Don

It's financial. There's a lot to love about NZ but if we look at it from a purely financial and quality of life pov there's no question that we'll be a lot worse off in the Godzone.

We'd earn about half as much as in Europe and things cost pretty much the same apart from petrol/ diesel and meat.

Might come back just to enjoy the country as a pensioner, though.

deedee

a fair comment!If you had a fair few million bucks under the bed would you?

Don

Meet you in November/ December for a pint, Deedee?

deedee

would be a pleasure indeed,whenever you are next on these shores get in touch

kiwichild

Good luck Don.Sorry to hear it didn't work out financially for you. I am hoping to go live in the UK for a while once I finish my degree here. Don't forget if you did end up retiring in NZ or OZ you can score pension top up from UK, which would help at that stage. Handy thing that dual citizenship

Deb+Chris

Don't blame you!!! it's no fun watching the pennies all the time is it? no matter where you are! the beaches and scenery etc. are all lovely, but it just isn't enough to make you change your ways so much (ie: go from easily managing to worrying all the time about boring ole money).

I can't believe how obsessed I became about the things I took for granted in the UK... we used to live in a house in NZ with only one warm room, no lights were ever left on, we'd be closing doors all the time to keep the heat in, OMG!!! it was tiresome.

Nice to have dual citizenship though.

Debs

southerner

Don,

The track down to Boulder Beach is grown over without you around. Was last out there about a month ago and saw about 10 pengies in all, lovely evening too!

Next time I'm out there I'll have Speights for you guys.

So NZ remains a dream then?

Cassa

We arrived here in July thinking that this would be a great move. We sold up in Edinburgh, shipped all our things over and in a bid to get settled here bought a house. We are putting the house on the market next month and moving home. New Zealand is not what we expected and although we are going to be £££ down on moving costs we just have to leave. There is nothing here that would make me want to stay. My standard of life was double it is now. Standard of life is low I feel and I miss the grown up ness of the UK.

We are really let down by our move here. I feel that anyone looking for a 'decent' life here, then you need to be on $100K + with quite a lot to put down on a house. Oh and bring lots of socks and jumpers. The houses are very cold. Being warm is not a priority here.

Cant wait to get back to Scotland. Will never moan about the UK again.

Gill and Rob

Why judge NZ, simply by Christchurch? The one thing that we said about our move here, was that if we didn't settle in the first town we moved to, then we'd move somewhere else in NZ. There is quite a contrast in weather and living conditions between the 2 islands.

Sorry it hasn't worked out for you.

Gill

Don

See you in November for a bit of yellow eyed penguin spotting?

I think we've realised that we've got a lot already. I love 'old' Europe and that's probably what I would miss the most. There's nothing like a good old traipse around a new mediaeval European town and I must admit I am in love with bits of Spain, France, Italy etc.

Plus where we live is great, I will post a pic or two when the greenery comes back - sring just started so in the next couple of weeks.

We managed to buy the outstanding bit in the middle of our dacha building plot last year so now we've got the perfect place to build a hose...

Cassa

Should have said, my husband is from NZ. North Island and we spend a lot of time at his parents farm in the North. Am afraid that the problems we experience here are not going to change city to city, in fact we have a better life in Christchurch than friends in Wellington or Auckland. My husband is a pilot and he has to be based near an major airport for obvious reasons so our choice is limited.

I keep hearing how bad it is in the UK for crime but I Think that there are a lot of problems here also. I don't feel any safer here and in fact on the roads feel a lot more unsafe.

See what you are saying though but for our careers we have to be near a major city and that is not where the Kiwi lifestyle exists.

Tayberry

Hey, ditto Cassa!! Might bump into you when I also return!!

kiwijetpilot

And power... and cars... and houses... and rates/council tax... and car registration/tax/insurance... etc etc etc

Tayberry

Couldnt give two figs about all of that. I just want to feel like I'm living in the real world. Not stuck in the Bubble Land where the national headline news, in the middle of the Tsunami Disaster included things like "Oldest Man's Working Pub in Christchurch closes" or "Jonah Lomu has a bony growth on spine" or "Jonah Lomu catches the common cold"......

Sorry, I'll argue to the ends of the earth regarding the shockingly bad and unprofessional the news/media is here in NZ. Take Paul Holmes for example......what a waste of space...or that Judy on the 6pm ONe News....and she's just been given a mammoth pay rise? Says it all.

kiwijetpilot

Well, we'll miss you.