Oh dear sweet lord of moving, how have we already been in Australia for a whole year?! Since our foreign bums don’t have permanent visas down under, I’m sad to say our time in Australia is nearly up. In a little less than two weeks, we are moving to our 5th location in 4 years of traveling, and it’s a whole new world of change, y’all.
Having previously lived in the warm weather wonders of Texas, Costa Rica, Maui, Bali and Australia, it’s finally time to trade in our sandals for snow boots, ’cause our tropically-fond asses are heading to the cold!
Moving Announcement 2017: From Australia to…
To the surprise of most likely no one, partly due to the fact that I’ve already told everyone I know and and it’s the easiest, most obvious next move once you’re already living in Australia, we have decided to move to the supposedly gorgeous country of NEW ZEALAND!
I have always wanted to live somewhere cold, and holy hell will I get what I asked for because we will soon be living amongst the literal snow in Queenstown, a gorgeous lakeside town of 15,000 people located on the South Island of New Zealand.
The Australia to NZ Low-Down
Besides Mother Nature’s commitment to remaining downright bbbbrrrr in this part of the world, have you ever heard anything remotely negative about living and/or traveling in New Zealand? Precisely! From everything we hear, the scenery is pristine, the people are overwhelmingly friendly, the food is better than in Australia, and there are enough outdoor activities to keep you busy for a lifetime and a half.
Plus, it is extremely easy (and currently completely FREE) for U.S residents under the age of 31 to get a multi entry, one year Working Holiday Visa in New Zealand. Score! You can also find cheap flights to New Zealand for about $200 AUD or less from most of Australia’s east coast. Score!
How Will We Afford to Live in New Zealand?
Since New Zealand is even more outrageously expensive than Australia (sigh) – higher rent, lower wages and the likelihood of requiring a car – we will obviously need to work quite a bit to be able to live there comfortably. Queenstown in particular is touristy and thus one of the most expensive towns to live in, but ‘touristy’ often also equates to more job opportunities, fellow young travelers and exciting day-to-day activities, so for our preferred method of slow travel, the touristy areas almost always end up being the best bet to call home.
Over the last year in Australia, I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up a couple of new marketing clients – namely a boho fashion label and a biodegradable yoga mat company – which are thankfully willing to keep me on remotely while I’m living in New Zealand, though I may also get a part time job at a winery during the summer months since it sounds almost too glorious not to.
After a somewhat intense application process, Peter has also fortunately been offered a full time job as a ski lift operator at Coronet Peak for Queentown’s 3 month ski season! While it’s not a permanent position, this is the first move where both of us will be employed as soon as we land, and that obviously takes a ton of stress off the move. Two hearty pats on the back for us.
See Ya, Straya
Saying goodbye is the worst, and it never seems to get any easier. And since this is technically the first time we have left not because we want to, but because we cannot legally stay any longer, it feels weirder than most of our previous moves… kind of like living with an ex while looking for our own apartment.
We will dearly miss the friends we’ve made here, most of whom are funnily enough not Australian at all, but hey, New Zealand is only a short flight away and who wouldn’t want to come visit friends in New Zealand, right?! Right. The Australian sense of humor is pure gold, and I will miss the natural beauty and warm weather and vastness of it all, but I’m sure we’ll be back to visit considering we didn’t even get the chance to visit the Great Barrier Reef or outback. It’s just too huge (and also expensive) to do it all in a year.
If any of you kind souls know anyone in Queenstown or New Zealand in general – preferably someone with their own wine cellar, field of baby sheep, giant hot tub or all of the above – let us know!
See y’all soon, Kiwis!
Wahoo! Congrats! I cant wait to see your good fortune unfold!!! Safe & happy travels!
Kathryn Campbell xo
Thank ya, Miss Kathryn! Safe and glorious travels to you as well!
So excited for you guys! Good to know about the visa as well. I’ve always wanted to go to New Zealand because it’s beautiful and well, hobbits. Enjoy living there!
Yesssss, hobbits and snow. Lovely! 🙂 Thanks for the well wishes, and for reading. Cheers to you!
Woohoo! Sounds awesome. We too burn out on the tropics sometimes and crave a little cold and snow. We’re considering a cabin in upstate New York this fall/winter… but who knows might end up elsewhere.
Super excited for you I’ve heard nothing but great things about NZ and look forward to reports of your experiences.
Hi Jon! Ooo, upstate NY would be so neat. Can’t wait to experience the cold for the first time!
Aaaahhh! Yessss! New Zraland here you come! Keep those buns warm and have a blast… as always!! I love you and your travelin’ soul so much! Safe and off-beat travels to you and peter! Can’t wait to see what adventures lie ahead!!!
Warm buns is my first and most immediate goal! I love you and your sweet ass soul even more, and cannot wait to come pay you a visit in California! Miss you, sunshine! xoxoxo
That’s very cool. Watch out for Hobbits!
Eek, thanks Mike! 🙂
Positives-
Stunning scenery
Ski Town Relaxed Vibe
Ferburger- mmmmmm
Negatives-
Town Way too congested
Expensive – have you researched cost of getting your own place? You will probably have to get housemates.
Town will become real small over time but you’ll be ok for one season.
Need a car.
Real Touristy.
Abel Tasman area towns may be another option. Warmer and beach!!!
Enjoy
Hey Doug! Yes, we’ve done our research with housing. Looks like we can get away with about $300 NZD/week plus bills in a shared house, which is alright with us (we have a roommate in Australia too). And we aren’t planning on living in Queenstown the whole year (more like half), so we’ll definitely pack up whatever car we end up buying and hit other areas the second half of the year. Thanks for the recommendation, I’ve heard good things about Abel Tasman too!
Also look into the Coromandel Peninsula area. Hahei is real cool but Whitianga will have more job opportunity.
I disliked Auckland and Christchurch. But Denedin has a hippy vibe.
Takaka, north of Abel Tasman heading to Golden Bay, a real bohemian vibe town.
We covered both islands in 3 months. Currently 2 years into our RTW.
We take our breaks in Maui to recoup. I see you lived there.
Yeah, we lived on Maui for two years! Awesome, thanks so much for the recommendations, and congrats on two years strong!
We were just in Oz for 3 months. Best beaches are not in east coast but on west coast, South and north of Perth. We hit most of them. What was your fav beach?
Nice, it looks so beautiful over there! Probably down at Wilson’s Promontory, the most southerly point of Australia. Remote and so stunning! Though our beaches here on the Goldie are plenty lovely too.
Looks amazing! You are going to love New Zealand. It’s very peaceful and beautiful
For the one year working visa, do they help you with living accommodation or do you have to do everything once you get there?
No, you’re in charge of everything once you arrive. From what I remember there are a couple of companies that offer relocation and employment assistance along with your visa process though, so if you don’t mind spending a bit more upfront for peace of mind it might be worth it to look into those.