homesick harry

Hey TT, when did you decide to go back, is it all booked etc, was your parnter as keen as you, or did you have to discuss all your fears & worries etc,

turkeytickler

Well the honest truth is - we have not committed yet. We have decided to commit one way or another after xmas is out of the way..... we talk about it and review our feelings on a daily basis and our collective feelings swing between 60%UK 40%NZ and 95%UK 5%NZ, so i cant see it ever swinging back the other way. I have applied for a perm job in NZ - its a really good job, would involve travel to US/Australia maybe even Europe and by NZ standards is well paid - even with that Im not sure its enough to keep us here.

In order to be in full posession of the facts, we went Open homing on saturday - to see what our eventual projected $NZD income would buy us. Conclusion - nothing better than anything we could have in the UK and still be in walking distance of town/the pub.

May I point out that my wife is a Kiwi, and of the two of us, she is probably more anti staying here than i am - family is a big draw for her here - but not enough.

silvermuse

in a funny way, im glad u guys are not happy here because i can prove to my parents that its not just 'teenagers' who dont like it here. my family seem to think i only want to go home because of my friends but i can now show them how unhappy, if u dont mind me saying, u older folks who have families, jobs and are married are. they seem to believe that i only want to go home to be with my mates but i actually want to go back because of the fantastic opportunities there, the wages and its home. i want to get into the media and i dont feel that i have a very good footing if i stay in nz. the only person to make it big in the media type of things is peter jackson (he the only one i can think of tbh)!!
i feel for all of you. im nearly 19 and im scared to death of thinking that i will have to stay here for the rest of my life. i would like to move out in a couple of years but the thought of moving out only to live in nz still bores me something terrible. if i do move out soon, the only place i will be heading is the uk. i can see for myself what a rut this country will get itself into. the arrogance and ignorance in this country is quite extraordinary.
i find myself pining over pictures of england, especially the isle of wight, and its so pathetic.
like homesick harry said before, this place alienates you and you end up feeling totally lost.
we can all be unhappy, homesick buggers together!!

livewire

Lol!! Oh me too. The first thing our new neighbour told us when we met him was how big his house was.

They do it with BBQs too

homesick harry

i'd give up any size of house here & most locations too, for a slate roof, damp coursing, central heating & double glazing, & i mean that, & a washing machine from curry's that costs 280gbp & not $1200-$1500.
Its all they've got the size of the house, half of them are crap holes, tin roofs with odd coloured bits re-attached on, net curtains everywhere & all in need of a paint job, its like travelling back in time to the 1950's in england, my partners parents live in a nice council house in england on a nice street & i'd take that above 75% of the houses here.

turkeytickler

being 18 and a stranger in rangiora is no recipe for happiness silvermuse, no surprises you feel the way you do..... have you seem much of the rest of new zealand out of interest?

turkeytickler

central chch is like a ghosttown - the only thing missing is the tumbleweed...

mumomonty

Hi Harry, Sorry you're feeling so particularly shite and I sympthathise . All the things you have expressed you are feeling are part of that old homesickness thing and I've felt them when I lived in Aus and when I moved here.

I did not want to come and it pees me off the cost of living but I'm actually okay at the mo. I still hate the thought of no pension, getting ill, that confident feeling that the benefit system is there, expertise of the UK etc. not to mention the dbl glazing and the insulation and central heating.

It does wear off a bit but it really depends on your immediate and personal circumstances.

If I had a family though I would be back on a plane to Oz! because I'd never get my other half back to the Uk but much as he likes it here too he has to agree that he would not want a family here as they all leave anyway.

All the best.

lapsed kiwi

Sorry to break into this private whinge-fest, OK, no I'm not. FFS, I've never seen so many generalisations, untruths and such plain old BS as in the previous posts - why don't you four just go and have a group therapy session and crucnh a few Prozac. Here's a few tips:
- insulation is neither illegal or particularly expensive in NZ. Sure if you don't have much money (and there's an old familiar tune amongst the whinging community), you may not be able to buy a house with it fitted, but you are not going to be arrested if you fit it afterwards. You just have to budget for it and get off your arse and do it. Kiwis may prefer to spend the dosh on a boat, but that doesn't mean you have to. Ditto double glazing and central heating.
- what's wrong with driving? The reason there's so much public transport in UK is because there are so many plebs for whom it's the only way to get around, or the traffic is so bad - exacerbated by stupid bus lanes - that it's not worth getting in your car
- I don't know where you're buying appliances, but I'd suggest not wearing the "I'm a whinging pom, please rip me off" t-shirt next time. Try the Noel Leeming webiste for a start - and that isn't even cheap. And exactly how often do you buy fridges anyway - every month? If the houses are that cold, why bother anyway?
- exchange rate - so what if you're earning and spending $
- what's wrong with a steel roof? OK, you may have to paint it every 10 years, and yes, this may involve getting off your arse again, but I can't seem many other downsides.


OK, had to get that off my chest, feel free to flame/ignore as appropriate

lapsed kiwi

Forgot to add - the sooner you guys get off your collective arses and onto that 747 back to blighty the better - you're giving the other brits a bad name

ElizabethC

Wish I could have expressed it as well!

turkeytickler

ok first things first - no one needs your blessing to flame or ignore.

now each of your rants in turn;

Subject of Posts
- in case you had not noticed, this website is called BritishExpats, and this is a forum for said people living in New Zealand. You might not therefore be surprised to encounter people sharing their collective experiences, be they good or bad. You will see evidence of both, from some of the people you (along with most of your fellow countryfolk) label "whingers".

Insulation
- insulation is of course freely available on the market - i dont suppose anyone is suggesting otherwise. However, like the UK, in the winter, New Zealand is a very cold country. People cottoned on to this fact in the UK about 2 decades ago and you will therefore find insulation in most homes. It appears that in their collective ignorance, since they had it drummed into them from childhood that new zealand is a land of sun and warmth - that kiwis have yet to realise this and persist with their stoical tolerance of a cold home. Why pay to warm a home when you can chuck half the heat out of your windows and roof after all?

Driving
whats wrong with driving?... well where to start... the petrol that you hold so dear is made from oil - and commodity that is rapidly depleting. I believe a rather large war has recently been fought in its name and is indeed ongoing, although with your TV's extensive coverage of the Lord of the Rings it may have escaped your attention.

Cars, kill people. Speeding in urban areas is a major problem in NZ. The standard of driving is appalling. Cities are being destroyed by suburban malls, and this has been enabled by the fact that car ownership now implicit in nz life. I have travelled throughout Europe, America and Asia, and NZ is second only in its prevalence of stupidly overpowered cars and 4x4s that have never so much as seen a dirt track.

I would not regard anyone under the age of 17 (the legal age to drive in the UK) or anyone sufficiently disabled to be unable to drive as a "pleb" - clearly the NZ you wish to inhabit has no place for these people.

Could you now please explain why a bus lane that has the capacity to transport 40-80 people in one vehicle (depending on the spec of the bus) is stupid whereas a road open to cars which on average occupy 12x the body space of a human being is not?

- Appliances
What can i say - check your facts. They cost more in NZ. They do .... thats that.... accept you are wrong and stop being so silly.

Exchange Rate
- If affects people in many ways and since you dont seem to have the imagination to think of them for yourself i will point out the more obvious ones;
- Savings
- Pensions
- House Sales
- Travel

Steel Roofs
- I dont have a problem with these but i suppose insulation plays a part.... aesthetics too - which i realise is an alien concept to those from this cultural desert......

Getting off your Arse
- Practice as you preach - sell your car and try to survive in NZ....

turkeytickler

i bet you do - but its ok we know you are still busy learning to clap.

CitySlicker

'I do not dream of Sussex downs
or quaint old England's
quaint old towns
I think of what may yet be seen
in Johnsonville or Geraldine.'

Denis Glover 'Home Thoughts'

livewire

Class!