lazychemist

I do need a new pair of flip flops! Job is around the Eastern Bay Area. It was lovely to find some positive vibes when I checked back. We are definitely coming in a couple of weeks for the quick trip. I am viewing it largely as a free holiday since I don't really have to worry about impressing anybody. I just have to convince them that I won't come crying home to UK after 6mo if they pay towards us getting out.
Also Robdon, is Rotorua as good for mountain biking as they seem to imply online? We will deffo be over if we come and it is?

Pom_Chch

We love it here too. Better off financially, in fact I have no issues with cost of living but apparently I'm supposed to according to what's written above All I know is we have a lot left to play with at the end of the month and a lot more to show for it than what we did in the UK. For the record we have a lovely warm home complete with insulation, double glazing, no damp and generally non shed like (shock horror!) Love the lifestyle, love the climate, love the people. No regrets here!

Haven't been on the forum much recently. Too busy sorting out new house and having a life tbh

Good luck with your decision!

RobDon

Absolutely

RobDon

Sooo glad we are not alone in loving our life here!

Absolutely agree with everything you say Pom 110%

davros1984

Another option you have is to consider living and working elsewhere in the UK. Since coming back to the UK, the contrasts seen within the UK are staggering.

After living the life in NZ there is no way I could live in the SE of England ever again. I was also disappointed with some parts of Yorkshire - too busy for me. Having travelled the country substantially since being back there are plenty of nice places up around the lake district, scotland, wales,devon and cornwall. We have come back to South Wales.

As discussed in other threads, avoid Auckland unless you are seriously cashed up. Bay of Plenty is a lovely region, but prices in Tauranga have increased quite substantially (mainly due to Aucklanders making the most of their massive capital gains through house price increases). You would be better of looking towards Napier or more inland in the North Island. You can make it work, just do your homework and be prepared for many challenges.

MOSO

You just have to remember NZ is not the UK on the other side of the world, there are advantages, disadvantages and cultural differences and you need to adapt accordingly to make it work for you.

Doing your sums is vital. We are luckily financially better off. Parents, friends and even old neighbours have been to visit (of course that's not the same for everyone). Our house is warm, well insulated without double glazing or central heating. My OH works longer hours than he did in the UK, but gets paid more so we've travelled all over NZ and Oz.

The education system here is different to the UK (I'm a teacher), we follow a different curriculum for starters of course. It isn't about fact regurgitation or as standard based and teachers/schools have lots of flexibility as to what they teach. It has its faults just as any other education system, but it's higher up the OECD rankings than the UK.

Yes, mountain biking is great in Rotorua and all over really. Access to the outdoors isn't a problem!

Come and see with open eyes and remember that if you do a comparison shop that food in NZ in seasonal, so don't fall into the trap of thinking that apples/strawberries/tomatoes (insert food of your choice) is expensive. It will be if it's not in season. Courgettes for example can go from $2 per kilo up to $15 per kilo and then disappear altogether.

Coming to see first is a great idea. We came on a reccie which was so useful, the kids went to school for a morning and we checked out housing, jobs, shops etc.

It's a hard decision, but come and see and then weigh up the pros and cons for your circumstances.

Bo-Jangles

So, are the numbers stacking up differently this time? With the exchange rate having travelled south over recent years and stayed hovering around the $2:£1 I'm surprised that anyone can make the sums add up these days.

lazychemist

Possibly, if I can feel confident that I can maintain our equity in a property over there then that will minimise the risks?? I need to buy as cheaply as possible to shorten the term of the mortgage etc but then obviously reduces what we can afford. That is a question I can only answer by looking at some properties in the flesh.
On that subject though do people expect to offer over or under the asking price? Or is it the exact asking price that's wanted for a property?

Evolve2013

We lived in the Bay of Plenty (near Bethlehem) for 9 years. It is a most stunning part of NZ and infact we did travel extensively through NZ and still said we would definately choose this area again. So be prepared to be blown away when you arrive! The sky will be blue (even though it is still winter/early spring) the beaches are amazing and the low population is a very refreshing change with very friendly laid back people and great cafe culture. I always said that NZ is very good for the soul but we still returned to the UK, ours were mainly family reasons. As the years rolled by I missed them more. When you are there I think you need to check out schools, real estate agents (have a good look at what you can get for your money) and supermarkets (Pak 'n Save) being the one you will probably end up using)
I think the best piece of advice i could give you is try to be realistic, it is too easy to be carried away by the thought of 'living the dream', but really it is just normal life, different place. Your sons will have the opportunity to surf (although do google sun and lack of ozone in NZ) live the outdoor lifestyle, visit beaches where you are the only ones there, wallow in geo-thermic hot pools (try the ones in Omokoroa) holiday in Fiji and Aus relatively cheaply compared to visiting from UK and much more! But it all boils down to where your heart feels at home. Some folk arrive unpack and literally never look back, maybe that could be your family as you mention you have very little family ties. There is no doubt about it your life will be different, the climate lends itself to a more outdoor lifestyle. If you like to shop you will be disappointed, good clothing is expensive and there is very little in between. I always said I would never use The Warehouse (the Big Red Shed) when we arrived but it wasn't long before I was in there and also buying from op-shops (second hand shops). Our house had no heating apart from a woodburner, and yes it was cold, so try for a house with proper heating and double glazing. If you decide to go for it I would say give yourself a good two years and then see where you are all at. Even though I am from the UK it has still taken us a good two years to settle back here and it was definitely the same when we moved to NZ. I really do wish you all the very best and good luck with the (very) long flight. I would recommend Singapore Airlines (the best by far in our experience. If you would like my phone number I am more than happy for you to call me. Good luck!

BEVS

Exactly.

The OP will receive all sorts of responses & all are equally valid .


edit to add....

Here is a post from someone who moved here quite recently having made several visits. Read HERE

bolton1

Hi there - hope you enjoy your flying visit , we also came to have a look around for a week ,whilst our visa was being processed, decided it was a yes for us and have been here 5 years. Ups and downs ( see updates ) but have a lifestyle we would not have in UK. Bay of Plenty is beautiful and covers a large area. I am biased towards the Western bay, especially Tauranga, come visit you will be smitten . It is a big move and costly as people have said, but in my opinion , worth it. Good luck.

Gill and Rob

We love living here too !!!!
Been here over 11 years and this is home.

Gill and Rob

Justcol

one thing to consider is you are so far from everywhere.
I miss being so close to europe, the different cultures just a few hours drive away and being
able to see them for just a few quid. here there is nowhere, Australia is just australia (boring)
the islands are just beach holidays and all appear pretty similar unlike the difference between
france/germany/italy/spain/austria/the netherlands all of which have real culture, personally i think
kids need to experience other cultures as they grow, something the kids here dont do

moonie2011

Hi, we have been here for 18mth, we came because hubby was forced to retire at 48yrs old. We have 2 boys 12 & 9. We have bought a house here and as already said the cost of renovating is when you can finally get a builder to quote. We have already put central heating in as I refuse to live with NZ standard heating. We are also putting in double glazing, but in stages as it is too expensive.
The first, however many years, you have many emotions and many questions about doing the right thing, however if someone gave me money to buy flights it would not be back to the UK for either a holiday or to go home, why? We have a great life here, we have been doing activities that we would never have done in the UK (snowboarding, kayaking, walking), the kids enjoy their schools and although there has been one or two problems with other kids, the school dealt with it swiftly and continue to monitor it, the UK school never dealt with it, the weather, so much better than UK, winter days of 22 degrees, brilliant blue skies and you wear sunglasses at least 3/4 of the year. And summer is summer, weather almost guaranteed for BBQ and swimming after school with fish and chips on the beach.
Cost of living is higher, hubby is on just over double what he earned in the UK and we do have to watch every cent. We don't go without and we still have take aways etc but this is the first time ever I have told my kids no we can't afford, or I'm not paying that much in the grocery store (things like baby bel cheese, strawberries, coco pops etc) but you get used to it, I buy whatever is on offer so actually the family get different products every week, rather than the same items every week.
Overall I think we'll stay but who knows, 5 yrs ago we weren't moving to NZ
Good luck with whatever you decide

moonie2011

We bought a house here about the same size as in the UK, but it is besdie the sea with amazing views over 3 Islands, the South, Mana & Kapiti, we would never have been able to afford something like this in the UK. We had a huge deposit but by the time we renovate it we will have a huge mortgage about 2x the UK one we had. Even if we bought a newer already done house the mortgage would still be double what we had in the UK (based on £2/$1) if we stayed in the UK we could have been almost mortgage free. If we sell and return to the UK, we will have a good deposit but would still have to get a bigger mortgage than when we left the UK. Best we stay here then Lol