To The Group

In a strange twist of events I am now expanding my thoughts regarding relocating down under. In my previous post I was very set on moving to Australia (if possible Queensland / NSW). However; the medical recruiter has stumbled upon a senior medical management position in Auckland that looks very interesting. A little colder climate than I want but manageble no the less since its what I'm used to here in Oregon (USA). I haven't given up on Australia its just that this is exactly what I'm looking for but in NZ. To those out there who suggested moving NE of Australia I'm interested in what its like hunting and shooting in NZ's North Island area. I like the less restrictive guns laws. Not sure what land is availible to hunt on and how hard it is to do so. Australia is much bigger but it sounds like NZ has some good hunting also. Any thoughts?

Thanks & Cheers

Brad

There is Fallow Deer,pigs,Goats and game birds around Auckland that know of and few hours drive for Red,Sika Deer and Christchurch is only a 1 hour flight from Auckland and 3 to Australia.

Brad NZ is also a good choice. modern 1st world, dollar is a bit weak, usually 50-70c to the US, so commodities and price of living will be higher than you are used to. But standards of living same as all the west, Euro Aus, canada, you guys etc.

Geographically its a veritable playground, Warmer forests in the north , wildnerness in south, especially what they call the west coast region, + all the scenic shit from lord of the rings movies which were filmed there, + real nordic fjords, glaciers etc in the far south. So a good cross section of hunting/tourist grounds- even himalayan style goats in their alps.

Similar hunting freedom to Aus, less game if you want the big volume slaughtering we can do, but still a lot more than what you describe in the US and Canada and most areas of the world by comparison.

Gun laws or lack thereof much better than Australia as you noticed-and possibly Canada too.Also its considered more publcily acceptable to be a hunter in NZ.

For example you look at realestate sites with adverts in NZ and the term "open spaces, great for hunting" Or "300 acres for sale , pigs, deers, hunters dream" etc commonly enough.

Its been 20+ years since Australians commonly admitted someone might actually buy a piece a land for the purpose of hunting

NZers and Aussies give each other a lot of good natured shit but fact is between the two countries Australia is clearly behind NZ for gun freedoms nowadays. They can't match us for sheer volume or open spaces but not much point of either if we end up losing the ability to hunt with the firearms we find the most exciting.

Geez, Karl, now I wanna move to New Zealand.

As much as I hate to admit it, I live in Auckland! I'm a hill-billy at heart so find it a bit claustrophobic. Weather-wise, there's nothing wrong with Auckland weather. We do get the occasional frost in winter and it gets a bit dry in summer as does much of NZ.

Just a few hours drive from Auckland there is hunting and bush camping to be had in public parks.

Shooting deer wearing a headlamp and brushing teeth in a stream at a campsite at night with a spotlight is frowned upon!

You guys are great. I'm still waiting to hear back from the guys in NZ regarding the job I applied for there. I think my family would like NZ better than Australia since it is more of what they are familiar with like here in Oregon. Ultimately I want the best Job and will build my interests around a solid pay check and a family friendly place to live.

Cheers

Brad

quote:

Originally posted by 303Guy:
Shooting deer wearing a headlamp and brushing teeth in a stream at a campsite at night with a spotlight is frowned upon!

Where was that posted.

Going by the number of Custom made HID SPOTLIGHTS I send to NZ and what the people tell me they shoot with them, that's a good one.

.

303guy was referring to a particularly unfortunate - but entirely avoidable - incident recently where a lady camper was cleaning her teeth in the dark at a campground in the bush when she was fatally shot by some guys illegally spotlighting for deer.

Criminal charges were laid , and a prosection made , all of which brought hunting in this country into a particularly bad light publicly.

That said,it is not illegal to spotlight Deer on private land in New Zealand.

Hey how about that. My fathers from Coquille in Oregon.
You will like NZ a lot better than Australia. And it is firearms friendly, unlike the Nazi Nation next door.
Auckland is a pretty good city to live in for the family.
And you can drive to state forest and national parks and hunt what you like, red deer, sika, fallow, just for the cost of the petrol. Hunting permits are free and you can go evry weekend if you want. No need to belong to a club with the fees, no need to find some private land, no need to explain to anyone why you need a rifle in a proper caliber...

Evrey now and again you may feel the urge to spend a couple of hundered dollars and fly down to the South Island and hunt in the mountains, more red deer, hammalyan tahr, chamois.

And frankly, there is no lack of open spaces in NZ. You could lose the whole US army in some of our national parks and have trouble finding them again. We have a very busy Search and Rescue organisation....

For a hunter I would take NZ over AUstralia in a heartbeat. No offence to my Australian cousins. (Literally, my mothers Australian.)

quote:

hammalyan tahr

That's Kiwi for Himalayan tahr, right???

Its a rare subspecies. Ham - ah -lion tahrs...

Speling is not my strong mpint.

quote:

Originally posted by Brad aka Pill Shooter:
To The Group

In a strange twist of events I am now expanding my thoughts regarding relocating down under. In my previous post I was very set on moving to Australia (if possible Queensland / NSW). However; the medical recruiter has stumbled upon a senior medical management position in Auckland that looks very interesting. A little colder climate than I want but manageble no the less since its what I'm used to here in Oregon (USA). I haven't given up on Australia its just that this is exactly what I'm looking for but in NZ. To those out there who suggested moving NE of Australia I'm interested in what its like hunting and shooting in NZ's North Island area. I like the less restrictive guns laws. Not sure what land is availible to hunt on and how hard it is to do so. Australia is much bigger but it sounds like NZ has some good hunting also. Any thoughts?

Thanks & Cheers

Brad

NZ has lots of good hunting, good areas of public land to hunt on to. Just don't expect to shoot one of those huge heads, foreign clients post photos of, as they almost always come from behind wire and from breeding stock.

Most Kiwis spend lifetimes to hunt hard and well for free range stuff and respectable trophies. Good on them.

NZ is a hunters' paradise so go for it if you can.

Thanks again everyone for the support. I think that it will be a big step for my family I'm always up for an adventure. If all goes well it should be a few weeks before I know more about my ranking for the job. As far as hunting I will need to unload most of my guns ASAP since I have too many if thats possible. I have been exploring the import paperwork and it looks fairly straight forward. I like the idea of hunting a gas tank away from a big city . All in all I'm excited about coming down under.

Cheers

Brad

Brad, you might want to join up over at the forums at http://www.fishnhunt.co.nz/
That's the major local discussion site there. Good for getting a feel for the NZ scene.

By the way, NZ has some great scuba diving too. And shellfishing for crayfish [spiny rock lobster], scallops and Paua/abalone [breath-hold diving only, for the latter].

Brad, welcome to Godzone! You can easily import your rifle to NZ. I bet your US export paper work will be the problem! PM me if you want any assistance.

You can also do a lot of goat shooting for fun. Deer hunting is year round and mostly for meat. Big heards are very rare in free range hunting.

I would suggest that you get plenty of bullets when you come as they are 3 times as expensive here. $60+ per pkt of 100 Hornadys or per pkt of 50 Barnes or Nosler. Pity you cannot bring in powder - it cost $70 a pound or more. This is a great country for the kids to grow up in.

How is the 9.3 going?

NZ is Trout fishing heaven for a Fly Fisherman like myself. While I don't think I would want to leave the US, I could see my self doing South Island from Feb to June and fishing till I dropped. All it takes is just money!

quote:

Originally posted by Carlsen Highway:

You will like NZ a lot better than Australia. And it is firearms friendly, unlike the Nazi Nation next door.

That's a bit rough...

25% of Nzers apparently prefer the Nazi nation too, as they have moved to Aus already

Not many countries can boast that level of emmigration. Maybe the jews leaving egypt in the bible or something..

The good news for Brad is it leaves more space for the hunting types to enjoy life there.

Sheep prices are lower there too ...

quote:

Sheep prices are lower there too ...

John - would you be so kind as to post the relative value of sheep in both countries , being as you seem to be the local expert ...?

is that value of the eating kind or the sleeping kind?if the latter,MUCH more in NZ!

Crikey - another sheep expert......

I did hear that recently Australian researchers had found an entirely unexpected use for sheep - eating them .

OK gents, I think we've done the sheep shagger jokes to death and frankly I getting a bit tired of every post on NZ going down that path.

Being a small-time sheep breeder and eater I would be interested to know what sheep are worth in OZ for farming purposes. I know last seasons lambs are worth over $100 here at present, and half a sheep cut up and bagged costs $85 at the local butchers so lets compare ????

quote:

Originally posted by johnfox:

quote:

hammalyan tahr

That's Kiwi for Himalayan tahr, right???

LOL

You will love New Zealand.
But as Karl mentioned, cost of living will probably be a bit higher than you are use to.
You wont make a mistake moving there if you get the job.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by muzza:
Being a small-time sheep breeder and eater I would be interested to know what sheep are worth in OZ for farming purposes. I know last seasons lambs are worth over $100 here at present, and half a sheep cut up and bagged costs $85 at the local butchers so lets compare ????

live fat lambs this week = AUD$140. A MerinoxBorder Leicester breeding ewe will cost you about $250.

I bought a whole lamb at the wholesale butcher about 5 or 6 months ago. I paid $220 cut up.

Thanks guys . Puts it into perspective a little.

Our lamb prices are dictated by the export value - like all meat and dairy products - whereas yours is more set by the local market , I guess.

Yes our domestic market is a much larger percentage than the export market and the lambs for export are much heavier than the typical domestic lambs. The prices are of course linked to some extent... that is natural - but not as much as yours. I believe that there is much greater economy of scale with our domestic lambs too (than yours) - we just kill a whole lot more of them - so the prices at the butcher shop can fluctate quite a lot

A lot of kiwis tell me they just cant afford to eat lamb at home and that is rapidly becoming the same here too.

quote:

Originally posted by Bakes:
OK gents, I think we've done the sheep shagger jokes to death and frankly I getting a bit tired of every post on NZ going down that path.

Ever been to NZ bakes and had a drink in the pub there? Get used to it! Rivalry is part of the blah blah blah between Aus + NZ whether friend or foe either here or there.
Theres no need to play copper all the time!

Well I know plenty of Kiwi's and employ some too and hardly ever hear anyone go on about it. IMO - it is mostly only Aussie wankers, with nothing more intelligent to say, who persist with the AU v NZ bullshit!! It gets really old...

Matt - if we didnt grow our own , or shoot the occassional wild one I doubt we could afford to eat lamb either. Giving away a leg of lamb to other folk seems to make them happy so maybe it is becoming a luxury item.

Plus ours are all Pitt Island merinos so maybe that makes them even tastier

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
Well I know plenty of Kiwi's and employ some too and hardly ever hear anyone go on about it. IMO - it is mostly only Aussie wankers, with nothing more intelligent to say, who persist with the AU v NZ bullshit!! It gets really old...

now Matty before you throw stones go back through a few of your own posts..`nuff said!

Or you could just learn to read... I never said it was taboo, just that normal people 'dont go on about it'. Some people seem obsessed with Kiwi gibes.

The sooner the New Zealand becomes a state of Australia the better Be nice to have an Air force again

that would bring a whole new dimension to 'state of origin' football!!!

I think NZ had their chance way back when eh!!

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
Or you could just learn to read... I never said it was taboo, just that normal people 'dont go on about it'. Some people seem obsessed with Kiwi gibes.

Lets view it another way Matty...Some Kiwis seem obsessed with Aussie jibes ! Have a look around you!
As far as learning to read, you dolt,I mastered that at an age when you were still shitting yellow!

Oh those naughty Kiwis...

NZ in State of Origin.........if that happened NSW would never bring the damn cup home ..........we are having enough trouble with getting on top of the 'canetoads' let alone having NZ in the mix.