Continuing in our series of Migrant’s Tales – first hand accounts and migrant stories of life in New Zealand, taken from places around the net.

This story is taken from an emigration site popular with British expats, in it the poster tells of how the commute from Beachhaven was a nightmare and that it was a struggle to have a reasonable standard of living on a total gross income of $85,000:

Hi all, well were 3 months in, and what a fab time we’ve had….. untill reality kicked in.

Arrived in Auckland 12th June, stayed Remurea for 3 weeks while OH did his Regs course (He’a an Electrician).

Travelled to Whangarie ( Promised our 3 boys we’d go to Zion Wildlife Gardens) had a fantastic time, made our way down to Rotorua, loved it, even the smell…… you get used to it , then to Hawkes Bay, where, we intended to settle.

Very quiet job wise, and after being in Auckland, whitch we all loved, middle of everywhere, everything going for it, we headed back.

OH got a job 2 days into looking with a very good firm, but we were in temp accom in Beach Haven, which made it a nightmare to comute to work.We didnt move here to spend 3 hours a day travelling to a job.( I got a job in Mangere )Moved out of our holiday rental to Hillsborough, but you know, to cut a long story short, we’ve loved it, it’s been an experience, if we were rich we would stay, even earning $85,000 between us,( me, part time,20 hours) we just cant afford to stay, and yes you can move outer city where it’s cheaper………pay less rent but more child care and petrol and have less family time and we didnt move here for that, we came for a better way of life,however putting our children in “Holiday clubs” and spending less time with them is not the way forward.

We feel we were far better off in the UK, with one income, and the boys having a mum to come home to. Some of you might say we havent given it long enough, but sometimes you just know, we have savings…… if we stayed we’d have none, Really dont regret anything, and if anything a really good thing has come out of this, OH has promised to stop moaning about “Pakistanis, welfair and them bleeding it dry”,LOL, His motto is “if it dont concern me, why worry. We are one, and dont be put off by us, everybody is different, but this is our honest update, Deffo come back for a holiday.