elk1973

We're about to move Auckland in the next month.
I'm interested to know,
a) how has life changed for you?
b) has it just stayed the same but different scenary?
c) has it changed financially
d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
e) how did your children take to the move.
f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
g) How easy it was it to make friends?

Thanks would really appreciate some stories, to calm my anxiety.

MrsFychan

a) how has life changed for you?
not much same daily crap as anywhere

b) has it just stayed the same but different scenary?
See above. No to be fair we do go out and about more

c) has it changed financially
Nope, husband still works all hours there are for standard wage as he did in the UK, also still covering for people who can't do their job properly (see a bone of contention there)

d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
There's really not that much difference, its just done differently. Main problem in the first few months was lack of our own stuff. Never underestimate how badly your bum needs a comfy sofa. Getting the kids onto school was easy, getting tax codes and bank accounts set up, easier than the UK.

e) how did your children take to the move.
Haven't looked back and my daughter even thank me on one evening beach stroll. Smallest moans sometimes that he didn't get to play in the snow

f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
Where we are it's a lot lot windier, which I hate with a passion. Weather is more extreme here.

g) How easy it was it to make friends?
Not to bad, husband has already been here for a couple of months before myself and the kids came out. Not that he got to know many people. I had managed to get him to locate some children around our kids age which he managed and the second day we were in the rental the mother and her children popped in and still does, has practically become family.
Other people I have met through school friends of the children and through this site

BEVS

f) yes

Note: Some people's answers may not calm the nerves at all. Just remember that we are all different with differing experiences & expectations.

Snap Shot

We (British born kiwi husband and and I, British born and raised) arrived in NZ on 28 Feb 2011. Three weeks in Auckland visiting his rellies. Followed by three months in Christchurch. Nuff said. Anyway, coming up on two years in Wanganui, here's my view

a) Life hasn't really changed, I didn't want it to. Except for the fact that I struggle to find work here in a way that I never did in Britain. (Once I'd squared it in my head that all we were doing was moving house, when we moved to NZ, I thought, ok.

b) Stayed the same just different scenery ? Um, sorta. We lived in a commuter suburb in Britain. In NZ we live near the rugged coast in a river city but we still like our home comforts. My husband walks to work in 25 minutes, no more 90 minute commute on public transport with rising costs.

c) Changed financially ? Yes, we're mostly on my husband's income, much to my frustration. We're not, 'on the breadline' but not being a dual income household is a real culture shock for me.

d) Transition ? Just don't go there.

e) Children ? we don't have any.

f) Weather - winters aren't as cold, chilly but rare to see frost. Summers are just as hot as Britain but the sun is stronger. I've got sunburned hanging out the washing at 11.40am in the summer. I've got fair skin. New Zealand has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world. Some people hang their washing out overnight. If I was still pegging my washing out at 10pm, something would have gone seriously wrong.

g) Make friends ? Um, my husband and I aren't gregarious. Kiwi's are reserved like Brits. You need to have something in common to be friends. You might as well expect to be friends with the person behind you in the supermarket checkout queue. Not just come from the same country.
We do exercise classes, we've made acquaintances there. I do voluntary work, I've made acquaintances there. I've been to some of my husband's work socials and made acquaintances from his colleagues. Do you see where I'm going with this ? Oh yeah, I've also met up with nice people from this forum for coffee.

ragdolls2

a)working longer hours - culture shock but you adapt!! Leisure time revolves around the outdoors have walked the tongirao crossing , completed the Auckland 1/2 marathon,bush walks etc something I would never have done in the UK. Gained a few pound initially ( tam tams!!)
b) doing the same role but more money! Scenery way better.
c) financially much better off largely due to the tax system, which is higher for some people than the UK system but the nz system definitely works for us.
d) we found the transition easy but we both had jobs and have met some fantastical expats and kiwis now our best friends
e) we don't have children so n/a. We do have cats though! Which we brought with us from the UK and they too are enjoying their new life.
f) when it rains in Auckland it rains!!! your umbrella is your new best friend saying that it is milder than the uk most of the time. 2013 summer was never ending.
g)if you are the type of person that knows how to connect with people and make friends then you are3/4 there. We have expats and kiwis and overall have a more varied social life then we did in the UK.

Charismatic

a) how has life changed for you?
I spend the whole day upside down.
b) has it just stayed the same but different scenary?
Mostly yes actually. However this has been my choice as largely I just transferred my life without making more significant changes, your life won’t suddenly change unless you make it do so. This is what you make of it, if you work full time in a stressful job here and the UK you will have a very similar experience to working full time in a stressful job in the UK. As Ghandi said “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”
c) has it changed financially
There are no jobs for young people in the UK, even low wage jobs are better than no jobs.

One good change I’ve noticed is that I’m much less materialistic here for some reason. I don’t know if it’s culture, age, low wages or population but I feel less driven by the desire to plug some hole in my life with expensive shiny things. I’m just happier and more content but for no discernible reason.
d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
I've still not fully managed yet and I've been here 10 years. It’s a process, don’t rush the process…have a few glasses of wine and go with the flow. I never expect to be seduced on first meeting someone but if I am it’s a nice surprise.
e) how did your children take to the move.
Don't have children and if I did why would I bring them with me?
f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
Warmer in Summer, more sunshine year round and longer daylight hours. However in winter you still get a few months of cold and rain.

O and the rain falls the wrong way of course. Silly rain.
g) How easy it was it to make friends?
Very easy but a lot of my friends have also moved here from various parts of the world. People call America a melting pot but actually it’s a homogeneous pot of potato mash to New Zealand’s stir fry. This is the modern new world.

Persephone

Sounds like you're just getting older, C

Persephone

a) how has life changed for you?

Very little in many ways. You still work, pay bills and do whatever it is you liked doing before. Just a different country. I work longer hours in NZ but that is mainly due to the fact I worked for a charity in the UK. If I had worked privately in the UK then there would be little change in the hours worked, it's part and parcel of my profession. I walk less in NZ, always used to walk to work in the UK. Also my work hours mean a dog would be impossible so again less walking. I used to walk at least two hours a day in the UK with work and dog. I am consequently less fit!

b) has it just stayed the same but different scenary? See above

c) has it changed financially
I earn slightly less but am able to save more. I helps that I lived alone in the UK but not in NZ

d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
Fairly easy but I have a partner who is a Kiwi and was living in NZ. Meant that I had somewhere to live and help with any confusion over day to day living

e) how did your children take to the move.
Shit, where did they suddenly appear from? Never knew I had any, seems like life did change for me

f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
PN on the North Island: more rain, definitely seemed like more rain! Chch: the sun is brighter and you burn faster, less rain, hotter temps. I stay inside as much as possible in summer, it's cooler, I don't like heat

g) How easy it was it to make friends?
Made some through work but late finishing times meant it was difficult to do stuff most evenings. Met up with some people from on here. Me and him are not very gregarious and can cope without lots of friends around.


Just read through this. I sound like some miserable antisocial recluse who lives in a freezing cold house and can't bear to let sunlight anywhere near her I'm quite normal really!

Snap Shot

[QUOTE=Persephone;10757030

Just read through this. I sound like some miserable antisocial recluse who lives in a freezing cold house and can't bear to let sunlight anywhere near her[/QUOTE]

You say this like it's a bad thing

Persephone

I know, I really must stop downplaying my strengths

jmh

A bit of background: I'm a born and raised kiwi but lived in the UK for 24 years. Definitely felt like a Brit, but was coming home to family members in Auckland.

a) how has life changed for you?
Dramatically but mostly because I am now self employed and LOVING it. I probably would have tried something similar in the UK (I was deciding whether to come home or move somewhere less populous than London). I made a big effort to escape from the rat race. If you don't, you may well end up with the same work and life pressures you had before. It was made easier by having family I could have fallen back on (fortunately didn't need to), which is something that most ex-pats lose when they move away from family and friends.

b) has it just stayed the same but different scenary?
The big change is fewer people and ease of getting to the beach. Being self employed I can work on Saturday and go the beach during the week when it is nearly empty. In London you would have to sit in traffic jams on the motorway to get to a beach. Those from coastal areas won't have this issue of course. Parking is not an issue like it is in most towns in Britain.

c) has it changed financially
About the same. Because I'm self employed I don't spend much on clothes, commuting or feeding myself out of the office.

d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
Easy in some ways, harder in others. I agree that it's easier if you have people/contacts who can tell you the best places to shop, what to expect at the doctors etc. We forget that we have spent many years gathering this insider knowledge back in Blighty, and now we have to start all over again.

e) how did your children take to the move. N/A

f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
LOTS more rain, but warmer generally. More sunshine even in winter. I went for a walk yesterday for about half an hour and got sunburnt. I don't mind the weather in the SE of England, so it's not a big deal for me. Tomatoes grow bigger though.

g) How easy it was it to make friends?

Probably about the same as the UK, but then I was an expat there as well. British people are more likely to talk about personal stuff, so it is a bit more bonding. Kiwis are a bit more distant until they get to know you.

elk1973

Thank you for all your replies. Its made really interesting reading and left me with lots of food for thought.

RobClubley

We're about to move Auckland in the next month.
I'm interested to know,
a) how has life changed for you?
We have chickens now!
We have much more space from the back-to-back terrace in Leeds to our 3 bed shed on a 1/4 acre section in Wellington.

b) has it just stayed the same but different scenery?
To some extent yes. But we didn't come because we were unhappy in the UK, it was more for the experience, and that we loved NZ after our holiday here.

c) has it changed financially
I earn more than I did in the UK but we have a bigger mortgage and bigger bills to match. We do okay though

d) how did you find the transition from UK to NZ
Pretty easy really. It's a huge learning experience and definitely opens your mind and teaches you a lot, as long as you approach it with a good attitude.

e) how did your children take to the move.
Our two cats love it here
We now have another cat, a dog, oh and a daughter

f) the weather is it different from the UK.....really?
Milder than Yorkshire in winter, otherwise not dissimilar really. Thoug it's much more changeable here.

g) How easy it was it to make friends?
That just takes time. We have a mix of kiwi and British friends, mostly met via work.

Thanks would really appreciate some stories, to calm my anxiety.

MrsFychan

Rob I read that as you were moving to Auckland and immediately thought why the hell would he be doing that

cappuccino

Me too!!!