Wooly_Cow

nah not a chance ......Welly's MUCH better!!! ducks and covers to aviod incoming JAFA bullets!

lardyl

mmmm.......the truth is that some people feel "stuck" in a small town/place in NZ, as they can't really afford to live in Akl/Welly/Chch and aspire to more of the "life" they were used to - so they feel stifled, some folks get that "itch" for more "life" in Auckland or Wellington in spite of being in the "centres" and this sometimes comes on after a few years so they decide whether to live with it or move on - or their kids/OH gets the same feeling;
others I know and have heard post on here are genuinely "stuck" in NZ in that they have no emeregency fund or caring family/friends to stump up the costs of getting back or on to somewhere else....

whether or not some who fall into the above categories feel obligated to ignore their "real" state of finance/mind and muddle on in the NZ "lifestyle" hoping it will change and they will change their outlook, and *then* post that "all is great" is a moot point - having been around the forum for a while and being a cynical/analytical type you get a feeeling of that sometimes....but not that often.

So I think LuvWelly is not too far from the mark and those who feel mortally wounded by her comments might take a step back........they weren't aimed at you, really. And I don't see them as "smug" in fact they are the opposite....IMO of course.

As far as living here on a budget this has been discussed on the NZ forum for years and it often provokes the most heated debate. Money is important, life-work balance is important, a healthy outlook is important and so balancing all that is probably the secret of being happy in Godzone. But if you can acheive it and live more simply than you might first think then I reckon that there is more to be gained here than in the UK.

Besta luck to all of us striving to make our Ex-Pat life work.

CarolineSwan

Dont know that everyone feels stuck living outwith Auckland etc, Yea i would like to see it , for a day or 2 but just not for me full time, I came here to escape the rat race , I love the slower pace of living in NP, I have found where i want to spend my life

but again everyone to their own

Genesis

Smug bit it borne from the fact that luvwelly has made it clear she is on a posting thus not 'stuck'. To then make a sweeping statement about so many being apparently stuck does come over as smug to me knowing that her posting will end one day. I know her comments were aimed at no one in particular..just alot of us, for it was she who used the word 'many'.

I took exception to this comment a) because I thought it was smug and b) how on earth can someone make such an assumption when we hear nothing to back it up?

I get the impression most people are quite content where they are who post on the NZ bit. Sure in the perfect world I would be beach side in the Manawatu, but that would double the cost of the home I bought and increase all out travelling time to work, school et al. I am very content personally with my NZ compromise on the issue of area to live in.

Most people who post on here..the regulars seem very, very content. Most of the whingers are people who hated NZ (and there's nothing wrong with that) and are now back in the UK or in Oz. I know there are one or 2 exceptions of people who are REALLY stuck here..they have admitted it but most seem quite the opposite.

Madmaxdeux

I am STUCK in New Zealand

Just realised the passport expired last month

Now thats when you are truly Stuck in New Zealand

Genesis

Strangely enough so am I . It expired abouit a year ago. But I want to be 'stuck'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEVS

No it isn't.

It is when you can't afford to get a passport renewed. When you want to leave and can't afford to. When you want to leave but your partner doesn't want to. When you can't do something for your kids because there is no money . When you face real financial ruin because you cannot balance the budget , knowing it would not have been so had you stayed in the place/job/county/country you had come from. That is stuck and no laughing matter.

By good grace, we are not stuck and I am very thankful for that & more. We have choice. However, I am not so cosy in this NZ life of mine as to make light of those that do feel under extreme pressure. Nor would I poo poo those that feel content with their NZ lot either.

When we post to these boards we perhaps need to remember that not everyone will be in the same boat as ourselves. Nor be happy with what we are happy with as individuals. To that end, I would endorse being open and honest about our financial situations here in NZ rather than just stating we are
a - OK and brillliant
b - Not OK and struggling
c - Something in betweeny

I'm not sure it's a duty but it is , perhaps, a responsibility.

Madmaxdeux

Blimey when I wrote that I wrote it with a smile on my face at the humour it was intended. I was not expecting a barracking for a quip

southerner

You just happened to be scribbling on the blackboard when the teacher walked into the room!

pricklykina

I'm glad that I'm not the only one with an expired passport.
I can't afford to renew it as I just bought a new telly LOL and it seems like a lowish priority

As for the truth...well..I very much doubt that there is such a thing. we all have our own truths, want different things, had different things, have widely differing expectations.

Research helps for sure but at some point you just have to go with it and see.
The internet is great but in some ways it makes decisions even harder...there are too many choices and opinions available to us.

At some point you have to sit back and realise that you have done enough preparation and research and then trust yourself. You know what is right for you and yours.

Keep enough money in reserve...or at least an empty credit card...then go with faith and hope

Am Loolah

I often wonder how my MIL and her best friend coped when aged 18 they jumped on a ship in Southampton for 5 GBP and emigrated to NZ? Arriving in Wellington - site unseen! Approximately 50 years ago ....

That takes some guts and a huge leap of faith IMO.

Genesis

Totally agree with you mate... a bit of an over reaction there on your post.

Perry Groves

I need the truth too, at the moment, I am having doubts, I noticed the price of a WOF is quite expensive, I am at a crossroads, stay in blighty, go to NZ or go somewhere else, anyone been in that situation?

Genesis

There's the old saying 'if in doubt leave it out'.

If you have serious doubts about emigrating stay put. I really think you have to believe in what you are doing for there to be a chance for you to succeed.

On the other hand you could just come and buy a bicycle thus avoiding the cost of a WoF.

Your choice mate

Madmaxdeux

Very good point the internet never influenced our decision to move. Infact I had dial up back then and it was quite hard to search the internet for information.

You are joking Perry Groves about the WOF being expensive and influencing your decision?