It doesn’t matter if you’re living in New Zealand, or on the other side of the world. Happy or not, there are always going to be positives and negatives about where you live.
With that said, I’m going to stick with the positive things about living in New Zealand in this post.
If you found this post via Google I reckon there are three reasons you might have landed here:
- You’re trying to convince someone they should be living in New Zealand
- You’re looking for more reasons to figure out what makes you love NZ so much
- You’ve got a friend who you feel isn’t showing much gratitude about life in New Zealand
I hope this post can help you!
If I’ve hit the nail on the head, with reasons #1 and/or #3, share the article with that someone. If it’s #2, I’ll appreciate you sending this article to your besties.
26 AWESOME THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN NEW ZEALAND
1. MOST RESTAURANTS & CAFES CATER FOR A VARIETY DIETS
If I was writing this article pre-2015, this would not have been true. But now you can go to restaurants all over the country, and they’ll cater to most of the crazy eating schemes.
So if you’re living in NZ and decide to go on holiday, it doesn’t matter whether you’re eating at restaurants in places like Queenstown or one of the few selections available in the area, like Schnapps Bar in National Park. Everyone is likely to be able to at least order something.
And yes, I’m sure there are exceptions.
RELATED: WHERE TO EAT IN WELLINGTON FOR MOST OCCASSIONS
2. WE HAVE AN AMAZING BACKCOUNTRY HUT SYSTEM
The stunning Ball Hut, one of the awesome walks near Mount Cook Village.
While growing up, I rarely stayed in backcountry huts, instead, I’d usually stick to day hikes around Wellington.
But in the last year or so, that’s changed and wow they are awesome. The majority of the time when you go on a multiday hike you’ll stay at one of the 950+ DOC Huts across the country…but there are some run by organisations like the New Zealand Alpine Club.
And the best part, is the majority of them don’t cost too much. When asking other people if there’s a hut system in their home country, occasionally there is, but nothing like NZ. And the huts come in all different shapes and sizes. Literally.
Some of the super-popular ones you need to book in advance or buy hut tickets, but if you buy a Backcountry Hut Pass you can stay at most of them for free.
p.s. If you like a goal, websites like Hut Bagging can be addictive.
3. THE BIRDLIFE IN NZ IS UNIQUE
A kea seen on the Cascade Saddle while on the Rees Dart Track.
Australia has snakes, crocs, and scary spiders. But living in New Zealand means you don’t have to deal with any of the ‘scary’, deadly animals. But we have some funky birds!
There’s the kiwi of course. A bird that can’t fly…but there’s a bunch of other birds that can’t fly that are native to NZ as well like the takahe, kakapo, and penguins.
Then there’s the wood pigeon/kereru. They get drunk from eating berries and make quite the noise when they take off.
And the Kea? Well they’re a mountain parrot and certainly cheeky. Just check out this warning from DOC:
And they’re the bird behind this viral video, causing chaos on the Kepler Track.
These are a handful of the fun native birds you’ll encounter living in New Zealand. Do note, you’ll usually need to make an effort to see them like visiting Kapiti Island. They’re not hanging out on the streets.
4. WE ARE HAPPY TO CHAT WITH STRANGERS
This isn’t always the case in big cities, but there are a lot of people who visit New Zealand and are surprised about how easily we’ll start having a chat with a stranger.
There’s that cheesy quote along the lines of ‘There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.‘ That applies here, well mostly in small-town NZ.
So if you’re planning to live in New Zealand, put yourself out there and you’ll never know who you might become friends with.
5. WE HAVE A GREAT VARIETY OF BEACHES
We don’t have a country filled with white sand beaches that are so popular on Instagram (we do have a few) but we do have a massive variety of beaches which is fun.
As for the best beach in NZ? Ohope was announced as the best in 2021.
6. OUR CLIMATE IS RELATIVELY MILD
Having spent a good amount of time overseas, I’m not gonna lie. It’s nice to have temperatures that rarely get below zero, even in the middle of winter. And in the middle of summer, if somewhere is hitting 30 degrees, there’s a good chance it’ll be the hottest day of the summer.
There are no crazy 35+ degree days that go for a month or more in many places around the world. And the idea of going to work in -20 degrees in Russia…yeah, Nah, I’ll pass.
So that’s a great thing about living in New Zealand, even if you have to deal with the occasional day where you get all four seasons.
7. OUR POLITICIANS ARE PERSONABLE
I was talking to someone about this the other day when the current Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, had to go into self-isolation when she was considered a close contact with someone on a flight. And no, that’s not a private flight, that’s a regular domestic flight.
There are no doubt plenty of security checks in place behind the scenes in regards to activities she does, but how cool to know you could just be hanging out on the same plane with Jacinda. She’s not draining taxpayers money taking her private jet around.
13. PUBLIC HOLIDAYS GALORE
I’m not sure how many public holidays is normal in most countries, but there’s a lot when combined with the annual leave we get. Do we even work? :p
In 2022, the NZ public holidays are:
- New Years Day
- Day after New Years Day
- Waitangi Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Queen’s Birthday
- Matariki
- Labour Day
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
And each region will usually have an ‘anniversary weekend’, getting you an extra day off when you’re living in New Zealand.
That’s a pretty sweet deal. And if you do have to work those days, you get 1.5x your hourly wage.
8. WE PUNCH ABOVE OUR WEIGHT IN SPORTS
Every time the Summer Olympics roll around, the majority of NZ gets behind our athletes, sports fan or not.
We’ll never compete with the likes of USA and China for the overall medal tally, we love to keep an eye on the medal per capita tally.
We do pretty well at this every time round and we all give ourselves a wee pat on the back.
And then we’ve got all the international sports teams and individuals who do amazing things throughout the year. Of course, the All Blacks are the number one case. But it’s all pretty awesome.
Following the sports teams in NZ is a great way to stay motivated and inspired when you’re up against it. And depending on your social circle, a must-do when you’re living in NZ.
9. WE HAVE GOOD LOOKING NOTES AND COINS
This is another trait I always notice when I return to New Zealand and get some cash from the ATM machine. Our money is awesome!
We’ve got bright vibrant coloured notes that are easy to distinguish, and aren’t made of paper (I’m looking at you, USA).
And our coins are super light and good-looking after being remodeled in 2006. At the same time, we got rid of the 5 cent coin which seemed like a big deal at the time, but no one cares now. Again, looking at you USA with your penny.
10. EFTPOS IS WIDELY ACCEPTED
Ironically, speaking of notes and coins, you’ll find it’s pretty easy to live in NZ without using physical money. EFTPOS is a widely accepted method of payment with 50,000+ businesses using EFTPOS across the country.
And now you don’t even need to carry your card with you if you’ve got your card loaded on your phone/smartwatch.
But if you’re planning to catch public transport, you will need cash pretty much every time 😉
p.s. Transferwise does work in NZ…usually.
11. WE HAVE SOME FUN SLANG
Most countries around the world have their own slang, but there’s no shortage of tourists arriving in NZ and find themselves struggling to understand us. Even if they’re native/fluent English speakers.
The New Zealand slang is a mix of classic words, and some that phase in and phase out. And then there’s some that people will essentially make up their own words.
But like any other language, once you get the hang of it, you’ll find you’re speaking like a kiwi soon enough.
12. MUCH OF THE COUNTRY IS CLOSE TO THE COAST
If you’re looking at a standard world map, NZ looks super small. But we’re not that small!
NZ is 268,000 square kilometres, and the UK is 242,000 square kilometres. Despite this, another benefit to living in New Zealand is you’re never that far away from a beach given the shape of the two main islands.
The furthest you’ll ever be from the sea in NZ is right here, less than 10km from Cromwell. If you make it to this point, you’ll be 119.44km from both the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
13. NZ IS A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE
If you live in New Zealand, you’ll be in a pretty safe place. According to the Global Peace Index, NZ is usually hanging out in the top 3 most peaceful countries.
The main reasons that propel us so high up is:
- zero radical terrorist organisations
- no showdowns/shootings on the street
- no dangerous flora and fauna
Of course we do still have some crime and whatnot here, but for the most part, we’re safe as houses.
14. NZ HAS ESSENTIALLY NO CORRUPTION
Year after year New Zealand is in the top 3 least corrupt countries in the world. And that makes things way easier to navigate in day-to-day life.
You can trust people in the public sector here to NOT do things for their own gain and in doing so harm thousands of others.
Seeing and hearing stories about the levels of corruption in other countries around the world just isn’t as fun when you can’t trust others who have relative power.
15. THE WINTERS IN NZ ARE SHORT
To the demise of snowboarders and skiers, the winters in NZ are relatively short. I never noticed this until friends who have spent snow seasons overseas mentioned how short the seasons are here.
For example, The Remarkables ski season went from June 23 and October 17 in 2021. That’s 116 days.
Whereas the Whistler ski season in Canada is up around 187 days long!
That’s a lot of extra days where the conditions are cold enough for snow to be a hit. So for those who aren’t a big fan of winter, living in NZ shouldn’t be too bad for you. That’s not to mean the winters won’t always feel long 😉
16. HITCHHIKING IS ACCEPTED
There are no two countries with the same culture around hitchhiking.
In NZ hitchhiking is generally accepted, and seeing people stick their thumb for ride out isn’t uncommon.
While it’s not something everyone should probably do, if you’re considering doing so, New Zealand is a great place to hitch a ride. You never know who you’ll meet, but I’ve met some amazing people hitching around the country.
17. WE GET PAID IF WE’RE INJURED
Living in Queenstown means I’ve got a lot of friends who are into adrenaline-related activities. And with that, they tend to get injured quite a lot.
What they’ve all loved is that when they do break themselves ACC covers a good portion of their wages (80%), until they’re ready to go back to work. It’s not perfect, but it does mean they don’t need to stress about putting food on the table next week.
But everyone’s so into their activities here, they’d happily be back at work as that likely means they will be out adventuring after work.
18. SMOKING ISN’T REALLY A THING
Every time I leave NZ and arrive in certain countries, the sight of cigarette smoke filling up a bar or restaurant is not pleasurable.
Luckily the kiwi Government has been chipping away at getting the country as close to smoke-free as possible. And it’s certainly working! It just makes bars and restaurants a nicer place to be inside, and then not having to deal with cigarette butts on the ground is a nice perk too.
The goal is to have less than 5% of the population smoking by 2025…I feel like we’re well on the way to achieving that.
19. WE HAVE A THRIVING CRAFT BEER SCENE
We’re often a few years behind the larger continents when it comes to embracing trends, but the craft beer crazy has well and truly reached NZ.
Wellington is the craft beer capital in NZ, but there’s a good scene in most spots around the world with relatively small places like Queenstown having a few great craft beer spots.
Or join a beer tour like this…
20. IT’S EASY TO ESCAPE THE CITIES
In cities like Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, it can be a nightmare trying to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
But in NZ’s biggest city Auckland, you’re never that far away from being able to get away from humans whether that be floating out in the harbors or exploring forest like the Waitakere’s.
Wellington has a great greenbelt and lots of surrounding walks, Christchurch is a popular destination as there are ‘city jobs’, yet in most directions it doesn’t take long to get into the middle of nowhere and have fun.
21. WE ARE VIEWED AS A GREAT PLACE
As seen on the Doubtful Sound Cruise.
“Where are you from?”
“New Zealand.”
“Oh, that’s so cool! New Zealand’s awesome, I’d love to visit, it’s beautiful.”
That’s not an unusual conversation when I’m overseas. If you’re living in New Zealand, people will want to be like you…well at least they think do :p People from the USA will sometimes claim they’re from Canada, but if you’re living in New Zealand there’d no negative attachment with that.
22. THERE ARE EPIC ROAD TRIPS TO BE HAD
Some countries are known as train travel destinations, others are more suited to take flights from A to B. But NZ is best experienced on a road trip as there’s so much to see in between settlements. Well, if you avoid cities/towns as much as possible, most people will say you are on the way to having an epic trip to NZ!
RELATED POST: DRIVING ON THE EPIC QUEENSTOWN TO GLENORCHY SCENIC ROAD
23. THE FREEDOM CAMPING LIFE IS A THING
There’s going to be some kiwis who’ve been living in New Zealand for most of their lives reading this and be shaking my head at me for this one. But if you’ve got a self-contained vehicle, the ability to freedom camp in places throughout the country is pretty awesome. And some of the spots are spectacular!
But freedom camping has become a political issue at times over the years when people start to take the chance to do it for granted. So please be respectful if you do decide to buy a campervan and freedom camp.
24. YOU GET TO SEE AWESOME CLOUD FORMATIONS!
If you’ve been living in New Zealand for a few years, remembering to appreciate the clouds in New Zealand is something you can forget to do. They’re known to ruin a good sunset or two!
When I come back to NZ I notice how amazing and varied the cloud formations in NZ are. Aotearoa does stand for the land of the long white cloud after all…
The reason NZ’s cloud game is so strong is due to a variety of factors. I’ll just link to a couple of awesome pieces that go into further detail about clouds in NZ.
But if you find yourself having an obsession with them, you’ll be glad to know that’s called Nephophilia.
The country’s unique location and abundance of mountains and volcanoes make it ideal for people who get enthusiastic about looking at clouds.
Don’t think that’s a thing? Well, it is, there’s even a word for it: ‘Nephophilia’, meaning someone with love, fondness or obsession for clouds.
25. YOU CAN GATHER YOUR OWN SEAFOOD
If you love to live off the land, you can certainly do that in NZ…especially if you live near the coastline.
With just a little bit of skill, you can collect a whole range of shellfish (paua, oysters, pipis…and so much more), go fishing from various wharves or use fancy contraptions to get hooks/nets further out too see. And if you’re into diving, you can do that from the shoreline too in various forms.
I don’t eat seafood, but it’s a cool thing to be able to do.
26. YOU CAN VISIT LOTS OF MUSEUMS & GALLERIES FOR FREE
Around the world, museums and art galleries can be hit and miss. Sometimes it feels like every museum you visit in some countries you’ve got to pay, and in otherwise you can walk into them whenever you like for free.
While living in New Zealand you can usually do the latter. But there’s certainly some you’ve got pay for.
That said, these are a few of the museums and galleries in New Zealand you can visit for free:
- Te Papa
- Auckland War Memorial Museum (free if you live in Auckland)
- Auckland Art Gallery
- Tauranga Art Gallery (free for NZ residents)
- Air Force Museum of NZ
Whether you’re considering living in New Zealand, or are living in New Zealand already…I’m sure some of these reasons are reasons why you love NZ. But I hope some of these are reasons for you to go and discover more new things to do in New Zealand and make the most of living here.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. What’s the best thing about calling New Zealand home?
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Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.