Assanah

Pippa and kitty, good to hear both of you found your true home and settled well

I left NZ and am back home and very content. Leaving NZ was the right decision for me.

Debidoos

My advice.. Go for it!

My story.. Originally from the UK moved to Australia for three years in 2005. Got Aus citizenship etc . After three years I got homesick & desperately thought the UK was the place to be.. On my return back to the UK the jobs I had over the seven years I was there were far worse than what I had in Austrailia. In Aus I was better paid and far less stressed with much better working conditions. I also disliked the cold weather in England. The house I bought in England was tiny so much so I couldn't fit the majority of our 40 cubic foot container contents into. Whilst in Aus I visited NZ and loved it .. But had to stay in Aus to get citizenship. I knew I would return at some point in my life but had to wait for the right time. It took seven years for that to happen & I arrived in NZ in Jan this year. I can't say it's been easy because doing this sort of thing never is but I am just happy to be here.. I've got a great job and have just bought a home with a piece of land I would never imagined being able to afford in the UK. Life is an adventure .. And we all learn from experiences you just have to do what is right for you at the time. We only have one life ... Live it and learn from it

Natalie1303

Thank you all sooooo much for your posts it is really great to read them all, everyone has a great story to tell and I find it really interesting :-)

Vitalstatistix.....hello!! Yes I remember you telling me over a coffee about your ping pong experience :-) sorry to hear you don't feel so great there at the moment, is there anything on the horizon that may change that? X

I think we are going to get in touch with some employers and submit Pauls cv to the canterbury skills hub and see what happens. If there is no interest or the wages would mean a poorer quality of life than we have now then its decision made, we stay here and enjoy it.......if we get a positive reply then its big decision time!!

Thanks again you lovely people :-)

davros1984

I have to say that I am not one of them. I had an amazing time in NZ and have only positive memories of my time there. Since being back though I have to say I feel more settled and right than I have done in a long time. Of course I've had moments where I've missed NZ and rightly so. Made some great friends out there and lets face it, moving to and living on the other side of the world is a real adventure.

You are all aware of the challenges I had in Auckland and the fundamental reasons that I decided to return to the UK.

I would certainly consider re-visiting NZ one day or spending another period of time there. But.. I'd have to ensure that I have at least 250-300K of cash in the bank as I feel unless you are cashed up - Auckland will not be paradise. I think my other plan would be NOT to go to Auckland.

Thigns I would say regarding my trip back so far:

a) I have been all over the country since being back (driven around 4000 miles). Have been to Yorkshire, Scotland, Cornwall, Wales, Sussex and London. So many beautiful and interesting places. Really impressed with York.

b) I have applied for numerous jobs in my field of work in multiple locations and have had positive results. In less than a few weeks I've had over 10 job interviews, 6-8 job offers and have accepted a job (all outside of the south east).

In NZ - jobs were far and few between and it would usually take around 6 weeks for a job application to progress. I think its fair to say that in my line of work, the work opportunities available to me in the UK are incredible.

FYI - we have decided to settle in Wales.

c) With the deposit we had saved in NZ and could not afford to buy a house in Auckland, we have been to my bank here and have been told that we can buy a house in less than 3 months. Our deposit is more than sufficient and we have been looking at amazing properties at anywhere from 100K upto 200K, including 3-bed victorian properties with decent gardens and only a 20-25 minute walk to the city centre.

d) Petrol aside, as discussed in another thread, the cost of things generally is a lot cheaper, especially food. I am pleased to say though that now I have secured a job - I am spending more than 14.50 a week on food

Finally... I have to say that my biggest surprise has been the weather.
Everyone told me it would be horrible, awful in comparison to NZ. Since we've been back, and no joke - we've had 8 straight weeks of glorious sunshine and 25-30 degree temps. I don't know why the Brits complain so much!

I know the winter will come and it will be cold, but after having 3 years in the NZ climate, part of me does look forward to having "seasons" again.

To the original poster, going back will be exciting for you, but please do your research. Auckland is considerably more expensive than CHCH. If you have 250-300K pounds saved up and your partner will earn in the region of 100K (see other threads, i.e. Auckland and 95K thread) you then may be able to live the good life in Auckland.

All the best and keep us posted.

NZ4Now

Hi

We have returned to the UK, nearly coming up a year in Sept since we arrived home.

We spent 6 years in NZ and do not regret it at all, I think like Davros said the experience has made us finally feel really settled and connected back in the UK.

I have lived in Auckland & ChCh so if you want any advice give me a shout!

Good luck x

Pom_Chch

Pleased to hear you're settling in nicely Davros. It sounds like it's all working out well for you, long may it continue! Congrats on the job btw, that's great news!

davros1984

Thank you pom! I hope both of you are doing well and loving being in your new house. We've enjoyed the time off since June seeing familes etc but are glad to be starting the next part of our lives as of this weekend!

I read about the new development in the centre of CHCH, hopefully they continue to invest in CHCH and give it a great future.

Take care.

bourbon-biscuit

Yay, you got a job! Well done, Davros

shirl

Interesting read, nice to see some of the posters of my first years still posting. I went back to the UK in July 2012 having been here 6 years. I quickly began to settle back in with friends and family but soon realised that the area we returned to (south west) was not the best place for hubby to secure a job on the wages he was getting here in NZ. 6 months later and so so much poorer he eventually found a job and it was about 10,000 GBP less a year than the job he had in the UK before we came to NZ. No benefits and other stuff meant that for the first 6 months we were not entitled to claim anything not even our NI stamp! ( how do immigrants claim houses and money!) Too honest we are!!!!

Long story short....... Yearned for NZ came back October last year, hubby back in old job in Christchurch and bought a house in December back in Rangiora where we lived before and this time round decided I would go out and get a social life and not dwell on forums so much as I used to and here I am, only replying to this cause a friend said I had been mentioned in a post so thought I had better give my opinion. It can work out nicely second time around which it is for me. I had 15 months of being with family and my mum which I would not have had had I not decided to go back. Sadly mum died in November after we had returned to NZ ironically on my birthday!

I am not saying I will live here forever, is anything forever really? Glad I went back albeit cost us loads of money in flights, shipping and living costs and a hard lesson was learnt!

At least we expats who have made the move to other countries have all made something from our lives even if it is only experiencing different cultures and other ways of living, you wouldn't believe how many people from my life in the UK still go to the same pub at the same time every night and have been doing so for years while some of us seek new ways of life and experiences. It is not for everyone and we cannot walk in another persons shoes, they are all living their own story and have to live their life the way they see fit so if you are that way inclined for adventures and want to experience life along the way then great. If not stay stuck in the life you live and be happy with your lot.

This time round I have a really great social life and I am so much more enjoying it here in NZ!

When I am taking my last breaths on this earth at least I won't feel I have wasted my time sitting in one place and not seeing something of the world and meeting some lovely people along the way. I still LOVE UK but not the way the country is run, maybe if I was a billionaire or millionaire I would buy a country pile and be content there! NZ is home for now! Good luck with what you decide to do.

Wessa

Hi Shirl,
Great to see you are back in NZ.

shirl

Thanks Wessa, hope you are well, what you up to these days?

Snap Shot

Nice one Shirl, good update. Glad you're happy. Sorry your mum died on your birthday after your return to NZ. You must have wondered why you bothered to return to Britain as the job/financial situation turned out to be so dire.

Husband and I will be in Methven / Mt Hutt for skiing later this month. Fancy meeting up ? I don't ski, I could easily drive back towards Christchurch to meet you for morning coffee/morning tea or lunch as you wish. I think my husband's business trip is in Rangiora. Or it was last time anyway. I know it's somewhere around Christchurch this time again. He will hit the slopes after the hui then I'll turn up at the weekend.

Please would you pm me if you're interested, thanks.

shirl

Can you be specific on a date, busy month for me this month and my sister is staying at the end of the month too as they are coming back from Oz?

Pom_Chch

All good ta! House is becoming a home, gradually making some cool changes... next up is a pizza oven in the garden

Yes, Chch is continuing to grow. New buildings popping up, new places to try out. Still some whacking great pot holes that catch me off guard, but such is life, that is to be expected!

Hope everything continues to go well for you! Pop in and update us all from time to time...

ellenarosemary

Some people seem to settle and fall into the 'good life' really quickly, others take at least two years, with most people either one or the other and nothing in between. We moved to NZ two years ago, into the Waikato, absolutely hated it. We then moved to the Wellington region and we both got good jobs, the children are in a good school and life I would say in general is much much better.

My health wasnt brilliant at the beginning of the year, but I feel I am finally coming through the other side.

Our house hopefully goes on the market next year and will sell (once the tenancy is up), then all we have to do is find our dream home.

For us its taken 2 years to come right.

Would I ever go back, well never say never, but we're much happier here than we would be in the UK.

Follow your dream, life is too short for the 'if's and buts' - give it another go.