The truth about banking

After comments of some people that the web log hasn’t been updated for THREE WHOLE DAYS already!!! ;-) we feel obliged to fulfill this craving need, so here’s another update :-)

The past few days we have tried to get rid of our jet lag. We’re on our way but not completely there yet. We have to convince our bodies that night and day have been swapped over. We’ll just have to keep on trying.

Erwin is chatting away trying to catch up for lost time with his father, and Emma is still too drowsy to try to drive on the left side of the road. Tomorrow she’ll try to hold the steering wheel in her own hands.

Our first exploration into the world of NZ has started. We have been visiting some banks to be informed about the local banking system. With most banks you have to pay a fee just to have an account there. For Dutchies like us that is a pretty strange concept. In Holland you don’t have to pay anything for having an account or for ATM transactions. You do have to pay a yearly fee though for having an ATM card, and since everybody has one, you could consider that as a standard fee for the account itself. Anyway, here in NZ you have to pay a fee for having an account, and most banks charge a small fee for every transaction as well. Those small fees can add up very quickly, so it is really worthwhile to shop around to find out the differences between banks and choose the one that is most suitable for the way you are going to use your account.

To celebrate Erwin’s birthday we’ll have a drive through the countryside tomorrow, so we can enjoy the view. His birthday is on Sunday actually, but the weather is supposed to be bad at that time so we'll just celebrate early :-)