My visit so far...

Hi Folks,

I am now almost into my third week here in New Zealand and have to say that the weather has been very British so far. Nothing but rain most days although it is still warm and we have had a few really bright spells.

As this is a fact finding mission for me I thought I would share some of my thoughts with you Guys and Gals.

For starters, yes this is a beautiful Country and it does seem that there is a lot of opportunity here.

To be honest, it hasn't grabbed me yet and I would strongly advise anyone thinking of coming to have a look first, especially if you have Children in the 12-16 age group who are doing well in British education.

I personally don't like Auckland and would not want to live here as it just reminds me of places like London and Newcastle. Far too busy for me.

The price of things here is very strange as many are much cheaper than the UK and lots of things are dearer.

I hope the analysts are correct as you should really wait untill the dollar is over 3 to the pound before transferring any money.

We stayed in Paihia for the first five nights and it is the most beautiful of places. If it is lifestyle you are looking for then this seems the best place imo.

Taupo was lovely also, but was very busy in the touristy places.

Some smashing looking places between Taupo and Auckland, although Hamilton looked very industrial to me.

My favourite place so far has been Keri Keri which is up on the bays and is a beautiful town.
We looked at a few properties there and saw a lovely one with 2 acres of land, 5 beds etc and all for the equivalent of 200k back home. Mind boggling really.

I like the idea of the lifestyle and that is something the Kiwis are keen to promote outside of the cities.
If my Kids were younger I would move like a shot, but it is a decision that needs a lot of thought.

For all you free spirits out there, I would say just pick up sticks and go for it. For others like me I would say suss it out first and make sure you come and take a look.

It is easy to sit at home and dream of a better life, but I have to say that the reality when here is a lot different.

Cool Country, Cool people outside of Auckland but the roads are terrible. Seen and heard of so many crashes over the last few weeks and you really need to concentrate when driving here.

Best wishes everyone and please remember this is only my opinion.

Regards,

Aaron.

Very good post Aaron. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Aaron,
You are obviously enamored with the North Island and the sub-tropical latitudes. Have you been south yet? You want beatuiful, uncrowded country?... try the South Island!

I too enjoyed Paihia, but I remember that it is one of the most popular holiday locales in NZ... that and the Coromandel. Keri Keri IS nice and it looks like a lot of things would grow around there. Do you remember how long a drive it is to Auckland?

I hope you get ot see more of NZ and that you let us know how you find other sections of the country.
cheers,
Tom

Hi Aaron,

We toured both the North and South Islands and have decided on ... yes, Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands. :023:

We have also had to give a lot of consideration to schooling for our four children, two who are in secondary school. We had considered Nelson at one point as it is affluent, seemed to have good schools and has great outdoor facilities nearby. But on another trip made by hubby in October to both the Bay of Islands and Nelson, Kerikeri won.

Kerikeri seems to be a town which will expand and the schools do seem to have a good government report. There is also a good private school. As you say, Paihia is gorgeous but is unfortunately out of the Kerikeri school catchment areas and your secondary school children would have to go to Kawakawa.

We are putting the house on the market shortly :icon_eek: icon_exclaim.gif and will be leaving the UK by August. If after considering all locations and the Bay of Islands area does 'grab' you after all, let us know. ::):

::):

Hi Glenda,

I think that Kerikeri is a fine choice and I will be going ahead with the Business Visa application when I return home in a few weeks.
Got one or two ideas up my sleeve and we have certainly uncovered a few gaps in the market.

Agree with you that the area is on the up and it doesn't bother me that it is at least 4 hours from Auckland.

I spoke to a very friendly person at the National Bank (the one with the Lloyds horse logo) and they will offer business and home loans to non residents. The guy I spoke to said that an 80% plus mortgage would be no problem. Very helpful and good news for anyone needing financial help with a business or a mortgage.

I have been looking into Schools also and have found some interesting sites and information which I will post on my return.

Unfortunately we haven't visited South Island and we puposely didn't, as we do like the finer climate that the North Island offers. (laughs!)

Still enjoying the visit and New Year at the Sky Tower was a great experience.

Regards,

Aaron.

Hi Aaron,

It looks like we may be seeing you there then!

We're going on a Business Investor visa which was agreed in principle in September, we have until September 2005 to comply with the conditions and move to NZ. Once we are out there we will be looking to buy or start up a business. ::):

We've collected some info and made a couple of contacts in the area too. Think it is more a 3 hour journey from Auckland. Must say we did like the South Island - the scenery is spectacular - and we will certainly enjoy visiting there again in the future. Wish we had been in Auckland for the New Year's celebration - we will be ... one year. ::):

Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Glenda.

[quote:19d7a82207="lanzilla"]Cool Country, Cool people outside of Auckland but the roads are terrible. Seen and heard of so many crashes over the last few weeks and you really need to concentrate when driving here. [/quote:19d7a82207]

My sentiments exactly! I don't like Auckland very much. The weather is like I'd imagine for the UK, and Seattle (Rainy). The people aren't as laid back or as nice.

Oh, and of course I agree on the roads! I was in a car crash in October. I have a plan to improve it though. The NZ government just needs to give me 2 million dollars and all will be better :icon_wink:

Where my crash was (Meramerua is the best for spelling it as I can get) there were 3 people killed about 10 days ago. It's about 50k east of Hamilton (and 60k SE of Auckland)....the road from Auckland to Tauranga.

I just came back from the South Island and loved it.

The weather is "the worst it's been in 100 years" as the Wizard of NZ told me. He tends to exaggerate though. I believe him that wars are started because of women, but not all wars!! :icon_twisted: :icon_twisted:

The general consensus I'm getting is that it's the coldest summer in 20 years. Just a weather pattern that happens. Shoot, in my hometown (Orlando) last time a hurricane came through was 1979 (when my mum was pregnant with me)....and then this past Aug-July there were 3 of em (just after I left...whew).....so when they say things are different than normal, I believe them. Especially when it's EVERYONE that's saying it.

Its funny how the general outsiders perspective of Auckland/Aucklanders seems to be the same. I've not met many Aucklanders, they were all nice people, but yes, I dont like the city itself. There is a rather amusing billboard not far from me advertising Waikato beer (waikato being a region south of auckland, but also the brand of a beer here). On this sign it says:

Aucklanders Heading South For The Summer (in big jolly writing)

Waikato Seasonal Disaster. (in small print underneath)

So you see, the kiwis themselves seem to be in agreeance about the Auckland folks too.

I think you can't read too much into news reports of accidents or crime in NZ.

In many countries such events are not even considered newsworthy as they are so common, whereas here because they are "rare" and little else happens :) they get about 6 mentions per event.

Like where else would shop videos of people stealing the Tsunami donation tins from shops get prime time national coverage in the evening news?

Thats so true, netchicken!

I've noticed that when something big happens, like some suspicious death or something, you'll follow that story for the next few weeks! Thats because they dont have anything else to report on!

When you do get to hear about the bad things that happen on the news, it sounds like NZ is really bad, but when you think about it, you realise that they are reporting on every single major event that happens, just to fill a news programme... then, when you watch what seems to be a re-run of the news the next day, you wonder why they aren't reporting something else. Eventually, they just start reporting Australian news and worldwide events, and later move on to desperation with reports of a child who spotted a mouse crawl under a hedgerow or something!

No worries :icon_cool: