Avid

Good quality rainbows as well. There was a double rainbow that 'ended' in Wellington harbour.


I'd post a photo but then eveybody could work out exactly where I lived and an angry mob would descend with torches on my house at night...

(Right after the 'Wellies: IT expats in Wellington' meeting)

BEVS

Nope . The negative posters get slated by the positive posters and the positive posters are howled at by the negative posters. Both have a dedicated selection of set phrases to use against each other at any given moment .
It's a version of the pugil stick game & is only fun for those involved. It is not a bystander sport for the sane but the idle curious may stick around a while for a bit of a watch..

Bans, which can be for varying lengths, come from breaking the rules. Warnings may precede . They may not. As has been shown of late , it makes no difference if the offender pertains to the Positives or the Negatives corner. Breaking the rules is a boiling in oil [ could be slow or a fast fry depending on admin and mods mood] and then off with their registrations with a ghastly chop of a mouse click.

Genesis

We left an awsome house..alas in a crappy area, we left relatively well paid, good jobs too.

We now live in a FAR better house in what I would call the perfect neighbourhood, we are far better off financially than in the UK and work 50% less. He who dares....for once in my life I have made a decision that has REALLY improved virtually every aspect of my life. Our 3 small children are like pigs in clover. We think NZ is bloody marvellous...warts and all!!!!!!! Been here 26 months now and it just gets better.

slippery

Hello,
Your personal circumstances tend to determine if NZ will suit you or not. So while $70k with a car is a very good offer to a single person with little or no mortgage, the same deal for a family of 4 (with the wife not working) with say a $350,000 mortgage will make many ex-pats start missing the UK within 3 months or arriving here.
So, and I would hate to appear materialistic, if you have enough dollars in your wallet then NZ will satisfy most peoples needs. The same applies of course in the UK where pound notes are concerned, but when times are tough (and we all go through them) it is easier when you are not in a new country 12000 miles away from people that could have potentially helped you.
To me though, NZ just has a much nicer feel to it than England. Yes I miss the pubs, history, take aways, friends, family and the choice in the shops but NZ has so much to offer by way of compensation. The other day for example while taking an early evening stroll along my local deserted beach I saw some right whales just a few hundred yards out to sea, several seals that lazily raised there heads to look at me as I passed them and just as I was leaving for home 2 yellow eyed penguins emerged from the pacific ocean to take a well earned rest. And the whole experience didn’t cost me a penny.
Best of luck with your decision.

reecefam

Some really brilliant replies....thank for all your help...they really do help.

southerner

why the same altitude? do you live on a mountain or something?

lardyl

oh, by "here up north" I meant N of AKL and by altitude I meant that as there are some quite hilly bits around then altitude makes quite a difference when it comes to the climate in a given latitude......does that make more sense???
also I still think NZ is more "rural" than the UK, by which I mean that the attitudes of folk and the organisation of the economy, commerce, and the way society works is more like a country that relies on its countryside to provide the driving force for the income rather than the cities. Hence NZ is more a West Virginia than a California, as the UK is more a California than a West Virginia. Hope that makes sense.....
This explains quite a bit for me - like the need for a 4x4, driving at 15, a standoffish attitude, the non-PC bit, etc, etc but then I was just a city dweller living in the country in the UK and I cant say that I truly understand country folks

reecefam

SO....which part of the North Island is best for Schools etc?
Thanks

Rustie

That's pretty subjective and no-one can really tell you as i'm sure no-one has experienced all schools in North Island.

Are you looking all over North Island now?

This tells you more about the schooling system in NZ http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?...xparentid=2107

This tells you about the decile ratings for schools;

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?...xparentid=3963

This is where the schools' decile ratings can be found;

http://www.minedu.govt.nz/index.cfm?...id=6434&data=l

I would say that the decile rating won't tell you whether your child will do well in a school as it very much depends on more than that and I really would suggest (AGAIN!!!) that you come to NZ to actually see the places we are talking about!

Apple13

Don't forget that the North Island is roughly the size of England.
You wouldn't say "which part of England is best for schools?"!
You are asking an impossible question with this one

ETA NZ is roughly the geographical size of England - yes I know that the populations are slightly different

reecefam

True Apple...but if i believed my Kids School was a good one, i would be able to say that to someone coming to England, or i could say the reverse if i thought they were poor.
So if i happen to get a job offer near to where someone has replied, i will be in a better position!

reecefam

Hi Rustie...thanks for the weblinks...if i did come to New Zealand, which would be ideal, i would never cover all the bits i needed to see or do in say a week, that i would have.
Working long hours here, does mean that i cant just go for a week or so, hence why i am trying to do some homework via this website!

Apple13

Yes, but how likely is that?! A cart before the horse question.
If you look at moving to a different part of the UK, you can settle on the area first, then wait for jobs to come up, then find schools close by. Or you can find a job somewhere, move to an area, then find a school close by.

Same applies here in NZ. Only 4.5 million people, but a land mass the same size as the UK.

mingusdynasty

best things in life are free. For me another great thing about NZ is the opportunites to really get out and appreciate Nature. The South Island has some incredible areas. I really recommend the hump ridge track in fiiordland if you get the chance. It was brilliant. Think of all the things you can do here : Skiiing, hiking, biking, mountaineering, tramping, surfing, it's all here, deserted beaches, wild inaccesible places where you won't see anybody.

happynz

Yup, and even the accessible areas are often deserted. New Zealand is great that way. You can get away from the external noise of everyday hum-drum life and soon enough quiet down the internal noise as well.

erm...does that make me sound kinda hippy-dippy?