[vande23]

I probably botched that title - but I had to try! :) I have heard a lot of good things about this site, so thought I should join up and add some feedback and do as much searching as possible before I ask any questions! :)

And yes, we are in the early stages of trying to see if we could make it in NZ.. and if it could be really as nice as everyone seems to say it is!

Take care everyone,
Tony

:exit

[holland]

Welcome to the forum.

J and G x

[Bruckner]

Welcome Tony!

Emily

[Kim39]

Another one to say Welcome to our world too:nice1


Kim

[zardell]

Hi Tony and WELCOME to the forum.

Julie

xx

[jen]

Hello, or 'ello back if you prefer :) and welcome to the forum!

jen

[Moorf]

'ello!! Welcome aboard! :nice1

Moorf

[Cindy]

Welcome Tony! Lived in Edina, MN for a few years working as a flight attendant for Northwest(worst). Talk about fridget temperatures, ugh! With your qualifications, I'm sure you'll get out of Oosah (USA) soon. Good luck with all your planning and more planning.

[upnorthkyosa]

Hi Tony

My wife and I live in the Twin Ports, about two hours north of you guys, and we are in the same boat...maybe a little farther along. ;)

Anyway, like minds think alike!

[xanctus]

Hi there twin cities residents...if you hate the cold part of your state, you might like NZ especially the north island, cause it's really mild in winter compare to what you guys are having. :D
welcome aboard...

[vande23]

Wow - Minnesota people! Amazing...! :) Well, with the politics here (also Left-wingish) and the weather not so good - maybe I should not be surprised!

Have any of you MN (and US) people had a tougher time figuring out comparisons on this board since it seems like EVERYONE is from the UK? I know real estate there is much more expensive than it is here in the twin cities (per sq ft especially)!! Frustrating! I feel like I am 4 yrs too late... on their housing boom.

As an example - there are zero basements there from what I can tell due to soil and/or rain issues. That takes out a living room and 2BR right off the top for us when comparing our house to what we could see for the same $$.

This heating thing is freaking me out too. How is it that an entire culture is willing to have room heaters for an entire season? Maybe I am just spoiled... and now very worried I could not afford a house (including central heating/air) that I would want in say-Wellington..??

Anyways - thanks for the replies MN and US people! :)

[jess]

Have any of you MN (and US) people had a tougher time figuring out comparisons on this board since it seems like EVERYONE is from the UK? Hi and welcome to the forum! :) If you haven't used it already, the search is great. Although it used to be you couldn't search this forum by a two letter word, you can now. Go to Search above and then click on Advanced Search. Under Search by Keyword at the top, type in US and choose Search titles only. Although you'll have to look past several threads with the word us in the title, you'll see lots of titles about comparing US prices to NZ and bringing over US electronics, etc... Searching American brings up a good bit too.

This heating thing is freaking me out too. How is it that an entire culture is willing to have room heaters for an entire season? We're currently adding more cieling and under floor insulation to our NZ house. Although it doesn't get as cold as it did in Virginia, it still feels pretty chilly when the wind whips through in July (doesn't that sound wierd), and our home is woodstove heated like so many.

[mechidna]

Hello from a former Nebraskan! We're now living in Rotorua and loving it! Welcome to the group. Although I have been *missing* for a long time now, I have to say that I couldn't have made it here without all the great info on this board.

michele

[tigerlily]

I love this board, but you're right, a lot of the perspective here is from the UK. But that's ok too, I like to get lots of opinions.

As far as house prices in Welly- have you looked at the Hutt Valley? It's more rural and cheaper all around. Or Kapiti? How long a commute are you willing to do? There are actually train options from both of those places, and that always sounds better to me than sitting in my car. Don't get me started on the house prices/exchange rate issues. Yes, when I visited in 2000 I could have afforded to buy so much more- and the rate of exchange was close to $2 for 1 USD!!! Wow, did I miss the boat. But money isn't everything. My husband got a degree, we had kids who got to know all their grandparents.. etc....

I think the basement thing is actually more to do with the fact that there aren't the hard frosts- I know there aren't any basements in Arizona/Hawaii either, it's just that they don't need to build down low to get stable ground. I could be totally wrong on this though!


WELCOME!

[Howie]

Hi and welcome!!!!
Is there really a place in MN called Little Canada??