I am a 27 year old american living in Auckland. I am looking to meet other expats. Are there any groups that meet for coffee or etc? I am married to a New Zealander and have been here two years. I have lots of friends from NZ but none from the states. I miss that dynamic and feel like I am losings my accent. Help!

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Hi I too am an American living in Auckland. I would love to meet for coffee! My e-mail address is susiej@voyager.co.nz.

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Just found this site...have been in NZ since 20Sept2001 from bay area Calif. Live and work in Auckland Central. I don't drink coffee, but a beer after work sure sounds good...
jifu@xtra.co.nz

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My husband and I will be in New Zealand from March 5 through April 9 and specifically in Auckland on April 4 and 5. It’s our first trip to New Zealand and it will be a combination of vacation and investigation of relocation possibilities.

We will, of course, see many New Zealand towns, but there are some questions that even a long visit won’t answer for us. I’ve listed some of those questions:

1. Once one has immigrated from the U.S., what do you miss the most? (Would we ever enjoy cricket as much as college basketball?)
2. After the tourist impacts have faded, what do you find most different?
3. Are there any large negative financial impacts compared to living in the U.S.?
4. Regarding socializing and getting acquainted, are there any Kiwi quirks we should know about?
5. As an American, is it difficult to establish good friendships and would it be reasonable to assume that a circle of friends can be established within a few years?
6. What do you like most about the culture, cities, people, and politics. What do you like least?
7. What rural places do you most enjoy traveling to in New Zealand? What city places do you enjoy?
8. We are avid hikers and would be interested in talking with people about the NZ outdoors activities they participate in.

We look forward to your ideas and impressions.

Lea
leaww@att.ent

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Hi Would like to meet for beer. My e-mail address is sjannot@xtra.co.nz or phone 488-0959. Let me know when/where is good for you. Susan

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Choosing an expat health insurance provider is an important decision. Get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA. With Cigna Global Health Options, you can create an international health insurance plan that's perfectly tailored for the needs of you and your family.

Hi I picked up your e-mail from the xpat exchange website. Just a few thoughts: My husband son and I have been in Auckland for 2 years, Sydney for almost 2 years before that. It's a VERY outdoorsy place and there are lots of outdoor things to do - kayaking, hiking, boating, skiing, etc, almost year round. Because it's such a small country, nowhere is much further than a short plane ride. The west coast beaches are less than an hour away and they are like NOTHING in the US - isolated, primitive with huge waves. Kerikeri is where the movie The Piano was filmed if you ever saw it. Of course Lord of the Rings was also filmed here and if you've seen that movie you've seen much of the South Island. The roads (largely) are not good, however, nothing compared to the US infrastructure. I miss basketball (pro), news, mexican food and my friends. The news here is pretty petty, like small town politics and human interest stories. I will always miss the history and personalities I know from the US. Frankly I have not "clicked" with that many kiwis, but to tell the truth our situation has been such that it has been a little difficult for us to meet other people (we are older parents with a small child, my husband's Australian, I'm American and not working) and we were never sure how long we would be here. The kiwi dollar is worth less than half the US$. If you're spending US dollars GREAT. If you're making kiwi dollars, you have to be making a lot more. The cost of living is variable as are most American cities. Housing is not the quality you are used to in the US but the tradeoff is many parks and outdoor areas, fewer malls, NO Walmarts, little crime. Restaurants are plentiful and creative - food is fresh and fairly cheap as many things are grown here and there are Asian and Indian influences.
I'd be happy to show you around when you're here or if you want to call me it's 09 488 0959 in Auckland. I guess largely I have enjoyed my time here - I have met many nice people. Australians call Kiwi's parachial and there is an element of that, depending on what sort of crowd you hook up with. I enjoy the very simple things here but often miss the big, competitive, prosperous US, with all it's faults. Hope this helps. Write back if you want. Susan

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In response to Lea:
(on behalf of my husband, an american living in christchurch since August 2001)
1. can't get a knish at 3 in the morning
2. less diversity of people
3. no, small exception regarding the price of gas (er, petrol)
I'm afraid he ran out of interest at this point. He considered that you'd already been here and probably either know for yourself, have decided against, or have settled on living in Putaruru (in which latter case, the least said the better). (Just kidding, no idea where Putaruru is).

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Dear Lea,

Some months have passed since you visited NZ, and we are wondering how you found the visit...now that you have had time to digest the big OE (overseas experience).

My wife and I have lived here since 1994 and became citizens as soon as it was possible. (We were "professional expats" for 30+ years, and found America not as much to our liking as New Zealand.)

We found that becoming engaged in New Zealand was easy enough, but it was (still is) necessary to identify with those things of interest to Kiwis and not "look back". Sure we 'were' Americans and people know that as soon as we open our mouths! But we joined sports and art clubs, volunteered for Hospice, and went on every "working bee" to plant trees or trap possums in our area.

In no time at all it became home, not New Zealand.

Drop us a note, we are always curious how other Americans this "provincial" country.

Mike and Naga

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I am moving to NZ and would love to get together with you. Looking to make some American friends in NZ. I realize the posting is quite old, but hope you are still around.
email me at sail15@lycos.com

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Susan, My family is considering a move to NZ for a few years to comlete graduate studies in Auckland. Although the message was not intended for us we appreciate the insight gained from reading it. We have a small pre-school age child and thought this would be an ideal time for us to live and study abroad. We are 'older' by some standards of preschool aged parents so the thought of a more serene setting sounds ideal. Of course we expect to find a snag or two as we would anywhere but we hope this is a pleasant break. How are the schools there compared to US schools in high tax-paying districts? Race relations? Cultural activities? In advance, thanks.

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Thanks for the US to NZ insight. How does NZ 2004 compare to NZ in previous decades? Impact of immigration?

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