Any Kiwis here?

Thinking of moving to New Zealand. Gimme the low down.

I've got to be honest with you, I only came into this thread looking to see if you were talking about the fruit.

our jazz virtuoso julian vickers is a kiwi

Hey there, yeah I'm a kiwi :) I've got a Canadian citizenship so I'm thinking of moving over there for a while :cool:

Anyway yeah NZ has it's ups and downs. Music gear is quite expensive over here for one thing.

I'm not even sure about what makes NZ good compared to other countries, cause I haven't been to many. Apparently NZ is similar to canada in quite a few respects though.

Originally Posted by: Julian VickersHey there, yeah I'm a kiwi :) I've got a Canadian citizenship so I'm thinking of moving over there for a while :cool:

Ha! Canada wins again.

I just got my hair cut, and the shampoo my barber used smells like kiwi.

so therefore, I am a kiwi.

There are kiwis EVERYWHERE! Okay besides my lame humor moment that didn't make sense to anyone but myself, why are people from New Zealand called kiwis? I'd be offended and have to defend my masculinity if I lived there... and was I dude, because they're calling you a fruit.

Originally Posted by: iihollyThere are kiwis EVERYWHERE! Okay besides my lame humor moment that didn't make sense to anyone but myself, why are people from New Zealand called kiwis? I'd be offended and have to defend my masculinity if I lived there... and was I dude, because they're calling you a fruit.

IIholly....lol. Yes, I suppose kiwis are fruits. However, maybe New Zealanders are just more comfortable with their masculinity than North Americans are. I was interested in New Zealand because I'm thinking of applying as a probation officer, since the govt is doing a large hiring campaign right now.

The kiwi is actually our national bird:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi

My mom is from NZ so I guess I'm 50% Kiwi! :) New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I went every summer for three months between the ages of 5 and 17. Haven't been back since unfortunately... airfare.

Timaru and Christchurch are awesome!!!

I worked there off and on for six years. I didn't spend much time on the north island, but rather spent most of my time in the Christchurch area. The people are great and if you are into outdoor activities you can't find a better place to live.

Compared to Canada, some of my questions include:

-How far does your money go there, economically wise? In Vancouver, everything is terribly expensive, including real estate. So....

-How much is housing in New Zealand (let's say in a metropolitan area)? How much would a regular house (i.e. 3 or 4 bedrooms) go for? Likewise, how much would it cost to rent a 3 bedroom place approx?

-What is an average income? Are costs of living lower or higher than, say, British Columbia, Canada? Here, I find it hard to get by on $2500 a month. And housing costs are astronomical, with the average place costing around $450,000 to $600,000 now. You practically have to be a millionaire to own real estate.

I'm just looking for estimations here. I want to get an understanding of what prices in New Zealand are roughly.