You’d think it would be difficult to move to a completely new country just by chance. Especially one on the other side of the world. But that’s exactly what happened. And I say ‘happened’ because nothing was planned in advance, it all just came down to chance and circumstance.
At the end of 2019 (in what seems like a whole separate era now) I was at home at our cosy countryside farmhouse in Fife, Scotland, looking forward to Christmas, the new year and all the excitement it would bring. I’d taken a sabbatical from my London job (exhausted by the monotony of big city living) and was looking forward to a year of beaches, bbqs and kangaroos in Australia. I’ve always believed in following my heart, and lived by the idea that if you don’t just do it now, then you may end up never doing it. It’s only now that I realise just how true that old adage is.
Bushfires
It’s true what they say about the best laid plans. In January, as bushfires ravaged Aussie, my partner and I decided to switch our plans around and hop over to New Zealand for a couple of months first. This would mean dipping further into savings than we had intended, but with year-long work visas for Aussie and good jobs semi lined-up, we’d be able to earn it back when we finally made it to Melbourne in March. Except that we never did.
2020
The year the world changed. I won’t bore you – we all know what happened. In January and February we had a wonderful time exploring New Zealand’s South Island in our little campervan. But then along came March. In a blur of paperwork we decided that the best thing to do would be to stay put in NZ. I’ll never forget hightailing it in our little van over the mountains and through Arthur’s Pass to make it to Christchurch to sort out new visas. I don’t think we realised just how long we’d be here for though, it was still only March after all. Even then, we had no idea how lucky we were to be in this remote little corner of the world.
Safe Haven
Fast forward a couple of months, and we emerged from lockdown, as if from a dream, and realised that something truly special had happened: New Zealand had achieved something that almost no other country in the world had managed. Somehow we had ended up in one of the only safe havens on earth. To leave now just didn’t make sense.
Winter
Our year of endless summer turned into something quite different – we didn’t even have the right clothes with us to see out the notoriously cold South Island winter! Luckily I was able to secure work, allowing me to undo some of the damage done to my finances, while experiencing months of living in a remote mountain pass between Christchurch and the West Coast. I still thought we were just waiting it out, for life to go back to normal.
Summer
After every low comes a high, and after every high comes a low. The start of summer was magical. We had months of gorgeous weather and a hiking trip to Abel Tasman to look forward to, followed by one last hurrah for Christmas and a festival for NYE. News of the vaccine meant that the idea of going home next year seemed possible. But then it slowly dawned on us that there was a way to go yet. Watching the news of the second wave play out at home was heartbreaking. And the contrast between life in New Zealand and life in the UK became even more apparent.
2021
In January I nearly went back. I booked flights and everything. I had a swab stuck up my nose to check I was clear to travel. I made a very well thought-out decision to return home, back to my family, friends and secure job. Followed by a very spur-of-the-moment decision to stay. The catch of being in the safest part of the world, you see, is that if I leave, I can’t some back.
I’ll never know whether I made the right decision. It’s been months since I’ve had a full night’s sleep, as my dreams are filled with worry that something will happen to my family. But if I interpret the World Health Organisation’s advice in its simplest form, the best thing to do is to stay still. And be patient.
Flip of a coin. I’ll always wonder: would I have been happier. I believe part of me would have been. Even in lockdown in the UK. That part of me that now years for home, for the feeling of being grounded, secure, and most importantly, with family. But that other part of me, the ying to my yang, the part of me that craves adventure, the new, would have been just as restless there as the other part of me is sad here. And, as things stand, by being here in NZ, I am one of the world’s luckiest.
So for now I’m starting a new chapter based in Auckland, NZ. Here’s hoping it’s a good one.
ahhhh this story is so exciting it gave me chills! I DREAM of visiting NZ. It’s incredible that you were able to find work and make it work so you could stay throughout the pandemic!
So glad you liked it – I was a bit nervous about sharing more personal stories on the blog!