Moving to New Zealand

Dochertys · #1 (**permalink**) 16th September 2007, 02:06 PM

We are currently living in France but are considering moving further afield... New Zealand.

Does anyone have any thoughts on a comparison between perhaps UK/French life and the New Zealand lifestyle? Life experiences are always welcome

Thanks

shimmy · #2 (**permalink**) 16th September 2007, 07:26 PM

Hi guys

so where are you in France and what do you like and not like about it?

I've been in NZ for 3.5 years so if I can help you with any info just ask away.

Dochertys · #3 (**permalink**) 21st September 2007, 12:56 PM

We are in Brittany, it's very nice been here for 3 years but not quite sure if it's for us and forever. Would love to see more of the world but could not do it from here as although the wages are reasonable the social costs and taxes are quite high and gives us about half the income we had in the UK, whereas the outgoings aren't that low! We love the scenery, very much like Scotland, we like the quieter pace, but sometimes a bit too quite. We dont like the lack of diversity, if it's not french then its not... well its not even worth considering let alone discussing, their attitude not mine.

shimmy · #4 (**permalink**) 21st September 2007, 07:15 PM

well living costs here are similar to the uk, what it cost me to shop in tesco it pretty much costs the same over here (around 80-100 quid a week for a family of 4 UK = 250 NZD). Rates around 2000 NZD (water is free!) Wages really depend what you are doing, if its something specialist or IT related then you would probably do quite well, otherwise they are lower than the uk.

We miss the good cheeses and cheap wine...... the kiwis try with cheese (we are awash with milk afterall) but its just not the same. Cheapest wine is around 6 dollars a bottle for some 'ok' aussie stuff. We cant afford the kiwi stuff at around 20=25 bucks a bottle!

Scenery is great, what Ive seen of the north island is a bit like telly tubbie land on steriods, lots of rainforest and great beaches. South Island has very flat bits like the canterbury plains backed by the southern alps which look great with snow on and a drop of sunshine. Beaches are EMPTY and theres a lot of them.

Farmers markets are spreading round the country reasonably quickly so you could get your market fix, just dont expect to get good bread cheaply.

NZ is a seriously exporting nation, we ship out all our best produce, the domestic market gets the leftovers. In France they seem to use the best stuff domestically and sell the surplus. Example, we seem to be doing rather well selling dairy produce to the rest of the world but there is a big problem domestically with getting good butter that isnt off or tasting 'funny'. Wheat will be a premium next year, we have lots but they are going to sell that overseas and buy in expensive flour instead. It doesn't make sense to me.

Lifestyle is very sports and outdoors orientated (often warmer than indoors) oh and they like a drink or 5.

Where you are the proximity to europe cannot be overlooked, neither can the history - french do delapidation so wonderfully well, theres not much settler history here. OK there are Maori 'theme parks' with bubbling mud and performances but not much relating to the other 90% of immigrants.

Kiwis are tough, they wear shorts in the middle of winter - which is COLD and WET. Some of them are very 'one eyed' like the french. Many (despite appearances to the contrary) have not travelled so their world view is rather limited.

We are a long long long way from anywhere.

synthia · #5 (**permalink**) 25th September 2007, 11:08 PM

Welcome to the forum! If you do move and get involved in outdoor sports, take everything you are told about the difficulty of a hike or walk or anything else with a huge grain of salt. After asking several times, looking unfit and way overweight, and being assured that the hiking would be 'dead easy', I found my self climbing down a five-meter cliff, clinging to vines and tree roots!

shimmy · #6 (**permalink**) 26th September 2007, 10:53 PM

Hey Synthia

Oh yeah, like I said they are tough out here and its a wild country. Newsflash this morning they JUST found a Ford Contina that went off the road in the Waikato about 20 years ago, complete with driver still in position. Thats scary.

Karen · #7 (**permalink**) 27th September 2007, 11:42 PM

LMOA Shimmy, I just read that in the paper! The car must of come off a nearby road - can't think why it's only just been found - surely it must have ploughed a trail into the bush??? Also - did it not have any number plates? Maybe cars didn't need them 20 years ago (only been here almost 8 yrs myself).