[Caniwi]

Hi

I'd be interested to hear from any Kiwi's who have been back in the country for a while, and whether or not they are glad to be back.

Have been reading over some posts of members who are returning to the UK after being in NZ for a year or so, and wondering if there are any returning Kiwi's who have returned with thoughts of regret/relief......??

Thx

[Oregonkiwi]

hi Caniwi,
it's funny that you should ask this today because I was just thinking about this when I was walking to work this morning.
Yes, I am very glad to be back! :)
Back in Oregon, I used to read all the posts on here about how things are expensive in NZ and people don't like this or that, and I'd worry that I wasn't going to like being back. It was good to read all those people's honest posts about life in NZ and to think about living here again rather than just being here on holiday, and to learn about things that had changed while I was away. But having said that, reading all those posts made me worry about things unnecessarily, because I was coming home rather than migrating, and so I don't see things from the same perspective as people who've migrated here from the UK or wherever.
Anyway, short answer is, it's great to be home and I have no regrets.:yes

[Caniwi]

Hi again Oregonkiwi

Yeah, had been contemplating things thru reading all the posts here. Like you, I'll be going back, as opposed to migrating - which I'm sure makes a difference, as we already "know" what to expect there. I guess I'm worried that I may have become a little too Canadianised!:eek:

I understand that things are going to be more expensive, and won't be the variety we get here in BC, although on my last visits, it seemed that NZ was catching up! (Hehe, I remember one of the first trips back, saying to my Mum that a great plan would be to franchise Starbucks there - now they are everywhere there!!)

I guess we're lucky that we already have a support system in place.

[urban78]

Hi there,

I'm urban78's Kiwi partner and thought I'd reply myself rather than dictating to Urb what to write. ;)

After being away for only 2.5yrs in central London, I wasn't looking forward to coming home at all, with friends and family back in NZ always asking 'why' am I coming back because there's not much in NZ to come back to. I too was thinking the same thing prior to jumping on the plane back home.

However, I enjoyed my time away, but I am so glad to be back, and getting to share my homeland with my partner who loves it here makes it that much sweeter. Being away has definitely made me appreciate NZ even more now.

I must admit, when I came back I had to get used to such friendliness, and cars stopping to let you cross the road, which I thought was rather odd as I wasn't used to much of that back in London.

I've read posts in different forums where people mention NZ is 10yrs behind the UK. I wasn't in the UK that far back but I think NZ is doing pretty well for such a small population. It's all relative really. :o

Thanks for posting this thread Caniwi, I look forward to reading other posters replies.

After being back in NZ since December '05... No regrets here either! :p

[Caniwi]

:nice1Thanks urban78's Kiwi partner - I'm starting to feel a little more at ease with the decision my OH and I have made. He LOVED NZ when we visited. He is a born and bred Vancouverite, and we're actually planning on returning to get away from the big city life. Sure am glad I got the opportunity to live it, but the "simpler" life is far more appealing now (at least, it's pretty simple in Timaru :p ). I think you're right it's all relative. As much as I love Vancouver (it literally is my 2nd home) I'm certainly willing to give up the $4 coffee's and the 3/4 of mil houses, the HOURS spent in traffic and ALL the people:exit

As they say, ya can take the girl outta the country, but ya can't take the country outta the girl.

I hope more people reply, too

[wiki]

We're waiting on my OH to get residency but then hope to head back. I've not even been back on holiday for three years because we wanted to save the cash to move properly - and OH has never been to NZ so is taking a lot on faith!

I came to the UK in 97 and even after just a year away my first holiday back in NZ was eye-opening. I certainly appreciated so much more than before I left. I'm hoping that's going to be the same this time round - but no guarantees! Still, we're both very good at taking things as they come, and I know how lucky we are that we can stay with my Dad while we settle in and explore where we want to live eventually.

Caniwi - I've had the impression that a few folk on here found Timaru a bit odd, but I loved it. I was at Aoraki for a year in 1994 and it was such a great place to live when you're a student.

[Caniwi]

Hi wiki. Growing up in Timaru it was (and still is) a "newly wed, and nearly dead" kinda place. I think, now, it really is the very epitome of NZ. However, in retrospect, and a few (;)) years under the belt, it's really not such a bad place - think of how central it is to everything in the south island....
I left in '92, but did a couple of courses at Aoraki.

[Oregonkiwi]

He is a born and bred Vancouverite, and we're actually planning on returning to get away from the big city life.

We're the opposite - Nik's a small town boy and we lived in small towns all the time I was in the US (9 years). We're in Auckland now and both really enjoying city life - of course, it's big city life, NZ style.:) I never wanted to live in a big US city.

[Nettie]

Hi, yet to find out. My OH is a kiwi, been in UK for 30 years. Weve had two holidays there in the last 4 years and Kevins response to the first trip home (for him) was, "what are we doing in England?!"
So here we are, only a few weeks away to the big move.
Will post when we have experienced life there at first hand to let you know his feelings, but I'm sure they will be positive.:yes

[mish&al]

The kiwiman has been at me for years to move back there!

I am an Aussie, but we have been there on a couple of holidays, and we are heading there in July, this time with two children in tow.

I am not adverse to the idea of change-I have lived overseas and travelled a lot when I was younger, I am now getting itchy feet to live somewhere else anyway..:clap

Michelle

[auskiwi]

Hmmm-seems I'm a litle out numbered in my opinion on this one. We moved to NZ in Oct 06 after living in the U.S (west coast) for 10 years. I grew up in NZ and had dreamed about the move home for years and could hardly wait to be here. Now, surprisingly enough I am the one who is ready to pack it all in and head back to the States. Since our move I have been working full time as a teacher. My OH was intending to stay home and take care of our three daughters (6, 8 and 9) but has sort of fallen into work as a handy man (which is just as well as our budget has taken a major hit since arriving).

I was a stay at home mum in the U.S and I miss the time I had with my children! I come home from work now, stressed and tired and spend most of the evening working. Yesterday I took the day off work to stay home and care for one of my daughters who was sick. What a day! I so enjoyed being at home, caring for her and cooking a great dinner for us all in the evening. It had been so long since I have felt relaxed! I bathed all of the girls and when I was drying off my eldest she said, "Mum, I miss you doing this with us". Talk about bringing tears to my eyes. I knew just what she meant - we are so busy making ends meet we are not providing the time our children so desperately need from us. We moved to NZ to give our girls a better life...but I am finding myself seriously questioning if that is the case. We could give our children everything in the world-but if we don't give them time, we aren't giving them enough.

[constablechuck]

I think people that move from the U.S. to NZ have different perceptions depending on where the lived in the U.S. and where they moved to in NZ, my wife and I moved from the "rust belt" in NW Pennsylvania to Christchurch, we are extremely happy with our move, in general people seem more friendly and outgoing here and our financial situation has improved in some ways, our quality of life has definitely improved, I enjoy the positive atmosphere at work and appreciate that the law requires that everyone gets a paid 4 week holiday, very few jobs in the U.S. offer a 4 week paid holiday especially for new entry level employees.