‘Better weather, better coffee’
Sara Thornton and her husband Paul have fallen in love with Christchurch, and the lifestyle bonuses the city offers.
What inspired your move, and how long have you been here?
My husband and I had worked in jobs with long hours, and extensive commute times, and we got to the point where we just wanted a better work-life balance. We had always wanted to travel and move away from the UK at some point, but I guess we needed a push. That came through both of us being affected by the global financial crisis in various ways, and we knew it was time to make a change. We had been considering NZ for a number of years and wanted to move before the earthquakes, and while this did not change our plans to move, it did delay them slightly. We have been in NZ for just over two and half years now and we’re loving it.
What do you do here?
My husband works in civil construction and I work in executive recruitment.
What surprised you most when you first arrived?
How easy it was to settle. It was a huge move, we had never set foot in NZ and we sold up fully in the UK. We felt at home within weeks. People are so friendly (we did expect that, but not to the extent we experienced). People go out of their way to help you and offer advice or loan things (we had a nine-week wait for our container to arrive with all our possessions).
What are the greatest advantages to living here?
More time together, no long commute, better weather, better coffee, employers are more flexible, ability to travel to cool places so easily with so much to see, more to do in general, at weekends and evenings!
Disadvantages?
The only disadvantage we see is being so far away from family and friends – other than that we are very happy here.
How expensive do you find it compared to back home?
Some things are more expensive, but some things are cheaper, so we find it tends to balance itself out most of the time. At the end of the day, we live in a country with a lot fewer people so a lot less demand – the benefits of living here far outweigh this for us. I guess the only other thing would be travel outside of NZ – that can sometimes be more expensive.
What do you do in your spare time?
We are rarely at home! There is always something to do – travelling and weekend road trips, going to the beach, watching rugby, wandering around shows and events, or just wandering. The botanic gardens and the beaches here lend themselves to wandering and watching the world go by. If we have no plans, we visit local farmers’ markets, spend time with friends, or just relax in our garden at home.
What are your favourite NZ foods?
We don’t really have any favourite foods, although the seafood is exceptional here, as is the lamb and Whittaker’s chocolate. Pineapple lumps were a surprisingly enjoyable find and, again, does coffee count... ?
How do you get around?
We both have cars – my husband has a company car, and we have our own personal one.
How do you find the shopping?
We actually find the shopping great. Yes, there is less choice here than we were used to, but actually that makes shopping a lot easier and quicker. Plus, because there is so much to see, shopping has become more of a necessity than a pleasure. In addition, the service is always excellent and we have our favourite stores that we go to all the time!
Favourite after-dark activity?
We love trying all the new restaurants that are popping up in Christchurch now – with the rebuild, there are some fantastic new and returning venues and choices. Rugby is also a favourite thing for us, as is spending time with friends over a good meal.
What are the top three things you recommend for visitors?
Having only lived in Christchurch, although we have travelled a fair bit, the top things for us would be:
One, spend time in Christchurch city. The rebuild is really taking shape, so there’s lots to see and do (the Botanic Gardens, art gallery, Re: Start mall, the gondola for spectacular views – to name just a few). Two, if you’re only here for a holiday, hire a car and travel as much as you can around the country. It truly is breathtaking and surprises us every day with something new. We have been to so many places already and we haven’t even touched the surface! Three, get takeaway from Pedro’s House of Lamb – quite simply the best lamb you will ever eat!
Besides family and friends, what do you miss most about home?
Christchurch is our home now and I’m not sure we really miss anything apart from family and friends. We have adapted and immersed ourselves in the Kiwi way of life and we love it.
How easy is it for you to go home?
Getting back to the UK is costly, more so than we probably expected it to be. We have already been back, as I sadly lost my father just a year after we moved here, so we had a last-minute flight back to the UK. The cost was ridiculous really – double that of doing the trip the other way around.
If you could change one thing about New Zealand, what would it be?
I’m not sure we would change anything, we are really happy and settled here.