shepslady

An amusing thread indeed. Have been to Oz several times & only once came across a huntsman & that was in my Uncles house. He thought it was so cool to have one living with him in his lounge. I spent my entire visit with him never taking my eyes off that horrid thing crawling over his wall. I had to walk under it to get out the front door & I must admit I think I could have almost qualified for the Olympic team with the speed in which I ran
Yeah there are more things like spiders & snakes etc in Oz than NZ but honestly you rarely see them.
NZ does not have huntsman spiders but they do have katipos which arent seen too often.
IMHO Two very different countries & it really depends on what you want out of life where you decide to settle. Just because one man likes living somewhere doesnt mean your going to like it too. Regardless whether someone else's views are negative or positive it all comes down to individual preferences so you have to decide what you think is best for you & not be swayed by what others tell you.
Im a Kiwi spent over 40 years in NZ so naturally I love it but Ive also had many wonderful vacations in OZ, been to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne & Tasmania & loved it all. Nothing bad to say about any of it but I wouldnt want to live there. Why? Because its just not for me on a permanent basis & its a place I like to keep as somewhere great to go when I need to get away & have some fun. Besides ( tongue in cheek as I say this) there are simply too many kiwis living in OZ these days anyhow
You sound like youve already made your mind up anyhow so I wish you well in whatever you do & hope that you make the decision that is right for you to live a good & happy life.

garrisondamn

Well here in NZ we have plenty of White tail spiders, around our house we do anyway!
They can be nasty buggers too! A friend was bitten on the back two years ago and the bacteria from the bite ate away at his skin and has left a huge scar!
I hate killing spiders but these guys get the bullet! Also, i found a Trapdoor spider a couple of months back in the garage, bloody huge! similar looking to a huntsman but smaller and harmless. Katipos too although not harmless!

So they are here! but like someone on an earlier thread said you are more likely to be hurt on NZ roads! but lets not open that can of worms, aye!

Tayberry

Round of applause!!! There are far too many spiders in this world a complete waste of space, along with rats. Kill the buggers and show no mercy!!

I have to say, I haven't seen any dodgy looking beasties since I came to NZ. The only thing I'm not too fond of are those bloody noisy insects that look like gigantic flies and make a really loud cricket sound...yuck..I'm also still recovering from the flea bites I got (over 70 bites-really not funny and now I'm the proud owner of legs which look like I've had ringworm) in the summer!!! Unfortunately these little varmints liked me and decided to eat me alive. Picked up loads from patients' homes. My Kiwi colleague ended up hospital with cellulitis from an infected bite. Those creatures are also in the "waste of space" category. Why were insects invented? Why can't the animals, such as birds and anteaters who like eating them, change their tastes in food and move onto biscuits and cakes? Then everyone is happy. No insects to deal with in the world and the animals are happy with their new tasty diet.

Sorry for having gone completely off the topic here....!!!

wombat42

No my location is OZ of course.

Rascal

I just wonder why Brits come to NZ first then leave for OZ, but I have personally never heard of ANY Brits emigrating to Oz then moving to NZ??
It may happen, its just I have never heard of any that do, but plenty that go from NZ to OZ and end up loving and staying there??

enilorac

Hi Rascal..first post hey...welcome...are you planning on NZ then?? Ah, just seen your second post on the education thread and perhaps answered my own question...

Rascal

Thanks for the welcome.
yeh I have just posted on the Education Thread. I was being mild too! Diabolical is better described!
Been coming to NZ for nearly 10 years, lived here for 3. Holidays and living are very different. Salary is very poor and cost of living is no cheaper, you just have less to live on!
Sometimes we never appreciate what we have until we haven't got it anymore, and thats been our life here. Too late to get back on the property ladder in the Uk.......so hoping to join our relllies in OZ one day........just biding our time here really.

enilorac

Whereabouts are you in NZ then......I agree, holidays and living are very different...things always look rosier when you're in holiday mode don't they but the realities of every day life can often be drastically different...

I'm really sorry that things haven't worked out as you would have wanted them to and I hope that your plans for the future pay off...you've picked a nice part of the world to bide your time in though...better than cold and wet England (although the sun is shining a bit today ) Any advice on pitfalls to avoid would be appreciated.....or recommendations on the plus points......

Caroline

davepoole

ooer indeed about the fleas, but im lucky never had a flea or mossi bite, they just dont like me.

I agree with the points made that it would be rude to complain about someones country when your only there as a visitor. In a way i understand why kiwis are so protective of their nation, it has a small population, globally this must make them feel isolated and disempowered. However it is the small population that makes the counrty and people great. Many parts of the counrty are still wild, with towns that allow people room to live, in my part of the uk we live ontop of each other, our towns are depressingly busy.

In Britain we seem to take great plesure or satisfaction in complaing about our counrty, possibly due to a long conservative government with less than pleasant policies, and a labour govt that see fit to leave the counrty open to the rest of the world with an unwise immigration policy. I think if we go the way of countries such as NZ or australia with the points system things might improve.

As for moving from NZ to OZ time will tell, i might end up doing it, but i like to live for the now, so experience of other countries seems exciting so where i will end up 10 yrs from now who knows????

scottish

I think its because NZ is easier to get into and perhaps cheaper. Also might be wrong here but is the age limit not lower for OZ than it is NZ??

In our case NZ was easier and quicker to get into.... applied for jobs, 3 offers, house sold and moved in 6 weeks with 2 yr work visas at a total cost of £80 each lol, plus plumber registration which was about £150.

Rascal

Yes, it is easier and cheaper to get into NZ than OZ, hence the reason people choose NZ first!
BUt the point I was making, I haven't personally heard of anyone who emigrates to OZ, doesn't like it, then moves to NZ, but heard of MANY that flee from NZ to OZ! It seems to be that more people are satisfied with OZ rather than NZ?
BTW I live in NZ, but finding it hard to manage financially, had been here 4 times before, so I thought I knew NZ fairly well, but as we all know, holidays and living here are two VERY different things. In truth we had a much better lifestyle than we have here, its much harder to achieve that here due the poor salaries and cost of living whioch in truth is hardly much cheaper if at all than the UK.

Deb+Chris

It's such a shame though isn't it? NZ has alot to offer yet won't pay the wages so immigrants struggle like hell!! we certainly did.. we didn't expect to live off nothing.. we knew after a couple of months that NZ was sucking us dry and we had to leave.. we tried to re-locate 3 times in desperation.. we really didn't want to come home!

I agree.. loads seem to go off to Oz after a certain amount of time... mainly I recon is the money!! they just cannot survive.. it's a horrible existence when you cannot get by week to week.. horrible.. and then everything else that bothers you is magnified a thousand times.. like the cold houses.. we hated that part of NZ.. it drove us mad!

I haven't heard of anyone who has gone from Oz to Nz either.. wonder why?

shepslady

Yeah your right about the white tails but have to say they have only been common for the last 10 years or so. Never saw one myself but did read loads of horror stories about people being bitten by them & suffering from real nasty wounds & scars re eating away of the skin etc. Most of what Ive seen reported though seem to have been people bitten while gardening so thats probably why I never saw any....a gardener Im not. Never heard of a trapdoor either. What part of NZ is that in? Katipos have been round for years but not a common thing to hear of anyone getting bitten by them.
As for killing them Im right there with you on that one because I still dont know what purpose the have on this earth.

Rascal

From past mistakes made by others I know, I think it is essential you chose a location where work is plentiful! So many times I hear of people getting jobs which are not as described!! (Us included!).......we chose to live in the central North Island (Hamilton) due to its ocation, easy access for Tauranga, Auckland, Rotorua etc. WE did this beacuse of learning from past mistakes by others!!! Many get jobs and then leave........only to find that where they have chosen to live.........there is no work around in that town!! Hence they move on, sell up, usually at a great loss and move to be near where the work is plentiful. Unfortunately these places are MOSTLY, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington. Always remember that only just over 1 million live on the south island and think why?
As for being warm.....ha.....now that is a laugh. NZ homes are COLD! Remember the 60's in the UK, one fire in the lounge, rest of th house FREEZING? Cold mornings waking up to damp cold rooms, and condensation on the windows.....well thats NZ winter I am afraid! It gets warmer usually through the day, but once that sun has gone, boy its gets COLD> Electricity is high with the average MONTHLY bill being around $200 upwards in winter and that is being on the low side. So it makes it a very cold winter for most NZ's. Its the time of year when you spend more time outdoors as its very true to say, outside is much warmer than the inside of your house!!
Sorry if I am being a bit negative, but I am just trying to say it as it really is, rather than promote some Godzone country like a glossy travel agent would! It has its problems here, drugs is a problem even in Intermediate schools!! Just recently a thread on Xtra home page was saying tha some AKL schools are now introducing sniffer dogs into its schools to control its growing drug problems! True!! ' P 'labs are being busted all over Auckland suburbs too, so its one to remember, I wasn't prepared for that!!
Again sorry its a bit negative, but I think us Brits should learn the 'real' NZ before spend all our hard earned pounds, then be disappointed at certain things here.

Rascal

Becasuse OZ is better all round I reckon. Better schools, education, better built houses that dont leak! Better salaries that you can actually LIVE on and not survive!! Not to mention the costs of kids dentist and eye tests etc that we took for granted in the UK! But its true....I NEVER hear of anyone
leaving OZ for NZ!!! I'd be gald for someone to put me wrong though!