I'll drink to that !

So true

I can't quite work out if you're a grumpy old curmudgeon or a curmudgeonly old grump!

Bless you for trying to keep my feet on the ground, I had intended to stop visiting BE but find I am unable to resist looking to see who you've upset this time

No I'm only kidding, to a point. I hate to see the nice people on here spend years of their lives missing out on life by focusing on dream chasing as vehemently as they do.

Enjoy everything you have at any given moment, and please make the most of it. Good luck with the future and may your dreams bypass reality and be full of forrero rocher

PS, the story of my friends in NZ is true.

Having moved from UK-South Africa-Canada-UK, I am now living in Malvern in Worcestershire. Since being here, I have really enjoyed exploring counties such as Herefordshire and Shropshire. These are are really magnificent counties that I never bothered to explore when I lived here before and are far removed from the back streets of some of the more seedier cities. Nice people, little crime, and magnificent countryside. I often wonder if I should have expanded my horizons in the UK before going through the upheaval of moving countries. Of course, there is little work in these places so I suppose that is the main reason why most of us move and our sense of adventure.

Spot on! When I first moved to Canada I was operating like a tourist for the first few years - I felt like I was on holiday. The same thing happened when I moved back to the UK for a couple of years and then to the US. I searched for new places to see and things to do with great enthusiasm.

Of course now I really am a tourist when I visit the UK & Ireland. Things you take for granted (or don't even think about at all) while living and working somewhere, suddenly take on a new perspective when you're visiting. That same feeling persists for a while after you move to somewhere - whether you've lived there before or not. The secret is in trying to keep that same level of enthusiasm and energy going long term.

Yes, when I lived in South Africa, it had a multitude of positives and negatives. Despite that, it is one of the most beautiful countries in the World. I think having travelled extensively before visting there, I knew to get out and see what I could. Places such as Cape Town and Victoria Falls are some of the best travel destinations you will find anywhere and often, as an immigrant, you end up seeing more than the locals. I am just glad I did it while I had the opportunity.

I have been to Northern Alberta, was a little cold, but the people were really really friendly, you will love it over there .

Sounds like where we live.

Things happen for a reason - kind of wish we never came to Canada.

Why are they doing this ?

My application for PR was submitted in August 2007 and asked for full doc's in Nov 2009. Are there just specific ones in 2007 they are binning ?

I'm with el richo.

NZ is a simpler lifestyle becuse it's a poorer country and more isolated and people can't afford a lot of stuff they can here due to the low population and high cost of importing goods. You can choose to keep up with the joneses or not - don't kid yourself, there is a definitely class sytem/snobbery in NZ and especially in Christchurch, which has traditionally been notorious for it, though perhaps that has changed with the earthquake.

Am sniggering over your lots of things to do in nz and Aus a hop and a skiip away comment. Youll find out soon enough.

Interested in your comment and take it that you figure that there's nothing do. Is it maybe that you're from there? I was there (in NZ) for a year and figured I'd only done the tip of the iceberg, hadn't even ventured to Aus yet. I also have friends (and know of lots of others) that have been going there for their holidays for the last 4-5 years.

But then you're in Vancouver (assumption on my part) and I agree it's not the same. For me it's about a lot less people and outdoors stuff to do and see. And I've lived in Van years ago, spent tons of time on the North Shore (the only place to live) and you couldn't pay me to live there again now with the insane house prices and gridlock to get anywhere.

Like I said, to each their own (sniggering as I think of all the sods sitting in Vancouver gridlock)

luckily gridlock has zero effect on me, except a few times a year

I think holidays and short term stays are one thing. NZ would be an awesome place to visit for sure. No arguments there.

Longer term (say 10+ years, I lived there for 23 years) there really isn't a lot. I've been all over the South Island and the north on family camping trips and the like. It really is an outdoorsy/landscape place and that's about it. There is Oz, but it's huge, spread out and not cheap to fly to, really not that close, and really, there's not a lot of diverse places to visit within Australia. yes there are pacific islands, but they are expensive. There is a huge difference between having to fly to get out of a country and crossing a land border, and also I find the US and Canada a lot more diverse and interesting,

As for less people, I think you'll find the per capita per square mile rate is higher in NZ than Canada just because NZ is so small. Auckland and Wellington are cities with city gridlock problems like any others. Can't speak for CHCH due to earthquake - I'm going to be ther ein August it'll be interesting to see what I think.

Mainly go there for people/touch of home now.

Each to their own but there's a reason why NZ is always losing population.

Well that's a bonus. And yup Auckland can be as bad a Van but I wouldn't live there either.

And I probably agree with your points as there's a reason you're in Canada - a change. For me it's the same but the other way around. I've lived in Canada for most of my life and it's time for a change of scenery.

If I go, I don't see myself living there the rest of life but 4-5 years would be OK - but hell, who knows. I wasn't talking about country population density, just Van in specific - too many bodies for me. As for the States, not somewhere I would want to live and I only go there to visit a cousin in California.

Regarding the people leaving - there's always people leaving, everywhere for a variety of reasons so I wouldn't put that in such a negative slant. Lots of people from the UK heading to NZ for "better quality of life". Both my kids are planning on leaving here and not to the great city of Van but heading to Oz/NZ - because it's different and an adventure. And for what I do for a living, the people leaving NZ all seem go to Oz for more money (not Canada, US or UK) and the vaccum that's created means they fill it with people from the UK mainly. For me, I'd make more money in either Oz or NZ than living here but it's not always about the money (otherwise I'd move to Van or Calgary or live in camps up north - but then I'd have to "live" there)

Not sure how long you've been in Canada but do you see yourself living in Van forever? It's always interesting how people venture out and some get itchy and venture again to other countries, some stay where they ventured to and some have a longing to go home.

I've still got an itch but like I mentioned earlier, if the job was there I'd be in the Scottish Highlands.