Hmmm, this is a hard question to answer for us. With the shock of my (soon-to-be ex) husband declaring he is staying in the UK, we have had more changes in our lives than expected.
That aside, I would say that we are all happier living here. At first, the children missed UK foods in particular but have adapted. They enjoy school, are less pasty-faced, and certainly more relaxed and not as worried about material possessions as they were in the UK.
As a family, we started off healthily - walks into town, bush walks, beach visits, etc. but once we had done that a few times the novelty wore off. The kids liked to go about on their bikes too, but that enthusiasm has slipped slightly now that they are explored everywhere! Perhaps if there was a park near us the kids would go out more and leave the dreaded TV and Playstation alone. I probably need to ignore what pressing tasks I always seem to need to do, and drag them out (might do that today!).
The people are definitely friendly here and, whilst shop assistants etc. are told what to say to be friendly, they usually are genuine and will chat away with you. Making real Kiwi friends takes a little more time as they will usually see you as someone with a past life that is hard for them to comprehend. It is easier once you have developed a NZ 'history' which of course takes time.
Even though we do have English accents, we do not now feel English. Having been here for nearly two years now we feel comfortable with the Kiwi way of life and feel quite protective of this little country.
