New house!

Yippee!

I have a house to live in this winter! While I have had no issue finding a place to live in all sorts of countries, my home one seems to be the most challenging.

View from the top Curvey Basin. The Remarkables, Queenstown.

NZSki (the company I work for) doesn't provide staff accommodation and it is extremely difficult to find semi-decent, not-extortionately-priced housing in Queenstown.

The Remarkables. Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown. 

Last year I lived in an ex-motel unit with 3 other girls. This place was tiny. I was sharing a room with another person as well as another room... Let me explain that. My bedroom was the front room that you walked into so it was a lounge-dining-bedroom. The kitchen was probably about the same size as a ship's galley but worse. We had, between 4 of us; a microwave from 1992 (a guess but probably not far off), two electric elements, a bar fridge, 3 cupboards and a sink. Maybe that sounds generous... It wasn't.

Lake Wakatipu. Weather station, The Remarkables, Queenstown.

Queenstown is the most popular tourist town in New Zealand. With that comes a huge turn-over of international travellers on working holiday visas each season. At the start of each summer and winter there is a demand for housing that is insatiable - many people end up leaving.

From the sky. Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown. 

Luckily! We have found a house to live in with only semi-extortionate rent! With proper bedrooms, an actual kitchen (what! an oven!), a dining room (now we're getting fancy) and a lounge, I'm willing to pay the price.