bourbon-biscuit

Looks like a fabulous thread so I thought I'd bring one here

What was it like when you stepped off the plane onto NZ soil?

For us it was after a wonderful two weeks in WA and a grotty night flight over and it was overcast and gloomy looking. It was exciting when the plane did a sweep of the bay and I got to see what I'd scrutinised for months on Google earth! But then we had loads of luggage and two exhausted kids and we made the god-awful mistake of popping to Hastings pakn'save for some essentials before getting some sleep ....

Was days before the sheer relief of finally getting here arrived, such was my state of shock

irnbru14

First time I was here (2006) I landed in Auckland following about 5 weeks in the States, no offence to any cool Americans who may be married to lovely british folks on here that may live in Aotea, but GOD was I glad to land in NZ, even Auckland was a breath of fresh air from slightly crazy USA...

2nd time, back in October, when I landed in Welly at midnight and queued up to get my passport stamped for the first time with my visa was cool, suddenly it all started to feel real, got a cab to my temp accomodation where my work had left a whole load of food, which was so nice of them...first day out in Welly, met my boss and his wife, sitting outside Macs Brewery in the lovely sunshine

Maz

Well I wasn't too keen on Dorkland but when we got to Welly I knew I'd come home. And after Dorkland on our recce, when we took the train down (Overlander) to Wellington, I just felt so relaxed and so at ease, I knew I could live here without too much bother.

I don't know who you mean. Where were you in the States?

irnbru14

To be fair, I enjoyed some of it, San Fran is cool, New York is mad, Boston is nice, but just wasn't for me, was glad to get to NZ, one thing I wasn;t gonna accidentally walk out onto the road looking the wrong way for one...

I agree about Welly, it feels more like home and more relaxed that Auckland, which is why I'm back ere

Maz

Passed through SFO airport on way here, that's it. Never been to NYC, never want to. Have been to Boston twice, enjoyed it both times a lot. Could quite happily (uh... I think) have lived there. There again, could never have afforded a mortgage there! Oh, and I did see it in winter. Miserable in winter there.

Yeah, our health insurance here, for 3 of us, costs $9 a week. In the US it was about to jump to US$1,000 a month!

karonious

The sky was so big when we landed in Auckland and there was such a clarity to the air and sky.
I thought all the lorries were going to be the big Mac type American trucks as that was all we saw initially.
I liked Hamilton but circumstances dictated a change.
I agree with the previous posts about a feeling of coming home and belongingness in Porirua. Initially in Hamilton, I used to keep saying 'we live here' (I can direct you to the entry in my blog that really sums it up if you have any interest whatsoever in reading it) and now that things are really coming together for me here in Whitby, I'm doing it again. I have a yearning to live by the coast as it seems to satisfy a need in my soul and I so wish I had come here first.
I find myself content here and the girl loves it too.
found the link:sums up how I felt at the time.
http://britishexpats.com/blogs/Stevi...6%2339%3B.html

happynz

No offence taken 'cos I'm not really American as I grew up in the California Republic. Problem is that Sacramento doesn't issue a passport so I gotta carry an uncool American one.