Congratulations on the big steps so far ... you are certainly on your way!
The first thing I would suggest is to *listen to your gut* and try and figure out what it is telling you. I have posted many times in other threads, suggestions that people take a deep look inside themselves to try and suss out what they hope to achieve from moving so far away from everything they know, and already have. I know it sounds harsh to put it that way, but the older you are, and especially if your life is already happy and settled, you really have to ask yourself: what do I envision in New Zealand being better than what I already have which is already close to friends and family?
Honestly, please make sure you ask that question of yourself, and really dig deep to answer it. Not because New Zealand isn't great, but simply because NZ isn't England, it isn't Canada, it isn't the US, it is its own unique place that may or may not live up to expectations depending on what sort of place and lifestyle you are coming from, and what your current degree of life satisfaction is. Some commenters in here come from areas of high urban density, high prices, some come from lower population, lower prices, but also lower job security, some come from upper middle class, replete with cliche boring suburbia stories... some come from non-western nations that make NZ a paradise in comparison. Every single person will be hanging their personal story and perception of NZ life based on where they came from, the degree of satisfaction the old life held for them, and whether NZ delivered on its promises or not.
So, as I said, it is exceedingly important that you know ahead of time what you are hoping to achieve by moving. If you don't know why you are moving, why would you do it? How well you will land in NZ and settle will depend on factors like: expectations, research, funding, pragmatism, grit, resolve, perspective, people skills, etc.
My experience has been mixed. Unlike Puppy, I find people here to much more reserved and emotionally closed off and cautious than Americans. I legitimately have trouble telling if people are enjoying themselves or not because their facial and body language cues can be pretty flat (compared to the American culture). It's no indictment on kiwi culture, but it can make for a very, very lonely experience when you're the only person among a group showing excitement or happiness over something. There are always exceptions, of course, but as a blanket generalization, it can be hard to connect with others when you can't read them well. So, what I've generally found is, if you're more of a loner personality, or someone who's not really into deeply connected friendships, and prefer more superficial, pub-like visits, and connections ... sports leagues, bbq's and beers, etc, sort of stuff, you'll probably have no problem making connections here so long as you put yourself out there, over and over and over. sports leagues, volunteer somewhere, connect with people at work and invite them out for beer or whatever ... I'm sure you'll find friends. But, if you're like me, and your current friends are more like family, that is probably going to be a tough order to duplicate here. And, your psyche may suffer for it. Just be prepared to weather the ups and downs.
Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the things that concern you in Canada will not be of concern here in New Zealand. That is magical thinking that will get you nowhere but unhappy, really fast. If you're an introvert, you won't suddenly become an extrovert, if you're not sporty, it's doubtful you suddenly will change... yada, yada, yada. These goes back to the original question to ask yourself: what am I hoping to achieve/discover in New Zealand?
I don't know anything about the Canadian cost of living, but compared to California in the US, New Zealand is significantly more expensive in all areas. NZ housing this last year has sured all other nations as *the* most expensive in the world. That is mostly because of Auckland's housing issues, but is now flowing more freely around the rest of the nation as more and more global speculators pop down here to launder their cash in our housing market. And, consider that what you get for the money you pay (for a house), is considerably less in of weather-tightness, uniqueness, and value. Housing supply prices have *rocketed* over the last several years, so please make sure that you have a realistic budget for the lifestyle you intended to lead...which, of course, will depend on where you are planning on moving to.
I've found that prices *for everything* on the South Island tend to all run about the same, no matter where you are, though in tourist spots like Lake Tekapo, Queenstown, etc, food, fuel, etc are all higher. On average, most things are minimum 25% more expensive than in California, but that has been climbing higher over the last two years here in town.
We survive fine on one salary in our household, a decent salary of $90k, and we have one full time teen and my husband's teen from another marriage is with us part-time as well. We survive fine by budgeting fairly strictly (much stricter than I ever did in California), and doing away with things that are common in California like regular spontaneous night out for dinner. Here, a small take-out meal is about $15, and is basically a plastic square take-away of Indian food, or similar. A nice sit down meal at a restaurant worth spending money at will set you back $50 per person. So, yes, things Americans take for granted like casual dining .... casual dining isn't the same sort of cheap thing in NZ that it is in North America... so, you dial back on stuff like that, and learn to live with what you have. It's no biggie, but can be an adjustment.
Lastly, you do need to think about what your plan is if you *don't* want to stay. The biggest part of moving when older (I was 40), is that once you have left your country of origin, that little niche you carved out closes up behind you. I always suggest to people that they not sell their home and belongings until they have lived in NZ for a year, that way they can slip back into some semblance of their prior life if it turns out that NZ doesn't work out for them.
I think I will assume from your love of all things NZ that you have already spent considerable time here ...
My post isn't meant to persuade or dissuade you one way or the other, only to make sure that you have asked yourself the right questions, and have the right perspective on what your goal in moving is.
Best of luck.
, lives on his own in the country. He did come over with his wife, but they parted and were divorced probably 5 or 6 years ago. He loves the quiet life here.
