Hi Duke,
I think some of the more remote parts of NZ offer the idyllic lifestyle you describe.
Cities like Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland are pretty much like the cities I've visited everywhere else. One of the big differences I've noticed is that shops and trade warehouses hold a very limited range of stock, so it's common to have to place special orders for things you would find almost everywhere in the US and UK. I'm talking about a wide range of things like tyres, tools, clothes, shoes, machine parts etc. Places will generally be able to get what you want and are usually more than willing to help. You just have to wait a few days.
I'm a musician, so I'll use musical instruments by way of example. I loved going into the music shops when we lived in the UK or visited the US because they almost always held a good range of instruments made by lots of different manufacturers. In the UK, even the local shop in our small market town had a great selection of saxophones, trumpets, keyboards and guitars ranging in quality from cheap and cheerful to top-of-the-line.
By contrast, I haven't found a single music shop that stocks a decent range of top-end or even semi-professional horns or guitars in New Zealand. Not a single Selmer or Gibson in sight. The saxes I have found have been cheap junk and I've never heard of the guitar brands. When I've asked about Gibsons and Selmers, the assistants have usually fainted! One guy told me he didn't stock high-end instruments because he wouldn't sell them. I wonder if that's because there are fewer people or because there is less disposable income compared to places like the UK, US and beyond. Or maybe Kiwis just aren't bothered about quality.
Of course, none of this makes NZ a bad place and I'm sure some people will say it's actually quite refreshing. My example is perhaps trivial and the availability of good quality musical instruments isn't necessarily very important. I'm just trying to add to the debate and I think it paints a picture. And yes, I know you can order stuff online from overseas, but it's a pain if you're the sort of person who likes to try before they buy.....
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