Justcol

You're asking people who live in nz what's the best thing about moving back to the UK...?!!?

For me...nothing at all
Too dirty
Too noisy
Too much traffic
Too many angry drivers
To many angry people
Too much rampant consumerism
House's too small
Neighbours too close
No one talking to anyone else

I go back to visit family, if they weren't there
I could happily never give it another thought

sr71

I've been back and forth

I think it's quite hard to compare as there are big differences in terms of locations, Living in London is vastly different from living in East Sussex or up in the North. Living in Auckland vastly different from living in Whanganui.

I lived in London and Hove, now in Auckland.

UK Pros
Proximity to Europe and east coast USA. Shopping is cheaper and more variety - for most things (but it's really not something I'm too bothered by). Football is not at ungodly hours. Cars are better value. More culture, bands, shows, museums, events, museums, historical sites etc.

UK Cons
Winters, Generally grottier overall, some places are just dismal. Delays on trains leaving you waiting for hours on cold winters evenings. Working and living in London every day can grind you down. Poor coffee and food (esp. outside London), Council tax, commuting costs, more stress, many people are arrogant and aggressive, drinking culture

TV is largely irrelevant now, I don't watch live to air and I have online access to all the British TV channels anyway, 90% of it is rubbish these days.

sr71

NZ has one of the highest dog ownership rates in the world, think you just need to be aware of where they can be walked and whether allowed off a leash or not. No shortage of places.

Bo-Jangles

Best: Traditions, London, Big Ben, Banter, BBC, Language, Travel, Holidays, Regional Accents, Shops, Public transport, Museums, Canals, Barges, National Trust, Squirrels, Foxes, Castles, National Health System, Villages, Country Pubs, Village Greens, Beer Gardens, Pub Grub, Christmas, Marks & Spencers, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Tescos, Asda, Boots Chemist, Debenhams, John Lewis, Selfridges, Trains, Old Buildings, Architecture, Jam Doughnuts, Cornish Pasties, Smoked Haddock, Walking in the Woods, Bluebells, Markets, Piers, Theatres and ease of access to Europe and the rest of the world.

Worst: Wasps and Traffic

Shard

Don't see how coffee can be on the list. Britain has more than its fair share of artisan coffee bars, not to mention all the major chains. I think coffee now exceeds even tea as a national beverage (by consumption).

sr71

Most chains are rubbish, there are a few good coffee shops opening as Brits palates become more mature about coffee. Many of these were started by antipodeans. Also the whole cafe/brunch scene is not as good as Aus/NZ - maybe the weather has a big effect.

Shard

Sounds like a local myth. Plenty of good brunches in London and other larger centers.

Justcol

Are people so shallow that now a place is deemed good or bad based on whether you can have brunch in a poncey, sorry, artisan coffee shop or not.

Shard

Apparently, a number of NZ people are, exactly why I pointed out it's a non issue.

sr71

Why not? It's an enjoyable part of a lifestyle, many Europeans have a similar culture.

No different from people who go on about pubs in the UK.

BtotheR

Thanks Justcol for your input but please read the original post, and I quote "With a number of posts (myself included) of people thinking of moving back I thought it would be really interesting to see what people who have either moved back to the UK full time or gone back and forth between New Zealand and the UK recently have found to be positive and negative about going back."

Not really that complex - just a list of pros and cons basically. I agree about the good coffee not defining a place but I do miss NZ coffee when I have been back. You can keep Starbucks and Costa as far as Im concerned - even the majority of small artisan coffee shops I have been to in the UK deliver a large bowl of boiling hot milk with a hint of burnt coffees taste. Its not a deal breaker but enough of a point for me to put on my worst things about UK.

BtotheR

No people are just commenting on their best and worst parts about being in the UK - just hang fire on attacking people ("are people so shallow...") for posting their thoughts - its really not helpful.

Justcol

OK back to the topic in hand
It seems Aldi, cauliflower, Canadian car insurance and brunch all feature highly...

Bo-Jangles

Sadly in NZ there is very little alternative to the poncy $20 breakfast served with a slice of orange and a $5 trim soy, half strength, mochafrappacinno bollocks with sprinkles.

I can't imagine anyone would countenance paying ten whole quids for breakfast in a cafe in the UK.

To think we used to find The Little Chef was expensive but still an inevitable must do on any long road trip. That now seems quite a bargain at only GBP6.89 for an Early Starter.

sr71

Well most trendy brunch styles cafes in the UK are charging 10-20 pounds for a standard breakfast (2 eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, bread etc)

Decent traditional English breakfasts in a traditional cafe are about 5 pounds, including a hot drink.

You can get similar priced ones in NZ at more traditional or working class places - cafes in industrial areas etc. e.g. Penrose, Mt Wellington etc.