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British Expat Living in New Zealand Interview with Lynn
| Published: | 20 Oct at 9 AM |
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Filed: Interviews,New Zealand
Lynn and her partner Tom are Brits who moved to Aoteoroa almost 7 years ago. Proud to now be New Zealand citizens, they have fully embraced life in The Land of the Long White Cloud. After learning to sail and buying a yacht called Pink Diamond they are now venturing outside their comfort zone and looking forward to retirement and the coming years of sailing adventures both near and far. Lynn's expat blog is called Cruising Pink Diamond (see listing here)
Pink Diamond
Where are you originally from?
I am from Derbyshire and Tom is from Lancashire, in England.
In which country and city are you living now?
We are now living in Tauranga in the beautiful and aptly named Bay of Plenty in North Island, New Zealand.
How long have you lived in New Zealand and how long are you planning to stay?
After almost 7 years here we have no desire to leave except to see family and friends and to have holidays.
Why did you move to New Zealand and what do you do?
I fell in love with New Zealand in 2001 when I visited to explore work opportunities. After we met in 2003, Tom and I agreed we'd like to emigrate and live somewhere with a warmer climate than the UK has and with a different lifestyle. After an "exploratory" holiday in New Zealand in early 2007, we moved to live here with our 4 cats at the end of that year.
I work in healthcare and at the time we emigrated I met New Zealand's skills shortage requirements in my field so was fortunate to have a job to move to. Tom established his marketing business soon after we arrived here and in the face of the global economic decline so it wasn't easy for him.
Did you bring family with you?
We only brought our 4 cats. Tom has a son and daughter who were then in their 20's and getting on with making their way in the world.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
We found the transition very easy and I think because we had no doubts about the decision we'd made to emigrate. We never looked back, New Zealand surpassed our expectations as a wonderful place to live, work and have a different lifestyle, and despite being so far from family and friends in the UK we enjoyed discovering Skype and how easy it is to stay in touch.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Making friends here is easy. Kiwis are really friendly and laid back people and our respective jobs exposed us to locals and also people from a diverse range of countries who have chosen to move here too. Our friends are from an equally divers range of backgrounds and cultures.
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
Nowhere in New Zealand is more than 120Km (75 miles) from the sea and being on or in the water is an important part of the Kiwi lifestyle. Equally, the beautiful and varied countryside showcases every imaginable outdoor pursuit.
The Bay of Plenty, where we live, is situated on the east coast of North Island, just over a 2 hour drive from Auckland. From bush walks in the nearby Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges to miles of white beaches and surf, vibrant towns, golf courses, an airport, volcanoes, good road links to the rest of North Island, and the highest number of hours sunshine in New Zealand, it has it all!
What do you enjoy most about living in New Zealand?
Not in any particular order, we love the lifestyle, the climate, the stunning scenery around every corner, the cleanliness, the summer live music scene, the national passion for rugby, the variety of seafood and fruit available, and the vino:)
How does the cost of living in New Zealand compare to home?
It depends on what you're buying! Petrol is cheaper, dairy and meat is expensive which is surprising, eating out is good value, wine is cheaper, fruit and veggies are reasonable, fish is cheap, internal flights are expensive, and electricity is very expensive.
What negatives, if any, are there to living in New Zealand?
No negatives spring to mind immediately, so whatever negatives there may be can't be too bad can they?
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to New Zealand, what would it be?
Embrace the adventure you've embarked on and reap the rewards.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
There honestly hasn't been one and we haven't gone looking for one. Why would we when our move has far exceeded our hopes and expectations?
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
We don't plan to return to live in the UK and will continue to enjoy life in this piece of paradise we've found here in the Pacific Ocean.
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
Our blog is CruisingPinkDiamond.blogspot.co.nz and I started it earlier this year when we bought our boat, the start of a whole new adventure. There is a link on the blog to our earlier blog about when we first moved to New Zealand.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
We can be contacted through the contact form on our blog.
Lynn is a British expat living in New Zealand. Blog description: A sailing blog by a couple of Brits, sharing our story about stepping outside our comfort zone aboard a yacht called Pink Diamond, here in Aoteoroa, this beautiful country we now call home.
Pink Diamond
Here's the interview with Lynn...
Where are you originally from?
I am from Derbyshire and Tom is from Lancashire, in England.
In which country and city are you living now?
We are now living in Tauranga in the beautiful and aptly named Bay of Plenty in North Island, New Zealand.
How long have you lived in New Zealand and how long are you planning to stay?
After almost 7 years here we have no desire to leave except to see family and friends and to have holidays.
Why did you move to New Zealand and what do you do?
I fell in love with New Zealand in 2001 when I visited to explore work opportunities. After we met in 2003, Tom and I agreed we'd like to emigrate and live somewhere with a warmer climate than the UK has and with a different lifestyle. After an "exploratory" holiday in New Zealand in early 2007, we moved to live here with our 4 cats at the end of that year.
I work in healthcare and at the time we emigrated I met New Zealand's skills shortage requirements in my field so was fortunate to have a job to move to. Tom established his marketing business soon after we arrived here and in the face of the global economic decline so it wasn't easy for him.
Did you bring family with you?
We only brought our 4 cats. Tom has a son and daughter who were then in their 20's and getting on with making their way in the world.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
We found the transition very easy and I think because we had no doubts about the decision we'd made to emigrate. We never looked back, New Zealand surpassed our expectations as a wonderful place to live, work and have a different lifestyle, and despite being so far from family and friends in the UK we enjoyed discovering Skype and how easy it is to stay in touch.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
Making friends here is easy. Kiwis are really friendly and laid back people and our respective jobs exposed us to locals and also people from a diverse range of countries who have chosen to move here too. Our friends are from an equally divers range of backgrounds and cultures.
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
Nowhere in New Zealand is more than 120Km (75 miles) from the sea and being on or in the water is an important part of the Kiwi lifestyle. Equally, the beautiful and varied countryside showcases every imaginable outdoor pursuit.
The Bay of Plenty, where we live, is situated on the east coast of North Island, just over a 2 hour drive from Auckland. From bush walks in the nearby Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges to miles of white beaches and surf, vibrant towns, golf courses, an airport, volcanoes, good road links to the rest of North Island, and the highest number of hours sunshine in New Zealand, it has it all!
What do you enjoy most about living in New Zealand?
Not in any particular order, we love the lifestyle, the climate, the stunning scenery around every corner, the cleanliness, the summer live music scene, the national passion for rugby, the variety of seafood and fruit available, and the vino:)
How does the cost of living in New Zealand compare to home?
It depends on what you're buying! Petrol is cheaper, dairy and meat is expensive which is surprising, eating out is good value, wine is cheaper, fruit and veggies are reasonable, fish is cheap, internal flights are expensive, and electricity is very expensive.
What negatives, if any, are there to living in New Zealand?
No negatives spring to mind immediately, so whatever negatives there may be can't be too bad can they?
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving to New Zealand, what would it be?
Embrace the adventure you've embarked on and reap the rewards.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
There honestly hasn't been one and we haven't gone looking for one. Why would we when our move has far exceeded our hopes and expectations?
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
We don't plan to return to live in the UK and will continue to enjoy life in this piece of paradise we've found here in the Pacific Ocean.
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
- Look forwards towards what lies ahead of you and not backwards at what you left behind.
- Respect the cultural differences.
- Chase your dreams and make them happen.
- Never forget your roots!
- Remember that email, social media and Skype make communications across the miles very easy indeed!
Our blog is CruisingPinkDiamond.blogspot.co.nz and I started it earlier this year when we bought our boat, the start of a whole new adventure. There is a link on the blog to our earlier blog about when we first moved to New Zealand.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
We can be contacted through the contact form on our blog.
About the author
Lynn is a British expat living in New Zealand. Blog description: A sailing blog by a couple of Brits, sharing our story about stepping outside our comfort zone aboard a yacht called Pink Diamond, here in Aoteoroa, this beautiful country we now call home.
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