I have quite afew friends from the US living here,some of them living down in Golden Bay Takaka in the south island where they snapped land up there while it was still cheap many moons ago...also some German friends there as well....I married two partners so they could get residency,one in Aust and one here...both could'nt stand what America stood for hence n ot wanting to go back...mind you one is back in Santa Fe right now with his wife...but he will be back sometime...NZ is not as green and unpolluted as it is portrayed but it is a lovely place ...and compared to other places it is paradise...

We love it here....after a couple of months. I hear ya on the critique of the US and having moved here from Utah it is indeed a breath of fresh air. The people are open and friendly (I lived in NYC - so think the opposite of there) and it really is a beautiful place. Most seem environemtally focused to some degree, but be cautious with being too idealisitic about the people or the place.

Regarding the sense of clean environment one has here, it was suggested to me that NZ isnt really any cleaner (per capita, blah, blah, etc) than other modern contries (US excepted) its just that these islands sit in major trade winds and perhaps the polution just gets blown out to sea.

I do love it here. I have no plans to return to the states.

Good luck with your journey.

Shayne
Dunedin

Plan to make a lot less money. I think the average is $28,000 kiwi a year. And 2 liters of milk is over $5. I work for a hospital in the US so I am lucky. I live in Wellington, and it has been a lot colder than I expected. Most of my friends are people from countries other than New Zealand. I have found it quite difficult to gain NZ friends. The land is beautiful here, and it is really good if you are the outdoorsy type. Entertainment is different than I was used to as well. I love going to uni here. But I will more than likely move to Australia in about 2 years.