A British family said they spent about £30,000 to move from Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, to Warkworth on New Zealand’s North Island after a costly staycation prompted them to reassess their future in the UK.
Ed Porter, 35, and his wife Kim, 34, said they began looking at overseas options after paying about £1,200 for a Center Parcs weekend and worrying that Britain had become unaffordable. The couple, who have two children, Elijah, 12, and Willow, 7, moved roughly 11,500 miles to a five-bedroom beachfront rental that they pay about £1,600 a month for and said would cost more than £2 million to buy in the UK.
The move followed about a year of planning and a 12-month process to assemble paperwork, the family said. The couple reported spending about £3,580 on visas, medical checks and document certifications, and around £12,500 to hire a shipping container to transport furniture and possessions. They said each family member paid about £830 for the one-way flight, and the household lived for a month in an empty house while their goods were prepared for shipment. Their relocation took place on June 26, the family said.
Ed Porter described an emotional transition. "The first two weeks were a roller coaster — we kept thinking one day how amazing it was, and the next we'd be questioning if we made the right decision. But once the kids came home from their first day at school and told us they loved it, we finally gave a sigh of relief," he said.
The couple said they had never visited Warkworth before moving but were guided by a "gut feeling" that New Zealand was the right place. After closing their independent coffee business in the UK, Ed moved into real estate in New Zealand and Kim taught herself website development and data-entry work. They described the local community as "welcoming, helpful and kind," and said many residents use Te reo Māori on road signs and incorporate local customs, including community meals.
They reported immediate differences from life in Britain: a more relaxed pace, people frequently going barefoot — sometimes even in supermarkets — and a reputation for what they called Kiwi "dark humour." The couple said the area retains an "alive and kicking" pub culture, with local premium pints costing "£2-something," and praised local pies. They acknowledged missing some UK supermarket staples, specifically a "good Tesco shop."
The Porters said they were struck by what other British expatriates compare to England in the 1970s: children making short unsupervised journeys, bicycles left unlocked, doors left on the latch and neighbours sharing food. They said their children moved quickly into school life and began travelling independently, which helped the family settle.
Ed and Kim said they do not plan to return to the UK in the near term. They are looking for a smallholding — a property surrounded by land — where they hope to buy and build two additional houses for Elijah and Willow. "We're not rich, we just had a dream and we did it," Ed said, adding that the family viewed the move as an investment in their children's future and independence.
The family also said they weighed the United States as an option but decided New Zealand better met their goals for lifestyle and housing. They described feeling welcomed by neighbours and invited to local events, and said they could see themselves remaining in New Zealand long-term while allowing their children to travel back to Europe or elsewhere and have a "safe HQ" to return to.