As I sit down to write this, I finally have time to reflect on what was a pretty special weekend in my life.

Late last year we set about attempting to buy our first home, which we knew was going to be a daunting task – especially in post earthquake Christchurch, where a myriad of hoops, red tape and horror stories are frequently thrust at you by the people you involve in the decision making process.

Luckily, we were in the right place at the right time. We found a place that fitted all our hopes and dreams, located in a quiet little side street with not much thoroughfare. Having come from a flatting situation, the moving process was pretty smooth, with only a few loads on the back of the Hilux to help make our new home ours.

We moved in on Friday night. After settling in and unpacking boxes on Saturday, Neighbour's Day was perfectly timed for us as we were ready to get out and meet our new neighbours – before we became just ‘the new people’ after a few weeks.

After punishing ourselves in the City to Surf early in the morning, we came home refreshed, and set out on a mini tour of the street. First up we met the couple who live on our left and were just heading out for a morning coffee. They have lived in the street for 10 years and were immediately so welcoming and happy to see us. Previous to us moving in, the house had a few short term tenants through it, and they were excited to have us next door as permanent owners who they could happily rely on for anything. They offered us help in our ‘setting up’ phase and pointed out a few things to expect from the various houses a bit further down, which was great to know!

I immediately felt more at ease having immediately met such wonderful people and was excited to continue our tour to meet a few more. We crossed the street and continued introductions and quick elevator pitches on who we are and what we do. We met a policeman with a young family, a lovely overseas couple with a new born baby and some first home buyers in a very similar situation to us, which was nice! We also have an elderly lady living on her own nearby, so we will try to make a concerted effort to say hi and keep an eye out for her when we can.

To complete our Neighbour’s Day tour later that day, we met the neighbours who live on our right, and after a while we figured out they know one of my work colleagues really well – New Zealand really is such a small world!

We made an effort to make notes on everyone we met, with names and a few small details so we can build on the initial connections we made with them. Later in the day we made up some cards with a quick note and our contact details and popped them in their mailboxes with an offer to have a joint BBQ at some stage before the summer sun disappears.

As I lay in bed and reflected on our day, I thought about our initial approach to knock on everyone’s door. I felt that as each door was opened, there was a moment of hesitation from everyone, that ‘who are you’ feeling when someone comes to your door early in the morning. They had all seen the ‘For Sale’ signs and people coming and going over the past few weeks, and quietly wondered “who is moving into our quiet little street?”. So once we mentioned we had just moved in over the road, the environment changed. Everyone was so excited for us and eager to welcome us into their homes to have a chat about where we had come from, and to introduce us to all their family members. We left each house with a buzz of excitement for the future of building each relationship we had just made. We also felt a sense of reassurance that can only come from understanding that you have an extra layer of security – that all the neighbours will keep an eye over our home in the months and years to come.

It was also a great contrast to the daunting and somewhat superficial process of buying the house in the first place. Real estate agents, lawyers, bank managers and insurance companies are all key relationships that you have during the buying process, but ones that you always hold on a more professional level – never to get to any great personal level. Having now been through the entire process, neighbours are the people who genuinely have an interest in ensuring the street and community is a safe place to live.

Lastly, I would like to challenge anyone who maybe feel a little nervous or apprehensive about getting out and meeting your neighbours. Maybe you feel it’s been too long, and you only greet each other with a “gidday mate” or a simple “hi there” each morning as you go about your day; you don’t even know their names. It’s a thoroughly worthwhile exercise, one that we really enjoyed, and will hopefully reap the benefits of having a tight bunch of support around us.

James, AMI Insurance, Christchurch