[clare]

Haven't looked at this site for some time and am interested in the replies. I note that many people have viewed the site and that reassures me that it was appropriate to write.

In response to some of the comments
Re: safety: we are an adventurous family, white water rafting, skiing etc etc.... but we can see when things are not appropriate. High levels of child abuse, traffic accidents and low car insurance take up are not necessarily signs of adventurous spirit. Much of what we saw was bad workmanship, poor legilative policy and poor attitude. We agree the US (where I have lived for 4 years) and Uk can overlegislate - but we might well remember that many health, work and safety benefits that we enjoy were fought for at a cost by our elders.
Scenary: Quite frankly if one has travelled in England, Europe, USA and elsewhere you can beat the scenery in NZ anywhere. A trip to the Swiss Alps, many beautiful beaches in Europe, highlands, fiords etc etc match it anyday, cheaper to get to all these both in time and money. The addition that these have is that they also have great culture and history. On a rainy day there is still lots to do and see.
Fresh produce and shopping: Didn't comment much before, but we were surprised by the poor quality and selection of produce. Where do people shop at home, if they think it is better - just can't believe it! Perfect shopping would be in a french market ( found everywhere in France) where the sites, smells are a sheer delight. That's fresh! We went to the much raved market in Napier and Hastings - what a disappointment.

I wrote my original comments not to whing about NZ, to unsettle those of you making the move, to justify our own decision not to go, but to add balance to the euphoria of the books and comments we had absorbed ourselves. Having returned home we note how much more honest people are about their assessments about NZ. Let's be frank we all want to be proved right, not to lose face or feel we have spent a lot of money on something that hasn't lived up to its promise. As a family we are happy to do all these things if it means we remain as a stong and healthy family unit, true to themselves. I wish now I had listened to others more, I think we put the children through some unnecessary stress. Our teenagers would have got out as soon as they could, like many NZ kids who go to make a better life in Austrialia, US or Europe. Being so far away from them would have been unbearable and certainly not alieviated by spending a couple of hours in warm conditions on a beautiful isolated beach - where are people coming from if they think this really helps. Values are really upside down - no pun intended

We went to NZ to assess it as a possible place to live. If we had just been going on holiday we would have no doubt thought it was lovely and been less critical. However we take the prospect of uprooting ourselves, the children and the impact on our extended families seriously. We had to assess properly and objectively.
I trust that those of you who are going or have gone will fine happiness, if it doesn't meet expectations that you won't feel you have to stay to prove a point. The context of our lives are important, but so is inner peace and happiness, which doesn't come from scenary, weather or activities.

Well that's my last word on this site - really have moved on now