sten3

Hi there,

So we moved over to Christchurch from the UK in November last year just interested to hear how other people are settling those that have recently moved over and those that have been out here a while.

We were doing ok until recently and seem to have hit a period where we are feeling a little homesick missing family a lot and just finding financially things a little different to home probably just because we have had a huge expense coming out here and then setting home up again etc. and finding the work a little different to back in the UK ....my husband is a carpenter so we would be interested to hear how other people in a similar trade are finding it. Seems to be a lot of demolition and EQ repairs ......

Let us know your experiences, thoughts and any advice. Also interested to hear how other people are settling in other areas of New zealand we have never been to NZ before and keen to know what it is like Queenstown area and Nelson/Golden Bay areas and even the North Island how they compare to Christchurch cost of living, work, community etc.

MrsFychan

there is a dedicated ChCh thread so go have a search for that.
as for the cost of living here, its very well know that NZ is expensive and being so far from everything doesn't help.
we have a few tradies on here so sure some will come along and give their experiences

scottt1

Hi sten3, sorry i'll be absolutely no help to you whatsoever because I'm still in scotland but theres a few things i'd like to ask you about or your husband really. I'm a joiner and I'd just like to know how your husband is finding working out there? Don't mean to be rude either but is the pay better than here? i was at a down under expo at the sect at the weekend and they tried to glamorise it, i'd like to know what its really like please?

Pom_Chch

Hi Sten,

I've been in Chch now for two years. I first came out for a holiday to NZ and to be perfectly honest I didn't think much of Chch at first. It reminded me of England, but sunnier! After my 7 week holiday touring the south island and exploring more of Chch I just fell for the place. Now I couldn't imagine living any where else

If you would like some advice on cost of living feel free to check out my blog post. Yes, cost of things is very different here. I find some things to be more expensive and other things to be cheaper, but overall much more stable financially than when I was in the UK. There's also some other info on the blog about local days out and things to do. My advice would be to get out and about and explore Chch - Port Hills, Hagley Park, beaches, CBD

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!

BEVS

Early days for you Sten3 . It's normal to feel a bit unsettled after the initial wow factor of actually moving to another country has worn off a bit and you are back to what is really the basic family day to day life.

As a carpenter in Christchurch I'm not at all surprised it is demolition , repair and maintenance. Up here in the Nelson and Bays region most carpenters work on new build houses . Many are builders. Some work in joining companies making furniture and the like. My husband is a plumber/gasfitter and works primarily on new build houses.

What are you finding different financially ? Is it making the wage stretch?

Nelson and Bays is considered one of the best places for weather. It is more settled in general, so gives it a slightly Mediterranean feel. That does mean one is offered the old 'sunshine dollar' but how that would be viewed depends on what your current $$ rate is. What it may win out on is the rental prices , if you are renting.

From having lived in the area for 11 years , I would say that most if not all of the areas in and around Nelson and Tasman have a community feel to them. It is cut off from the rest of New Zealand a bit. If you want to get out of the area it is several hours of driving or an internal flight . However, many, many families look to settle in this area and I am not just talking about immigrants from overseas. Kiwis like it here too. Heck , they choose it for their holiday destination.



It's not rude at all. It is very sensible to ask other tradies about how it is for their trade. What the working conditions are like. What the differences are. What the rate of pay is . How expensive a place is. Particularly if you have a family & may be on the one wage for a fair old while.

sten3

Thanks guys for your responses really helpful. BEVS - re financial stuff my husband just isn't earning the same here as back home so it is just adapting to that and changing our lifestyles a little but having said that we are finding there is heaps more going on over here which is free rather than having to pay for days out etc..Nelson area does sound lovely and I think it would be good for us to visit some other areas and see how they compare.