For us this has been is a difficult post to write. After over 18 months in Auckland and a lot of soul searching we have decided we are leaving Auckland. A combination of reasons has lead us to this decision!
Support Network:
When we first arrived in Auckland we stayed with Isaac’s grandmother for approximately three months. That time was great we travelled, enjoyed the summer and took the time to find a job and a flat! Our flat was just around the corner from a good friend of mine – a friend from home that I have known pretty much all of my life. For almost a year we had friends around the corner and a support network with Isaac’s family close by. Something we will be forever grateful for.
Then Isaac’s grandmother decided to move up north and my friend decided to move back to England. Within a space of a month we found ourselves feeling secluded in the largest city in NZ. Although we have made other friends through our jobs and Isaac still has some family around it just hasn’t been the same. Not enough to make us want to stay.
Our opportunities have widened:
I have recently become a freelancer – my own boss for the first time. A daunting, but exciting step for myself and one that has given me the freedom to live anywhere in NZ. Isaac already runs his own business and I have joined his club! With the power of the internet and working remotely as accessible as ever this means we can work from just about anywhere that has internet. We no longer have to be in a busy city.
House prices:
News flash – Auckland house prices are ridiculous! Talk about stating the obvious.
News flash – We are both hitting 30!
Something happens when you turn 30 you find yourself contemplating about the future. Sure, we have achieved a lot in our 20’s but purchasing our slice of this earth is not one of them. We know at some point we will need to place some roots down and one thing we do know is we want that place to be NZ but it just can’t be Auckland – we have to win the lottery first before that can happen! Without getting into a rant – this city really isn’t a place for first time buyers.
Our love for NZ:
Something we both agree on is our love for NZ. We love the people, the culture and the life style that NZ can offer us. And sadly Auckland just isn’t providing that for us at this point in our lives. You could argue Auckland isn’t a true representation of New Zealand – I don’t personally think this, but I do know if I wanted to live in a city then I could have just moved to…Bristol. It is all down to personal preference really, cities just aren’t our kind of places – we are Cornish after all!
So off we move to better pastures! House sitting is giving us the opportunity to live in other regions of NZ therefore we shall see where this takes us until we say “I want to live here” once more!