Genesis

Very fair point and one which I totally missed. Maybe they should not come eh? Mr flip-flop strikes again, well it is a woman's perogative to change his mind.

luvwelly

Seriously stay put....mainly for financial reasons.....especially given the age of your kids. I read somewhere that lifestyle blocks often get sold to Brits at inflated prices (cashed up Poms) and that they are re-selling them again a couple of years later when the reality doesn't quite match the dream.

pricklykina

Yup - the country in NZ is much more remote than in England. Much more difficult to get around. No public transport, public footpaths or even footpaths on the side of the roads and traffic that hurtles by (no fun for kids on bikes)

As for sickness - well what happens is that people get sick pay from the government I guess. I get 10 days but can accumulate up to 60 so it doesn't worry me.

I have some insurance for if I get sick, as does hubby too

If you are injured in an accident, ACC will pay so that's handy.

But I think that you need to understand that the kind of benefits that you have a very rare here.

Why not have a look at rural land in Europe?

gags

Fair comments by all. I really do appreciate your honesty and we realise the decision is ours and ours alone and we all have our own expectations from life etc.
Our heads say 'dont do it!' but our hearts say 'do it. You only live once!'

UK seems to thrive on doom and gloom and we did notice the very short time we were in NZ, the optimism all around. Refreshing.

We have looked in the UK at the rural parts but work is scarcer than in the South East. It is being stuck between a rock and a hard place I suppose.

But any more scarily honest comments will be warmly received.

Genesis

When were you here last re the above comment? Lots and lots of shit of various hews has hit NZ's fan of late and just now the country is pretty stuffed as a whole as one pundit put it today on the radio. Freaky, freaky weather causing HUGE problems for lambing time when the sheep farming indusrty is already on its knees, huge earthquake, collapsing buildings under the weight of snow, finance companies going to the wall, personal debt totally out of control, mass exodus to Oz, teachers striking, radiograhers too, hospitals running out of cash, housing market collapsing and the list goes on. Presently we are really quite beleagured as a nation. It looks like things will get worse too.

johneastriggs

Thanks for the advice appreciate it.

Racka Stubbs

Don't expect to come here and live a life of luxury - house prices are fairly like for like except you won't get a solid stone house for your money over here.

If you want to come you will come, i don't think you should sit and compare the 2 lifestyles, i think if you are coming here then you have to embrace the way people live here, some bits are better some are worse.

Sometimes i think we made a mistake even tho all my family is here, but then i walk down to the beach and look around and remember that we are only here once and if you don't do it you'll never kno.

You can disappear up you butt analzying everything but at the end of the day if you want to come - come - if not don't. simple as.

Bo-Jangles

Oh my, you would really consider taking a pay cut of GBP 30k + all the trimmings? That's one heck of a lot of dollars.

If you seriously can afford to take that much of a drop, I would think about turning the situation on it head and consider how much more house, land or 'lifestyle' in the UK that would buy you, if you were to invest or increase your borrowing and repaid GBP 20k per year more mortgage.

gags

Yes you are all right ofcourse.

So we have made a heart renching decision not to go

We have put in alot of money, effort, and soul into this whole affair but enough is enough.

We do get a good deal here in the UK and with 3 kids that can't be ignored. So we will put our dreams into a more rural way of life in the UK.

I will say that we are so pleased we did visit the South Island and we went over their to embrace NZ the way NZ is, life and people. We have never and never would compare their way of life with UK, but money is money and ya gotta live.

You have all been very nice and very helpful. Good luck to you all with your lives, hopes and dreams

Am Loolah

Well, I think if that is what you have decided then that is the right decision for you, at this time. In all honesty when I was harping on about emigrating here, wild horses wouldn't have kept me away! You have to want it so badly as it can be pretty darn tough.

I wish you the very best of luck in finding your utopia there. If the urge doesn't go away or the dream doesn't come to fruition, New Zealand's not going anywhere!

gags

Many thanks Am Loolah