Auckland having the biggest growth and they have been so bad at sorting roads. North Shore from Albany to City. Was bad getting over the bridge when I was there and years later my dad telling me how it was even worse and even on weekends taking way too long which used to be fine.
All the new housing being built but they were just not sorting where the motorway went into two lanes. (Yes english people you read that right) But when we were last there 2 years ago they were finally working on all that.
Bad traffic in Rotorua = your 10 minute, 5km commute across town might take 15.
If you eat seasonal produce, it's not too expensive. We don't have the supply chains that the UK/europe has. avocados are a good example, in season they can get to about 25p each, off season they can be about £4 each. Fish and chips are cheap (can have a scoop of chips and 2 large fish for £5) but everything is cooked to order, it's not "fast" food.Kind of disagree here. Been living in Australia a while after NZ and it is safe to say that more often than not fruit and Veg is expensive in New Zealand in Outside of that the "Its NZ" price hike on a lot of electronics is still crazy.
Video games for example still have the "Release at $120" And then come down even 1 week later to $80 business which is silly.
I'll admit we do often get news articles bemoaning the fact that NZ grown kiwifruit are cheaper in australia than in NZ, but the same can be said for NZ lamb and wine in the UK! As I said, seasonal stuff is reasonable. It might still be a bit pricier than in the UK, but my salary here is also higher than the equivalent in the UK. Some things though are just silly. Salmon and fish in general is ridiculously priced, I think in part as most people will just go out and fish their own. There's a seriious lack of fresh fish and fish markets. One thing I do really miss from the UK is the little seaside vendors selling cockles in vinegar etc. (Mind you, NZ Greenlipped mussels in NZ are bigger and juicier than the ones I used to eat in the UK!)
They're treated more as a tool than a family member here. Lots of dogs chained up in yards as guard dogs. Or living in cages as hunting dogs. Many cities have bans on dogs in the central areas, so the dogs lack the socialisation aspects. Also, most forests are no-dog zones either to protect the wildlife or because poison is put down to control rodents and other pests. It's pretty much the polar opposite to how I remember the UK.
Out in the wop wops maybe still yeah but not the case in Auckland for sure.
I think Auckland and wellington have started to allow dogs on public transport. But many cities/towns still have no dog bylaws. Pretty much every town around us however doesn't, which means if we go out as a family we'd drive an hour to go somewhere we can take our dogs.
It's just a bit warmer than the UK. And the days are longer. On the shortest day of the year I can still cycle home (just) without needing bike lights, getting home at 5. Also there's only about 3 months of the year that aren't T-shirt and shorts weather.I do not think this is quite accurate. Warmer for longer than the UK for sure and warmer summers. I think with summer it is important to note that you can have a hot day but night time is still always chilly hey. While it can be 25 and 25 in the UK it will feel hotter in NZ if the sun is out. The thing to tell people here is New Zealand has a thin ozone layer compared to the UK and thus the sun is a lot more intense and you can feel it more and the exposure times are a lot shorter than in the UK and EU.
This is true, I was thinking today about the fact it was 27 degrees, and we're still at least 2 months away from the hottest month/day of the year. I retract my statement.