Rob+Don=Jack

Im currently contemplating both a career change and perhaps emigration to New Zealand; I visited Rotorua in the North Island with my family and its seems like a nice enough place to live; but I'm really torn, because I have a good life in England and would be leaving family members behind.

Any help would be appreciated, from expats - or people in Rotorua.

Thanks.

MnB

Hello & welcome to the NZ forum ..... have a look at the 'updates section' there has recently been a '6mth in one' from lisamct who has settled in Rotorura which you may find useful.
Good luck with your plans and happy posting!
B

mwhite1962

Hi,
I was just wondering why you want to emigrate....?
It is a big step to take, whereas if your in a rut, maybe the career change might be the solution or just move towns, rather than drag your family across the other side of the world.
Dont get me wrong, i am not moaning about being here, i have been in Rotorua for just over 2 weeks and am loving it, i really wish i had done it years ago, but i am yet to find a job, theres no immediate hurry as i am living rent/bill free at a school where my partner has a job teaching, but my pride is starting to take over now, so got to find something soon.
What i am trying to say is....make sure your reasons for coming here are good enough to carry you over the emotional and financial hardships that you may have once you get here, otherwise it could work out a very expensive wim

lisamct

I'm in Rotorua, been here 6 months and came over for a predominantly for a job.

My post in the 'Updates' section gives more details on how I'm finding it but briefly I'd say, if your bored in the UK think carefully about coming to small town NZ.
Think about what you actually want to do day-to day. Are you big on outdoor activities, mountain biking, walking etc or do you like more 'man made' entertainment, cinemas, gigs, theatre etc, if your more a 'man made' kind of person then I'd say avoid small towns because the opportunities just aren't there. Visiting somewhere like Rotorua is very different from living here. I can see why people are attracted here for holidays, all the geothermal activity, loads of tourist 'attractions', nice scenery but, if you live here that all becomes pretty 'mundane' eventually and you need to make sure theres enough left to keep you happy.

Also be careful about work, I wouldn't come here without a job as from what I can gather they are hard to come by, especially in the smaller towns like Rotorua.

Rotorua is a lovely town, long term its not for me but lots of people move here and love it. Just be careful in your choice if you do come over here as its a costly business to uproot and move for a second time if you choose somewhere that doesnt suit.

RobDon

We are in Rotorua and love it.
Small town if good for us. The kids are happy at school, have made loads of friends and have really settled in well, as have we.

Rotorua is small compared to where we came from (Liverpool) but there is loads to do and the countryside is fantastic.
We came here because this was where I was offered a job and we have never looked back.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

JohnThePom

If you're happy where you are, then there are probably better ways to deal with boredom than emigrating. Just changing career would be a pretty big one. Presumably you can do that without moving.

I'd suggest that a person needs to have a pretty strong urge and a bit of stubborness to emigrate. There's quite a lot of beaurocracy, quite a bit of money to spend and a risk that things might not work out better than they already are. I think most people go through a stage of what the **** am I doing after they get here and most people miss their families, sometimes more than they expect to.

There are people here who are absolutely sure that it was the right decision for them to move and people who are sure it wasn't. How much do you need to know which type you are? What does the rest of your family think?

While the geysers and the spas are pretty impressive you're probably not going to be visiting them all the time if you live in Rotorua. How often do you go to your local tourist attractions at the moment? If you're planning to live somewhere it's more important to get a feel for the schools, doctors, houses and supermarkets.

On the other hand..... well, you only live once.

Gill and Rob

Well............ we've lived in Rotorua for almost 8 years and we love it. We came from a small town in the NE of England. While there are lots of touristy things to do here, once you assimilate into the town and become a "local", there's actually loads of things to do that are not touristy. We have several small theatres, an "alternative" cinema, art centre, loads of social clubs, e.g. Bridge/Mahjong/squash etc, a writers group, art classes, horse racing track, stock car track, loads of golf courses, fabulous library, lots of different charities you can become involved with..... in fact it's a great little town.

Yes, there are things we miss, but there is so much else that makes up for it. Have a look at the link.


http://www.rotoruanz.com/events/community

Gill

Rob+Don=Jack

I live in Liverpool now, whereabout are you from?

Rob+Don=Jack

Well when I took my current job, I was never planning on staying here forever, I'm still quite young so I would like to make something of my life. The Emigration idea came about because I have family in New Zealand and not many relatives here in the UK really. My life here isnt 'bad' as such but it could be better in New Zealand perhaps. I'm really torn but I know I would love it there.

Rob+Don=Jack

I also play football ("soccer")a lot and its a surprisingly big part of my life, maybe there is a team there I could play for like Rotorua FC or something ha-ha.

mwhite1962

Gill,
Where abouts is the library, had alook around today and i couldnt find it

Gill and Rob

http://www.rotorualibrary.govt.nz/Ab...ry/default.htm

The back of it is sort of opposite Fat Dog/Chambers -the Belgian Bar.
Take some i.d. to join

Gill

bunnyphobia

Cracking library as well, even if you do have to pay to get some books out. And a very nice cafe with lovely staff (I spend a bit too much time there "working").

Rotorua is a good town, but as Lisa said, it's a small town. This can be a good or bad thing. I'm only here for the year, but if I'm honest, I wouldn't return to Rotorua to settle - but I'm only in the mid-twenties and have no intention of settling anywhere quite yet! Although the trail running is rather spectacular....

JohnThePom

There's quite a lot of soccer about in NZ actually. More than you would expect when all you hear about is rugby!

Someone in Rotorua would have to tell you about local teams.

Heavenlyscent

We emmigrated to Rotorua in 2005 and came back to the UK in 2007. We had a great life in the UK before we left, and NZ just didn't match our expectations. But I would never tell someone not to do it as the experience was just that, an experience.