Just 2 days to go

Lake Taupo - NZ

It is just 2 days now and Iain and Claire will be on their way to New Zealand.

We are sure they are excited and apprehensive all at the same time. They will never take such a large step again in their lifetime.

After 6 yrs in NZ we can see all the advantages for them and the boys, it is not a place to get rich quick but the lifestyle is just great.

New Zealand still offers " that pioneering feeling" of the past immigrants who started to migrate to Australia and NZ in middle 1800's.....can you imagine the time they had, life would have been so hard for them. Luckily things have changed.....

There is temperate climate, the pace of life is slower, a lot of emphasis is still put on the quality of life, not the materialistic side, family values still count and so far the youth culture problems that Europe and other countries are suffering are not predominate in NZ, of course there are problems socially but to a far lesser scale than other places.

Different nationalities live in harmony side by side, this is made easier as we are all immigrants the country does not really belong to anyone race, although the Maori believe the country is theirs they actually stole it from the Moriories ( I don't know how to spell the name) a couple of hundred years ago so they are migrants of a sort as well. In any case they sold out to the British for protection, guns and blankets in 1840 something

Living in New Zealand is like living in the 70/80's with 2000 technology, values are definitely different, professionals live in the same street as the factory worker, Government housing, grouping one social class together is a thing of the past, of course there are areas of lower income families but there is not a class structure like there used to be and still is UK.

Everyone is valued for what he or she can offer to the country, it is still a young country and people can still grow with it.

New Zealand prides it's self with it's clean green attitude, if you have never been there you need to put it on your "Bucket List " I know of no one who has been to NZ who has not come away without a love for the country, it has such diverse scenery from Fiord's to Desert, the rainbows are something you must see.

No.... the NZ tourist board is not paying me, it is just pride for the country we have chosen to live in.