Crikey. They must pay well, have fascinating work or offer you some other great benefits.

I can work really long hard hours (although I got all my proposals and final reports out the door yesterday so today I'm sorting my emails, doing my expenses, having a long lunch with a friend, then going to the hairdresser, but I did work last Saturday), but I play hard too - that's what life is about for me - I want to grab every opportunity. I couldn't work for an employer that restricted my private life so much. But each to their own, and maybe if we hit recession I might not so fussy.

One of the main points of a holiday too me is being cut off from 'home'. Mr L2S's boss assumed he would be checking his email when we were in Mexico - stupid idiot!

Our only real restriction is that the president of my company is really anti-alcohol, which is weird cos we're a Kiwi company, so all my co-workers in Kiwi land have "beer friday" and a great big p1ss-up at Christmas. We have "just working like a normal day Friday" and a polite pot-luck lunch for Christmas which only affects our billable hours a bit.

the flight is difficult, I always took some mild valium to help me sleep, but when you wait in Hawaii for a connecting flight, you are herded into this small area with hard plastic seats and you wait, and you wait, because, surprise, the connecting flight is 3 hours late.

You arrive, guess what, your luggage doesn't, what to do, well they don't come leaping with offers, but you are entitled to buy some necessities and bill the airline.

I am Canadian: However I did have a good freind whose family emigrated from NZ he used to joke that he missed the vegimite sandwiches cause he hated peanut butter. But I think you can even get that here now. He said that NZ was a little slower paced and laid back. But that he loved NZ and would always want to go back for long visits etc. He though he would have a better career here in Canuk Land with more opportunity for advancment in his feild.
Canada is an unbelievably large place with a lot of different climates and types of places for almost every taste. Most people tend to pick an area based on their job. But I think the better Idea is to select a lifestyle and then find an area that meets your expectations. Cause really you can find a job almost anywhere if you try.

I would agree with you about the employment opportunities, but not with the climate comment. Nearly all Canadians, and consequently nearly all Canadian culture and opportunities, live within 100 km of the US border. This means that for intents and purposes, Canada is a 4500 km strip of land 100 km deep, and all on the same latitude.

There are huge differences in climate across Canada.

Many of Canada's largest population centres are not slap bang next to the US border (eg Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, in addition to all of PEI, NS and NF).

Canada's major population centres are spread over 10 degrees of latitude, which is roughly the difference between London and Rome.

OK, a person does live in Regina. Nonetheless, Tableland's point is valid, most (I think even 90%) of Canada's population lives with a hundred miles of the US border. The three major cities are within that distance. There's significant way in which Canada is not functionally part of the US.

I recognise the point that is being made; I just didn't like the gross inaccuracies involved in making it.

Even the '4500 km strip of land 100 km deep, and all on the same latitude' offers very different climates - just in BC the climates of the lower mainland, compared to Osoyoos and Canmore, for example are determined by altitude, proximity to the ocean, rainfall shadow etc. It's far too great an assumption to classify it as all the same or similar.

I was thinking more about vegetation, etc, but climate doesn't differ all that much beyond East = colder and Vancouver = wetter.

And that is just looking at Canada absolutely, but if you compare it to the US or Australia for climate deviation then it looks even more boring.

Not to say Canada is boring though because I love it, just, you know.

The climate still does differ a lot more than what you're suggesting. For example, most of BC is arid and dry, with exception to the coastal areas:

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students...itish_columbia

This map is definitely a lot more basic, but shows the different climate zones around Canada:

http://www.stuffintheair.com/Canadas-climate.html

In Canada , if you don't like the weather, within a couple of hours of flight, you can be in Mexico, Arizona, or the Caribbean.

Many of us do have access to drive to warmer locals, and Canada gives you the opportunity to make the money to do it, N.Z, it will cost at least $2,000 and a day of flying to go anywhere with a different climate

The most positive thing N.Z has going for it, we can get a 40% Premium on our $ when converting.

As long as you're careful with your 10 days annual leave, that is.

Maybe Lychee, but look at the prairie provinces - thousands of kms, identical.

i didn't realise Brisbane and the Gold Coast were so far from NZ....also was only $489.00 kiwi dollars return ( approx $370.00 CAD )..........not quite $2000.00............can't see the 40% premium either..........

Just checked flights from NZ to Adelaide/Melbourne and looks like I would be very lucky to get sth. for 1200 NZ Dollar return for me and my daughter. That is, if I book way in advance. Else it will go up to 2800 NZ Dollar return.