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That's It - I've Had Enough !

moondog

By moondog
in The Astro Lounge

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moondog

moondog

Posted
Posted

No ! – not astronomy – Work !

After over 34 years with the same company I finally had my retirement do last week.

I was looking forward to a chance to relax, but we’ve just got residency in New Zealand, and accepted an offer on the house. So, if it all goes through we’ll be packing up – scopes and all, and heading to the other side of the world sometime before Christmas.

We plan to build a house – which will naturally include a small observatory, when we arrive there.

When I was in New Zealand this February I picked up a copy of the NZ Astronomical Yearbook.

I liked the quote in the Yearbook :- ‘New Zealand is known as Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud. But when the cloud clears at night the sky offers some of the best stargazing opportunities in the world’. Perhaps a bit over the top but I can vouch that the skies are pretty good.

I still intend to retain SGL membership (of course!) and hopefully will join the Aussie members in posting reports and images from the Southern Hemisphere. I was just getting to know our skies, but I’ll have to start all over again – I can’t wait!

MD

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prasadka

prasadka

Posted
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Hi

I am probably too young to even be talking about any form of retirement, but surely, one day I would like to move back to India and build my observatory there.

The weather there is much more stable than here and some of the skies are very dark and full of stars. Well, some day..!

Anyway, for the moment, enjoy your retirement and good luck on the move.

Regards,

Prasad

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barkis

barkis

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May I wish you a very happy and active retirement MD. It is a surprisng fact, when you have been retired for a while, you start to wonder how on earth you ever found time to go to work at all.

You have obviously researched moving to the other side of our planet, and I have no doubt you will grow to love New Zealand, and as you said we, when talking about building a house, I guess it was a mutual decision to go therefore theres no reason for regret.

You will keep in touch when you are well and truly entrenched in your new homeland.

Very best wishes.

Ron.

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prasadka

prasadka

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Ah.. yes.. since you can't see the "north" star in the southern hemisphere.I've heard something called Sigma Octans that gets used for polar alignment.. right??

I am told that even in India, polaris is a little low in the sky, close to the horizon. It will be interesting to see it when I go to India next.

Cheers,

Prasad

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moondog

moondog

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Thanks for the comments - it's a big move for us, but we'll be joining our daughter who's already in NZ

Both scopes will work fine, the Celestron has GPS and I've upgraded the hand control to Sky Align.

The HEQ5 has a polar scope with a constellation line up for the Southern Pole, so SynScan will work.

I intend put the HEQ5 on a permanent pier, and I have an illuminated reticle EP to set up using drift alignment. Where I'm going the skies are pretty dark and very clear, so I'm hoping to do much more astronomy - and the main thing is -

I don't have to get up in the morning for work !

8)

MD

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Rob

Rob

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Good Man. Congrats to you on that MD (you lucky dog comes to mind ;)). The family and I have also been batting around New Zealand for some years now. My Sister lives in New York, so there is a possibility of the US also!. All I know is I'll be doing the same at retirement... mind you I have another 15 / 20 years yet!.

I do like to plan though!

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Vega

Vega

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Congrats and enjoy your retirement. Although us Northern sky dwellers hate to admit it... the Southern sky is easily the best. I'm sure you'll be taking full advantage of those wonderful constellations. Scorpius & Sagittarius nice and high... oh I must stop thinking about it. They even seem to get the better deal on Comets ! ;)

Best of luck

Vega

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mpeniak

mpeniak

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Did you leave to New Zealand from UK please? My and my girlfriend are studying at Plymouth but after we finish we plan to go to New Zealand too. I thought you might help me and give my some useful info about getting there.

Regards

Martin ;)

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philsail1

philsail1

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Conratulations on your retirement MD! - and good luck with your move. (I've often heard it said by "retired" people that "now I am retired, I don't know how I found time for work!" ). Hope you have plenty of time to enjoy your hobby, and your family.

Best wishes,

Phil Edwards (Philsail1)

North Wales.

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moondog

moondog

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I thought you might help me and give my some useful info about getting there.

Martin

Yes we will be going from UK to New Zealand. My wife and I got in as we have family in NZ (our daughter)

If you've no family in NZ you'll have to apply for a work category. They run a points system for this.

Look at this website link :-

www.immigration.govt.nz

MD

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James

James

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Congratulations Moondog on both the retirement and the move. I was lucky enough to spend three weeks in NZ back in 2001. I was unlucky enough to get just one nights viewing with eyes only* - fantastic. I found it really disorienting not knowing most of the constellations but it was great eventually working them out. I'm looking forward to reading your posts on the skies down there!

James

* restricted due to non weather related things. It was clear for at least 7 of the 21 nights I was there.

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centroid

centroid

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I retired in 2002 at age 60, after almost 40 years with the same company.

I loved my job, but love retirement a whole lot more ;)

Congratulations on your retirement, and welcome to the start of a new and stress free way of life. Even more so, I would think, over in NZ.

Our daughter and family emigrated to Western Australia last year. The wife and I spent all of this past March and April out there with them, and are going back out again this year.

If our son and his family were to emigrate there too, we'd been on our way also :(.However, there seem very little chance of them doing so :wink:.

Once you drive just a few miles out of town, the lack of light pollution just has to be seen, to be believed. The sky is just one mass of stars, and DSO's like the Large Magellenic Cloud, are just so 'naked eye' prominent.

I'm sure that NZ will be much the same, and of course, unlike Australia, no poisonous spiders etc.

Best wishes to you both, in your new life, bon-voyage, and keep in touch.

Dave

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