MattandJax

Well we can't speak for other people and we have only been here a couple of weeks but this is what we have seen/done in our first couple of weeks.

Been for a 3 day holiday in Coromandel (2 1/2 hours from Auckland, beautiful place)where we walked an amazing bush trail which started right by our B&B. It is a trail paid for and looked after by locals and probably won't be in any guide books but we saw loads of birds and got some amazing views of the beautiful beaches in the area. We didn't see another person on this walk until we got back to the main road.

Since getting back to Auckland we have explored the Piha beach area, done the coast to coast walk (takes you up the peaks of one tree hill and mt eden with amazing 360 degree views of the city), walked through the bush trails near the Botanic gardens (amazing that you can get out of the city so quickly) and explored the Beachlands area. There seems to be lots and lots of walking left to do including (with bike trails) the near by Hunua Ranges (45 mins away).

Where we are staying in East Auckland (Botany / Howick area) it seems that you can live in a fairly rural area yet still be within easy reach of a plethora of shops and restaurants.

We have seen loads of people cycling, of course you probably get nutters but the seem quite that's the same everywhere.

Overall the standards of the roads seem much much better than in Manchester, we have barely seen a handful of potholes since we have been here and we have driven a lot (free petrol from work for first 2 weeks ). Despite being warned about the standard of driving over here it seems fine so far with no real difference to the UK (and probably better than parts of Manchester inner city)

The weather has been pretty good, it's been warm and despite some heavy rain we have seen the sun every day (even when they say they weather will be bad it seems pretty good, but we are from Manchester)

Quality of food seems good so far, we have been buying some lovely fresh fruit and veg from Pak n Save / Countdown. The local food is really cheap whilst some things (mainly imported) are really expensive (like cucumbers??)

Some of the housing we have seen leaves a lot to be desired but there is some nice stuff out there, just need to make sure you keep looking till you find it!!

Loving the chilled out atmosphere, everyone is really helpful, people going out of there way to help you (even someone in a bank!). The numerous coffee shops are great and the restaurants we have been to have been good value with massive portions and good quality food. We ate so much Thai food last night we were really stuffed and the total bill including 1 bottle of wine and 1 beer was $70.

Although we haven't got kids here everytime we pass schools the pupils are out being active and the facilities seem reall good (tennis courts / basketball courts etc).

Woodpigeon

Sounds more like the South Island to me, though you might be right about the job issue (don't have any idea about your particular fields of interest there, sorry). Be aware that there is a north / south divide in NZ too

I agree with what has been mentioned previously - if you are close to your family in the UK then think about whether you have funds to go back and visit them (Don't expect them to come out here, regardless of what they might say - the only rellies of ours that have made it in the 7 years we've been here are my mother, twice, my cousin, she already had the trip planned and just called in when she was in the area, and OH's adult daughter, who currently lives in China). Unfortunately since we only originally intended to come out here for one year, we never prepared ourselves for this and, as a family of 5, we haven't been able to afford to visit home at all.

Similarly, whilst living in NZ does give you a great opportunity to really visit the country (we've seen more of the country than many of our kiwi friends ever have), its not cheap (lack of transport options has already been mentioned). Once you've had enough of holidaying in NZ your next option is Oz (and probably just the east coast) - unless you have the $$$ to afford a family holiday during school holidays in, say, the Pacific Islands.

Oh and one aspect that really gets to me every year is the summer holiday clashing with Christmas. As someone else has mentioned, leave entitlement is lower here, and many employers have a compulsory shut down period over Christmas and New Year - which, apart from stat days, you have to use your annual leave for. Of course, being the summer, this is also the most expensive time to be taking holidays! The flip side of this is just how long winters seems - there is no Christmas holiday to look forward to/break it up, just three plus months of long hard slog through dark, short days, and cold and rain.

Now, before I get jumped on by the "if you dislike it so much why are you still here" brigade, let me add some positives.................................. if I can think of some

Whilst I'm not a fan of the school age academic education here, I do have to acknowledge that my kids have developed more as individuals than they would probably have done in the UK. They have had opportunities to experience things that they never would have in UK (kayaking, abseiling, wider variety of sports, different cultures for example).

I catch myself getting frustrated if I miss one set of traffic lights in what passes for rush hour traffic. Takes me less then 10 minutes to get to and from work, and up to 20 minutes to get home if I leave work at 5 pm and have to go across town to collect a child from a sporting activity on the way.

Within a maximum of 15 minutes of travelling I can be either in a fine dining restaurant or at the theatre, on a beach, tramping in bush or hills without seeing another person, or watching wildlife in its' natural habitat again without seeing anyone else (yellow-eyed penguins coming ashore at a deserted beach at dusk - awesome).

Within a few hours drive I can be skiing, tramping on a glacier, swimming with dolphins, or relaxing in a natural thermal pool.

At the end of the day NZ suits some people more than others. And I guess that if I'm totally honest, my biggest issue with living in NZ is being so far from family and longstanding friends. I could cope with everything else if it wasn't for that. Oh and the cost of medical treatment (I have a daughter with severe eczema and at one point it was costing me around $200 every couple of months for checkups and prescriptions ). And the cost of dental braces for all three of the kids (several thousand dollars each).

Damn, I meant to finish this post on a positive note

Um.............. the sun is currently shining, the sky is bluer here than it ever is in UK and the light is sharper. Though if I look out the other window I can see snow clouds building up - but my house is now toastie warm since I turned the heatpump on

Woodpigeon

MattandJax: from your post you sound so much like us when we first arrived - I hope that for you the gloss never gets tarnished I keep trying to blink and look again and remember what I saw and how I felt at that time.

Genesis

TBH if you are so easily put off (and I am not having a go) I think its best left well alone. No one or nothing would have dampened my resolve to come to NZ (and beleive me my family REALLY put that boot in)...just like everyone who said I should have never joined plod. Had I listened to them I would not have had 11 years of interesting (but tricky) times in a silly uniform. You sound like its 'just a kinda good idea' today thing. Just like I thought it was 'a good idea' to move to Northland a fortnight ago and having researched and asked around have shelved the idea. There is too much at risk re my kids. They are all happy as larry here love the schools, their lives et al so I was very easily persuaded it was not to be.

It is a really, really, really HARD thing to do. Believe me. Do not ever think of moving the farthest from your roots possible unless you really need and really, really have a passion to do it. It is very expensive, time consuming and phyically/emoitionally draining. Some might say "it was a breeze", it may well be for some but most (I think) like us found it a hard yard. well worth the efoort but bloody hard.

RobDon

From our point of view we absolutely love it here.
We are so glad we made the move. We look out of our windows at hills & mountains and even in the rain its magic.

The only downside for us is the distance we are from our family and friends although having said that we have made some good friends here too.
The children have settled into school well and made lots of new friends, We love our jobs and the laid back attitude at work and at home.
New Zealand is not right for everyone but for us it is.

Of course there is not the choice of shops and designer brands that are prevalent in the UK but we manage!

Our philosophy has always been if you dont give it a go you will never know and we are so glad we gave it a go! We dont want to get to retirement age and think what if?
We can all give you our insights to NZ and our opinions but its your decision as to whether its right for you and your family.

We love our life here and for us it was the best move we could ever make.

jmh

It doesn't sound like you love the place enough to make a go of it. Sporting culture is not a great trade off for the financial risk you are taking.

A career in IT could mean anything, and I have heard that high level IT jobs are rare - technician jobs easier to get but low paid. If your hub can get a high level job before you leave I think it would be a good idea. If not, then you are likely to find him still with an hour commute each way if travelling into Auckland CBD, but on low wages. Chances are he could cut his current commute to 1 hour where you live now by cutting his income by the same amount (i.e. downshifting). Also bear in mind your kids will need to qualify on residency grounds to get into a UK university or they pay international fees. This is a really big issue so check it out. You have time to try it out for 2 years to see if you can like it but give yourself a chance of getting out if you don't.

I'm a kiwi thinking about going back after 23 years in London. Family is my main draw, and I think people can underestimate how hard it is when you can't make the christenings, marriages and funerals of loved ones because you are too far away. Photos are a poor substitute.

debsnotdebbie

Hi there

We have been in NZ for just over 3 long years and we are now finally heading back home.

Several reasons for this move back to sunny UK some are related to the NZ life style, culture and ethos, others to do with careers and family and friends back home.

Be under no illusion despite some similarities this country is not the UK.

If you do not have a job when you arrive ( fortunately hubby did ) you will struggle to get one, they simply do not give the jobs to "POMS".

If you do get a job, it took me 3 months with a degree, post-grad, the works, the salary will be very low be prepared. I was grateful for the work but totally in shock when I got paid, a most humbling experience.

The houses, even the ones that are expensive to rent or buy, that is the majority, are not what you would expect the construction is interesting and they are generally pretty cold and in some cases damp. Let your nose be your guide better still a building report.

The cost of food is high in comparison to salary, as is the cost of electricity. Do not even think of buying luxury items they are significantly over priced, 25%-40% higher than the Uk even taking into account the cost of shipping the items here amazingly Kiwi's just accept this. If you can bring perfume make- up with you. I have found 2 types of clothng in NZ, the nasty stuff mass produced in China which whilst comparatively cheap is poor quality and and better quality items which are very costly there is no middle ground.

Basically you will have a lot less money and increased expenses.

That said I would suggest that if you want to come to NZ you should there is nothing worst than the "If only I had.... " You may love it lots of Brits do just be prepared. I think I had a rather romantic, unrealistic idea of the place which was quickly replaced with reality.

We leave with a lot less money but with experiences. The jury is out on whether they are good, maybe time and distance are required.

Good Luck

Jan n Neil

Just really re itterating what has been said, It is a beautiful place to live masses of space good (mostly) service, cheap housing BUT as said in another post it isnt easy to get a job here it,s just taken me 6 months to get a decent one and altho the moneys really good for NZ it,s nothing special by UK standards and this is not a cheap place to live there is a lot of "mend and make do"
We are really lucky that Jan has a really good paying job but if it wasn,t for her loving her career so much i think i would have returned to the UK by now.Jan just returned there for a conferance and she hated the place she misses nothing (apart from people) in the UK

Dont let me put you of, come and have a good look round you will either love or hate it

Genesis

How can you say this? We are much, much better off here in NZ than we were in the UK. You have no idea what these people might have to bring moneywise or what their salary is.

NZ is not poverty for everyone. And we do not have HUGE salary here by any stretch of the imagination. Plus the houses are what you make them. Ours was very cold and damp when we moved in due to poor air flow, no heating and other issues that were easily sorted if you have the will and the way. I still go to houses that ARE cold and damp but these people chose not to buy a dehumidifaction system and refuse to install heating, yet they drive flash cars and holiday in exotic places. We have different priorities.

Justcol

I think its important to remember that this forum covers the whole financial and social spectrum of brit imigrants.
Every one of us has a different financial set up when we arrive, has come from a different social background
Has different educational and work backgrounds and opportunities when we get here.
Our expectations are different our prospects in NZ are different and what we are willing to tolerate outside
of our comfort zones is different.
Some of us are more adaptable than others, some of us just happen to meet the right person at the right time
(personal contacts carry a lot of wieght in NZ) other are not so lucky but its not for the want of trying.

Many many things can make your NZ experiance a positive or negative one, you just have to do your research
and ultimately find out for yourself

debsnotdebbie

"How can you say this? We are much, much better off here in NZ than we were in the UK. You have no idea what these people might have to bring moneywise or what their salary is."

I agree I have no idea what they will bring with them but, if you look at the statistics regarding salary and the cost of living in NZ, my comments are more than justified. I also speak from my own experiences which are as valid as yours.

Your assumption regarding people utilising income on flash holidays and cars instead of investing in heating/ ventilation systems are interesting and somewhat high-minded.

In closing I would say "Well Done You" if you are better off in NZ you are most certainly bucking the trend long may it continue.

RobDon

Personally we are certainly financially better off in NZ!

Genesis

[QUOTE=debsnotdebbie;8633012]"

Your assumption regarding people utilising income on flash holidays and cars instead of investing in heating/ ventilation systems are interesting and somewhat high-minded.

QUOTE]

Its not an assumption. I went to friends on Sunday they both have high spec cars (one is a sports convertible). They both earn a fortune..yet they only have one log burner in a very large lifestyle property. They are always taking vacations too. Nought wrong with that but I do not understand how they or their 3 young kids can be comfy in a very cold damp house (apart from the lounge). And why is my observation based on fact 'high minded'..what ever that means??

lardyl

good on ya!

we "lost" over 6 million dollars in steady earnings over 20 years to the planned retirement date, for me alone, who knows what it would be for our combined income....??

the poster is probably right though, many people earn much less here and what they earn they spend on food (GST'd) and other essential stuff...not saved, put in the pension or spent on regular travel, etc like it is often by Brits in the UK.

the people that are better off usually are so due to property/living expenses "gains" or because the NZ tax credit system/benefit system works for them. Hell, we've claimed benefits here that we would never have thought of doing in the UK.

I don't know many, if any, people who are doing the same job and taking home more money in NZ even at the 2:1 exchange rate rather than 2.5:1.......

pixi-dust

I think these threads are always so difficult to post an answer on as probably all of us here are leading lives that are different to eachothers. We may all want different things and New Zealand is a huge country with such different ways of living, weather, population, housing, schooling, etc that how can we answer?
I can say I love it here and the next person can hate it - neither of us are wrong or right.
What I can say from our experience is that I have no idea how people live on low incomes. I don't think we are overly extravagant but at the end of each month there is not a whole lot left. I've always thought the cost of electricity is massive compared to incomes.
I could list all the positives that we think NZ has but they would just be our ones, I know some people would read it and go - ew!

Before we moved here we decided that whether we liked it or not we would give it 2 years - if one of us was unhappy we would either move within NZ or try a different country - we had no plan as to how we would actually do this!
Luckily for u we felt at home within 5 minutes of getting off the plane and 5 years down the line we are happy and settled. But we were happy and settled in Scotland too.
There, that was helpful, wasn't it!