make quite a few sweeping generalisations about New Zealand houses: 1) A high proportion (by world standards) of New Zealanders own, or are buying, their own homes rather than renting accommodation. However, the pre-recession property boom put owning a house further beyond the reach of many people. 2) The majority of housing consists of detached houses on freehold sections. Inner-city apartment blocks are a relatively new phenomenon, with most being built in the 1990s. 3) New Zealand houses tend to be cold compared to those in Europe or America. Insulation did not become mandatory until 25 years ago (and then at a fairly low rating), and double glazing was a rarity, although it is now a requirement in colder...

Largo has been used by my wife's family for many years to buy the new used family car. We, too, have had good experiences with them: we got a good quality, serviced used car (10 years old), which Largo bought back from us (at a fair price) once we left the country during the oil shock of 2008 when we had difficulties offloading the old gas-guzzler. Friendly service, flexible on price, clean and serviced vehicles.

The old Auckland Art Gallery (1886) in Kitchener Street has always been one of my favourite places. Not only is the gallery itself lovely with its permanent exhibition on the ground floor and visiting exhibitions on the first floor, but it also had the most wonderful cafe with a huge terrace. So you can imagine I was a bit distressed to learn it would be closed (along with the beloved cafe) for a massive renovation and extension. 'Don't ruin it!' I wailed but I needn't have worried. I've just been taking a look through the plans: http://www.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/gallery2010/design/default.asp and it really looks great. The gallery was always cut off from its wonderful Albert Park surroundings so the idea to open it out...