shirl

Hi Everyone

Well I am quite new to this forum and have been reading with interest lots of negative posting with people not happy being here and moving on etc. By comparison there are some really happy people who are overjoyed to be here.

From my point of view, if you have sold up everything and moved here lock stock and barrel, bought a house and decided you didn't like NZ after all, don't you think it is a bit of a one way ticket. With the exchange rate, for what you buy and sell here unless you are in a high income bracket it is a bit of a one way street. By the time you pay off a mortgage on any property (unless you are lucky enough not to have a mortgage) the profit made by the time you convert back to Great British Pounds is unlikely to get you far back in the UK. This does scare me somewhat, I am still unsure about staying here for the rest of my born days but what other way is there once you are here and accumulating debt via a mortgage etc. We are in the process of maybe getting our UK pensions over here but I am so unsure what the best way forward is. I am happy for the moment to be here and we are in the process of buying our home here. What if I become unhappy and want to return to the UK or go somewhere else. I do try to live for the moment, none of us have tomorrow and we should take life one day at a time. Still it is scary!!! I would love to read other's thoughts on this and any advice you may have.

Genesis

What if? I think we could all do with a crystal ball. In sme ways you are right. We came here with a 'no going back attitude'.

We could have returned if we had not found happiness here but it would have been costly. I guess some of 'will it work' or 'won't it work' IS down to your mindset. It must be. I am happy here yet so many would fly out tomorrow..or thats the impression they give.

Most of the issues people complain about in NZ are VERY VERY real. NZ is a real one off, there are sooooooooooooooo many things people hate about it. Some people are spitting nails about NZ on this forum. I feel for them its horrid being 'trapped' somewhere you don't like.

But at the end of the day we all have choices. If we all sit here thinking about the what ifs and the negatives its unlikely we would leave our houses!

This emmigration is a dangerous came, life savings lost, families split asunder (and thats before you arrive!!) and in the end you can just be left feeling why did I ever give up my life in the UK.

Only YOU know if its worth the gamble. 3 years in and I am still excited about this wonderful country and ALL it offers me and my family. Content as pigs in muck. But alas there are very many expats not so content.

RobClubley

Well said!

shirl

Thanks for your input - you are right it is a mindset thing. It wasn't until I read all these negative things that people post that it brought negative thoughts up in me. I still have my mum in the UK and she is nearly 90 so I have the guilt thing going on as well. My kids are here well 2 daughters anyway and they are married and we have 4 grandchildren here as well. So that's great in itself, my son lives in Phoenix with his family which is only 12 hours away - another plus. My sister is here and lives in Timaru and that is good too cause I am re-building my relationship with her also (After 40 years!!). So yes I suppose it is no good dwelling on the negative postings. I shall avoid them in future!! Thanks for the advice.

Littletoe

Well, the exchange rate would make it easier to move back at the moment, but that's a different issue. Don't allow honest, open chats about NZ to sway your decision. The point of them all is that NZ works for different people. There are a lot of people that love it here, you'll see them posting on the negative threads also. It just happens that as you've started to read the forum, there is a big chat going on. But there are lots of other threads too! And most of them are happy and chatty and avoid confrontation. Moving such a long way is a huge gamble, but you've got to follow your gut and do what you think would make you happy. We've all taken a risk being here. I happen to be 'one of those' negative posters, but I don't always slam NZ! Its all in context. I live in a lovely house, and I have a great lifestyle, I'm not in dire straits desperate to get out. I could be in worst positions while I make plans to move out of here. I am not returning to the UK, so my time here is longer because I have to sort out onward residency. If you go and read the Australian forum, the returning forum, etc, you'll see people having similiar negative chats and it'll put you off that to! Even the most negative poster of them all (maybe me, maybe others, you decide) would agree that NZ DOES HAVE some plus points and its clear to see why some people love it so much. I personally love hearing people that are passionate about their decision to live here. Although I can't personally experience their 'highs' I can certainly appreciate hearing it and knowing how happy they are. Hey, be excited about your new life! All the very best with your move

Browner_

Having been here 5 years, I suspect its harder to get back to UK than it was to get here in the first place.

So yes, I feel Ive got a bit of a one way ticket, and would like to change that really, but its not obvious how I can.

I feel so much more at home in europe, it just has the feel of being somewhere, and there are so many places to go. NZ really is a large heap of nothingness, and the small town mentality of many is blinding obvious.

Some will totally disagree of course, but we all see it differently.

Maz

I get the feeling the OP was talking monetarily, so right now it's a great time to switch NZ$ to GBP, they don't cost much at all.

Margaret Parkinson

When we visited our family last year we also went to see some people who emigrated 43 years ago. They were 2 sisters and there husbands. They all went for £10 each on an ocean liner. One sister settled but the other one did not. The reason being she was so naive she thought if she did not like it she could come back the same way. Of course this was not to be.

The sister who has not settled already had a son of six when they went and she had a daughter in NZ. The son now in his 30's has returned to the UK and I think this is because his Mum always made him feel homesick. Of course the daughter is a kiwi and would not live anywhere else.

What I am trying to say is I think it is because she could not go back she wanted to even more.

brussels_sprout

Even if it is a slightly dull place and wages very low, you do feel as if you have won the pools when you have emigrated here.

Cheesehead

We are having the same reservations - are we doing the right thing, what if, it's a lot of money to spend if you don't like it, blah blah
So, instead of selling our house and using the proceeds to potentially buy a house in NZ, we are seriously considering not selling our property in the UK (I doubt it would sell that easily anyway in the current climate!!) and renting it out. Luckily we don't need the equity to finance the move.
That gives us the opportunity to "check out" NZ for a couple of years or so and if things go horribly wrong, we only have to cover the actual return trip for us and our belongings.
Obviously there are downsides to this as well: is it too easy to just turn around and go home without really giving it a real go? Not a terribly positive outlook? Can we cover the mortgage if the property is empty?
But potentially, it might make me feel more empowered to know that I will never feel trapped.

Dilemmas, questions, obstacles - does it ever get any clearer?

Genesis

In the current climate your option is perfect. As you say the UK housing market's stale, you will probably get more for it if you DO decide to sell in 2-3 years time whereas in NZ your home will possibly be cheaper!! The exch. rates crap right now too!! Who knows in 2years plus you could get $3 to a GBP!!!

Very sensible!!!! Good luck..Atleast you will have had a gander for yourself.

Only time will tell if you are a lover or a hater of NZ!!!!

CAN2NZ

What a great question or post to make. I like living here for many reasons. However, it is true, emigration is hard. Before I get to the topic, have to say that I miss having friends that we might be able to drop by on and perhaps invite over. I miss that and the relatives, but not so much as to go back. I will get over that in time and maybe we will have new friends.

Anyway, I have thought for a long time now, and did before hand that the move would really be one way. The cost of living is higher eating into potential savings and if one needs to move back, the exchange rate may not be favourable at the time. Of course the moving costs are very high. So, economcially, it can be very expensive to change one's mind.

It is always possible to go back, you are never trapped, it is just that it is expensive to go back and so that can feel limiting

However, I like it here for many reasons and hope that my happiness increases as time goes by.

Browner_

Absolutely, relatively speaking, you are right, but I still think it would be hard to go back to UK now even now.