Amazulu

Oh yeah.

Must read before replying!

Auskiwi

Pity what, my $80k salary as opposed to $40k? My medicare, tax free threshold? My $100 per week less in groceries? My less interest rates on the same price house? My less power bills? Why do 1000 per week move here? Why will my in-laws not return to New Zealand after 30 years?

If you read my posts, I said I was looking to return to Christchurch, I do like New Zealand, but not returning now as the earthquake has ruined the chances of my husband's company setting up an office there-they have no confidence in the economy or what it may be like after the earthquake. I am thankful to god that I sold my house before it may have been destroyed.

Auskiwi

I think we posted at the same time, hence my post..

SamSi

Noooooo! Wellington too hilly, windy and cold!

Auckland was my home town and if were to ever move back to NZ it would be to there. But then, I will never move back so what do I care!

SamSi

You can't seriously say that Pirongia is the same as Auckland!! Rural towns in Oz are no different to rural towns in NZ - apart from the fact there's more flies and drought. Sydney vs Melbourne is just a bigger version of the Auckland vs Wellington debate - each have their own identities. Sounds like you just need to get yourself to a city pronto.

ProudVIC

How many major rural towns in NZ look like this?



Is this the idea people have of the typical barren, unsophisticated, lacking in history and culture, rural town in Australia?

The point I'm making is that in reality there is a fair bit of difference between many rural towns in NZ and many in Australia.

SamSi

Where did the word 'major' come into it? We're talking rural towns. You can't compare somewhere like Pirongia with Geelong or even Bendigo. Perhaps if you'd been to Pirongia you'd understand better. Because you clearly don't.

Kentish Lass

ProudVIC ..... Lovely photo! Where is it? Is it where you are living? Presume Mount Macedon?

mohogony

Its Bendigo, once had the worlds biggest gold supply 150 years ago. it has plenty of nice old buildings and parks.

Kentish Lass

With the earthquake in Christchurch, which is one of the few places with any old buildings, a lot of these have suffered a great deal of damage. I was very surprised at a poll which asked NZers, should these buildings be restored or should the money be better spent elsewhere. The majority was for getting the buildings back but only just. Thousands voted to not bother. I was a bit dismayed and confused by that but I suppose most NZers live in the North and never go to the South anyway.

Rascal

We totally 200% LOVE Australia and would never, ever in a million years go back to NZ, not to even visit.
Australia rocks!

saoghalbeag

PMSL...

They should make a banner out of that and stick it at the top of this website!!!

I've lived around the place, currently NZ as it helps towards getting my visa to go back to the UK. The wages suck and I am spending a lot more on groceries, electricity and clothes than I did in Oz. Rent is cheaper though.

Most of the population prefer Auckland, so down here in the south it feels a wee bit like we are the last remnants of humanity on a planet that is about to be colonised by sheep. It gets frustrating that a lot of the media is produced in Auckland so tends to forget about the rest of us - but that is the same feeling I had living in Queensland, and in the Highlands.

Oz is not for me. Too hot. Too many creepy crawlies, dreaded suburbia, bogan attitudes...but comparing what I'd get paid over there ($AU56K) to wages here (around $NZ40K) and taking into account the cost of living (which feels awfully higher here, although that might be due to lower wages) I don't think we'll be in NZ as long as I'd planned.

sr71

And plenty of bogans too.

A part from a couple of older brick buildings, there isn't much more history in Aus than in NZ and Aus definitely comes second best in the natural beauty stakes.

Mr Grumpy

Well that is always up to personal opinion. I personally find many lanscapes in Australia to be beautiful, the Kimberlys are breath taking and I love coastal Victoria. Tassie is also wonderful.

I do like NZ as well, particularly Fiordland National Park.

I thinks NZ should just join Australia, that was the original plan back around 1900.

Kentish Lass

Neither Australia nor NZ are that young that they shouldn't have any history. Where are the buildings of 100/200 years ago?
When we went to Sydney we looked forward to visiting the 'historic' area around the Harbour Bridge....can't remember what it's called off hand...but was disappointed to read in the museum about how it had all been destroyed.
Same here ....In Auckland musuem discovered how a pub remained the same for many years but despite many protests about preserving it, it was just pulled down.
Perhaps because they are new countries they have no interest in history. When my son was in his UK school, at the age of 7yrs he learnt about the Great Fire of London.Here he has had to choose,as an option, to study History in Yr11 (when 15yrs). It is unusual for History to be chosen as a subject. I work as a teacher aide in a primary school and have done so for a few years now.They have only once had History as a topic and that was the Egyptians. They never even study their own history.