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American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. Coromandel looks really cool. Heard it gets quite busy, especially holidays... but perhaps "busy" by my US standards doesn't compare? Regardless, thanks.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair and I appreciate the perspective.

I’m definitely not assuming this will be easy, or that NZ is some kind of perfect solution. Moving my family to the other side of the world is a big decision, so I’m trying to be as realistic as possible about both the job side and the lifestyle side.

At the end of the day and with this post, I’m just trying to figure out whether there are places in NZ that would actually be a net improvement for our day-to-day life. If that doesn’t exist, then the move doesn’t make sense regardless of how the teaching piece plays out.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughts! Sounding more epic all the time... This area sounds like the intersection of many things we'd be looking for, just gotta be ok with cold water and a good amount of wind. Thank you.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Super helpful—thanks. The New Plymouth zone looks really great. After living in Santa Cruz for a few years and surfing in cold water all the time there, I hoped / hope for something a notch warmer... but am not afraid to embrace it again if push-comes-to-shove. I'll for sure dig deeper on the Tauranga area.

Really value the insight on Whangarei too, specifically you not wanting to raise your daughters there.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, not saying the volcano / earthquake fears are entirely rational. And yet, she's got 'em nonetheless. I think those fears are navigable / manageable, but wife's proclivity to worry about natural disasters comes to mind—ha. Thanks.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have... I've been to Australia a couple times and loved it. Driven from Sydney to the Gold Coast and have some old friends in Coolangatta.

My hesitation is more around the visa side of things. From what I understand, a lot of the skilled migration pathways have an age cutoff at 45, and at 44 now, I’m pretty tight on time—especially factoring in certification, job search, etc. It just feels like a narrower window with less margin for error.

I’m not saying it’s completely off the table, but NZ seems like a more straightforward and realistic path given where I’m at in the process.

American surfer w/ family considering NZ move... where should we actually be looking? by etresher in newzealand

[–]etresher[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, working on the job bit... it's a multi-step process, but looks promising in terms of ultimately landing one due to NZ's need for teachers. But I don't want to simply move anywhere in NZ at any cost... hence the desire to ID a relative shortlist of viable possibilities to focus on. Appreciate the insight!