Emigrating

[Vince Green]

12 hours ago, daisyrob1 said:

Hi vince not so brilliant before early 90s the coke works was something else to smell and behold I think it probably cut short many a life! O and the underground coal fire that burnt for years in the mountain was something else

Oh yes absolutely right, its been through a total rebirth, its green and rural now. Tom Jones grew up a few miles further down the valley and in a programme in which he returned he is seen standing on the bridge over the river Taff, presumably near Treforest. He says when I was a boy that river was black, look at it now.  

Edited May 13, 2020 by Vince Green

[Lloyd90]

15 hours ago, Houseplant said:

 

Good question. I will preface everything I write on this thread by stating that everyone's experience of emigration is different, even if they appear superficially similar. I've met people from the UK who are on a high just by being in NZ, others who seemed to hate every moment and went home after a short time. Also, I have not lived in every part of NZ, just as I haven't lived in every part of the UK, so anything I write is a generalisation which may or may not be applicable to your situation.

So, biggest cultural difference? For me, it would be the "she'll be right" attitude of Kiwis. They make and mend or put up with the things that aren't right to save money. They take risks and we have an accidental death rate to prove it. They are very practical people. They want a shed, they build one from scratch. Need some landscaping done? Borrow a digger and get on with it. It is a somewhat endearing trait, but the quality of housing is poor to the point that it affects health. Lots of houses are basically like damp, cold sheds. If you're from farming stock in the UK, or have had a practical, tough life, this won't be a shock. If you're used to creature comforts, central heating and double glazing, you might be in for a surprise. 

Nobody has taken me aside and asked me to modify my behaviour. Most New Zealanders have British origins and there is a massive expat community. Even people born in NZ often have one or two parents who were born in the UK, so we are not world's apart. They are some specific practices related to Maori culture which we will probably talk about in due course, but in general, this isn't something that is going to be an issue for a new immigrant.  One thing that isn't tolerated is any form of snobbery. If you exhibit an air of superiority, you won't make many friends. Although people are generally very polite, there isn't much emphasis on traditional. For example, turning up to shoot pheasants with a camo semi-auto is just fine, no one is going to bat an eyelid.

One last caveat, NZ society is changing fast due to urbanisation and immigration. We have seen those changes in the years we have been here. For better or worse, NZ is becoming more like the UK and other westernised countries every day. 

 

Great posts  

 

What did you move out there to do? 
How does the quality of life and money compare?

Done any good shooting and hunting? Is it easily accessible? 
 

 

[Houseplant]

3 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

Great posts  

What did you move out there to do? 
How does the quality of life and money compare?

Done any good shooting and hunting? Is it easily accessible? 

 

Thanks Lloyd. I'm trying to be helpful and objective.

Why did we move? Well, we weren't running away from anything. Lived in Devon, had a good life. I was in to kayak fishing. My only gripe was that I was struggling to get a permission for pigeon shooting! It's a bit of a long story. We wanted to go to Australia for a year. We couldn't get the jobs we wanted and someone gave us the email address of a contact in NZ. A few emails later and we were sorted. We're both doctors. Came out expecting to stay for a year, one thing lead to another, had a baby, bought a house and somehow 8 years passed!

Quality of life is better in the most important respects. Property is still cheap in global terms. We bought a big, waterfront property in a nice area for GBP300k 6 years ago, although prices have gone up significantly during this time. Where it falls down is property prices vs income. Prices are high and wages are low.  Shopping is expensive. We are at the end of the supply chain and a small market. Unfortunately, our best produce (i.e. lamb) is exported, so we pay export prices for locally produced meat. Vegetables out of season are ridiculously expensive, so we just don't buy them. Prices of other goods are variable. Generally more expensive than the UK and less choice, but the internet somewhat redresses this issue.

Don't listen to anyone who says that NZ is a crime free paradise. It is simply not true. Petty theft and car break-ins are common, but serious crime outside of gang culture is rare. Having lived in the worst parts of London for years, I am aware of personal safety and feel zero threat where we live. Having said that, I don't wander around town at night and lock car doors when passing through urbanised areas. Probably over the top! People are generally nice and friendly. There is a cliche that NZ is the UK 50 years ago and that's not too far from the truth in this respect. 

Although drinking is a popular pastime, there isn't much of a pub culture. It exists in the cities in trendy bars. Outside of that, it's mainly a hard core of drinkers in depressing rural pubs getting slowly wasted before driving home.

Weather is highly variable depending on the part of the country you live in, geography, season and time of day. I couldn't even begin to summarise it! Where I live in the far north, I've only seen a frost twice in 8 years and the climate is described as sub-tropical. 

NZ is different from the UK in that country is very much setup for outdoor activities. Supermarkets sell bait and fishing tackle, everyone seems to fish to some extent and hunting is regarded as a way of life. Hunting on public land is actively encouraged (with some sensible rules of course), and land owners have been seeking me out to shoot pests, mainly rabbits! 

The saltwater fishing in the north of the country is mind blowing! "Catching a feed" as the Kiwis say is almost a foregone conclusion. At times, the fishing is almost too easy! There are some great sporting fish like snapper and kingfish in abundance which are good to eat. I could certainly feed my family every day of the week with fish. In the summer, we have a run of big game fish such as marlin and tuna. 

There is diving for crayfish (red rock lobster), scallops and paua (abalone) and a lot of people are in to spearfishing. 

The trout fishing in NZ is excellent. A mixture of brown and rainbow trout, and a few salmon. There is some stocking to support naturally breeding populations. A license will set you back about $130/year and it allows you to fish most places that you can legally access.

As for the hunting. You may be surprised to hear that New Zealand has no native land mammals apart from bats, so if it's an animal and not domesticated, then it's a pest. No season, no rules on hunting. This includes seven or so species of deer, wild pigs and goats, boar, rabbits, hares, possums and feral cats believe it or not! There is a lot of public land that can be accessed for hunting, but it's fair to say that you need a reasonable level of fitness to make the most of it.

There are rules and a season for game birds such as duck and pheasant and you need a license to hunt them, but this does not apply to turkeys.

There is a single firearms license for high powered air rifles, rimfire/centrefire rifles and shotguns. It was not difficult to get and I'm not restricted by my license in terms of calibre or where I shoot.

 

[AVB]

34 minutes ago, Houseplant said:

 

Thanks Lloyd. I'm trying to be helpful and objective.

Why did we move? Well, we weren't running away from anything. Lived in Devon, had a good life. I was in to kayak fishing. My only gripe was that I was struggling to get a permission for pigeon shooting! It's a bit of a long story. We wanted to go to Australia for a year. We couldn't get the jobs we wanted and someone gave us the email address of a contact in NZ. A few emails later and we were sorted. We're both doctors. Came out expecting to stay for a year, one thing lead to another, had a baby, bought a house and somehow 8 years passed!

Quality of life is better in the most important respects. Property is still cheap in global terms. We bought a big, waterfront property in a nice area for GBP300k 6 years ago, although prices have gone up significantly during this time. Where it falls down is property prices vs income. Prices are high and wages are low.  Shopping is expensive. We are at the end of the supply chain and a small market. Unfortunately, our best produce (i.e. lamb) is exported, so we pay export prices for locally produced meat. Vegetables out of season are ridiculously expensive, so we just don't buy them. Prices of other goods are variable. Generally more expensive than the UK and less choice, but the internet somewhat redresses this issue.

Don't listen to anyone who says that NZ is a crime free paradise. It is simply not true. Petty theft and car break-ins are common, but serious crime outside of gang culture is rare. Having lived in the worst parts of London for years, I am aware of personal safety and feel zero threat where we live. Having said that, I don't wander around town at night and lock car doors when passing through urbanised areas. Probably over the top! People are generally nice and friendly. There is a cliche that NZ is the UK 50 years ago and that's not too far from the truth in this respect. 

Although drinking is a popular pastime, there isn't much of a pub culture. It exists in the cities in trendy bars. Outside of that, it's mainly a hard core of drinkers in depressing rural pubs getting slowly wasted before driving home.

Weather is highly variable depending on the part of the country you live in, geography, season and time of day. I couldn't even begin to summarise it! Where I live in the far north, I've only seen a frost twice in 8 years and the climate is described as sub-tropical. 

NZ is different from the UK in that country is very much setup for outdoor activities. Supermarkets sell bait and fishing tackle, everyone seems to fish to some extent and hunting is regarded as a way of life. Hunting on public land is actively encouraged (with some sensible rules of course), and land owners have been seeking me out to shoot pests, mainly rabbits! 

The saltwater fishing in the north of the country is mind blowing! "Catching a feed" as the Kiwis say is almost a foregone conclusion. At times, the fishing is almost too easy! There are some great sporting fish like snapper and kingfish in abundance which are good to eat. I could certainly feed my family every day of the week with fish. In the summer, we have a run of big game fish such as marlin and tuna. 

There is diving for crayfish (red rock lobster), scallops and paua (abalone) and a lot of people are in to spearfishing. 

The trout fishing in NZ is excellent. A mixture of brown and rainbow trout, and a few salmon. There is some stocking to support naturally breeding populations. A license will set you back about $130/year and it allows you to fish most places that you can legally access.

As for the hunting. You may be surprised to hear that New Zealand has no native land mammals apart from bats, so if it's an animal and not domesticated, then it's a pest. No season, no rules on hunting. This includes seven or so species of deer, wild pigs and goats, boar, rabbits, hares, possums and feral cats believe it or not! There is a lot of public land that can be accessed for hunting, but it's fair to say that you need a reasonable level of fitness to make the most of it.

There are rules and a season for game birds such as duck and pheasant and you need a license to hunt them, but this does not apply to turkeys.

There is a single firearms license for high powered air rifles, rimfire/centrefire rifles and shotguns. It was not difficult to get and I'm not restricted by my license in terms of calibre or where I shoot.

 

Impressive update. The marlin I have caught looks bigger than your one but for all of the others you get the bragging rights! 

[Hamster]

What a brilliant post Houseplant, thanks for taking the time to write it. 

[panoma1]

1 hour ago, Hamster said:

What a brilliant post Houseplant, thanks for taking the time to write it. 

I’ll second that!

[Houseplant]

Probably the wrong thread to post this picture, but it seemed pertinent. First day of my winter trout fishing "season" and caught three beautiful rainbow trout within 2 hours. These fish were stocked as fingerlings and have grown fast due to the abundance of natural food. Since the lake water is very clean and clear, and the fish feed primarily on crayfish, the fillets have a pink, almost red colouration and no muddy taste.  

Apart from my annual licence fee, it didn't cost me anything to fish these lakes. Minimum size for keeping fish is 30cm and the bag limit is three fish per day. It is an any method fishery with certain caveats. I was the only person on the lake.

I live in the worst region of New Zealand for trout fishing, but it's not bad 🙂

[panoma1]

Fin perfect! Not ‘stockies’ then? Lol! 

[Houseplant]

Another unsolicited post from me. Came across this article about NZ and think it's fairly accurate.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200518-why-is-new-zealand-so-progressive