[5kings]

Hi

Well, looks like we might potentially be able to go on a reccie next summer. :clap (our limited funds might be taking a boost from a student loan - low interest too ;) )

Thing is hubby is not up for it, he thinks if we want to go, we should just get on with it, he wants to visit other places before we move instead.

Just out of interest, what was the most valuable thing you discovered from your reccie trip?

Thanks.........

Helen

[lizzyplop]

Hi Helen

We are going on a reccie in November this year, hoping to pin point areas we want to live and take a look at the job situation, maybe set up some visits to recruitment agencies etc. Have visited twice before but this time I guess we are going to be looking at the place in a different light, not a holiday destination but a place to start a new life. We will also be activating our visas so its countdown as soon as we get back.

I would say go for it but it is really expensive and if the money is tight you should start planning now and book flights way in advance to get the cheap seats.

Liz

[hosebergine]

Great question

We're obsessive researchers so there is no way we could have considered moving without a recce. I think that our trip helped crystalise our reasons for going which has made it easier for family to accept that we really have thought it through properly.

On a more factual level, we decided that Auckland was where we wanted to be - initially I thought we'd go for Wellington. When we were over there we spent a lot of time thinking about what sort of lifestyle we could realistically achieve and where we could do it. Basically we want to go back to sailing and Auckland seems a bit less choppy! Oh and although I'd been before, I had been a student and what I want from life, as well as New Zealand itself, has moved on so it was good to have another look. OH had never been so he wanted to see for himself

It also gave us the opportunity to put people straight on travelling all that way. It really is just one day of your life and you just have to surrender to it, eat the funny food and watch some telly. It's no big deal, just costs a fortune!!

Hope that helps, good luck :)

[victoria24]

i got a job!

[ck38]

I think the best thing I got out of our recce was just getting a general feel for each town and I was able to shorten a long list of places to settle to quite a short one. As Victoria24 points out, getting a job also kinda dictates somewhat!

[Andy-Dee]

Knowing where I could live and where I couldn't. What the difference is in moving there and if it was worth moving all that way or not. We also had a GREAT time doing FAB stuff and catching up with some forum friends.

[BkyMonster]

We didn't go on a recce before we came but we are gradually checking out other areas in NZ in the event we should ever move from Christchurch (love it here, but sometimes situations change and good to be prepared IMO, rather than someday needing to move from ChCh and having no idea where else we like!). Our expectations have been very different than the reality. Places we thought we'd like we didn't, places we didn't think we'd like, we like ok, and so on.

When we got here we had a look around Auckland for a few days, Wellington for a week and Christchurch for a week. Since we've been here we've had looks at the Dunedin area as well as the towns on the way down (Timaru, Oamaru). Palmerston North and then Hamilton are going to be sometime in the future.

We did a teeny bit of tourist stuff but mostly checked out things like grocery stores per population centre, public transport, roads to different suburbs- and how well outfitted the more remote suburbs are in relation to others (do I need to drive 10 minutes to get fresh veggies?, is there a doctors office nearby?), things to do, house prices and the house in the flesh so to speak, parks for dogs and stuff for family activities. We also try to have an interaction with the people who live there, going into small takeaways, corner shops, cafes etc and gauging how happy they seem, seeing what people around there do etc.

It helps to have an idea of what you want out of an area and look at it with a critical rather than tourist eye IMO.

[5kings]

thanks everyone.

I am really up for it, will have to drop a few lovely glossy NZ brochures around the place I think!

I just want to travel about a bit and get a feel for the different places, a job offer would be too good to be true I think!

I would be much happier knowing I have been to several different places, and had a go at normal things, like shopping for groceries for example.

Anyway, off to do more research, then maybe drop some more hints!

Helen

[Chiba]

i got a job!

+1 on that. :nice1

[Derv]

We learned that we love NZ in general; we hate Auckland and never want to live there; we much prefer the Mainland to the North Island; we love the peace and quiet, the scenery and the lack of traffic in most parts of NZ; we love how friendly and welcoming everyone is.

We also confirmed our thoughts that we didn't want to live in or near any NZ city and wanted to build a house out in the wop-wops.

We took some time to visit estate agents and view houses to get some idea of the market, and also looked into the prospects of getting jobs in NZ.

[victoria24]

the geographical bit is very important also. imagine moving to the uk and picking a spot to live from scratch? I know some people do it very successfully but for example Manchester is different to Dover to Swansea etc...

[bilbo baggins]

HI
Very difficult to decide on where to go. We did a months recce and although I thought we would end up in the South Island we are actually moving to the North Island in Whangerei which we never visited. In the end I decided that although we are not predominantly going for the my job I realised that I felt very strongly about finding the best possible opportunity. We visited many places and yes you do look at them with non holiday glasses and start to imagine them with no tourists and in the rain etc.
We came back having not found our ideal place but decided to make a decision based on the fact that if necessary we could move on once we got there.
Good luck with whatever you decide but personally we are really pleased we did the recce and had a fantastic holiday as well.

BILBO

[DMcG]

Identifying where you'd like to live is a major advantage I think. If you've got a choice of multiple locations according to what your job is, then having a good idea of what places are like in advance can save you a lot of anguish (and maybe even money) in the long run.

Also, everyone who hasn't visited NZ before has their own preconceptions about it - which sometime jarr badly with the realities of life in NZ. Don't forget that this IS a foreign country - we just happen to speak English (sort-of) and drive on the same side of the road (less often) :exit

Dougie

[JandM]

Also, everyone who hasn't visited NZ before has their own preconceptions about it - which sometime jarr badly with the realities of life in NZ. Don't forget that this IS a foreign countryI think this advice should go very high on any list.

[napiers]

HI
Very difficult to decide on where to go.

Couldn't agree more! OH is a Kiwi and we've found it hard! He's never lived in Auckland or Wellington, or even spent much time in either (neither have I on any of my many visits), and yet we're pretty sure that we'll end up in one or t'other. Originally he was/we were convinced that it would be Auckland, but now feel that Wellington will suit us better. However, I guess when it comes to a job we'll probably take what we can get! I'd rather be out of a city but OHs line of work stuffs that up for the time being. :D