waynepfry

Just interested to know what people's favourite and least favourite things about NZ are. Thought it might be nice to see a balanced view from everyone.

I think, whatever people's overall stance is, that nothing's ever perfect, and even if you love NZ there must be some negatives - and vice versa.

I'll start with some from me (and I NZ)

Positives
1. Love the beaches (and they reckon no-one's more than 30 mins from one)
2. The weather is far better than the UK
3. Overall sense of being more relaxed (the weather, more laid-back lifestyle)
4. The fruit and veg tastes far better than the UK (Sounds crazy but tomatoes taste more tomatoey etc)
5. The great outdoors - kayaking, skiing, walking the beach, tramping (hiking), swimming, boating, fishing - all v accessable and cheaper than the UK (free more often than not)
6. Kids happier - more to do, enjoy school more
7. I wear shorts nearly all year when I'm not working
8. Easy to get to watch sporting events (based on where I lived in the UK)
9. Generally feel safer around the streets etc
10. Nuclear-free/low risk of terrorism etc

Negatives
1. Longer working hours (a real shock when I first got here can tell you)
2. Price of certain 'essential' things - bread, wine and anything out of season
3. Lack of football
4. The quality of TV programmes is generally pants
5. The humidity and having to bleach-clean virtually everything in the house once per year (probably restricted to Auckland and above?)
6. Missing friends/family
7. No Sainsbury - the supermarkets are fine but don't come close
8. Driving
9. Loads of graffiti

I can easily put up with the negatives and am 100% sure I've made the right decision. Just thought I'd share my ramblings with others.

happynz

Nice lists.

My partial list ---

+
1. guaranteed paid holidays (zilch in the US)
2. ACC (unaffordable insurance in the US)
3. Rugby, cricket, NRL, netball...love 'em.
4. Canterbury summers - fantastic.

-
1. Cold houses.
2. Rip-off prices for shoes and books.
3. Lack of Latin culture. Damn, NZ needs some decent Mexican food.
4. Bored youth with bad attitudes, thus graffiti, boy racers, anti-social behaviour ad nauseum.

irnbru14

Negatives out the way first, as they are generally pretty minor so far..

1) Food prices - I'm spending much more at the supermarket each week than I expected
2) Some random UK foods - ok I can get sweets and stuff here easy enough but have random M&S food cravings at times, or Greggs even, its weird!
3) Kiwi Telly is tuely awful
4) CD's are pretty expensive and having to drop my old music buying habits down a notch or two
5) Books are BLOODY expensive, see point 4, nothing more annoying than when you peel the $34.99 sticker off the back and it says 5.99GBP under it...I know, I should join the library!
6) Flights are quite expensive when booking at short notice, not enough choice in carriers to drive that down yet
7) Mortgage rates/cost of housing, again both quite high so will stick to rental for a while
8) Missing friends and sometimes even family
9) Broadband is rubbish value for money!
10) No heating/double glazing/insulation to homes
11) NZ beer...
12) Can't get Magners Cider really...
13) It is a long long way from home...

Positives:

1) People are generally friendly and most seem interested in you and your reasons for being here
2) Lots of nice looking lassies around
3) Outdoors!
4) Sunshine and having a sun tan and not looking blue
5) Wellington
6) Relaxed atmosphere, can really sort of be yourself with no pretentions as you may have to in the UK
7) New World supermarket at Thorndon, nearest I've come to UK standards, its dangerous for my bank ballance alas
8) Kiwi Wine
9) The Expats on here of course
10) I can wear Jandals!!!
11) No ties worn to work
12) Great coffee and good cakes and food
13) The views, the harbour, the blue skies
14) Zorbing!!!

Thats all for now!!

irnbru14

Oh yeah, found myself buying a wee mexican cookery book yesterday, Flying Buritto Bros was really disappointing

luvwelly

Pretty good lists, I can second all of it, the only negatives I would add are:
'living in an earthquake zone' - who else didn't tell their kids this before coming?
No M&S & Tescos

On the positives: I agree about the taste of fresh food being better....eggs taste like they used to when I was a child...eggier somehow!
Another positive: swimming lessons for kids are so unintimidating and parents can spectate.

Nerine

Yins and yangs.....

High interest rates (mortgages) v. High interest rates (savings)

Bro/hip hop Culture v. Rich Maori/Island Culture and Heritage

Frozen cabbage v. Pavlova

No. 8 Wire v. Silicone technology

Archangel

Negatives

Drink driving problem
Gangs
Cold houses
lack of quality clothes and shoes especially for kids
Education
Speed [Cars]

Positives

Comprehensive care at medical centers more or less on the same day and in the same locality ie physio acupuncture, and X-rays.
The diversity of cultures.
Scenery
Friendly Kiwi's
Weather
Shorts nearly all year round
Kids can be kids without worrying about the latest fashions and styles.
Not being stuck in traffic every day.

P2L

Are we talking NZ or OZ??????

Maz

PLUS

• Fresh food, much fresher than the US
• Cakes not the first thing when you go in the supermarkets
• No crappy Chicago morning news programmes
• No snow to shovel
• Excellent place for family and friends to visit - they don't even need to experience winter again if they can afford it!
• Beaches
• National Parks and Reserves
• Amazing wildlife
• Friendly locals
• No snow to shovel
• Beautiful placenames
• Left(-ish) wing government, at least for the time being!
• The ACC and affordable healthcare
• Drivers (seriously, try Chicago's morning rush-hour)
• General courtesy is very high
• I've grown to enjoy caffeine again for the first time since I gave it up seven years ago ...
• All our wonderful friends here and the fantastic social life!
• Barbecues
• No snow to shovel
• The amazing vineyards and wine industry here
• Mac's Sundance Ale
• Working in possibly the most beautiful capital city in the world
• The wonderful remoteness of it all
• Much easier to have outdoor cats (pretty much had to have indoor cats in Chicago otherwise they'd end up as roadkill)
• Cost of living is manageable on one salary
• Daughter loves her school and is excelling
• And did I mention no snow to shovel?

MINUS

• Half-way round the planet from family
• Mortgage interest rates
• The wind sometimes makes my skirt blow up around my thighs

She's saying some negative things, so I'll give you one guess.

Nerine

(the clue was in the title of the thread.....)

Nerine

Genesis

Positive.
My kids have sooooooooooo much to do
We have endless stuff to do
Less crime in your face..sure its here but 'it don't affect me'..back in UK it did, almost every day.
The beach is 35 mins away..in the UK it was hours and hours...........
Kiwi people are cool...really quirky, like me, for the first time in 40 something years I feel at home with kindred spirits.
In Palmy traffic jams do not exist, the logistics of everyday life are totally cruisy.
Indoor ourdoor pool complex and library that are just utterly outstanding.
Having a view of mountains from my back garden..which happens to be a mini nature reserve.
Skiing 2.5 hours away
Everywhere in the country is close.
We work much less and have a far better life style, fiscally and spiritually.
Life is generally far less stressed here in provincial Palmy.
More restaurants per capita than anywhere in NZ!!!
Surrounded by beautiful scenery.
Great education..IMO
Great NHS..IMO
More entertainment..thats affordable than I can shake a stick at
Incredible parks and walk ways.
Feel far safer here than in the UK (when not in a car) purely from my frame of refernce.
Having a new life.
No crowds anymore, anywhere in my life now!!
The beaches are always empty and its free to park
The adventure of it all.
Knowing my kids are getting probably the best childhood on earth...IMO Fortunately all the negatives below do not impact upon their lives, at present anyway.
I live in a house and nieghbourhood I could never dream of living in back in the UK.
I am more content than I ever was in the UK.

Negative

Appalling drivers..and its NOT the roads..just the crap drivers...okay not all of them but far too many of them!!
Absolutely no driving etiqette whatsoever in relation to entente cordial a la tarmac..not letting people out etc..they are SOOOOOOOOOOO RUDE!!!!!!!!
Double the death rate on the roads in NZ compared to UK, per capita.
Domestic violence..while that 'dont affect me either' its a VERY sad affair
Child abuse..ditto above
Gang stuff..ditto above
Drugs, especially 'P'..ditto above
Violent crime..all the above are wrecking this wonderful country, there doesnt seem to be much being done about it.
Kids can drive at 15:curse:
You dont need car insurance
Bloody mad building control regulations.
Fiscal policy of the country seems up the spout...high mortgages, all the finance cos going to the dogs, the ridiculous amount of credit card debt, houses some of the most expensive in the world relative to wages.
Poor wages
We lost 45500 people to Oz last year ...general brain drain.
Missing family and friends
Missing old stuff..NZ is sooooooooooo new!!!!
Miss proximity to europe.

I am sure I could go on but that gives a flavour of this country's issues. I love it here however, didn't expect perfection just hoped for a better life than the one I left at Heathrow. I got it. 3 years and its still wonderful...and getting better with every week it seems. I now know (kind of!!) to accept the things I can't change and do something about the things that I can change.

NZ rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

Maz

If I can't compare NZ to where I lived most recently, how would you like me to figure out the positives and negatives? If there's nothing to compare with, how do you want me to do it?

Bellasmum

Great post


Missing old stuff..NZ is sooooooooooo new!!!!

I lived in the UK for 5 years and when I come home to NZ I sooooooo missed the old "stuff" and its history.

karonious

I love the laid back attitude to life
I love Samoans - I hadn't met many in Hamilton but work with a lot here in Porirua. They have a refreshing naivety and innocence - a different way of looking at the world.
I love the sun and the fact I live near the sea.


I dislike how everything has a start-up, rip-off cost.
I dislike the extortionate price of gas and electricity.
I dislike how cold the house gets over winter.

I miss being on the same day as my family and friends in Britain.

But overall - I am so glad that I live here