If you have ever thought about leaving your home country and emigrating, I bet New Zealand was on the short list. Since 2010, New Zealand has seen, amongst other nationalities, 10,000 Americans and 42,000 British get off the plane in Auckland or Wellington and prepare to spend their future living in New Zealand.
Some of those immigrants last only a few years; they decide that New Zealand isn’t the place for them and head back home. Usually complaining that they can’t get decent bacon.
But some, like us, stay and make ‘the land of the long white cloud’ their home.
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As promised, the view of the mountain from where we are living in New Zealand. (And the wet washing).
Living In New Zealand. The Pros And Cons.
My family (husband and two kids) have been living in New Zealand for the past nine years, we emigrated from the Uk in 2010 and now New Zealand is home. We all love it and are very happy here but there are a few things that can get on your nerves. Apart from the bacon.
This podcast is a discussion between Sonny and I where we look at what we like (and what annoys us) about living in New Zealand.
Sonny says a few things about New Zealand that I don’t agree with (like the internet being rubbish?! I don’t think it is) but that’s the beauty of this Podcast; to get two different perspectives. One from a cocky young buck and the other from a stuck-in-her-ways- old biddy.
For Pinterest ⇓
A few of My Pros Regarding Living in New Zealand:
Outdoor time is a huge priority in New Zealand. When we lived in the Uk people would talk about what new chain had opened up in the high street or whether you had been to the fancy new mall that you had to spend three hours in the carpark queuing to get to.
Living in New Zealand will instead see you talking about the size of the surf, the hiking conditions, if the weather is right for fishing or (and this is a biggie) your kid’s sport. This was a bit of a learning curve for me as both my kids are lazy little sods and hate playing sport. We do love hiking as a family though so that solved that little problem.
So far away. Not sure if this is a con or a pro though. Depends on whether or not I am in favour with the rest of the family.
Time difference. referring to the UK here – America is only (only she says) 18 hours behind, you can still make that work – the UK, on the other hand, is a pain. When you’ve had a glass of wine at night they are eating their Weetabix, putting their important heads on and mouthing to each other about how they think you’re an alcoholic who lives on the other side of the world.
If you want to know more of the things that we like and don’t like about living in New Zealand then please take a listen to the podcast. It’s twenty minutes long and will be a massive help if you have ever dreamt of packing your bags and heading down under!
Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe on iTunes! Thank you for your support! X
If you are posh you have to say ‘Barrth’. I always like to try my best.
We now live in the very down to earth, (although a little more expensive to live) region of Taranaki on the West Coast of the north island in New Zealand and we love it.
So many people comment on how New Zealand is expensive, and yes, compared to some places in the world (especially Asia) it is quite pricey. Like anywhere though, there are pros and cons of living in New Zealand, but generally, I think the cost of living is pretty reasonable.
Here’s what we covered in the podcast:
How Expensive Is New Zealand?
Housing In New Zealand
Average house prices in New Zealand are $525,000 NZD. This is $360,000 US and £275,000 GBP.
Our gas bill per month is $150 NZD. This is $102 US and £78 GBP
Our electricity bill per month is $320 NZD. This is $220 US and £170GBP. (listen to the podcast to hear where our electric goes!
Grocery bill for us (family of 4 with a wine addiction – us, not the kids) is $350 NZD which is $240 US and £185 GBP
We also talk about the cost of renting a house in New Zealand, particularly Taranaki, the region in the North Island where we live.
Last year we took the kids backpacking around the world for a year and rented our house out while we were gone. we charged $600 NZD a week which is $410 US and £315 GBP. Ours is a four-bedroom house in the country and we rented it fully furnished.
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Running A Car in New Zealand
If you watch our latest vlog on the cost of living in New Zealand you will see how much new cars are but here’s a rough average of what cars cost to run in New Zealand:
Petrol per week (I have a Peugeot 207 SW 1.6 Petrol) $100 NZD. This is $70 US and £55 GBP.
WOF (warrant of fitness required every six months) $57. $40 USD. £30 GBP
Rego (tax disk) per year $270 NZD which is $185 USD. £140 GBP.
Teenage Entertainment In New Zealand
Sonny said that for a day out with his friends will cost him approx $25 NZD
I’ll let you listen to the podcast to hear where his money goes…
Average Salary In New Zealand
We then talked about the average wages in New Zealand which is $49,000 NZD that equates to $33,000 US and £25,000 GBP.
If you are a tradesman, a teacher, a nurse or a GP then listen to the podcast and I tell you how much you can expect to earn if you were to come to New Zealand and live.
We hope you enjoyed the show this week, as I said, this will be a series of life in New Zealand, how much things cost, the Pro’s and Con’s of living on the other side of the world and more!
If you like the podcast, please don’t forget to rate us on iTunes and leave a comment over there – it helps our algorithm hugely!
This week, the podcast focused on Couchsurfing. We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us – which wasn’t easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.
This week on the podcast we explored the dark murky waters of Couchsurfing.
We recently backpacked around the world with our kids for a year. Our budget was approx $75 a day for the four of us – which wasn’t easy considering we have two gannets as teenagers.
One of the ways we were able to stick to our budget was by Couchsurfing. In case you aren’t familiar with this amazing organization, it is a website that pairs travellers – who are in need of somewhere to stay, with a host, who has a spare room, bed (or sometimes a couch) to offer.
Couchsurfing. What is it and Why Does The Thought Of It Terrify Me?
We wanted to discuss the pro’s and con’s of Couchsurfing and to try and answer the most commonly asked questions that people have. Also, when I tell people that we took our teenagers to sleep on strangers couches they are quite rightly filled with doubt!
There is a misconception (which I too used to have) that Couchsurfing is for twenty-year-olds who are looking for a good time. Not true. And anyway, even when I was twenty I was still boring so that puts an end to that theory.
Some of the points that were raised were:
Is Couchsurfing free?
Why would anyone want to couchsurf?
What is it like to Couchsurf as a family?
Is Couchsurfing safe?
All of these questions and more were discussed, and hopefully, we convinced you that if you are looking to travel and haven’t got much money (but you have got a great sense of adventure), then Couchsurfing really is the best.
There is a fabulous story that we touched on. We were in Italy and one particular Couchsurfing host was …let’s say ‘eccentric’! I loved him, (because I am weird and slightly vindictive) but the kids were honestly terrified.
Seriously, they were never in any danger – they simply saw how one crazy Italian man lived his life. It was a brilliant experience. Anyway, have a listen to Sonny’s interpretation of this and let me know if your teenagers would have felt the same.
If you would like to hear more about the crazy Italien then leave a comment and we will see to it!
How to Deal With Rejection When All You Want to Do Is Bawl Your Eyes Out:
Episode 4 Part 2
Episode four (part 2) of the It’s a drama podcast was a tough one for both Sonny and me. Las week, in part 1, we discussed the consequences of rejection from friends, how to deal with rejection and we also touched upon cyberbullying. This week we cover why people reject others.
In the past month, we have both been the victims of social rejection and we thought it would be a good idea to see how it affects not just teenagers but adults too.
I won’t lie, it was hard for me to talk about on air. I was bullied badly as a young teenager, and the damage of that leaves me feeling very panicky and vulnerable if faced with confrontation. It is a lot easier for me to hide behind funny blog posts.
This week’s podcast was so juicy and needed talking about in such depth that we decided to split the show into two and have a part 1 and part 2. If you didn’t listen to last weeks show then make sure you do so, that way you’ll know what we are talking about!
I won’t give too much away, but in this podcast you might find the answers you need about how to deal with rejection and understanding this certain form of bullying.
As always, we would like to say thank you so much for your support. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe to us on iTunes and if you could leave us a short comment and rating that would help us enormously in reaching other people. ( iTunes is a fickle mistress. The more comments and subscribers a podcast receives, the further up the ladder of exposure you go.)
Thank you my lovely people x
The Podcast Notes.
We discuss the difference between bullying and rejection and how to deal with both.
The term bullying is defined as a form of repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour intended to cause fear, distress, or harm to another person’s body, emotions, self-esteem or reputation.
Although the attack that I experienced wasn’t (thankfully) ongoing or persistent, it certainly harmed my emotions, my reputation and my self-esteem, so, in my eyes, it was a form of cyberbullying.
Rejection can appear in the form of social rejection when a person is deliberately excluded from a social relationship or passive rejection which is when the perpetrator gives the victim the silent treatment. Both of these definitions applied to sonny’s situation, and we discuss the effects of both and how to deal with rejection from friends.
The physical effects of reliving an unpleasant experience such as online humiliation/bullying/rejection are quite clear in my voice as I retell how I felt. We purposely didn’t edit this out. I think people need to see that the fear of bullying doesn’t just affect teenagers.
How to Deal With Rejection When All You Want to Do Is Bawl Your Eyes Out: Part 1.
Episode 3 (Part 1)
Episode three (part 1) of the It’s a drama podcast was a tough one for both Sonny and me. This week we discussed the consequences of rejection from friends, how to deal with rejection and we also touched upon cyberbullying.
In the past month, we have both been the victims of social rejection and we thought it would be a good idea to see how it affects not just teenagers but adults too.
I won’t lie, it was hard for me to talk about this on air. I was bullied badly as a young teenager, and the damage of that leaves me feeling very panicky and vulnerable if faced with confrontation. It is a lot easier for me to hide behind funny blog posts.
As it turned out, discussing what happened on the podcast was the best thing that I could have done. Afterwards, I felt as though I had been in a therapy session. As a side note, I have never had any kind of therapy, but after opening up to my son on this week’s podcast, I can totally see why people would seek out someone to talk to.
Sonny, it seems, is a natural podcast host. He is patient and intelligent, and I very much forget when I’m talking to him that he is indeed my son.
The same boy who hours earlier, I have been moaning at to tidy the breakfast dishes away.
This week’s podcast was so juicy and needed talking about in such depth that we decided to split the show into two and have a part 1 and part 2.
Part one sees us both laying down each of our experiences and touching briefly on how being rejected made us feel. Part two is the real gold.
I won’t give too much away, but just make sure you listen to part two to seek the answers you might need about how to deal with rejection and understanding the reason people behave the way they do.
As always, we would like to say thank you so much for your support. If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe to us on iTunes and if you could leave us a short comment and rating that would help us enormously in reaching other people. ( iTunes is a fickle mistress. The more comments and subscribers a podcast receives, the further up the ladder of exposure you go.)
Thank you my lovely people x
The Podcast Notes.
We discuss the difference between bullying and rejection and how to deal with both.
The term bullying is defined as a form of repeated, persistent and aggressive behaviour intended to cause fear, distress, or harm to another person’s body, emotions, self-esteem or reputation.
Although the attack that I experienced wasn’t (thankfully) ongoing or persistent, it certainly harmed my emotions, my reputation and my self-esteem, so, in my eyes, it was a form of cyberbullying.
Rejection can appear in the form of social rejection when a person is deliberately excluded from a social relationship or passive rejection which is when the perpetrator gives the victim the silent treatment. Both of these definitions applied to sonny’s situation, and we discuss the effects of both and how to deal with rejection from friends.
The physical effects of reliving an unpleasant experience such as online humiliation/bullying/rejection are quite clear in my voice as I retell how I felt. We purposely didn’t edit this out. I think people need to see that the fear of bullying doesn’t just affect teenagers.
How Long Term Travel Affects Different Members Of The Family
Episode 2
This episode of the podcast is all about how families cope when they throw everything up in the air for a while and decide to go travelling with their kids.
I have had people say to me that their kids would be nervous about leaving their friends and home for a couple of weeks.
While we were travelling last year, my daughter got pretty homesick. She wanted her friends and her own bed which is understandable.
I worried myself sick over the fact that we had ruined her life forever and then, the following week, she turned around and said she was happy again and wanted to continue travelling. I don’t know who I was madder at. Me for crying myself to sleep and worrying myself senseless or her for telling me in the first place!
A good lesson to learn here is that parents often worry about our kids for no reason. I know I do. We all do. And mostly it turns out to be a storm in a teacup.
For Pinterest!
Podcast Notes
We tried a different format for this podcast. We did a question and answer session. Three questions each.
Here were the questions:
What was your initial thought when I said that we were going to travel around the world for a year?
How had you changed when you returned home and did you still fit in?
Were you ever lonely?
Did your friends still relate to you?
How did you keep in touch with your friends?
I loved this podcast and as I mentioned above, the things that I would have said my kids were worried about turned out to be completely different to what I thought.
Just shows that we don’t always know what’s going on in that teenage brain.
That’s it from us for this week! I hope you enjoyed the show. Please comment below or send me a private message if there is a topic you would like us to talk about.
I’ll do my best!
PS: Remember to subscribe to us our iTunes and leave a comment too!
The three of us bringing you helpful content! Don’t look at my washing in the background!
We slept on strangers couches, visited places that I’d only ever dreamed of, ate lots of noodles in Japan and argued about how much time the kids were spending on their phones.
We returned home to New Zealand in 2019 and decided that we would do everything in our power to live differently and to show others that whatever your dream you can make it a reality.
We have set out to create a lifestyle that will enable us to become location independent (as much as you can be when you own 5 sheep, a dog and a cat that is apparently going to live forever) so that we can continue to travel to far-reaching places around the world and pay for my son’s wifi.
We want YOU to be part of that journey. This ISN’T a blog with beautifully filtered Instagram stories, perfect parents and adorable kids.
That means me telling you that although your bits might wobble while you run to catch a train in Sri Lanka, who cares?! You are there! Living your dream!
And anyway, don’t worry…I sell baggy pants in my shop – they hide a multitude of sins.
Go to our start here page to find out more about us and I do hope you will join me on this quest for living outside of the box.
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