Originally Posted by Vitalstatistix (Post 10176483)

.......Most of the time I like it here but I'm on a downer at the mo. Winter doesn't suit me whatever side of the planet I'm on. Sometimes I wish we'd stayed put or moved somewhere else in England, other times I feel so lucky to live here..........

Originally Posted by lardyl (Post 10176531)

A, the weather was fab today though? And there is so much more daytime here in the winter than in grotty old blighty?
Chin up old chum! :angel:

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistix (Post 10176536)

Very true, twas a lovely day & I'm not sure I could cope with the UK winter anymore. Not long until spring now.

Did you have to say 'old'?! :eek::sneaky::rofl:

Originally Posted by Miss Nic (Post 10175981)

This put a smile on my face :) Pleased to see that things have fallen into place for you and the future is looking bright!

Originally Posted by Justcol (Post 10174173)

Originally I settled in Cambridge,
a town of around 25000 people, I'm not there now but I miss the place

Originally Posted by Vitalstatistix (Post 10176483)

Most of the time I like it here but I'm on a downer at the mo. Winter doesn't suit me whatever side of the planet I'm on.

Originally Posted by barnsleymat (Post 10174845)

.....We love it here now, it's being a bloody tough 14 months but our futures are so much brighter. NZ ain't perfect, but it's a great place to live and enjoy life, stuff is expensive and I'm the first person to have a good gripe about it but if you come here and are prepared to work hard and maybe not have all the little luxuries you'll be used to in the UK you'll bloody love the place.

Originally Posted by lardyl (Post 10176531)

A, the weather was fab today though? And there is so much more daytime here in the winter than in grotty old blighty?
Chin up old chum! :angel:

Originally Posted by lardyl (Post 10176580)

/ducks for cover/

Originally Posted by lardyl (Post 10176651)

good on ya mate, no doubt you'll be watching the "old egg juggling" soon......

Originally Posted by barnsleymat (Post 10176698)

That't the thing I love about Dunedin, before we moved here I'd read some things on here about the city being Rugby mad. To my surprise football pitches far outnumber rugby pitches. My office looks out over 6 football pitches, the house we're staying in in round the corner from 3 pitches and when you drive around everyone is playing football. I had the pleasure of watching the Otago United U17's practice 9am-5am everyday last week from my office, they've headed to Northern Ireland to take part in the Milk Cup where they play Bolton Wanderers and Spurs. I've even signed up with an over 35 (I'm 36) team run by an ex Huddersfield Town Hooligan, Dunedin is football mad.

The whole 'NZ is Rugby Mad' is a myth in my experience, maybe these stats prove it: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10817351

Another reason I've settled in to NZ life and especially Dunedin life, they appreciate the beautiful game as much as every other country on earth.

Originally Posted by simonsi (Post 10177044)

Why?

Fancied a change.

Got one :)

Originally Posted by bourbon-biscuit (Post 10176647)

Funny place Cambridge- if it just had the ocean I'd say it was pretty near perfect.


C'mon Vital; I do, I do! We can do it :D

Why?
Cos we came out here backpacking and loved it and then toward the end of my husband's mental health nurse training we were told there were no jobs and to move out of county. NZ welcomed us with open arms and we even got a relo to get out here, so it was a no brainer. Also, my husband's family come from out here so we felt that pull. Also you get about the same amount of summer here as you get winter in the UK and I don't mind a bit of winter but 6-8 months is too much- I longed for the southern hemisphere skies and just thought it looked like a wonderful place to raise our kids, particularly as we weren't that well off.

Did we get what we wanted?
Yes and no. NZ has been good to us- where we've come a cropper it's only been our own folly really and we've worked through it and come out the other side. For our kids, discounting the whole extended family thing (and it's a big deal :( ), it's a total no-brainer. They love their day-to-day lives, say they love NZ and just have happy low stress outdoorsy little lives :) I know people will say kids in the UK could have what mine have here, but that's meaningless to me because we were pretty poor in the UK and worried about schools and getting out of renting and our future careers, etc. Here we can both see ourselves feeling well smug in about ten years time when all our carefully laid career plans come to fruition (ones that wouldn't be possible in the UK, for us), we own a beautiful home with a wonderful garden (oh God, I love my house!), live within a short drive of mountains and beaches and bush and still can get into the city when we need to. On the other hand, I never expected settling to take so long! Over five and a half years here and I'm still not settled (neither is husband) and that has taken its toll on my health and our relationship. It's only been in the last year or two that I've started to accept that actually this is just part of the process for me- I've left behind my culture (although culturally I think I'm somewhere between British and Kiwi now) and my family and it's unlikely I'll ever live in the UK again and I've missed out on weddings and births and Christmases and ultimately it's a slow and painful severing- like pulling a bandaid off slowly and each tug hurts.

But I'm getting there.

Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Unsure, I don't think I'd be brave enough. Would I want to go back now? No. I'm spoiled and love my lifestyle here. Also I think part of me was born to live in the southern hemisphere as I find the open spaces and the skies just make me happy. Despite the difficulties settling, which I am generally able to compartmentalise, I am about the most content I have ever been.