Voices of the Kea Community

Eileen Bryant, Florida

How long have you lived offshore?
Thirty years! I left New Zealand in December of 1994, and since then have visited several times, mostly to connect with family and friends.

What do you love most about Florida?
The wildlife and the wide open spaces. Where we live is semi-rural, and there’s a canal and a wildlife preserve behind our house, so we see a variety of critters including: deer, wild pigs, otters, raccoons, possums, wild turkeys, coyotes, foxes, squirrels, snakes, a myriad of bird species, and the occasional black bear. In our neighbourhood everyone has half an acre, so the houses are not close together.

What other places did you move to, and why did you settle in Florida?
In the past thirty years I have lived in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Okinawa, Italy, and finally Florida, where I have lived for eighteen years.

While in Saudi Arabia I met the man who would become my husband, and then accompanied him as his career took him to other countries. When he retired we moved to Florida to be near his family.

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting Florida?
Florida has so much to offer it is impossible to choose just one! The beaches are beautiful and popular with surfers and fishermen. Where we live in Ormond Beach we are close to the Daytona Speedway, Cape Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Centre, and of course Orlando and Disney World.

The Florida Keys are a day-trip away, and Key West boasts the home of Ernest Hemingway. The Everglades are accessible via air boat, and are teeming with wildlife. All are tourist destinations, so clearly not hidden, but certainly worth visiting.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
Kiwis abroad are known for our work ethic, and our friendliness, our “can-do” attitude, and our knowledge of the world. Americans tend to be somewhat insular, whereas New Zealand is a little window on the world.

What do you miss most about New Zealand?
The simple things! The food – good meat pies, fish’n’chips, a variety of vegetables on the plate. I miss a good steak and kidney pie too, but Americans find the thought of eating kidneys distasteful.

The unspoiled landscape, and not being asked to “say tomato” over and over again because it’s “cute” with our accent! I also miss having my cats able to run freely in and out. There are simply too many predators here, and our one cat who loves to be outside has to wear a harness and walk with one of us. Cats should be free, but those who have short lives and meet grisly ends, sadly.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making the move overseas?
Do it! Go with an open mind and a respect for the cultural differences you will encounter. Keep your options open – you may decide to live offshore long term, or you may decide New Zealand is where your heart longs to be. Travel is the best education as long as you are prepared to learn about the countries you find yourself in.

How do you remind yourself of home on days when you miss New Zealand?
I cook something typically kiwi – like a roasted leg of lamb with all the trimmings, including mint sauce I buy from England; or a bacon and egg pie.

A lot of Americans travel, and I love to be asked what they should see and do while in New Zealand! I love to get out my books and photo albums, and prepare folks for their trip to my homeland.

Lilly Maetzig, London

How long have you lived offshore?
I have lived in London for 8 years – the time has absolutely flown by. I have actually been here long enough to get a British passport!

What do you love most about the UK?
I love the UK for loads of reasons – but I think mostly, moving away from home has taught me that the world is far bigger than I knew. Even though the culture here is pretty similar to NZ, I have no ties here. Moving abroad opened my eyes to the fact that I can kind of do whatever I want, and there are no expectations of me, apart from the ones that I put on myself. It’s a weird feeling that’s hard to describe, but leaving the safety net of home has been very freeing.

Why did you choose to move to the UK?
I always felt quite a pull to London – it’s a big place, and it kind of seemed like fruit for the picking for opportunities to work in cool places, meet cool people, travel to cool places in Europe. It was an easy move for me too, as I had my sister living here, and her spare bedroom was a very soft spot to land!

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting Europe?
It’s not really a hidden gem at all, but my favourite place to visit in Europe is Copenhagen. I love Danish culture, the people, the food(!!!), and the love of craft. I am very tempted to live there for a summer or two actually.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
Something that I find quite sweet about being a Kiwi offshore is that often when people find out I’m from New Zealand, they will say, ‘Kiwi are the nicest people in the world!’ It makes me feel so happy that we all have this reputation of being kind, chilled out and open minded. It’s a cool thing to bring to the world.

What do you miss the most about New Zealand?
I miss my friends and family the most, of course. I find myself desperately wanting to just jump in the car, and drive over to someone’s house to hang out, and like, lay on the grass in their garden. I know I could get a car here, or go to the park, but there is something just more accessible and chill about life in New Zealand. People would absolutely think I’m nuts if I lay down in someone’s front garden here! I also really, really miss Kiwi treats, especially ginger kisses!

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making the move overseas?
Please, please do it. Nothing in this world is permanent, you can always go home if you don’t like it, but throwing yourself into the deep end, learning about a different place, meeting different people, and having nothing to hold you back will change your life.

How do you remind yourself of home on days when you miss New Zealand?
Honestly, I usually just go for a walk and call someone from home. It makes me feel connected. Sometimes I will have a stash of NZ treats in the cupboard too, so maybe I’ll have some Marmite on toast to keep me going for a bit!

What is the biggest similarity and difference between New Zealand and UK & Europe that some people might not expect?
I think the thing that surprises people from this hemisphere is when they learn how similar the seasons are. I am often asked why I moved here, since it’s ‘so warm in New Zealand’ – they think that NZ is the same temperature as Australia, and are often genuinely surprised when I say that Christchurch gets just as cold as London.

The humour in the UK is pretty similar to home! People here are pretty sarcastic and dry, just like Kiwi are.

Josh Hansen, France

How long have you lived offshore?
Since June 2023.

What do you love most about France?
The history, mountains, and the diversity of experiences you can have all within one country.

Why did you choose to move to France?
I lived in France for a period when I was 12 in a very small town, then in Lyon in 2020 for university. These experiences made me want to immerse myself in the French way of life as an adult. Being in the middle of Europe has also been great for visiting friends and travelling.

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting France?
Le Quesnoy! The beautiful town in northern France liberated by New Zealand soldiers in the final week of World War One should be on every Kiwi’s bucket list. With the New Zealand Liberation Museum Te Arawhata now open, Le Quesnoy offers an experience of French community and history in a way where you’ll never feel closer to home.

What is the best thing about being a Kiwi offshore?
I think how being away from home reminds you so often of what it means to be a Kiwi, and all the great things Aotearoa has to offer.

What do you miss the most about New Zealand?
Running into friends on every block – and the beaches.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making the move overseas?
Be open to the unexpected. Moving overseas opens doors where you may least expect.

How do you remind yourself of home on days when you miss New Zealand?
By listening to Whaling by DD Smash.

Joel Higgins, Vancouver

How long have you lived offshore?
20 years and 8 months give or take!

What do you love most about Vancouver?
I live in Maple Ridge 45 minutes east of downtown Vancouver. I like the variety in people, food, flora and fauna that each area in the Lower Mainland presents.

After living in London for 16 years the slower pace of life was also appreciated as I got older (and the lack of crowds).

Why did you choose to move to Vancouver?
I met my wife Lisa in London and decided after 16 years there it was time to be closer to family when our second child was on the way.

We did flip the proverbial coin on heading to New Zealand, Australia or Canada, and Canada won.

What is your favourite hidden gem destination that you would recommend to anyone visiting Vancouver?
Vancouver is a pretty city with the best views taken in when night skiing on Mt Seymour. It’s pretty special working a day in the office, then an hour after being on a chairlift heading for a sunset view.

What do you miss the most about New Zealand?
Meat pies, friends I have given up, and fish and chips. Plus the sense of humour as New Zealanders sarcastic wit, colloquialisms and dry delivery is utterly lost on Canadians.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about making the move overseas?
Check your family tree and get that passport or ancestry visa you may be entitled to. Commit to two years as the first goes in such a blur. Finally, remember that New Zealand is not going anywhere and most of your friends and family will be the same when you return.

How do you remind yourself of home on days when you miss New Zealand?
Watching sport highlights on YouTube, watching All Blacks games at strange times and reading the NZ Herald. I also found a meat pie company run by a Kiwi in Edmonton and had some shipped to me during the Rugby World Cup. It’s the little things (oh, and I can get Whittakers chocolate here!).