An interesting thread.
My husband, two young kids and I have been here almost a year and, like any place in the world, it has its good and bad points. I think one of the most important factors for Saffers is safety. Good points include that it is relatively safe. I say relatively because a crime-free place does not exist anywhere. Houses are burgled, cars are stolen, there is plenty of vandalism and tagging (graffiti). There appears to be gang problems (shootings) in major cities. Most of the crime, however, is not violent and is committed by miscreant youths, including boy racers (youngsters who like to drive their cars extremely fast and *** everyone off). But compared to SA the crime is negligible. For example, in Ashburton where I live on the South Island, the last murder was 10 years ago (I should mention as well that the police have not yet solved that crime)
You can go out into the country for walks, you can go to parks, remote beaches, you can do anything, actually, and not feel threatened, worried or nervous
. There is a sense of freedom here that you do not have in SA. You also feel secure in your own home. I am sitting here typing in the middle of the day. The front door and the patio doors are wide open. My garage is wide open, the front gate is wide open. In fact most houses don't even have proper fencing at the front of their houses, nor gates. I allow my 7-year-old daughter to walk up the road to her friend by herself. No worries ...
On the downside, my husband, who is a conservationist, finds the countryside extremely depressing. Farming is very intensive and nothing like in SA. Every square inch of land is cultivated or has sheep and cattle. There is hardly any wildlife (only one mammal - a bat). Birdlife is under threat and there are mostly introduced birds (from the UK). Where we are (Canterbury Plains) the landscape is flat and uninteresting. However, there are also some really beautiful areas. Marlborough Sounds is stunning and we saw dolphins, penguins, sea birds and seals and a pod of orca moved to the area the day we left. There are fantastic hiking and cycling areas all around the country.
Another thing that I have noticed amongst South Africans here is that they are so much less stressed than in SA. The government here is efficient, everything is well run, clean and corruption is virtually non-existent. However, it is expensive to live here. Rents start at about $300 a week and salaries are not particularly high. But good news is, I see Nolan has mentioned it, they have fantastic sales and you really have to hold yourself back from going out and splurging.
There are lots of other points I could mention, but before I bore you all to death I will say cheerio for now ....
