Reply With QuoteExcellent post, very true.Originally Posted by sweets
Lifestyle is what you make of life - maybe a big move will give OP a kick to change but could equally be done here though probably harder to accept a big salary cut.
A big move, and if you are asking here, I suspect you are a bit on the fence.
For some people - it can be a bit “way - over - the - other - side - of - the - world”, and can seem like that for a lot of relatives, too.
I think you have to be ‘instinctively’ all in, as a couple/family.
That said - The UK doesn’t look like offering so much for a young family, whereas NZ has a lot of appeal.
Does Canada hold any attraction/possibilities? A lot nearer physically and ‘mentally’
Good luck
Excellent post, very true.
Lifestyle is what you make of life - maybe a big move will give OP a kick to change but could equally be done here though probably harder to accept a big salary cut.
That's a bit of a throwaway comment, though. Personally, I tend not to regret decisions once made (OK, maybe one or two, a bit, if I'm honest).
Whatever you decide, there will be good reasons - Regretting it in retrospect seems pointless to me. Go or not, don't agonise over what might have been, because it equally might well NOT have been.
That said, I don't think a spell living abroad ever hurt anyone's perspective (yes, there's a group with a certain ex-pat mindset, but they have that mindset anyway!)
Seriously?and, yes, I have been there...
M
Last edited by snowman; 12th June 2020 at 10:17.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Here is a free website, where you can see the RV (rateable value) of a property, and recent sales price:
https://homes.co.nz/
RV is what the council will use to work out your rates. If there are not many sales in the area, the bank will use that as a starting point if you want a home loan.
I choose a random house in Waikanae that sold last year:
https://homes.co.nz/address/waikanae...e-avenue/j7G55
This website appears to have some "rental' prices in there (the yellow balloons). These are likely "paid for" adverts (not saying that is a bad thing).
Rob.
its a nice place, cool beaches and all that but its no different to anywhere else. it has its problems, social & economic; its almost 100% export so cost of living is high and wages are low. im in oil and gas so don't fall into the average wage bands but if you want a good quality of living you need to earn high or work the hours.
gun crime is on the up and labour are about to do a number on the economy but id still say give it a go. im originally from the highlands of scotland and my partner lives in canada so i spend a lot of time there too (Okanagan B.C) if you have any specific questions fire away and i'll tell you want i know.
my few big comments would be stay away from Auckland, its like any other city in the world and hell to get anywhere. N.Z is not a clean green paradise, its a country with a huge divide between the haves and have nots (just like every where else i guess). we have the same sh1t as all the other countries but new zealanders seem to be a more placid bunch.
and as much as you hear about tall poppy syndrome, its crap, all the media do is remind you how little they like to talk about themselves then talk about themselves and they put beetroot on their burgers! savages.
We moved to Perth, Aus, in 2014, but had been here a few times on holiday. It’s a big step to move so far without even visiting.
We weren’t sure how long we would stay but gave ourselves a year. We haven’t looked back and became citizens this year.
My advice: rent out your UK home if you can, in case it doesn’t work out for you (it’s easy to sell from abroad later on); and throw yourselves into NZ life, say yes to all invitations, and never compare life with living in the UK. You need to embrace the new life for what it is and not hark back to “in Britain we would do it differently...”. The unhappy Poms are the ones who think Aus should change to become the “UK in the sun”.
Good luck.
The grass is always greener, or so they say.
Anyway I have a nephew in NZ who is an architect. He loves the place and has settled very well. I don't think he would come back to the UK other than to visit his mum.
I'd miss Europe, within 3 hours we can be in Iceland, Croatia, Italy, Poland, Scotland, Estonia, Norway, France or the Canaries or many other places besides, different cultures, foods and languages, scenery from mountains to sand dunes, Lochs and islands.
NZ looks brilliant, we've never been but have visited Australia many times and would love to live there if it were not for the loss of so much on our doorstep - so to speak, our list of possible places to move to is currently, Scotland, Italy, France or Spain in no particular order, a boat is probably our solution.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
You can't be there within 3 hours at the moment.....
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
I guess because travel is a big part of my life I find these type of threads intriguing, so have returned here as the thread continues - just now I googled ‘nz expat forums’ out of curiosity. Quite eye opening. I’m guessing OP you’ve looked deeply into emigrating far beyond posting here? Very interesting to read threads on people who have made the move and are struggling with it. . . . The change to the way of life, different culture, weather, lack of friends, missing family, distance from the U.K. cost of living, etc etc.
Over the years I’ve taken some quite big business decisions and before each one, I always look at ALL the reasons not to do something. If I can live/cope with them, I then look at all the reasons for doing something and take it from there. In short understand and rule out the negatives first. Maybe look at it from this perspective?
Had to wrap my chest in elastic bandage for fear my ribs would burst laughingYou can't be there within 3 hours at the moment.....
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
My experience of moving suggests that in the first year everything will feel new and fun mixed with a little slice of... what did we do. You will feel like you’re on vacation. You will find places to get the things you want or need. You will discover places that you’’ll want to return to and explore further... but still spend a lot of time feeling a bit lost.
During year two you will start to find ‘your’ places. Instead of going to stores or places to get the things you need you’’ll seek out the shops that have what you want. I don’t know how to better describe this right now but your personality will start to come out and you’’ll find your areas and spots.
Bridging year two and three you will also potentially begin you get a bit homesick. Some of the places you’’ll find won’’t quite be like what you had ‘back home’. You’ll also miss the postal service and realize how cheap it was and how quickly you could order anything in the country and have it delivered to your house in a day or two. Wondering if you made the right decision might creep in and you will still be comparing between what it was like and what it is now. This will probably be the hardest time you’ll have and question if you made the right decision.
It won’’t be until year three when you will finally feel like you’’re living there. You will have established your routines, you’’ll know your places, you’’ll feel part ‘of it’ now and things will start to be some normal. Your language will change and you’’ll no longer say thing that don’t work in your new country. Local saying and idiosyncrasies will be adopted into your vocabulary without thought.
I think year three is also when you will either move back home or stay put. In my experience making it past year three means you’’ll stay. You’ will also have a much better way to compare back home with your new home as you will no longer be a visitor as you’’ll feel like you’’ve now lived there. You wow’ll be integrated into life, the culture and you’’ll have began to establish more solid friendship groups. Your kids will be involved and will have adopted the NZ way of life. After year three you will be more certain of what it is like living there.
Have a great time !
Last edited by canuck; 13th June 2020 at 12:58.
Again, I would echo the above points and add the first 3 years absolutely fly by.
Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
Yup, three hours gets you to a lot of places. I even thought Sweden wasn't as dear as expected, when I was there last year.
I went to Prague in 2009, to czech out a girl for a long term relationship.
I realised, that if she was to move to Auckland, the only thing I could offer her, was a warmer winter. Potentially, greater wages (offset by the much larger cost of living).
2019 in Prague, everything was way more expensive. A cafe I was in, when the waitress realised that two of the other patrons I was speaking to (being my usual gregarious self) were from Switzerland, she was all over them trying to get them to find her a job in Switzerland, so she could earn real money.
Rob.
It would appear there is currently a max of 250 persons a day that can enter NZ:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...rantled-growth
Rob.
This
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
I personally wouldn't move. I like being able to see my family relatively easily and using video messaging etc just isn't the same. I know people say the Uk is only 24 hours a way but that is still a long time should you need to get back quickly and that's assuming you can get a flight immediately and can afford to do so. I appreciate you can't really live you life in fear of needing to 'get back quickly' but you may need to at some point.
My father in law moved to the states 5 years ago and my wife finds it very tough and feels her relationship with her dad has definitely deteriorated. We have a 7 month old daughter and my father in law met her for a few days after the birth but now won't see her again till she's a year old and I think that is very sad as a lot happens in a year! We were meant to be on holiday with my wife's father in florida now but obviously aren't due to covid-19 and that has had an impact on my wife's dad and made him realise that the UK isn't always as accessible as he felt it would be.
Everyone has a different view on life so you have to do what you think is right for you and you family.
Just re-read this thread after almost 2 years!
We are still in the UK as everything stopped with Covid. Amazingly the company still want me to move to NZ and the director still messages every month or so to keep in touch. The visa situation is finally looking up and we should still qualify for a temp visa and then have enough points to apply for residency straight away. This should be available from July time. I have messaged him again today about roles and pay.
Moving over has always been on our minds but pushed to the back as we did not think it would still be possible, I have changed jobs in the last two years and we are still happy with life in the UK. Having said that, I still have this nagging feeling that if we can go we just need to go for it. Kids are now 5 and 7 but still young enough to adapt. My wife is mostly for it but still a little reserved. Her sister lives in Aus but has said before they could move to NZ if we went over, her husband has family in NZ which is another pull for them.
We own our house so can rent it out to cover most of the rent in NZ, rent over there is still very high but the standard of housing seems better than 2 years ago, something decent is a good $650-$700 a week, everything else has gone crazy since covid, shipping our furniture has gone from £3k to £10k, flights have almost doubled in price, luckily we wont need to have the medicals completed again which saves a bit. So now money plays a huge factor in moving over.
Decisions, decisions
I'd consider it, given all the crap and turmoil going on in the U.S.
You're a long time dead. Before then you will get to an age when you won't be able to do it.
Posting Permissions
