Is your daily life different now than if you'd stayed home?

Mrs OBumble

Seems to me that Ireland has got a lot cheaper in the last 6 years (that's how long I've been here), and NZ has got a lot dearer.

I was last back in NZ in 2011, and horrified at the grocery prices, which seemed to me to be close to Irish levels. Similarly I was horrified when I came to Ireland in 2007. NZ's lack of Lidl / Aldi is a real lack.

I came from Wellington. I'd be earning a lot more here if I was living in Dublin, but living in Galway I'm probably earning less - and with less earning potential 'cos I haven't got the networks to get good jobs.

Totally agree re the coffee here - I've learned to say "no milk" several times when I ask for black coffee in a small town! Have never tried the tea ...

shedweller

Is cafe laffare still in wellington? I did a few maintenance jobs for them on their roasting machine and in their cafe. I made a bar for them with the whole rivet look going on. Is it still there i wonder?

MrCreosote

shedweller wrote: »

Is cafe laffare still in wellington? I did a few maintenance jobs for them on their roasting machine and in their cafe. I made a bar for them with the whole rivet look going on. Is it still there i wonder?

Cafe L'affare is still open and going strong. Not sure about the rivet bar, I'll check for you next time I'm in!

shedweller

It was made for down the back and it has an overhead rack with lots of tall cylindrical bins in it. Jaysus we sweated hard making that! At least the coffee breaks were good!

jank

NZ is a great place to go off and semi retire and/or raise a family. Especially if you are into the outdoors and dont care about the lack of culture evident in the country. Wages suck though and things are very expensive. There is also a sense of being in a bubble where NZ will do things their way and wait for Australia to take the lead in international affairs. Their economy has stumbled along the past 20 years and there is no clue or ideas on how to fix it. Maybe drop the ingrained socialism and open up the country a little. Kiwis are hard to get to know though and even though they can be very friendly you get the sense that you never really know them. Like anywhere it has it pros and cons. When I was there I was really happy but recently have become more negative towards the place for whatever reason. I think since I moved to Sydney I have become more wanting for life, in NZ its like you just settle and thats that. Life in Sydney is harder, much harder but a lot more rewarding. I still dream of retiring in NZ someday though! For a young go getter? I would explore more options rather than settle in NZ at the moment. One thing though that I didnt like at all was the feeling that I was unassociating myself with the outside world. NZ is like a black hole in terms of the arts and culture that I am used to. Has plenty of Maori culture though, which is great but you must ask yourself is that Kiwi culture?

ArrBee

For those looking for a good coffee roaster in Ireland, try coffee mojo. I've been ordering from them for the last year and rate them very high.

I also miss onion soup for making dip and also potato bake. If anyone can suggest a substitute...
Instead of reduced cream I found half/half yogurt/sour cream works well for dip