Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
#16
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Hi Hippygran,
When I lived in Christhcurch my son & I joined a local tai chi group. We both enjoyed it so much...we were the youngest ones there... as it's a gentle form of exercise/dance it does seem to attract older people.
We miss everyone from our group as we all became friends very quickly.. we are looking for a similr group to join.It is something you & your hubby could do together maybe. Good luck
When I lived in Christhcurch my son & I joined a local tai chi group. We both enjoyed it so much...we were the youngest ones there... as it's a gentle form of exercise/dance it does seem to attract older people.
We miss everyone from our group as we all became friends very quickly.. we are looking for a similr group to join.It is something you & your hubby could do together maybe. Good luck
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Auckland
Posts: 67
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
At the end of November we will have been in NZ two years. Whilst basically enjoying life here as a retired couple, we have found it really hard to make new friends here as I am sure loads of people in our position have done before us. We have met & made friends walking our dog on the beach but generally they don't seem to become socialising friends. Don't get me wrong, we have made a few friends we can go for meals with - we are not completely 'Billy-no mates', ha ha!!!
Have to say, I feel very lucky to live in such a lovely area so close to great beaches etc.
Cheers
Joan
Have to say, I feel very lucky to live in such a lovely area so close to great beaches etc.
Cheers
Joan
#18
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: I live in Torbay
Posts: 95
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Hi Hippygran,
When I lived in Christhcurch my son & I joined a local tai chi group. We both enjoyed it so much...we were the youngest ones there... as it's a gentle form of exercise/dance it does seem to attract older people.
We miss everyone from our group as we all became friends very quickly.. we are looking for a similr group to join.It is something you & your hubby could do together maybe. Good luck
When I lived in Christhcurch my son & I joined a local tai chi group. We both enjoyed it so much...we were the youngest ones there... as it's a gentle form of exercise/dance it does seem to attract older people.
We miss everyone from our group as we all became friends very quickly.. we are looking for a similr group to join.It is something you & your hubby could do together maybe. Good luck
Cheers
Joan
#19
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: I live in Torbay
Posts: 95
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Good Luck Hippygran2, funny we are retired and submitted application today for Parent residence, we are definately Billy-No-mates in the UK, both had high powered jobs, both children left UK for pastures new, so never had the time to make friends, only the kids friends parents at the school gates and people we came across at work, we cannot wait to get to NZ to find new friends who will enjoy the open life style, so hold on Hippygran2, I will be there in a few years and promise to be one of your new best friends (I know Torbay and yes the beautiful beaches) keep that chin up!!
What a lovely post. Good luck with your application (Parent residency is the route we came too, sponsored by my son), it all takes such a long time then to sell your house (if you have to) when your'e really keen to start a new life in NZ ASAP. Hope you will keep in touch and let us know how things are progressing (however slowly). Look forward to meeting you in the not tooooo distant future, I hope.
Many thanks
Joan
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2011
Location: Auckland
Posts: 67
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Hi Wendy-woo,
What a lovely post. Good luck with your application (Parent residency is the route we came too, sponsored by my son), it all takes such a long time then to sell your house (if you have to) when your'e really keen to start a new life in NZ ASAP. Hope you will keep in touch and let us know how things are progressing (however slowly). Look forward to meeting you in the not tooooo distant future, I hope.
Many thanks
Joan
What a lovely post. Good luck with your application (Parent residency is the route we came too, sponsored by my son), it all takes such a long time then to sell your house (if you have to) when your'e really keen to start a new life in NZ ASAP. Hope you will keep in touch and let us know how things are progressing (however slowly). Look forward to meeting you in the not tooooo distant future, I hope.
Many thanks
Joan
#21
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Did I miss some joke here?????????????
#22
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
At the end of November we will have been in NZ two years. Whilst basically enjoying life here as a retired couple, we have found it really hard to make new friends here as I am sure loads of people in our position have done before us. We have met & made friends walking our dog on the beach but generally they don't seem to become socialising friends. Don't get me wrong, we have made a few friends we can go for meals with - we are not completely 'Billy-no mates', ha ha!!!
I do voluntary work, go to an international coffee morning regularly, tried a community club for older people, got a flea in my ear and was spoken to like a ten year old by one individual so that put paid to that!!! So we are both not sitting at home waiting for it to happen. Not sure what else to try, not having been in this position before, always had a lovely circle of friends in the UK, of course made over a long period of time.
I wondered if there was any older people out there that had made this amazing journey later in life and how they dealt with it. Would love to hear from anyone who has been there.
Have to say, I feel very lucky to live in such a lovely area so close to great beaches etc.
Cheers
Joan
I do voluntary work, go to an international coffee morning regularly, tried a community club for older people, got a flea in my ear and was spoken to like a ten year old by one individual so that put paid to that!!! So we are both not sitting at home waiting for it to happen. Not sure what else to try, not having been in this position before, always had a lovely circle of friends in the UK, of course made over a long period of time.
I wondered if there was any older people out there that had made this amazing journey later in life and how they dealt with it. Would love to hear from anyone who has been there.
Have to say, I feel very lucky to live in such a lovely area so close to great beaches etc.
Cheers
Joan
#23
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
I am OLDER than the average emigree, I am now in my early 50s and left the UK when I was 45. I am a kitchen bitch (house husband) and have small kids which you would have thought would have lead to a plethora of long term friendships looking at the huge amount of kiddie clubs I frequented!!!!! Alas not so. Kiwis are a very odd bunch, very very freindly on the surface but woe betide you if you try to get any friendlier. Most of them are also rubbish at returning meals when you have entertained them..they love a freebie!!!
They might not return a meal invite but they do usually bring a decent bottle of wine with them
#24
Banned
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 114
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
we have found it really hard to make friends here. in fact everything has seemed like an uphill battle. having lived in 8 countries and travelled a fair bit, I am used to feeling like an outsider. But the warm welcome is not here. Found Cape Town the best, what friendly people, cheerful and helpful. NZ is similar to Barbados in the 70s. Parochial and exclusive. The funny thing is the Kiwis are so friendly abroad. One wonders if it is because they need to make that effort in order to get ahead or if the cream of the crop has left NZ. Because the ones left behind can be a bit off! Oh well, we all live and learn.
#25
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
we have found it really hard to make friends here. in fact everything has seemed like an uphill battle. having lived in 8 countries and travelled a fair bit, I am used to feeling like an outsider. But the warm welcome is not here. Found Cape Town the best, what friendly people, cheerful and helpful. NZ is similar to Barbados in the 70s. Parochial and exclusive. The funny thing is the Kiwis are so friendly abroad. One wonders if it is because they need to make that effort in order to get ahead or if the cream of the crop has left NZ. Because the ones left behind can be a bit off! Oh well, we all live and learn.
#26
Banned
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 114
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
bellasmum hi thanks for your message. Well we never got the 'friendly kiwi approach' from our neighbours so pass on that one! instead we found two lots of neighbours in our garden on various occasions cleaning our fruit trees of all their fruit by the sackful! i was not sure if that is the kiwi way so asked someone who said 'no we dont do that here'!
we really tried when we got here to make an effort and invite people that we met around, for bbqs and tea etc, if they did come round we never got an invite back so now we dont try. we get a lot of 'oh you must come round for a bbq' and 'we must get you round for a meal' but nothing happens. but saying that we have made about four friends - more acquaintances.
Cant complain though because the NZ scenery is beautiful and being on the outside teaches one to be self reliant and resourceful.
we really tried when we got here to make an effort and invite people that we met around, for bbqs and tea etc, if they did come round we never got an invite back so now we dont try. we get a lot of 'oh you must come round for a bbq' and 'we must get you round for a meal' but nothing happens. but saying that we have made about four friends - more acquaintances.
Cant complain though because the NZ scenery is beautiful and being on the outside teaches one to be self reliant and resourceful.
Last edited by tweetweet; Oct 20th 2011 at 7:22 pm.
#27
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2010
Location: tauranga NZ
Posts: 135
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
bellasmum hi thanks for your message. Well we never got the 'friendly kiwi approach' from our neighbours so pass on that one! instead we found two lots of neighbours in our garden on various occasions cleaning our fruit trees of all their fruit by the sackful! i was not sure if that is the kiwi way so asked someone who said 'no we dont do that here'!
we really tried when we got here to make an effort and invite people that we met around, for bbqs and tea etc, if they did come round we never got an invite back so now we dont try. we get a lot of 'oh you must come round for a bbq' and 'we must get you round for a meal' but nothing happens. but saying that we have made about four friends - more acquaintances.
Cant complain though because the NZ scenery is beautiful and being on the outside teaches one to be self reliant and resourceful.
we really tried when we got here to make an effort and invite people that we met around, for bbqs and tea etc, if they did come round we never got an invite back so now we dont try. we get a lot of 'oh you must come round for a bbq' and 'we must get you round for a meal' but nothing happens. but saying that we have made about four friends - more acquaintances.
Cant complain though because the NZ scenery is beautiful and being on the outside teaches one to be self reliant and resourceful.
#28
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 39
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Hippygran - we are a "mixed marriage" (he Pom, me Kiwi). In our 60s, having returned to NZ to retire, we have had a renewed zest for life and working! We work in Auckland during the week, and return to our wee cottage at Lake Rotoiti for the weekends. If you would like a trip to the lake one weekend for lunch in the bush and a bit of peace, we would love to see you! (The Mr is a Mancunian, with all that that entails......)
#29
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Location: I live in Torbay
Posts: 95
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
Wow, that's sounds a really nice invitation. We would definitely give it some thought. We also have a dog to take into consideration. Thank you very much, Polly-glot.
PS: We have a Mancunian son-in-law (passionate Man Utd fan) in the UK, he even has a dog called 'Trafford'!!!!
Hope to be in touch.
Joan
PS: We have a Mancunian son-in-law (passionate Man Utd fan) in the UK, he even has a dog called 'Trafford'!!!!
Hope to be in touch.
Joan
#30
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 65
Re: Almost two years on and.........friendships are hard to come by!!!!
we have found it really hard to make friends here. in fact everything has seemed like an uphill battle. having lived in 8 countries and travelled a fair bit, I am used to feeling like an outsider. But the warm welcome is not here. Found Cape Town the best, what friendly people, cheerful and helpful. NZ is similar to Barbados in the 70s. Parochial and exclusive. The funny thing is the Kiwis are so friendly abroad. One wonders if it is because they need to make that effort in order to get ahead or if the cream of the crop has left NZ. Because the ones left behind can be a bit off! Oh well, we all live and learn.