We’ve heard so much cool stuff about NZ, Mrs.GDG and I are think of visiting there for a while.
Where would be the best place to go in terms of horse [eventing]/nice place to live [affordable]area?
Do they let tall people into the country?
SfA, what the heck is an “RDA group”? I went out and bought a couple books on NZ. I’ll check em out tonight and have 5 trillion questions for you …
Duffimister…Seeing as I was MIA during my last visit, I’ll send you and ETBW your coupons… 
Lol Sue its great to se RDA typed again! We lived over in Singapore(as well as Hong Kong, Holland, & Indonesia) and when my pony was unable to jump anymore(due to Navicular) she was donated an RDA group in nearby Malaysia
I LOVE NZ, I’v visited several times, and loved it…Really pretty
~Princess~
We’ve heard so much cool stuff about NZ, Mrs.GDG and I are think of visiting there for a while.
Where would be the best place to go in terms of horse [eventing]/nice place to live [affordable]area?
Do they let tall people into the country?
GdG RDA stands for Riding for the Disabled - I’ve been pretty heavily involved in one of the local groups for the last 15 years and we always need helpers, especially tall ones
Duffy - We don’t have Ben and Jerry’s (that’s some sort of ice cream company, right?) but as we have the cleanest, greenest grass in the world, we produce the best cows/milk/cream/ice cream in the world too, so you will like it even better than Ben and Jerry’s 
Didn’t you just have the lovely expose on your idyllic habitat in the country? You know the one that had all of us that are stuck in the “middle of god knows nowhere in the desert”, drooling?
What does it take to satisfy some people??? 
“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”
SfA, Are their more opportunities [work, eventing, etc.] on the North Island? I was raised in a rural farming/resort area and that
's the kind of place we’d be looking for. Unless theirs something else that’s better. Are their jobs available in the horse industry [groom barn manager, etc.]? What’s the job scene like overall down there?..
My godmother and her family emigrated to NZ some years back, and her VERY tall son is now a senior minister (MOD, Tourism etc) in the Government and also Deputy Leader of the House!!! Of course, he is not quite up to your standards, GO-dog-GO
From everything I have heard from my parents etc., you would have a great time if you went - the people are very friendly. I guess I really need to take my godmother up on her standing invitation to visit
GdG - there are probably more opportunities in the North Island than the South, although there was a thing in our local paper recently from Southland extolling the virtues of the region and all the jobs on offer. Rural jobs don’t pay particularly well, there aren’t a lot of groom or barn manager type jobs at all. OTOH, if you have the money, here’s a place you might like to buy:
http://www.open2view.com/Property/17173
The job market isn’t too bad, but they tell me there’s a global recession on the way (you guys started it ) so that may change in the near future
I guess I’d better weigh in with an answer. Yes, we do let tall people in [in fact, if you come and help with my RDA group, I’ll write a letter to immigration for you ]. There are horsey areas throughout the country. One place which is considered very horsey is around Cambridge (small town out of Hamilton approx 100 miles south of Auckland) but this is reflected in prices a bit (big area for TB breeding). Depends what sort of weather you want - sunny in the north, snowy winters in the South. Very dry in the east, very wet in the west, etc. Horses are mostly keep outdoors 24/7 over here (although the higher level/higher priced ones are stabled). I’d be happy to answer more questions for you.
Hmm, makes me want to move to New Zealand now! Love the accents, too. I take it NZ has a lot of land, and Thoroughbreds galore? Oh, heartache. What the heck am I doing here?? One question: Are there a lot of New Zealanders in need of health, life, or long term care insurance?? If so, that cinches it. I’m movin’!
“His [the horse’s] is a power enhanced by pride, a courage heightened by challenge. His is a swiftness intensified by strength, a majesty magnified by grace. His is a timeless beauty touched with gentleness, a spirit that calls our hearts to dream.”-Unknown
“Never give up your dreams and never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough or don’t have what it takes!”-Richard Spooner
“After a bad time there always comes a good time!”-Fermin Carrera
…My boyfriend and I lived in Auckland last year for 6 months or so…DID NOT want to leave!!!
The people are about the nicest I have ever met, the country is so beautiful, and has soooo much to offer…
The US $ is so strong, you’ll feel like a millionaire in NZ…
The horse scene is terrific, and horses are really nice, and really inexpensive…
I fought tooth and nail to stay there forever…
But instead, kept some really wonderful friends that we see often…
I’m REALLY pulling togo back again this winter…amd i will not come home this time without a horse!!!
Checkers - Accent, what accent, we don’t have accents - you yanks OTOH …
NZ has a lot of open space (only 4 million people and even the number of sheep is down on what it used to be!). And we breed the best tbs in the world - whoever was writing asking about the book about Phar Lap - guess where he was bred? And we just had a NZ bred and trained (woman trainer too!!!) horse win the Melbourne Cup (big race over in Oz).
We certainly have a lot of people trying to sell us health, etc, etc insurance. Could post a whole other forum topic on whether we need them
GdG, if you have more questions, yo�’re welcome to email me - may take a while to reply but I will eventually.
Sue from-A, I may have hit my head one to many times but NZ sounds like a great place for me.
It might be just a dream but I’d love to find out if I could make a living there. I was a ski [snow] coach for 12+ years and now train retrievers and pointing dogs for hunting/trials.
I have tons of experience with people, guiding teaching, doing clinics etc.
Where do I even start to find out more about that knid of stuff in NZ?
Thanks ahead for the info…
Hmm, that’s true… To you, WE have accents… That’s an interesting thought! Hehehe… Now I wonder, do I have a Jersey/Yankee accent??
I think I heard about the Melbourne Cup a loong time ago… Is that race really 2 miles??
Oh, of course you need insurance… Everyone does… Just let my dad tell ya!
“His [the horse’s] is a power enhanced by pride, a courage heightened by challenge. His is a swiftness intensified by strength, a majesty magnified by grace. His is a timeless beauty touched with gentleness, a spirit that calls our hearts to dream.”-Unknown
“Never give up your dreams and never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough or don’t have what it takes!”-Richard Spooner
“After a bad time there always comes a good time!”-Fermin Carrera
Whoa, that’s an interesting background. We have a lot of skiing here which is considered to be high quality (and certainly a lot cheaper than you would probably be used to) - both in the North and South Islands. Our North Island ski fields are mostly on volcanos (just a little more excitement in your life - the most recent eruption was only a couple of years ago). Jobs on the ski fields are in fairly high demand and of course it’s not full-time. I don’t know of anyone who trains retrievers/hunting dogs for a living (which isn’t to say that there aren’t people doing that), but there are people making a living through general dog training and the occasional film/tv ad, etc. There is a company called Bark Busters (www.barkbusters.co.nz) which is highly regarded. I’m sure there would be come people competing in hunting trials, but the kind of dog trials which are much more common here are sheepdog trials (heading and huntaway) and those are usually guys with a farming background.
Not sure what it is in miles - NZ converted to metric yonks ago - its 3,400 metres I think - somewhere around there.
Do they have a Ben & Jerry’s distributorship there?
that equestrian center is only 430,559 USD…
Not that I or my parents could afford it but still…
~~ Melissa & Sherwin Williams~~
