Fancy moving to Hawaii?
Starting Over is a new series looking at people who have made major life changes in relation to their employment or finances. Today Susan Edmunds talks to tour guide Sian Kerr.
Sian Kerr is living like she’s on one really long holiday. The 29-year-old works as a tour operator for Hi5 Hawaii Tours, spending her days drinking coffee among coffee trees, hanging out on Oahu’s North Shore beaches, paddleboarding on rivers, looking for turtles, and generally catching the holiday vibe from tour groups ‘‘happy and having a great time’’.
It’s quite a change from her previous life. Last year, she was a letting agent working for Barfoot & Thompson in Auckland.
‘‘I came on vacation to Hawaii and decided I wanted to move here,’’ she says.
It was a chance meeting with two other young New Zealand women that made her realise that she might be able to qualify for a one-year work visa more easily than she expected.
That meeting was in April last year. By November, she had made the move.
Kerr said she had wanted to spend more time in the United States ever since doing Camp America in 2014.
‘‘I basically just fell in love with the American way of life. The way they are so positive and uplifting of other people and really want to support people to make sure they do well.
‘‘In New Zealand it’s not like that at all, with the tall poppy syndrome.’’
She didn’t love her life or her job in Auckland, so it was perfect timing last year to make the shift.
‘‘It was nerve-racking. I didn’t get my visa until September, so until then it wasn’t set in stone that it was actually happening.
‘‘But once I got the visa everyone was asking, ‘Are you excited?’ and I kept saying, ‘No, I’m not – I don’t really feel anything much.’ ’’
Kerr tried to move with few expectations so there was less chance of the shift being a disappointment. She had never made such a big move before – the biggest change she had tried previously was moving from Nelson to Auckland.
But she said it had been ‘‘incredible’’. She found a place to live within a week and a half and slotted into the tour job.
She met the owner when she did the tour herself and when she decided to move, she sent him a message asking if he would keep in touch with her.
‘‘I said, ‘I’m coming over – can you be my friend?’ because I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t want to move and not know a soul. We kept in touch.
‘‘Eventually I said, ‘Have you got any jobs going?’ It was perfect timing because he was looking to take a bit of a back seat and grow the business.
‘‘My job is just amazing – I’m living the dream, I really am.’’
There are some things that are not as easy, though. Kerr earns a little more than the US$9 (NZ$13.11) an hour minimum wage but relies on tips to top up her income.
‘‘Rent and regular everyday stuff is still about the same as in Auckland – a single room in a house is US$850 a month.
‘‘If you wanted a one-bedroom apartment, especially in Waikiki or Honolulu, it would be US$1500 or US$1600 a month. It’s pretty expensive. It’s about the same as at home but the minimum wage is much lower. That’s been hard to get used to.’’
She does not have a clear plan beyond the end of her one-year visa yet. She can work until November 24 this year and then has 30 days to leave the country.
‘‘At this stage I’m coming home on 23 December but it depends what happens between now and then . . . I’d like to stay long term.
‘‘It’s only been three months so it certainly doesn’t feel like home yet, but I think I could make a pretty sweet life for myself.’’
She said anyone who got the chance to do something similar should try it.
‘‘No matter how old you are or no matter where you are in your life, do it. You grow, learn, make connection around the world. It’s better than anything.’’
Data from Statistics NZ shows that, in 2018, almost 8500 people aged between 40 and 60 emigrated from New Zealand.
‘‘You grow, learn, make connection around the world. It’s better than anything.’’ Sian Kerr