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the beer whilst crap is I would say the best approximation of bitter you can come accross outside the UK
Steinlager..
As a kiwi who lived for a while in the u.k. recently I have some advice. Come out and try it. As you have job opportunities here you will get a "work permit" which means that you can move here and try it. You won't have to sell up to do this. That will add a little security to the move. People have difficulty getting back on the property ladder if they move back. People who stay often miss there family. That appears to be the main reason for return.
The lifestyle here is different, our attitudes and the pace. I live in Wellington and have lived in Auckland too. I choose Wellington because it's a better place. Auckland is a big, big, big city. There are poor transport links (not unique to Auckland however)and this is a big issue. We love cars here.
The riding here is superb, I can ride a two hour loop from my door and 80% is singletrack. To get an idea of the riding have a look at [url= http://tracks.org.nz/ ]"tracks"[/url].
My final advice is to try it, you may like it!
Another Wellington resident here and an ex-pat to boot. I am celebrating 10 years in Wellington - today 🙂
Theres lots of crap spouted forth about NZ and living here etc etc - the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The beer is very good if you buy GOOD beer, its like assuming all UK beer is wife beater. Weather is variable.
I like Welly to live in. Small enough that i can ride to work in the central city in 20 mins yet live in what is seen as the 'outskirts'. View over the sea to mountains, native birds, silence, good sun. It can be windy here though but you get used to it. Riding is sensational really and I can't complain about the variation.
Downsides are that its a small country and has all the things that go with that. Drivers are terrible, its a long way from anywhere. I went backwards and forwards to the UK 7 times last year for personal reasons and its not that bad if you learn to work en route etc.
Its your call obviously but if you have a sense of adventure and fancy a change then you may want to at least give it a go. Beware that as time marches on and things like babies and deaths get in the way the gap between life 'here' and 'there' can get slightly stressful. But hey, thats life and it would be boring otherwise.
Oh and its a lovely place to live. I just spent a couple of weeks in the Coromandel over Xmas and NY. Thats the really 'busy' time as well and we barely saw anyone on the beach and had a truly awesome time riding, paddling, surfing etc.
give it a nudge waddya got to lose i've been here 11 years and wouldn't go back to scotland unless I absolutely had to.