Features

Impressions of the Land of the Long White Cloud...

First Impressions: "Far from being the 'England on the other side of the world' I'd been led to expect, the wooden houses and wide tree lined asphalt streets of Auckland's suburbs reminded me of the small-town America I had seen on my trips to Virginia. However, the tall palms and pohutukawa trees, the voices of the locals and the cars driving on the left all made it clear that New Zealand was very different and very not-anywhere-else." bignoseduglyguy arrives in the Antipodes on a pre-emigration recce...
Maternity services: "Maternity services in NZ are a bit different from those in the UK. Most women are cared for by midwives throughout their pregnancy, birth and post-natal care. Midwives in NZ do all the stuff that GPs do in the UK, ie prescribe medication, refer you to a radiologist for scans, take blood samples etc. Very few GPs attend births any more." Kez in New Zealand gives some useful information about maternity there.