[jo b]

Hey Ruthroo,

I just noticed your location has changed. Please forgive me for missing any info, however I think this deserves a thread of it's own. I will explain why.

We (as in immigrants) come to NZ and settle in said first town. Many if they don't like it go home (UK etc.) I have always said if I don't like the first town I settle in I will try another. I know this isn't always easy for some people, in fact it's not easy for us with husbands job as there aren't 'loads' of his positions about.

I will be particularly blunt I don't really like DV. Not because of the people the people are lovely but the area is a farming community and the area, it's commerce and industry revolves around farming. This means I struggle for work. My plan was not to work but to integrate you need to work even for the first few years to gain friends / acquaintances, and for me my sanity as I am dangerous if I am bored.

So we are toying with the idea of relocating and just every ones experience of 'other' places to settle would come in handy. So a few Q's if you don't mind.

What made up your mind about relocating?
Do you find the same thing that made you move in Dunedin?
How much did it cost to move your 'stuff'?
Do you like it?

sorry to bombard you but I think this is really interesting.

Jo

[ruthyroo]

Hey jo

Don't know if it is interesting but here goes...

We originally landed in Rotorua becuase of jobs - we both were offered jobs there. Mr Rr teaching job turned out to be a b****y nightmare - partly due to culture shock, partly the socio-economics of the town, partly the school / management - lots of things. We stuck it out for 18 months (misguided loyalty and a fixed term rental to blame!) but I think we decided early on that Rotorua wasn't for us - partly becuase we were having such a grim time. We came to Dunedin for a conference, liked it and decided to keep our peepers peeled for jobs down here.

Reasons for moving / being able to move:

Crap job = unhappiness (that's true wherever you are in the world) = Not feeling settled / at home in Rotovegas...BUT not wanting to leave NZ (yet)

No kids + hadn't bought a house = no ties to any one area and only responsibility is to ourselves.

Did we find the same in Dunedin?
In terms of Mr Rr job - no. He's doing supply work, which is less secure but far less stressful / time consuming (we actually have evenings and weekends again - joy!) and Dunedin schools in general don't have the same 'discipline' issues as he encountered in Rotorua... But NZ is NZ - it's still wee, parochial, behind the times, rural / farming dominated, old fashioned, high cost of living / low salaries etc. Dunedin suits us better than Rotorua - there is more going on - but it's still NZ. NZ's good points are not the cities / culture, the good points are the outdoor activities, the access to the outdoors, the friendly people, and the 'simple life'.

NZ a big empty place, with lots of farms and some fantastic scenic locations, relatively few people - especially out in the sticks (and NZ has a lot of 'sticks'). As my granny would say - you have to make your own fun! We have been getting out camping at least every second or third weekend (we've had weekends in Central Otago, the Catlins, Queenstown & Stewart Island since Xmas and are planning a 10 day expedition to Marlborough / Nelson at Easter). We go on every guided walk and tour in the Dunedin area that's going - especially the free ones! Art auctions, nature reserve tours, free film screenings, farmers markets, exhibitions, kayaking in the harbour, walking to remote beaches, penguin and sealion spotting - you name it, we do it. We also grow our own veggies and herbs, make our own yoghurt and bread - all simple 'good life' things we wouldn't have contemplated in the UK. Mr Rr is using his extra time to upgrade his scuba quals to instructor level (tropical islands here we come!) - something we definitely couldn't have afforded in the UK. We both work full time which fills in a lot of time...

How much did it cost?
We had one medium truck of stuff (15 tea chests, couple of sofas, bed, 2 kayaks, 2 bikes) which was $3000. My employer paid that much for the relocation.

Do we like it?
Yes we do! We were told before we came not to judge NZ by what we found in Rotorua - so we have tried not to. You can't get it right first time for everything. For us getting Mr Rr out of that job was the key - as much as relocation itself. It has given us a chance to explore the SI from a base here, and to be near a bigger city.

Hope that helps Jo. I don't know what your situation is (kids? bought a house? etc) but to me you sound kinda bored... If Dannevirke doesn't suit you then you can always move (kiwis seem to be pretty mobile to me) - but have a good think about what you are moving for and whether the lifestyle you want can actually be acheived in NZ. If not, then either the expectations or the place have to change... Not an easy decision.

Good luck!

[jo b]

Hi Rr,

Many Thanks for that. Our situation is 2 kids (bright as button IMO), aged 10 and 7. Hubby works, I don't.

We love the outdoors life when work permits and we are always out doing 'something' at weekends.

Yes I am kinda bored, I was a middle manager in BT and very proud of my job too. I miss that responsibility very much, although I thought I wouldn't miss it at all. Funny that!

So I am looking for something which still utilises my management skills but something not as demanding. In DV I would only get a shop or farm work, really not me at all.
We came here for the kids future, not necessarily ours but the less crowded feel was certainly a factor.

We have always wanted to build our dream home But in Dv we certainly wouldn't get back the money we would have to put into it. So we are looking for something bigger if Ian's job permits him to commute then we may move to Palmy. If they don't let him then it's another discussion.

I was looking at some photo's of Dunedin and would love to visit there.

Thanks again Rr

Hope Mr Rr gets something permanent soon.

Jo

xx

[ruthyroo]

Hi Jo

I guess our situations aren't that similar then, what with kids / jobs etc. I notice that you only arrived in NZ a couple of months ago - maybe it's just taking some time to feel like 'normal' - I would imagine that going from being a working mum in the UK to SAHM in Dannevirke is a pretty major change to get used to - never mind shifting halfway around the world! Work fills a lot of hours especially if your kids are away at school most of the day. Are there any 'projects' you want to get into, if working really isn't an option? Building your own house sounds like a great one but it would probably be better to be certain you are where you want to be first. My ex-boss's brother lives in Dannevirke... she's not very complimentary about it - but I imagine it's like lots of rural NZ - farming, fields, sheep and cows, small service town, nothing flash, garages and dairies and mechanical repair yard etc! And maybe not many opportunities for fun 'projects' - though if you are into food and wine anywhere near Hawkes Bay would be great.

Waffling now so will sign off! Hope it works out for you, remember that you don't have to get it all right straight off. It'll come good.

R