Justcol

If you live close to a beach. . .yes

My first place in Auckland was 6 meters from my lounge, across the lawn to the Sand
Now its a 45 minute drive half of which is down an unsealed dusty gravel road
I still wouldnt swap any of it for Blighty

doyley

Thats what we keep calling it, our adventure.

Moses2013

Sure even in so called Blighty you can live near the beach. The thing is that in both countries, people have choices, but sometimes they are limited due to work. A British person moving to New Zealand has even more limitations, as your life is based on a Visa. Have a friend who lives just around the corner from here https://www.google.ie/maps/@49.18564...7i13312!8i6656 and doesn't appreciate it, as he sees it every day. Although we don't live next to the beach, we probably make more use of a beach than he does. Just have to drive a bit further.

doyley

My work limitations are mostly down to the fact that during my 25 year working life I have only ever done demolition, I wouldn't know how to do anything regardless of a visa lol

Moses2013

Well, you're never too old to retrain Not saying it will happen to you, but wherever you are, you can lose your job tomorrow. The big difference is that if it happens in a country where no visa is required, you could still work in warehouse or do any sort of job. Every person and situation is different, so I would focus on what you have to lose, rather than why others moved.


One person might be happy in their beautiful Dunedin, telling you how great life is and the other person might be in a ghetto in Auckland. It's the same in the UK and some people are enjoying life in Portloe right now, while others are complaining about traffic in Birmingham.

doyley

Not focusing on why other people moved, more a general interest, i.e. we saw it as an adventure for sure, got some nice replies, it was general conversation with people who have done it.

Comparisons and expectations are well managed here, life is after all what you make it.

Moses2013

That's fine and I understand. It's just that there are a lot more factors to consider here. It's often the wages and job that determine how you live. Maybe you have a great salary, so you're sorted. Just saying that no matter where you live, we all have different budgets and expectations. I'm living in Ireland now and some people move here for a better lifestyle, but if you end up in Dublin not everyone can afford to live in Dalkey Mount Alverno, Sorrento Road, Dalkey, South Co. Dublin - House For Sale.

Snap Shot

Well said. If I could find an emoticon/emoji of hands clapping I'd use it.

I moved to NZ from Britain to humour my kiwi husband. (Despite telling him long before we got married that I didn't want to live in NZ. I only agreed to his suggestion to move seventeen years after we got married to call his bluff.) He has family in NZ. It was good for him to catch up with them whilst we lived there for nearly six years. We did not live in the same town as them.

Life in NZ, for me, was, 'as expected.' I'd sussed NZ on various visits to see my husband's family and had no desire to live there. Since when was a visit to the in-laws a holiday ?

Not a great deal wrong with it, and that's from some one who lived in small town NZ. Even smaller towns are available ! Home is where the heart is and my heart is in England.

Bo-Jangles

and



It's just the same the other way too, once you're here in NZ holidays are never the same again, as you have to face up to the folks back in the UK who simply can't understand why you would choose to go to new and interesting places, rather than spending your precious holiday time doing the Gogglebox thing sitting in their lounge watching Coronation Street.

Justcol

You must have some odd friends.

Another view might be how restricted your holidays will become once you are in NZ
The average Kiwi holiday seems to be camping on a site with 1960's amenities or dragging around a 35 year old moldy caravan.
If its culture you're after you can look forward to spending time across the ditch with the highly evolved Australians
it makes watching Coro seem almost appealing

doyley

I do like reading some of these posts, I reckon we will be able to do 4 weeks a year back over here for Christmas etc, I have family in Ireland, Spain and Australia, so generally we will all meet up for a few weeks in the uk.

If we can't do it, (i.e. the first year there) I'm sure most of them will come to us.

Bumptious

Met a bloke I worked with who was coming out here to live, followed him out, relationship failed after 3 months, I stayed.......that was in 1987! Been good. Couldn't live in UK now.

Moses2013

Ah the good old days:-). The problem I see and it's not just NZ related, is that far too many people are focused on the country, rather than the actual location and their situation. British people who are desperate to move, only see New Zealand as an outdoor paradise with less traffic, it's safer for kids and everyone lives in a huge affordable villa. The focus is mainly on the negatives in the UK and that it's dangerous, dirty etc. Although I no longer live in the UK and sometimes said bad things too, I have to be honest and say that Britain is a lot more than just pound shops and traffic.


The reality is that many people (not all) move to New Zealand and end up in an Urban area like Auckland and the neighbour is probably British. That you could also move to beautiful parts of Britain, be it Wales, Devon, Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly (only to mention a few) is never mentioned. You might even end up having a neighbour from New Zealand, just to add the culture thing.

doyley

nicely put, we like an adventure wherever we live we will enjoy it, we have 1 weekend per month where we go somewhere nice for a day trip, we have nation trust membership so we're never short of ideas, we will do the same thing there, we also go camping at least twice a year, we will do the same thing there.

We go on bike rides and visit beaches here (our closest one is Weston supermare or barry island and we still love it) we will do the same there.

I really cant wait to explore somewhere new.

We went to Australia for 4 weeks, and basically spent the whole time Sydney and cairns........

Moses2013

Exactly. I always say, wherever you go it's streets and houses. You just have to find the right street or the right house. The thing is that I would have no problem living in Cornwall, Devon or some nice place in New Zealand, but to me personally a move wouldn't make sense now. We have a pretty good life here and bought our house at a very good time. I want to reduce my mortgage and not increase it. Some people would not move, because they would miss going to a Premier League match. We all have different reasons.