Bladesman

Hello all,

We have been over here (in Auckland) for 2 1/2 months now and thought that we would share our thoughts on the good and fbad points:

Good:

The lifestyle, people work hard while they are at work, bur rarely do more than 8 hours before heading off to spend time doing what they enjoy, this is why we came.

A lack of snobbishness. There is still some, but not nearly as much as back in the UK. Possesions mean little, the cars that people drive are not a pointer to how successful they are.

The people, they are so friendly. We could tell you so many stories of things that would never happen in the uk already.

The beach is always close by, yes even in winter it is a plus with a 3 year old

It really is clean, very little litter and very little grafitti

Virtually no charges for parking anywhere other than down town Auckland

Attractions/days out are very cheap

Bad:

There is open racism, aisans are treated as second class citizens. This is probably peculiar to Auckland as there are lots of aisans. Examples are, on the radio asians referred to as pakis, real estate when trying to sell you a property stating that "...no asians live around here"

Employment- Beware the holidays are much shorter and the benefits are similar to the uk in the 70's.

House prices - they are soaring at the moment and in Auckland especially it is difficult to buy (maybe we are too fussy though)

I would say that overall the cost of living is similar to the UK when NZ wages are factored in. Maybe slightly higher for everyday things but the weekends seem to cost less, make sense? the cost of food etc is probably higher but then at the weekend you seem to spend little on doing things that you enjoy.

We are both very happy that we have come at the moment and really cannot see it changing. The way of life is more laid back, the people friendlier and the winter milder, bring on the summer.
We came over having made a little money on the uk housing market, after struggling to keep a 3 bed semi going in the south of England. Over here we are looking at paying the same portion of our salary for a 4 bed detached house. This will be close to a beach (10 mins drive) and many other fantastic sights. The house is not the reason that we came but is an added bonus.

Thought that I would share these thoughts with those of you who were planning on coming over, hope that it helps.
If you think that it will be a completely different world though think again.

sandypandy

Just out of interest, what do most families do at the weekend? I know this will depend on age of kids etc, but hubby and I were discussing this last night and wondered what it was that you do over there that is different to over here?

Sandra

Bladesman

People simply do what they want to do. The beach is still a novelty for me as I have never lived close to the coast. You dont spend any money there as there are no shops or parking charges. For me with a 3 year old, it is cheaper as he gets in virtually everywhere for free. Once you go to an attraction (with the exception of the zoo), the cafes inside are the same price as cafes elsewhere. The price of attractions seems cheaper, dont know if this because we are still converting back to pounds though.
The emphasis is much more on the outdoor, walking, cycling kayaking etc, pubs are virtually non-existent and people cannot see the point of them. Everyone is different but this suits us and is one of the reasons that we came. the country is so beautiful that it is a shame to waste it.

millertime

We head over to NZ in 3 weeks and its great to hear the pros and cons. Just out of curiosity you mentioned shorter holidays - whats the average?

Carry on enjoying!

southerner

Just for everyone's info, NZ is at the moment considering increasing the annual holiday entitlement from 3 weeks to 4 weeks. Employers association etc are not particularly happy about this idea. Govt also wants to extend parental leave.

So it is not currently as bad as some States in USA or Japan (2 weeks I think), but is not as good as European countries.

I think I remember the number of statutory holidays is about the same as in UK, but they are not called bank holidays. They are Labour day, Waitangi Day, Queens Birthday, plus Easter, Xmas and New Year of course, and each province has its own anniversary day.

Also note, the standard office week is 37.5 hours, and for more manual work the standard week is 40 hrs.

southerner

Out of interest- What does a real estate agent answer if you replied 'So what?' or 'Thats a real shame' to his comment "...no asians live around here"?

Bear

Thanks for the post Bladerunner
It's good to hear that the lifestyle we're looking for (outdoors) is as good as we thought.
Keep us all posted with how you progress
Claire

stephen john

Hi, glad to hear your enjoying lifeout there.Does your 3 year old attend day care?if so is it easy to find a place and what are the costs like?

friertuck

Lifestyle

Hi
can anyone tell me do the beaches in NZ get used alot in the winter months? Hopefully we should be heading for BOP late next year. I'm going out there on Friday to look at businesses and show some commitment. Great to hear from someone who's actually in NZ for first hand information. Also I know the temperature is hovering around 15 degree's but how warm does it actually feel?

Gra.B

Hi Friar,
Can't help but good luck with the trip. What kind of business are you looking at?

Bladesman, thanks for the post, think I can live with that!
About the racism, would you say it's directed at Asians in general, or more to particular races.....like folk from Pakistan (careful!). How about the Chinese, Filipinos etc?

Thanks,

Gra..

friertuck

Hi Gra..

I'm looking at superettes or maybe any fast food places. Got a chippy at moment but we would like to get out of that. I'm also a time served HGV mechanic (20 years) but I havn't done it for 3 years so I lost the points.

TIZUS

Hi
With regards to the weather, we have been in Nelson for three weeks most mornings there is a frost on the car nothing too heavy, up until yesterday it has been lovely and sunny everyday, clear blue skies and warm enough in t-shirts, however since yesterday it has been raining and feels colder, had the fire on during the day for the first time yesterday!! The beaches seem fairly busy at the weekend (not many swimming!) but lots of dog walking, kite flying, frisbee and kayaking going on.

Tori

Bladesman

A reply to some of the questions:

The holiday entitlement, I did get 27 days back in the UK. It has gone down to 15 (which increases to 20 after 5yrs service??) I think that we get 3 more stats than in the uk though. I am a research scientist and do a 40 hour week, everyone else that I know also dose a 40 hour week so i think that to say that the office hours are 37.5 may be a little misleading.
The racism that I spoke about is directed at all asians, there is genuine hostility and resentment towards the asian population of Auckland. They are blamed for most things, driving too fast, putting house prices up anything really. It is the most unpleasant aspect of our time here so far. When you reply to agents that you think that they are being racist they look at you in disbelief. It is not seen as racist here, I have had to bite my lip a few times with comments that I have heard.
The day care is much cheaper than in the UK. My little boy does not go full time. He attends an Auckland assosiation(similar to council run) kindy 3 afternoons a week and this costs $7.50 per week. The cost is $140 for a full week, 8-5 mon - fri, in a decent private kindy.
15 degrees feels like........15 degrees. When the sun shines it feels good, when it rains it is not so good. I have now been here for the worst weather apparently and we have had 2 or 3 frosts. I have had to put on a coat due to the cold only once. But due to the rain many times. It does rain very heavily at times but I would say that the actual time spent raining is definitely less than in the UK (rose tinted glasses??). We have made do with sweatshirts and sweaters. I have also cycled to work daily and wear shorts, so it does not get a s cold as blighty.

jajpe

Hi Bladesman,

Thanks for contributing such a great thread!! The more 'out there and doin' it people' we have on this forum the better!!

Thanks a lot for taking the time - it is much appreciated!

All the best with the still relatively new life!!

friertuck

Yeah I agree 100% this all adds weight to our change of location. It sound really great, even the frost! but I can't think it gets like Lancashire in Jan & Feb.