No interest in NZ, never really appealed. Timely article in The Guardian, maybe the NZ dream is only good for white people
New Zealand has one of the highest incarceration rates in the OECD, and in March the country’s prison population hit a record 10,820 people – more than 50% of whom are Māori, despite indigenous people making up only 16% of New Zealand’s population.
I'd be gone in a flash.
My other half is a bit of a home bird though, so despite her love for adventuring, she still likes to come back at the end.
It's a bloody long way though 🙂
Stay away from Auckland, it's horrible.
http://shittownsofnewzealand.blogspot.com/2017/11/auckland.html
I've visited Auckland and Rotorua 4 times in the last 20 years, have a friend who lives in Auckland and has a decent job. It used to be fairly cheap, now really expensive. I checked out house prices out of curiosity and it's crazy expensive compared to the fairly crap salaries. The countryside is nice, but I couldn't imagine living there unless I was making megadollars so I could take an overseas vacation twice a year to get away from the bogans.
I would do it. Have a few mates working in Wellington and Auckland and they love it. Its hopefully on the cards at some point as having an Australian passport means no visa needed for me as well. The missus might take some convincing as she is proper Australian and if we moved all the way back would rather go to Perth / Sydney.
The flip side is as others have said its a really really really long way away! I lived in Perth for nearly 7 years and struggled a bit, and that's a good 6 hours closer!
It is also an expensive country so make sure the wages are actually good, not just compared to here. Otherwise its a great place, nice people and its stunning.
Yes..... Only reason not to is the distance from family. If both parents were dead and I were an only child I'd be off.
My cousin went to Sydney for years ago for work. She now has residency and probably isn't coming back to the UK which is hard for her folks, my sister (they were close) and for her.
On the kids side she does go scuba diving aye work 3 days a week, which is her passion.
Ill make so with moving to Italy. Beautiful landscapes, relaxed people, and good food and wine.
I moved to Auckland from London 2 years ago and it is bloody amazing, esp with 2 young boys.
It is definitely not the place to be if you like city life. But I live 30 meters from the beach, go kayaking and fishing a few nights or mornings before/after work. Tons of outdoor stuff to do at the weekend, lots going on but a little low key compared to the UK. People are super friendly. Weather in Auckland is significantly warmer than London and many other parts of the UK - but it does know how to rain! Cost of living is on the high side.
But really are miles from anywhere, 3.5hrs is pretty much the closest international flight - AU or Fiji. I have got very used to 12hr flights to get anywhere else (SG/LA/HK).
Someone said NZ MTB trails are good. I disagree and so does my NZ MTB friend when he visited me in here in UK. I lived in NZ too and agree with him. Edit: I'm not saying it's bad just that UK MTB is a better scene for regular riding throughout the year.
So much of NZ is bush (wild) so apart from man-made MTB trails it's hard to bike elsewhere easily without committing to big day/s out unlike in the UK where you can ride natural terrain easily from the roadside. He came over here and was amazed at our biking - he loved the Lakes riding etc.
The thing I found was getting your head around the work life balence. There are loads of great things to see and do in NZ. BUT if you are the type of person that needs growth and challenge at work this can be stretch. The job market is smaller and oppertunities far fewer. I would flip it to focus on your work - as that is the thing you are going to need to do to enjoy the life as you want it to be if you are making the move.
I was in Christchurch - and had a great time - but my other half at the time could not make the move stick. Still, it was worth the effort to see if we could make it work. I did loads of temping in order to get going - and one thing you need to budget for from day one is the need to drive and therefore to buy a car as soon as possible. And if one of you does not drive - above all else get that squared away before you leave! I would often pick up jobs 10 -15 miles from where we lived and I started off cycling to these - but the very strong and persitent north westerly wind killed me - and then the wind when it came from the south in the winter was bloody cold!
All good stuff - the beer is good, you can be alone, you do see some very cool stuff, and everyone takes the piss out of 'your' rugby.
I know a couple who went and didn't enjoy it that much. I think they found the road cycling was shit (bad driving and surfaces, not enough routes), it was also expensive and not great quality of life. But that was compared to USA where they were before (and after). But I'd certainly say it's worth a try, so long as you go with your eyes open. You'll always wonder if you don't...and if you hate it, you can come back, it will still be a couple of years of interesting experiences that you won't get staying in the UK.
B-i-L worked in Sydney for a while (I know, that's oz not nz!). Enjoyed it for a while, didn't like the climate much (hot and/or rainy), happy to leave in the end. Not an outdoors person though.