The availability of housing and rentals vary depending on where you want to live and also If like us you had a house to sell in the UK then this will help massively to get you on the Property ladder.

New Zealand has definitely changed from when we first arrived back In 2014 and we were able to buy our first home overlooking the ocean in the South Island for half the price we would have paid in the UK.

I am not trying to put anyone off but just want you to be realistic about the buying opportunities available to us.

The South Island property is definitely cheaper than the North Island and on the South Island you noticeably get a lot more for your money, but the downside is that the work opportunities are going to be far fewer than the North Island.

We certainly feel nowadays that the Property in Auckland is very expensive with most properties that a family would want being easily over the 1 million dollar mark.

I would suggest that if you take a look at the options to move slightly further afield you will find better value property, but need to be prepared to travel into the CBD which can take 30-45 minutes on the highway or more at rush hour times and it can take quite a time to get over the one harbour bridge which currently is the only option to get in and out, it still beats the times when I was driving from Portsmouth to Southampton for work on the M27 and it could take 1-2 hours a day to get there and home again and God forbid there was an  accident it was easier to get a room for the night than to sit in the traffic queues for 4-5 hours!

Should you find work in the CBD… this is Auckland city centre CBD and stands for The ‘Central Business District’ and where there are many major NZ players, it is quite a busy city centre but nothing compared to London, and there are many job opportunities advertised in the CBD..