[izard]

Hi there!

We will hopefully be coming to NZ in late October.

P.S. Can anybody explain why have we chosen to live in NZ on x$ PA over living in Reading, UK on the same in UKP (so 2.8 times more)? It was a counter-offer my employer gave me. I still think we are mad (it was both my wife's and mine decision) Most of our relatives also think we are mad :)

Alex

[Chiba]

Yes, you're mad. We're all mad. Welcome to Team Mad! :)

[Timbo]

Welcome to the forum Alex.
It sounds to me as though maybe you simply dont value money above all else, and good on you if that is the case.
Good luck!

[izard]

Welcome to the forum Alex.
It sounds to me as though maybe you simply dont value money above all else, and good on you if that is the case.

That is definitely the case, I regret more about more interesting work and people in UK. By people I mean the people I work with - the position in UK is consultant that means dealing with many very smart people, and NZ one is just engineer, that means dealing with limited set of smart people.

Good luck!
Thanks, we'll need some luck dealing with NZIS.

[holland]

Hello and Welcome

J and G xx

[Caroline and Dave]

I'd choose NZ over Reading any day.
My Brother used to live in Reading and wasn't very impressed

Kindest regards

Dave and Caroline

[John Z]

Hi there!

We will hopefully be coming to NZ in late October.

P.S. Can anybody explain why have we chosen to live in NZ on x$ PA over living in Reading, UK on the same in UKP (so 2.8 times more)? It was a counter-offer my employer gave me. I still think we are mad (it was both my wife's and mine decision) Most of our relatives also think we are mad :)

Alex

I'm married to a psychiatrist and got to know a lot of mad stuff. Even got to like "mad" people more than regular people, so, yes I think I understand why you choose NZ :laugh Welcome! :cheers

BTW not to mention the really silly, mad nature etc.

[RussandViv]

Hi Alex, I don't think you are mad at all. The question I would ask is - have you been to either Reading or Auckland before? We also plan to be in NZ (Auckland) in October having left the UK almost 4 years ago. We currently live in Melbourne, Australia and have been waiting for the NZ visa to come through.

I would say it depends what you want out of life in general. If its money, then the UK option might be the one, but don't expect to be particularly happy in the UK (we call it Blighty!). Its a push and shove, dog-eat-dog environment and is generally densely populated - which means queues, lots of patience on the roads, and very high living costs (apologies if some find this too generalised - our last house was in Brentford, London). I concur with 'Caroline and Dave' that the new-town design of Reading is no great shakes, even by UK standards.

For us, Auckland offers the 'pull' of very high-quality lifestyle, clean air, low population and incredible landscape beauty. Does this help?

Kind regards, Russell

[izard]

Hi Alex, I don't think you are mad at all. The question I would ask is - have you been to either Reading or Auckland before? We also plan to be in NZ (Auckland) in October having left the UK almost 4 years ago. We currently live in Melbourne, Australia and have been waiting for the NZ visa to come through.

I would say it depends what you want out of life in general. If its money, then the UK option might be the one, but don't expect to be particularly happy in the UK (we call it Blighty!). Its a push and shove, dog-eat-dog environment and is generally densely populated - which means queues, lots of patience on the roads, and very high living costs (apologies if some find this too generalised - our last house was in Brentford, London). I concur with 'Caroline and Dave' that the new-town design of Reading is no great shakes, even by UK standards.

For us, Auckland offers the 'pull' of very high-quality lifestyle, clean air, low population and incredible landscape beauty. Does this help?

Thanks a lot, Russel, you are the first person who actually verbalized the reasons my OH loves our plan to move to NZ rather then UK. I especially agree with your point on population density (though as a person who currently lives in a flat in a high riser in a neighborhood where ~2 million people live in very similar big apartment complexes I should not mind Reading :) ).
I used to live in Reading for about 6 months, and I've been to NZ for an interview for a week. I feel that living in NZ will be much better for us, and now I am trying to convert this feeling to add some logic, that's why I've started the thread. I don't mind having to buy cheaper things and few other things.

Why do you like Auckland more then Melbourne? From St.Petersburg, they look very close in most senses.

[RussandViv]

Hi Alex, Melbourne and surrounds has a population over 3 million whereas Auckland is over 1 million (Adelaide has a similar population to Auckland). However, both cities have their traffic problems! I never imagined Australia would be so busy with traffic but this could be down to the outdoor life-style and large circles of friends, plus vast distances to travel. So many people on the road all the time in Melbourne and surrounds. We live about 35Km from Melbourne center and it's still busy. I could see where there are many similarities, as you point out, as both cities are a starting point for many migrants. And this is also our reason for 'starting' in Auckland because large cities are good places to learn about a country and acclimatize to a new way of life. Do you plan to stay in Auckland too? There are many postings on this site about Wellington too - now I do like Welli.
In time, we would prefer to be out in the country with very dark skies (astronomy mad!). I would put up with a long drive to work for this. Anyone any ideas where the dark skies are - how far from the city do you have to be? We aren't fans of the cities, but sometimes you have to be there - because that's where the work is!

Kind regards, Russell

[izard]

I could see where there are many similarities, as you point out, as both cities are a starting point for many migrants. And this is also our reason for 'starting' in Auckland because large cities are good places to learn about a country and acclimatize to a new way of life. Do you plan to stay in Auckland too?

We are starting at Hamilton. I had offers for Auckland and Hamilton, and I just liked the town more. One of the reasons is we are moving out from megapolis not to end up in another one. Another - just liked the town :) I was thinking the same way, and wanted to stay in Auckland first. It might be a better decision after all, but I tend to trust my intuition.

There are many postings on this site about Wellington too - now I do like Welli.
In time, we would prefer to be out in the country with very dark skies (astronomy mad!). I would put up with a long drive to work for this. Anyone any ideas where the dark skies are - how far from the city do you have to be? We aren't fans of the cities, but sometimes you have to be there - because that's where the work is!

You could go south or north as far as it is reasonable, up to Huntly or Wayby, beyond hills ranges (though I think hills are less helpful than just distance). The skies were very light even in Hamilton, not big city at all in august when I've been there....
Any way, wish you a flawless move to Auckalnd!