Buzzy--Bee

The most important thing to realise about lifestyle is that most aspects of it have to be paid for somehow.

BB

BEVS

I agree. I'd have added the word 'any'.

The most important thing to realise about any lifestyle is that most aspects of it have to be paid for somehow.

sr71

So both of these depend on personal taste, and on peoples motivation. For people that are into stuff like mountain-biking, trail-biking, 4WD, bushwalking, beaches, athletic stuff like triathlons, yachting, windsurfing, kayaking, skiing, motorsports, golf etc - i would find it hard to believe they would find nothing to do as there are more/easier opportunities to do this than back in the UK.

Then of course, the normal indoor activities - shopping malls, internet, cinema, bowling, kids play areas etc are all readily available. Add in the gulf islands, cafes, restaurants, wineries and dozens of places within a couple of hours drive then you would have to be really unimaginative to get bored.

I know plenty of Aucklanders that have too much too do. Especially those with families and young kids.

UK beer is vile, yes there may be some excellent ales if you like that stuff, but otherwise just dire, certainly compared to Belgium and Germany.

BEVS

. HeHe.He.

Justcol

regularly do the 1st one, the 2nd one, 3rd 4th 8th and 11th. Am also taking up tennis soon and looking into kayaking

A shopping mall isn't an activity and at 40 something I think its probably best if I dont hang around kids play areas

Assanah

To me NZ lifestyle means beaches, nature and sports. Other than that I think life here is slower and quieter. In fact, I find it pretty boring here. Looking into returning to Europe in the next year or two.

Bo-Jangles

I'm sorry I don't get it, none of this is unique to a 'lifestyle' in NZ that you could not do in the UK?

If only I didn't work full time and could afford it, no doubt I would spend my day pottering about, going to the gym and lunching with friends; I could easily fill my day up browsing through a book or a magazine but none of it I could not do if I were anywhere else in the world and at a loose end.

But sadly this is no different to the UK and I had no expectation that life in this regard would be any different in NZ. Unless people can suddenly afford to give up work, or do already have significant other that provides and affords them to stay home - I don't see how emigrating changes their lifestyle to any great extent.

I had to work when I was in the UK and work more hours here to earn less money and I am no different to all the other people I associate with in NZ, all bar a few stay at home mums who seem to spend the majority of the day on Facebook, at coffee mornings or at the mall. I don't see any people who spend their days at the beach, visiting wineries, climbing mountains, kayaking and windsurfing; unless they are on holiday.

Like most women that work full-time I spend most of my time juggling to keep the show on the road and mostly feeling utterly exhausted and inadequate ; trying to be the domestic goddess, catching up on jobs at home, growing our own veg and keeping up some semblance of a grooming regime and the appearances that life's a breeze and we live in a reasonably clean and presentable house.

Simply never enough time and if anyone has the solution, or a fail safe get rich scheme, I'd like to hear about it.

Justcol

Bingo !!

Thats what I was trying to say, Its ok having a million activities to do but when your not doing
them there's NOTHING else to do. . . if that makes sense.
Its like living in sleepy hollow and having a few toys to play with, when your not playing with toys ?????

love30stm

unique to me, i dont need to work full time, we brought money from the uk here to have a better lifestyle, the weather is nicer i feel like im on a long holiday when the suns out and im sitting with a friend having brunch watching people go buy.

i dont think i need to take up rock climbing and bungee jumping just because i live in New Zealand

i have more of a social life here and a better house that i would not be able to afford it the UK.

going to a kiwi friends bach next friday for the night just walking along the beach having some wine conversation and bbq just simply awesome

i never bothered to go running in the UK... such beatuful places to run in NZ.

crap coffee

me too...

NZ,,,yawn : (

BEVS

but I had that already in the UK & at virtually no cost at all. . We did this. We can't do that here. It is all so much less affordable for us.

I wanted to learn to horse ride when still back in the UK . I'd done a bit but never learned properly. I'd saved for lessons just before we decided to come here.
Now we are here I could never afford such a thing. I could never save for it . It's out of my reach.

I mourn the loss of learning new things. Doing new things. Being spontaneous.

We simply can't afford it.

Even a simple evening out or a lunch has to be carefully budgeted for. An overnighter somewhere wipes out the weekly budget.

It's how it is for us. Not others. But it is not how it was for us before we came here.

bourbon-biscuit

Yeah, I reckon that's the nub of achieving the illusive "lifestyle"- a nice wodge of UK equity (which was a hell of a lot easier to do ten years ago!), or have a mend and make do mindset and never have had much anyway. You've got to get something really tangible out of the move that you didn't or couldn't have in the UK ... otherwise what's the point?!

I've been a stay-at-home parent for 14 years (although I've done the odd part time job, been a student and had periods where I've home schooled my kids in that time too). I find it quite upsetting how working mothers often ridicule and look down on mothers who choose to stay at home but I also find it ironic that in the same breath they confess to being "utterly exhausted and inadequate". Our choice has had consequences- as I've said on here often we manage on one income, which does not afford a very flash life- but I'm happy with the choice I made and I enjoy the positive pay offs, as do my children and husband, but I don't put women down who make a different choice and I do offer lots of tea and sympathy to my working pals who are wrung out and strung out. In return they offer me tea and sympathy when I'm feeling dissatisfied and bored- I don't think there's any right or easy solution for women, but it would be easier if we didn't turn on each other.

Assanah

Reminds me of a European couple who were on holidays here in NZ during Christmas. It was raining, raining, raining and they were trapped in their campervan. They couldn't go to the beach or climb the mountains. There was just nothing to do and they were happy when their vacation ended and they could return to the UK and go back to work (and they stayed in Auckland!!).

Assanah

Bevs, you are so right, of course. Most important thing for any lifestyle is money!! We rented a very small old house in Auckland - reminds me of my time as a student. It is still violently expensive but OK for us to pay. So we have some money left to pay for sports and a trip to Australia. But if we wanted to have a nice place to live like we used to have in Berlin no chance for us to finance travelling and kite surfing!!

We didn't have access to beaches in Berlin though! But the UK is different. That is why I never understand a lot of the posters from Britain who always point out that the beaches are so great in NZ. I always thought that the beaches in the UK are fantastic and most people have easy access to them. In Germany most of us live hours away from the next beach. So moving to NZ did in fact bring a positive lifestyle change for us. However, I still think it is too quiet here for me and I also have problems with the attitude at work. I like a job well done in a timely manner! Here, work pace is slow and not many people seem to be interested in doing their job well. And biggest loss for me is my family and friends. Kiwis are all well integrated and family is very important and they still have their friends from primary school and no interest in meeting new people. So I feel a little bit isolated as well.

Buzzy--Bee

.....and what's wrong with Travemunde?

BB