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Mike Kirby
So my friends and I are moving to New Zealand one year from now. Everything in going great as of now, but we're having one major problem of deciding where to live. We're looking for adventure. Trekking, Surfing, Mountain Climbing, Mountain Biking, stuff of that sort you know. We've been looking at the sources online but they all seem really vague when it comes to their lifestyle activities. I was posting this to see if someone from New Zealand or someone who has gone there would know the best place to experience all these. We were very interested in Northland when I read that it doesn't really experience a winter. Could someone help me out? Thanks!
Answer
sounds like to me you would enjoy the south island. Not sure if you know but NZ is made up of the north island and the south island. They both have adventure, trekking, mountain biking and climbing is more enjoyable in the south island as it has grandeur and spectacular scenery, and huge amounts of tracks and camping huts in the mountains. It is very similar to Canada and Alaska. Surfing is probably best done in the north of the north island (northland is a good region) The beaches in Auckland I hear are good. I would suggest living in Auckland so you have the convenience of the big city, but a drive away is not hard to do. You can also consider living in Christchurch in the south island. Its a largish city but is handy to all the south islands adventure centers like Queenstown etc. I highly recommend going to Queenstown, for the adventure, the Bay of Islands for the beautiful beaches, and Wellington for the cultural and culinary delights. In all seriousness you have to check out the entire country, there is sooo much to do there, you will never get bored
PS check out www.newzealand.com
sounds like to me you would enjoy the south island. Not sure if you know but NZ is made up of the north island and the south island. They both have adventure, trekking, mountain biking and climbing is more enjoyable in the south island as it has grandeur and spectacular scenery, and huge amounts of tracks and camping huts in the mountains. It is very similar to Canada and Alaska. Surfing is probably best done in the north of the north island (northland is a good region) The beaches in Auckland I hear are good. I would suggest living in Auckland so you have the convenience of the big city, but a drive away is not hard to do. You can also consider living in Christchurch in the south island. Its a largish city but is handy to all the south islands adventure centers like Queenstown etc. I highly recommend going to Queenstown, for the adventure, the Bay of Islands for the beautiful beaches, and Wellington for the cultural and culinary delights. In all seriousness you have to check out the entire country, there is sooo much to do there, you will never get bored
PS check out www.newzealand.com
What is daily life like in New Zealand?
Sophia Mar
I am really interested in the idea of moving to New Zealand.I am wondering what daily life is like there?I am from Staten Island(New York City)so I am used to always having something to do.Will this be different in New Zealand?Will it be a big culture shock for me?Also,are American brands/items sold in New Zealand?
Answer
I immigrated to Auckland from the States so I have experience with the change in culture. I grew up in Boston and then lived a couple years in DC so I can compare city life in the US to city-life here. I never experienced any culture-shock and I don't know of any Americans who did. It seems to be tougher for the British immigrants I know to adjust.
Moving from most parts of NYC to NZ would be a major change, but Staten Island is not that different in density and population from Auckland. Auckland has 1.4 million people spread out over a large area. It has all the stuff you'd find in the US to do. There are malls everywhere, movie theatres, clubs and pubs, nice cafes and restaurants etc. On the surface it will seem just like the US. But here are the biggest changes you'll probably begin to notice within a a few weeks of living here:
Malls and other shops close very early, like 5 or 6PM, even on a Saturday. There are no family chain restaurants like Uno's, Bertucci's etc. that you find all over in the US. Restaurants are very expensive, in fact food in general is much more expensive than in the US and the portions will be half the size. People don't dress up unless it is a special occassion. It is perfectly acceptable to be barefoot in public places. If you arrive in winter you might think the kids you see barefoot at the supermarket or mall on a cold rainy day are poor; they aren't. They all have shoes, they just don't wear them. Kids are allowed to go barefoot to elementary school and adults regularly walk around shoeless as well and this is not seen as redneck or strange at all. At most cafes and less fancy restaurants you are expected to order and pay up front first. Service is very slow by US standards but no one rushes you to move on and free up the table. You do not tip anyone in NZ, not waiters, not taxis.
As far as things to do goes, that won't be an issue. Kiwis do go to bed early and shut the shops early but there are plenty of evening activities. I go to pub quizzes a couple nights a week. Drinking during the work-week is much more acceptable here. Most work-places have friday night drinks often right in the office. I'm a teacher and still can't believe our staffroom here has a fridge dedicated to booze for friday afternoons.
Everyone in NZ gets 4-weeks paid holiday by law, so there is much more holiday culture. There are lots of beach-side camp-grounds with rows of little cabins where families go for a week or two every summer. Most of the city shuts down from late December to start of Feb while everyone takes a vacation. It's all part of the more laid-back way of life.
If you move to a rural NZ town there would be some serious culture shock I'm sure, but no different to the shock you'd have moving to a small town in upstate NY. Wellington supposedly has more culture than other cities in NZ but the weather there is awful. Honestly it makes Seattle look good. It does have a real San Fran vibe to it but it is much smaller than what your used to.
I immigrated to Auckland from the States so I have experience with the change in culture. I grew up in Boston and then lived a couple years in DC so I can compare city life in the US to city-life here. I never experienced any culture-shock and I don't know of any Americans who did. It seems to be tougher for the British immigrants I know to adjust.
Moving from most parts of NYC to NZ would be a major change, but Staten Island is not that different in density and population from Auckland. Auckland has 1.4 million people spread out over a large area. It has all the stuff you'd find in the US to do. There are malls everywhere, movie theatres, clubs and pubs, nice cafes and restaurants etc. On the surface it will seem just like the US. But here are the biggest changes you'll probably begin to notice within a a few weeks of living here:
Malls and other shops close very early, like 5 or 6PM, even on a Saturday. There are no family chain restaurants like Uno's, Bertucci's etc. that you find all over in the US. Restaurants are very expensive, in fact food in general is much more expensive than in the US and the portions will be half the size. People don't dress up unless it is a special occassion. It is perfectly acceptable to be barefoot in public places. If you arrive in winter you might think the kids you see barefoot at the supermarket or mall on a cold rainy day are poor; they aren't. They all have shoes, they just don't wear them. Kids are allowed to go barefoot to elementary school and adults regularly walk around shoeless as well and this is not seen as redneck or strange at all. At most cafes and less fancy restaurants you are expected to order and pay up front first. Service is very slow by US standards but no one rushes you to move on and free up the table. You do not tip anyone in NZ, not waiters, not taxis.
As far as things to do goes, that won't be an issue. Kiwis do go to bed early and shut the shops early but there are plenty of evening activities. I go to pub quizzes a couple nights a week. Drinking during the work-week is much more acceptable here. Most work-places have friday night drinks often right in the office. I'm a teacher and still can't believe our staffroom here has a fridge dedicated to booze for friday afternoons.
Everyone in NZ gets 4-weeks paid holiday by law, so there is much more holiday culture. There are lots of beach-side camp-grounds with rows of little cabins where families go for a week or two every summer. Most of the city shuts down from late December to start of Feb while everyone takes a vacation. It's all part of the more laid-back way of life.
If you move to a rural NZ town there would be some serious culture shock I'm sure, but no different to the shock you'd have moving to a small town in upstate NY. Wellington supposedly has more culture than other cities in NZ but the weather there is awful. Honestly it makes Seattle look good. It does have a real San Fran vibe to it but it is much smaller than what your used to.
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