any1s advice appreciated

[roky1983]

hi all i was hopeing to pick ur brain, me my wife and 2 kids 5 and 2 were hoping to come to nz for a month to test the water as such with intention of moveing out, we were thinking either cch or nelson, my questions are
1.have you settled well
2.do you have kids (what ages)
3.how is it for kids
areas you would recommend
aswell as that im in a wheelchair im only 27 and im fit just unable to walk how wud it suit us
again im sorry to be a pain were just finding the thought of moveing quite scary but the thought of not giving it a go even more daunting any advice on areas , schools and anything else
regards luke

[JandM]

Reading your various posts, I get the feeling that you are really tempted by the idea of coming to NZ, but nervous. Join the club! Honestly, everyone feels this way. There isn't somebody who can say to any of us, 'Yes, YOU will find a fantastic house, YOU will make lots of friends, YOUR finances will work out fine, YOUR application will pass the system in no time without problems...' etc., much as we'd like there to be.

There are old threads about many areas of NZ, and if you use the Search, you'll also find older members' periodic posts telling how they're getting on - one-month post, six-months post, one-year post, etc. are the things to look for.

Coming for a recce trip is a really good idea. It's THE ONLY way you can get a feel of the place for yourself. (Before I came here the first time, I knew at second hand what my son had been telling me, but it still was totally different from seeing and experiencing the reality.)

[roky1983]

i hate to bombard u all with the same Qs in every post i guess im just looking for that miracle answer aswell as being very tempted and nervous ur right, the worst thing for me is getting it wrong , i make the decissions for the whole family and being in a wheelchair i feel less powerfull than i used to, makeing decissions for myself im fine ive travelled the world doing marathons on my own with no fear but as soon as my family is involved i feel powerless, i really appreciate the help and daily i am warming to the idea of the trip, i think u guys to a great job on here and i already feel as if i have friends in new zealand x x

[meggy]

Hi there,
a trip out is the best thing to do and a month will certainly give you a flavour but as J&M pointed out still not quite the real deal! We are in Christchurch and brought our two girls then aged 9 and 11 over with us. They settled in quickly and never talk about the UK as home any more- we've been here nearly 5 years. The younger the better with moving kids!

[ShineyPeople]

Having kids makes it so much easier to make friends. You will find that they will settle very quickly as soon as they start school or kindergarten, and you will meet other parents - you can't avoid it! Mine have been here a little over three months and already have a gang of friends. I told them they didn't have to start school until February, but they were bored at home and wanted to get on with their new lives. My OH knows exactly where you are coming from with your concern for the family rather than yourself. His biggest fears (and we all have them) were that the kids would be unhappy and that I would miss my job. So far the kids have never been happier and although I miss the people I worked with, I don't miss the job at all, there are plenty of new challenges for me here. Keep trawling through the forum, I did and it was a massive help to me, your fellow forumites are a wonderful source of support and it's great to arrive feeling that you know someone. I can't thank people enough for being here, it makes a difference!

[roky1983]

thnx again all of you im sure i will have a few more QS for you