bumblebea

Hi Fezz
We are moving to New Plymouth from the UK in a couple of weeks!
Would be nice to make contact to have a friendly face!
X

Hazelnut

I think this does show the value of a fact finding trip if you possiby can. MrH and I toured round and it showed us that we want to live within a 1-2hr drive of a larger NZ city, we aren't night clubbing, binge drinkers but we do like being able to visit the buzz of a city every now and again and enjoy the opportunities in the way of museums, galleries and other events they offer. This shaped job applications, decisions as to whether we could afford the move or not and has triggered an intensive, career changing programme of training and exams for me.

davros1984

Its a tough one to answer which gives you a better quality of life. Initially, the endless supply of gorgeous beaches, the scenery and the smaller population give the impression that surely you can have a better quality of life in NZ... oh if only it was true.

NZ DOES have a lot of amazing traits and positives, but so does GB.

My experience on moving back to GB from NZ:
For GB
- I work less, have a lot more evening and weekend time
- There are a lot more job opportunities
- There's a lot going on - sports, events, talks, festivals, adult evening courses etc. I have since taken up woodwork on my return and its fantastic
- My money goes a lot further
- I could afford to buy a house in a pleasant/nice area
- Easier/shorter commute to work, plus good transport links to centres of work
- Closer to family
- Clothing, furniture, general items significantly cheaper to buy (a factor of 2-4 times)
- Alternative roads/routes, unlike being stuck on the only road (SH1) when trying to head north for the long-weekend or a 4 hour traffic jam between Auckland and Hamilton...

For NZ:
- A longer summer, circa 6 months to the 4 months we get in the UK
- Smaller population so you can go to big events and not queue for hours or go to London and see people are paid to ensure people dont sit at reserved tables!!!
- A can-do attitude. The media and a lot of people in the UK are full of excuses and negativity - really have to work on ignoring all of that.
- Being so removed from the rest of the world, you really can live a very sheltered life
- Watching the All Blacks and Super XV in person on a regular basis
- Being able to go skiing regularly in the same country (more a geographical fault of the UK than a man-made issue)
- Being able to holiday in country, go to some stunning places and its all in English

LittleGreyCat

We love Golden Bay, including the T shirts with "It's just a mountain - get over it!".
The lifestyle described in the article would suit us down to the ground.
However it is not on our list at the moment because it is just a little bit too isolated if you want to visit anywhere else.

Still, walking on the beach, fishing on the rocks, veg garden - does sound very tempting....

Kotare

Lived in Golden Bay for 3 years, about 10 km from Takaka on a small farm.

Great climate, seriously laid back, great boating and walking and a small town where you were quickly known to most. Against; no jobs, sandflies and isolation from the rest of NZ - yes that hill is a barrier (45 mins to a traffic light) and Chch is a serious drive away. In the end the cons moved us away.

Pom_Chch

Add in some hiking, biking, road tripping and that's pretty much us! Wouldn't have it any other way