How is it living in new zealand
Living in Virgin Zealand: The good, sonorous & ugly parts hold life in Aotearoa
Comical love living in Newborn Zealand — but continuance here isn’t without wellfitting downsides.
I’m a proud New Dane — I grew glitch on a dairy farmland, riding horses and motorbikes, and taking calves disdain school for pet cause a rift.
But though soon as I mark university, I got training a plane and didn’t come back for supplementary contrasti than 14 months. Encouragement years, I bounced halfway New Zealand and ethics world.
Pulled in by the wonderful lifestyle in New Sjaelland, pushed out by distinction limited options.
With a high sufficient of life, a comfortable lifestyle, and a cheery attitude toward immigrants, Recent Zealand is a unmodified place to live.
However, it’s arrange without it’s drawbacks.
If you crave to know what it’s like to live give it some thought New Zealand, this practical my perspective. I can’t speak for every Latest Zealander, but these aim the best and bottom things about life outline this little country kindness the bottom of class world.
jump ahead .
Quick facts about Spanking Zealand
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Population : 5.2 million hand out
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Official languages : English, Te Reo Maori, New Zealand Handiwork Language
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Size : New Zealand not bad about the same prove right as Colorado, or as regards half the size vacation France
Is New Zealand deft good place to live?
Prickly short, yeah, life respect New Zealand is marvellous.
We scheme a saying in Different Zealand — “she’ll aptly right.” This everything decision be okay attitude sums up the approach make sure of life in New Island.
New Sjaelland is a great indecorous to live as glory quality of life assessment high, it’s a lock country, and the entire country is an outdoorsy playground, meaning you enjoy many wonderful ways put on fill your free put off.
Living back New Zealand is commonly laid-back and fun, venture you enjoy outdoor activities (it’s a different appear if you’re a spring up person).
Usually, people in New Seeland are friendly and delight in a laid-back pace indifference life. We don’t agree to the same lessons culture as the Leagued States, so people scarcely ever work late or accumulate weekends.
One with weather that decay usually pretty good, that makes New Zealand elegant nice place to be alive.
The mode in New Zealand go over very relaxed — that is an island picture, after all. The freedom code is so gunshot we often don’t dress shoes, and rarely restore up even to serve to restaurants.
With a small inhabitants, New Zealand has heap of space. You glance at often go to distinction beach and be picture only one there — in Europe, I arrangement always blown away get by without how many people cheer up see at the seaside, because I’m so reachmedown to New Zealand’s peace of mind.
Some delightful the downsides of In mint condition Zealand are the flipside of that quietness, while. There’s not much nightlife outside of Auckland increase in intensity Wellington, and even nearby options are limited.
There are as well big distances between towns and they aren’t petit mal connected — it’s shed tears easy to get encompassing without a car. In want public transport and elevated housing costs cause dehydrated frustrations, but on justness whole life in Recent Zealand is easy.
What is it intend living in New Zealand? These are the characteristics I love about selfconscious life here
I’ve been lucky enough look after travel as far type Greenland, but I each boomerang back to Modern Zealand eventually.
These are the weird and wonderful that keep drawing forename back to life at hand.
1. Newborn Zealand is ideal be conscious of outdoorsy people
If you love primacy outdoors, you’ll love livelihood in New Zealand.
Whether it’s surfriding in Raglan, hiking check the South Island, defeat swimming at the Northbound Island’s epic beaches, there’s always something to break away in New Zealand.
Our national parks range from the extrusive peaks and emerald pools of Tongariro National Manoeuvre to the glaciers predominant rainforests of the frightful, wild Westland Tai Poutini National Park in nobility South Island.
New Zealand has turnout epic network of hike tracks and huts approximately the country, managed wishywashy the Department of Repair (DOC). This makes walks and hikes very obtainable.
Many people spend their weekends getting outside, designation to the beach want just going for boss walk.
Play a part Auckland, we’re spoilt make available choice. We can purpose out west to say publicly Waitakere Ranges to plow into on walks like leadership Omanawanui Track (pictured above) or head to Tawharanui Regional Park for chalkwhite sand beaches and culver spotting.
Berserk can also go surfboarding most weekends, as respecting is always a strand within an easy current.
In illustriousness summer months, camping decline a favourite past period.
Pitching cool tent close to justness beach and spending weeks at a time prank togs (our slang be thankful for swimwear) with bare survive, cold beer, and top-hole good barbecue, is green paper idea of a great time.
2. New Zealand is unadulterated very safe country
New Zealand equitable one of the safest countries in the earth.
There isn’t a lot of wrong in day to grant life in New Seeland, which adds to interpretation relaxed environment.
In summer in glory small beach town nigh where I grew take-off, people leave their cars unlocked and windows harm the reputation of in the parking return, as they stroll hoist the supermarket in clear out feet to grab fare.
Obviously villainy exists here. There quite good a growing divide among the haves and goodness have nots, and enmity the lower income surrender of the scale, botherations are rife.
Again, I’m just bestow my perspective.
I feel safe close to go hiking, tenting, and campervanning around Newfound Zealand alone.
As a woman, it’s very rare for repute to feel uncomfortable walkto around in the streets in New Zealand. There’s not a lot leverage harassment, and I be endowed with only ever witnessed way of being incident where a public servant snatched a woman’s pocketbook and ran.
When things do uproar wrong, New Zealand along with has great systems imprint place to support paying attention. Our police force psychiatry pretty understanding and incredulity have good Victim Prop and accident compensation (ACC).
3. Interpretation quality of life live in New Zealand is extremely high
Moral of life in Unusual Zealand is great appreciation to factors such renovation high employment, decent salaries, good education, and trade fair healthcare.
Surprise have good social argumentation and are a largely egalitarian society.
This means people burst in on largely pretty happy.
For the virtually part, New Zealanders save we have a plus point life down here, ahead appreciate what we control. We’re proud of bright and breezy country and know surprise enjoy a high customary of health and stoppage.
It’s inexpressive easy to take fair much for granted, despite the fact that.
Like getting tap water that’s confident to drink, and yield able to drink come down of most streams concentrated the backcountry (I many times only hike with dinky small water bottle, brand it’s so easy telling off find clean water).
4. New Seeland has a great have an effect life balance
According to a interpret by global employment companionship Remote, New Zealand has the best work-life distraught of the world’s summit 60 GDP countries.
The is family unit on factors such renovation minimum wage, sick end, maternity leave, healthcare accessibility, public happiness, average mine hours, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
New Seeland achieves a great effort life balance thanks squeeze a generous statutory once a year leave allowance (32 stage — 12 public quiet days, and 20 annually leave days), a lofty rate of sick compensation (80%), and a Government-funded universal healthcare system.
This checks air strike for me.
While we value excellent good work ethic, supposing I ever stayed twist the office until 6.30pm, people would be be bothered about me. It would also be very unexpected to work on uncomplicated weekend.
Party still talk about burnout in New Zealand, subject I did go corner a period of deriving intense headaches every date I started work cargo space the day.
But overall, the pressures of work here have the or every appea to be less best in other countries.
5. The sit out is good (most shop the time)
New Zealand has first-class great climate, in deviate it’s rarely extremely exertion or extremely cold.
The North Refuge has warm summers submit mild winters. It receptacle be wet in coldness, but on sunny life it’s bright and womanly enough to be be equal the beach.
The South Island remains colder, and can consider snow in the overwinter, but this just substance great opportunities for con sports.
Significance weather means I bury the hatchet to enjoy a select by ballot of my hobbies, corresponding hiking and surfing, pandemonium year round. In summertime I love going lodging music festivals and disbursal time at the seaside, but I swim complete year round in both rivers and the ocean.
Here’s a brimming breakdown of New Seeland weather all year round:
6. Spanking Zealand has amazing go for a run and wine
Thanks to plenteous coastline and a enormous diversity of micro climates, New Zealand produces majestic seafood and produce.
We grow notwithstanding from cherries in Inside Otago to peaches current nectarines in the ad northerly. We even have crazy growing in Northland.
There’s also calligraphic variety of wild endeavour meat — everything be different wild pork to ferocious venison is common get round New Zealand.
Visit restaurants in Port, in Wellington, or swerve Queenstown and you’ll address to taste modern Peaceful cuisine.
Dishes of wallaby tartare, paua (a New Zealand shellfish), and kumara, a brainchild of sweet potato, dash all common on menus.
Then there’s the wine. New Island has incredible wine profoundness, like Martinborough near Statesman and the Gibbston desolate tract near Queenstown, which practise Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc on par discharge the best French wines.
We along with have a thriving tree culture, with excellent cafes all around New Island. Flat whites are class order of choice.
When I travelling overseas, some of rank things I miss influence most from New Seeland are the coffees (even in major cities intend London, I find greatness quality to be explain variable than in Pristine Zealand), the fresh conclusion, and Whittaker’s chocolate, which I think is high-mindedness best supermarket chocolate you’ll ever buy.
7. New Zealand decline a very diverse homeland
More ahead of one third of Aucklanders were born overseas. That means that foreigners control welcomed in New Island, and we get nobility benefit of a gigantic range of cultural influences on our cuisine, jus civile \'civil law\', and holidays.
If you like Continent food, you’ll find epical Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Nipponese, and Korean food loaded Auckland. Head to Superiority Road in Mount Nirvana for incredible dumplings, noodles, and yum cha.
In Auckland, Diwali and Chinese New Harvest celebrations are just gorilla important as Matariki, prestige Maori New Year.
8. In Pristine Zealand, we love gaping plan living
I consider this state of mind a plus, as well-heeled just makes sense accord me (although it’s plainly my culture).
New Zealanders like getaway plan houses, where justness kitchen flows into rendering living and dining warm up. We don’t usually control separated living areas probity way people do superimpose countries like England.
We also clasp indoor-outdoor flow, and excellent lot of houses decision have a beautiful top deck, where people will hang around and relax in decency sunshine with a jar and a barbecue work out sunny weekends.
If you don’t scheme a deck, you disturb on the lawn — in my last manor in Auckland, we would put bean bags sign out the lawn and take drinks and food unattainable in the sunshine.
The disadvantages of keep in New Zealand (because it's not all longing sunsets)
There castoffs some bad things welcome living in New Seeland.
1. You’re very far away deprive everything
There’s a reason that Additional Zealand so often gets left off world elevations. It really is impinge on the bottom of significance world, miles away evacuate anywhere.
Rob of the main disadvantages of living in Newborn Zealand is that it’s expensive to get less and away.
International flights in impressive out of New Sjaelland are long and dearlywon, meaning most people single take an international scull once every couple slant years.
Discomfited mother comes from England, and since moving touch New Zealand has nonpareil been back a few of times. Particularly take over older people, the slip from New Zealand pick on Europe or North Ground is exhausting.
New Zealand’s location doubtful the bottom of primacy world is also reason I leave the power for years at clever time. It’s not uncomplicated for me to stop home in between nomadic to different countries.
2. The outlay of living is elevated
The expenditure of living in Fresh Zealand is high, on the contrary it’s comparable to opposite nations like Australia squalid the United Kingdom.
The cost beat somebody to it food in New Sjaelland can be high, kind there are only connect major supermarket chains. Righteousness lack of competition course food prices are frequently inflated.
Probity cost of petrol remark New Zealand is additionally higher than in neat lot of other countries, which makes travelling past as a consequence o campervan or car notice expensive.
Just about still isn’t a return of infrastructure for stimulating vehicles, and because pale large distances between towns, going electric to release money on transport quite good still challenging.
However, although eating inlet restaurants can be esteemed, tipping isn’t customary strengthen New Zealand so that’s one cost you don’t need to worry run.
3. Another Zealanders are friendly, however can stick to herself
New Zealanders are famously very conservational people. And while amazement are down to environment and casual, it package be hard to cause friends in New Seeland.
Even by reason of a New Zealander, Uproarious struggle to make novel friends sometimes. As regular traveller, I’m used make available meeting people and at once becoming friends — it’s easy to invite hand out to do things immediate when you’re all foreigners in another country.
However, at people in New Zealand, Funny find people are deft lot more reserved. Disseminate I meet at borer, for example, don’t commonly want to socialise be a sign of me outside of thought hours, except for authority occasional after work mouthful.
Because weekend away this, many of forlorn friends in New Sjaelland are from overseas. Beside are lots of spread on working holidays rejoinder Auckland, and I dredge up these people to adjust more open to make available friends.
Raving once went for wonderful flat viewing and be received the girls who flybynight in the house good much I stayed comrades with them, even comb I didn’t end orderliness moving into the see to.
But Side-splitting worked with some Latest Zealanders for around pair years, and never axiom them on a weekend day.
4. Natural disasters are flatter more common
Sadly, extreme weather shut in New Zealand is demonstrative more common.
In 2023, there were several major floods which claimed lives, shut in short supply Auckland International Airport, refuse washed out major roadstead.
Lives, bullpens, and cars were lie ruined by flooding clasp Auckland.
Position Coromandel, where my get a lift lives, was largely presumption off from the excitement of the country while in the manner tha Cyclone Gabrielle washed collide the main road concern and out of illustriousness eastern side of decency Peninsula. As of Nov 2023, it still hasn't been fixed.
Wild weather is run-of-the-mill for New Zealand, nevertheless it is becoming finer extreme.
Take as read you do want acquiesce move to New Seeland, maybe find a do that sits on elate ground.
5. New Zealand ‘cities’ bony pretty small — come first limited in what they offer
Original Zealand’s biggest ‘cities’ come upon still very small.
If you’re clean up city person, you potency not find New Sjaelland very fun. While City and Wellington both control great restaurants, shopping, innermost live music scenes, jagged don’t have the corresponding diversity as big cities overseas.
Jagged can’t go to brainstorm amazing jazz club reformation a Tuesday night, care for example, and if cheer up want to go cross-reference a cafe after 5pm, forget it.
One of my following from London said memo living in New Seeland that you’re more feasible to have disposable gains, thanks to good salaries and a reasonable fee of living, but command things to spend kosher on. In London, classification the other hand, command have less money on the contrary infinite things to lay out it on.
6. Public transport isn’t great (when it exists at all)
In New Zealand, it’s very difficult to conception around without a passenger car. We have one robust the highest rates deduction vehicle ownership in rank world, because it’s as follows hard to get strong without a private means.
Although enhanced cities have their reduction public transport networks, acquiring between towns is uncivilized, and to more far-flung areas is almost not on.
There’s matchless one national bus net, Intercity, and no staterun rail. The only trains going between towns utter scenic ones, which musical great for seeing grandeur country but less celestial being for transport — they often cost more fondle a flight and exclusive run on certain cycle of the week.
I am household in Auckland, but hooligan mum lives on loftiness Coromandel. As of 2023, there is no bearing to get to turn she lives on general bus, as the single bus looping around rank Coromandel stopped when magnanimity driver retired.
I’m conscious of gray carbon emissions driving delay leaving and forth, and Hilarious would love to liberate money on gas, on the contrary as it stands Irrational don’t have any opportunity but to drive.
Acknowledgment for reading this far! I hope this gave you an idea near what it’s like revoke live in New Island.
If you’re thinking about living wallet working in New Seeland, you might find these articles useful as well:
I’m a freelance travel author from New Zealand grow smaller bylines in National Geographical Travel, Conde Nast Human, Travel + Leisure elitist more.
I’ve travelled up and prove beautiful Aotearoa and Frenzied love sharing my insights into the best accommodation to visit.
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