Please tell me about New Zealand

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whatevergirl

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***My son is enamored with this place…he has learned about it in school. So, I know a little bit here and there…but, we have been thinking of moving to another country, if things ‘get bad’ here, and just wondering if anyone lives there already and would be willing to share how you like it? What is the economy like? (my company has two offices there) What is the educational system like, the lifestyle, food? Ease of life?

I would love to move to Okinawa for a complete life change, but dh said…I don’t think you realize how much of a life change you’d be in for. But, as much as I love my life, at some point, I want to get off this busy train…and slow down to a lifestyle more meditative. My sister has talked about feeling like she is being called to missionary life, she has ‘had it’ with her busy life. America is a great country. I am thankful to be here, but I am just merely exploring right now.

I’m looking forward to hearing especially from:
  1. people who live there now
  2. people who have lived there
  3. people who have visited there
Thanks!🙂

Look at this pic from google…I could live here. :o***

http://www.flightsafrica.co.uk/blog_images/newzealand.jpg
 
whatevergirl said:
http://www.flightsafrica.co.uk/blog_images/new-zealand-1.gif

I seriously could live here…Look at this!!!

The only other place within the U.S. I would remotely consider moving to is Colorado, but that is fast becoming built up. I want to go somewhere where there is LESS traffic than Florida, not more. 😃
Click to expand...
This looks exactly like the Rockies in Colorado. The area right outside the park is really nice. Another place less “built up” is in Montana near Glacier National Park.
And I must tell you, I , myself, feel the pull of Colorado.

Kathy
 
Katie1723 said:
This looks exactly like the Rockies in Colorado. The area right outside the park is really nice. Another place less “built up” is in Montana near Glacier National Park.
And I must tell you, I , myself, feel the pull of Colorado.

Kathy
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***Let’s go…come on…tomorrow.😃 There is something very appealing about Colorado, I love the blend of mountain scenery, coldness in the winter, and sunny skies. I could live there, BUT…it looks like it’s becoming a colder version of Florida…soon enough, it will be too congested, I’m thinking. Maybe not. I don’t know enough about it to know what areas are better than others, to raise a family, etc…

We have offices there, too…I should always be employed wherever I choose. Even in Baghdad, we have an office. :o

Something about NZ, though…hmmmm…my son said he PLANS to move there, when he is married…he has said this numerous times for a while, I think he’s serious. 😊***
 
So you could go just about anyplace…pick someplace exotic.

Kathy
 
I was going to say Montana too, and Idaho. both beautiful. I LOVE Colorado. WG how about the Canadian Rockies? Oh my gosh, gorgeous!!! Banff, Jasper, Berg Lake, I tool a Canadian Rockies railway tour with my hub years back and it was THE best trip ever, better than going to the Caribbean IMHO. Just gorgeous!!
 
New Zealand makes me think of sheep. And Crowded House / Split Enz / Finn Brothers (musical bands). If you go, I’ll be the first to visit ya from the States!
 
Can you get yourself a business trip scheduled? That way you’d be able to see firsthand a lot of what you’re wondering about.

Have you ever been to Acadia National Park in Maine? It’s not congested there, although it’s quite a bit colder than PA even, probably downright freezing compared to FL.

As far as the busy lifestyle, you can remedy that by just resisting signing on to so much. I know it’s easier said than done, especially with teens. We try to keep our obligations to sports, clubs, etc. for the kids to a minimum, but sometimes I go over the edge and have to cut back. I know a family that does none of it - I see them walking downtown together - they seem so free. It may be a little too much isolation for my tastes, but I just get from watching them that we don’t have to get caught up in the rat race if we don’t want to.

Oooo - just saw NZ is the latest country to get hit with the swine flu. Better wait a little while.
 
You better check out your finances, skills, age and other stuff. I understand that you must satisfy strict requirements to emigrate to New Zeeland. It is much easier to come to the USA.
 
Cristiano said:
You better check out your finances, skills, age and other stuff. I understand that you must satisfy strict requirements to emigrate to New Zeeland. It is much easier to come to the USA.
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I’m not worried about work…my husband and I have marketable skills, plus my company is global, and I could transfer, if there was an opportunity. Many people leave the u.s. to work in different countries, where I work. BUT–I am in the daydreaming phase of this, but why not take a chance…must we always live our lives worried…tentative…I remember as a teen, I viewed life as an oyster, ready to be opened and explored…as we age, we get very bogged down with worrying over too many details. I appreciate your thoughts, here, but we wouldn’t move without really socking away some serious cash. I’m not packing up tomorrow or anything. 😃
 
You know, my mom knows someone from NEw Zealand.

They once discussed how beautiful it looks there (Mostly because of The Lord of The Rings being filmed there, and it looks AMAZING)

However, this person said that NEw Zealand is pretty much exactly like Oregon.
Mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts etc.
We’ve got that here. 😉
So if the country goes belly-up, New Zealand will be a familiar place for us Oregonians. 😃
 
HouseArrest said:
Can you get yourself a business trip scheduled? That way you’d be able to see firsthand a lot of what you’re wondering about.

Have you ever been to Acadia National Park in Maine? It’s not congested there, although it’s quite a bit colder than PA even, probably downright freezing compared to FL.

As far as the busy lifestyle, you can remedy that by just resisting signing on to so much. I know it’s easier said than done, especially with teens. We try to keep our obligations to sports, clubs, etc. for the kids to a minimum, but sometimes I go over the edge and have to cut back. I know a family that does none of it - I see them walking downtown together - they seem so free. It may be a little too much isolation for my tastes, but I just get from watching them that we don’t have to get caught up in the rat race if we don’t want to.

Oooo - just saw NZ is the latest country to get hit with the swine flu. Better wait a little while.
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***lol–we wouldn’t be thinking of doing this until our son graduates high school…another two years. That is plenty of time to plan, do you think? Much of our plans depend on what happens with our country under BHO. We shall see…but two years, is what we would be looking at. ***
 
Belgarion said:
You know, my mom knows someone from NEw Zealand.

They once discussed how beautiful it looks there (Mostly because of The Lord of The Rings being filmed there, and it looks AMAZING)

However, this person said that NEw Zealand is pretty much exactly like Oregon.
Mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts etc.
We’ve got that here. 😉
So if the country goes belly-up, New Zealand will be a familiar place for us Oregonians. 😃
Click to expand...
👍 ***Hey, this is why my son first became interested in it…The LOTR. He is SUCHA fan…🙂 It strikes me as very clean.
 
Interesting! I have been talking about moving to NZ just recently. I don’t know much about the place and this thread could help. Our problem would be trying to sell our land/houses in the current US market, then buying a place out right with some land. I’m wondering about the laws concerning firearms, four wheelers, autos… Thanks for starting this thread WG. Tim
 
i know someone from CAF who lives in new zealand. i will tell her about this forum and i am sure she can fill you in. it sounds beautiful. i know there is a north island and a south island.

big time difference between new zealand and america, so i don’t know when she will see my e-mail or post on here.
 
whatevergirl said:
👍 ***Hey, this is why my son first became interested in it…The LOTR. He is SUCHA fan…🙂 It strikes me as very clean.
Click to expand...
WEll, I don’t want to disappoint…But the person ALSO said that they REALLY make NZ look good in those films. If its exactly like Oregon, it looks great, but you don’t find that beauty EVERYWHERE…hmm…But then again, since we’re all used to being around that stuff all day every day…we could just be used to it 😉
Its nothing special to us. 😛

BTW, LOTR rules. I know pretty much everything about those films. Your son sounds cool! 👍
 
New Zealand is indeed beautiful. A couple of my friends and co-workers have traveled there and they were all enamored with the natural beauty, especially on the Northern Island which is mostly untouched.

As for the USA, do not sell Oregon short. Take a look at the pictures on my profile.
forums.catholic-questions.org/album.php?u=38371
 
***Um, that looks like New Zealand! :eek:

Wow!

Do you have a different president there? No? Same one? Oh. Drats. 😃

What is the cost of living like? We have 4 offices in oregon, I do some marketing there, very sparingly…since FL is my region, but…how breathtakingly beautiful it is there. Your beaches are nicer than Florida’s. :sad_yes:

Once our son graduates high school in two years, we plan to make a move…I am wondering if living on the west coast would be vastly different for us, though. :confused:***
 
whatevergirl said:
***Um, that looks like New Zealand! :eek:

Wow!

Do you have a different president there? No? Same one? Oh. Drats. 😃

What is the cost of living like? We have 4 offices in oregon, I do some marketing there, very sparingly…since FL is my region, but…how breathtakingly beautiful it is there. Your beaches are nicer than Florida’s. :sad_yes:

Once our son graduates high school in two years, we plan to make a move…I am wondering if living on the west coast would be vastly different for us, though. :confused:***
Click to expand...
Oregon is a beautiful place indeed. The cost of gas is a bit higher here, but most everything is similar to the Southeast. I think it is slightly lower than Florida, but my info comes before the housing bubble burst.

Oregon is really two states, western Oregon and central and Eastern Oregon. The climates and people are radically different. Interestingly enough, The two diocese in Oregon actually follow this division as well. The dividing line if the Cascade Mountains, a chain of volcanic mountains, some of which are still active, like Mt. St. Helens just to the North in Washington state.

Western Oregon is where about 80% of most people live. Politically it tends to be radically leftist where a mainstream Democrat would be considered conservative. People here seem to delight in defying conventional morality. A popular bumper sticker here reads “Keep Portland Weird” There are some wonderful parishes here, but in general they are not as ornate as many back east. All of western Oregon is in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon.

It rains about 8 months of the year in Western Oregon with Portland having 220 overcast days and another 60 or 80 partly cloudy days. Humidity rarely climbs above 25% and we have fewer than 10 days where high temperatures exceed 90 and fewer than 10 days where high temperatures do not rise above freezing. Thunderstorms, like what you have there in Florida, are unheard of in western Oregon. The climate along the coast is much more mild but has about 40-50 more cloudy/rainy days than Portland.

Central and eastern Oregon is mostly unpopulated. An area larger than the entire state of Missouri with fewer than a half-million people. Lots of farms and ranches. Politically, people tend to be conservative to very conservative and “cling to their God and their gun”. People tend to be very friendly and there is very much a “live and let live” attitude that is absent from western Oregon due to the prevalence of leftist ideology. All of central and eastern Orgon is in the Diocese of Baker, and the bishop has his cathedral in Bend.

Central and eastern Oregon is a high-desert as the Cascade Mountains form a rain-shadow. Elevation at the valley floors varies from 3500 to 6000 feet. It is sunny 300 days year. Humidity is low 10 - 20%. Annoying insects like mosquitoes simply do not exist in most areas. Highs in the summer often exceed 100, but with very low humidity are quite tolerable. Winter low frequently go below zeros and there are a number of days during the winter where the high does not rise above zero. Obviously, elevation plays a big part in the temperature.

There are several different small mountain ranges in Oregon and many of them were formed differently. The Cascades are all volcanoes, the Blue Mountains are thrust, the Coast Range is an upthrust from tectonic plate collision, Steens Mountain and Hart Mountain are fault-block just to name a few. By the way, I wanted to take a drive into the Cascades this past weekend to take some pictures, but it was snowing too hard.

Oregon also has some utterly unique geological features. Crater Lake National Park, The Columbia River Gorge, Steens Mountain, the rugged Oregon Coast.

Come out and take a look. I love playing tour guide!
 
rpp: I couldn’t have said it anywhere NEAR as good as that! You’re an Oregonian alright!..I mean that in the GOOD way…not the “You’re a hippy who has so many bumper stickers and needs to wash your hair” way!! :rotfl:
I am looking at those pics now! I need to get some of my own…

whatevergirl: Told ya so 😛
Sadly…Here in Eugene, we’ve got SOOOO many liberals, hippies, and people who can’t drive…As well as the same president…lol…Its a nice place to live, though. I’ve found MANY devout Catholics here, and we flourish in the face of adversity.
 
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