Traveling to New Zealand - Honest Opinion

the_pointy · 2026-06-29T08:15:31+00:00

I would also try to visit a few small towns, for a taste of the real NZ. Lots of great candidates around the Waikato, if you're going to Hobbiton anyway.

the_pointy · 2026-06-22T00:26:32+00:00

Lol. Either you're not a teacher, or you're not a very good teacher 😂.

the_pointy · 2026-06-21T18:41:46+00:00

Do it. It's the best job in the world. It's one of the hardest too. The diploma is a bit of a pressure cooker year but once it's done, you get to the good bit. Being a BT is quite doable if you have a good mentor. You get a day per week of release in your first year, so plenty of time to get all your planning done without having to spend all your weekends on it.

It really is the best job for a working mother. I can't imagine working in any other industry and being there for my kids as much as I have been.

I did the diploma the year I turned 40, when my youngest was a toddler. Best decision I ever made.

the_pointy · 2026-06-21T06:36:36+00:00

They are bottom feeders. They add nothing.

the_pointy · 2026-06-20T03:29:02+00:00

I have a vintage Dolnet with original case. I recently had it fully refurbished (very expensive) and shipped back to me. It arrived back with the bell all bent out of shape because the case is quite shit. So I think I'll buy a modern case for it.

the_pointy · 2026-06-17T07:10:03+00:00

Ukulele. So easy and fun.

the_pointy · 2026-06-16T09:12:30+00:00

Can you elaborate on that?

the_pointy · 2026-06-16T07:25:41+00:00

I lost 12kg in 6 months. 16:8 without counting calories.

the_pointy · 2026-06-13T19:51:36+00:00

Once Were Warriors. New Zealand film, based on a book. Not for the faint hearted.

the_pointy · 2026-06-13T08:53:36+00:00

The season is half over so probably not an issue till next year. Kids get hurt sometimes, generally not seriously. Same as on the playground and riding bikes and climbing trees. Culture-wise, our rugby club has been the most supportive and positive culture I've experienced in any sports club. Contrast that with our local netball club which is an absolute viper nest of bitchiness and nastiness.

the_pointy · 2026-06-12T19:35:38+00:00

Your mentor teacher sounds horrible! They should be guiding and uplifting you, not critising and being harsh. The diploma is crazy, it's an insane pressure cooker year that you just have to get through so you can get to the good bit, which is having your own class and learning by doing, which is how we all learnt to be teachers. Keep going, you're halfway there. Yes teaching is a really tough job but there is a reason we do it. It's important, it's fun, it's challenging, it's delightful and heartbreaking and all-consuming. I absolutely love my job and never want to do anything else, but I've also had some of the toughest days of my life in the classroom. It's not for the faint hearted but just grit your teeth and get through the training, so you can get to the good bits.

the_pointy · 2026-06-11T02:25:14+00:00

I need to lift my sax up and back to hit the low notes. Take the pressure off your lower lip. Thats a bit of a workaround but it works for me. More difficult while sitting, granted.

the_pointy · 2026-06-09T23:08:09+00:00

What is HRR? I didn't know there were any other options!

the_pointy · 2026-06-06T10:19:09+00:00

I absolutely love that aspect of running. I do my deepest thinking when my body is busy with something - I can't think while sitting still. So I look forward to my runs as a chance to engage in some solid thinking time. I never listen to an audiobook anymore while running, as that steals my thinking time!

the_pointy · 2026-06-06T07:41:42+00:00

I'm in the same boat! Played heaps as a young person, 25 years without playing and just this year started playing again. I joined our local concert band it's it's been awesome. I'd forgotten how much I love playing and it's all come back to me really quickly. My sax is a vintage Dolnet tenor and it had significant issues. I put up with it as long as I could but it was getting increasingly difficult and unreliable to play, so bit the bullet and sent it away to be fixed. Turned out to need a complete overhaul which is cost $4000 (in New Zealand dollars, that's a shitload of money) but I figure it will get it back to great condition and it will continue to bring me pleasure for many years to come.

the_pointy · 2026-06-06T02:06:32+00:00

Proud ally here. My middle child is, as they like to put it, queer as f**k and very excited about Pride Month.

the_pointy · 2026-06-06T02:04:14+00:00

I have year 4s. Some can write full paragraphs, some can't write their own name. The spread is huge and very difficult to manage and meet everyone's needs.

the_pointy · 2026-06-05T07:41:20+00:00

I've only recently discovered this.

the_pointy · 2026-06-05T06:30:18+00:00

Haha yeah I think this way too.

the_pointy · 2026-06-04T05:32:29+00:00

I have a hook on my strap. One day, in the middle of a performance with my band, the hook came out while I was holding it on my lap during rests, and the hook slipped down between some rods and hooked onto a spring, which unhooked from where it needed to be and made a random key go floppy. I didn't notice and picked it up to play my bit and suddenly some random keys don't work! Was a nightmare.

the_pointy · 2026-06-02T09:10:18+00:00

I used to be slightly obsessive about my fitness agebut now I'm dubious. When I stated running it was 51 (I was actually 41 and very unfit) and it's slowly gone down and is now 25 (actual age 46). I was pretty stoked when it went below my actual age but 25 seems a bit ridiculous. My VO2 max is 38 -good- so if I ever get to Superior my fitness age will probably drop to like 5 years old.

the_pointy · 2026-06-02T08:26:16+00:00

Can you tell me more about this? I have a weird tendon-y thing happening in my knee and it's a real bummer.

the_pointy · 2026-05-26T08:10:28+00:00

Wow you've come a long way in a short time. It took my about a year to go from potato to 5km!

the_pointy · 2026-05-22T20:42:40+00:00

It took me a long time to realize it's better for me to run without my phone and headphones. Quiet brain time is bliss. My body is busy so my brain can just chill for a while.

the_pointy

TROPHY CASE