# Sabbatical



## Searider

Hi Expats, I've got a hankering to spend some months in NZ in the form of a sabbatical at the end of this year, just on my own, without my wife or family. Call it a mid life crisis perhaps, but I need some time away and want to have the challenge of doing it myself with no-one else to either rely on or be responsible for.

I will be 65 soon and life has been OK for a bit, but we visited my son, who was living near Tauranga last year, [home again now] and I really liked the place, and of course fell for NZ. I'm aware that like everywhere else it has its problems, you only have to read a few posts here, but on the whole, I feel that the way of life and the friendliness of the people go a long way to overcoming other difficulties.

I will be on a state pension of around £100 pw, with a bit of a topup from my savings, and I'm hoping to get odd jobs to supplement this. 

What I'm after are ideas for both economical living and any ideas of jobs I can do, should I find it necesary. I don't have any skills as such, but there must be many jobs that don't require these, like driving, house sitting, basic office work etc etc.

Over to you all :confused2:

Paul


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## topcat83

Searider said:


> Hi Expats, I've got a hankering to spend some months in NZ in the form of a sabbatical at the end of this year, just on my own, without my wife or family. Call it a mid life crisis perhaps, but I need some time away and want to have the challenge of doing it myself with no-one else to either rely on or be responsible for.
> 
> I will be 65 soon and life has been OK for a bit, but we visited my son, who was living near Tauranga last year, [home again now] and I really liked the place, and of course fell for NZ. I'm aware that like everywhere else it has its problems, you only have to read a few posts here, but on the whole, I feel that the way of life and the friendliness of the people go a long way to overcoming other difficulties.
> 
> I will be on a state pension of around £100 pw, with a bit of a topup from my savings, and I'm hoping to get odd jobs to supplement this.
> 
> What I'm after are ideas for both economical living and any ideas of jobs I can do, should I find it necesary. I don't have any skills as such, but there must be many jobs that don't require these, like driving, house sitting, basic office work etc etc.
> 
> Over to you all :confused2:
> 
> Paul


Hi there 

First things first - can you get a visa that would allow you to work legally? 

I don't think you'll be eligible for a Temporary Work Visa 

(from Immigration New Zealand)

_'You may be eligible for a temporary work visa if:

you have a job offer from a New Zealand employer
there is a specific purpose or event for which you need to come to New Zealand to work
you are a student or trainee who wants to work here, or
you want to join your partner here and work.'_

Nor a Working Holiday Visa:

_'If you’re aged between 18 and 30 years you may be eligible to experience life in New Zealand on a working holiday.'_

You mention your son lives in Tauranga - could he sponsor you? 

See Requirements

100 GBP a week will be a tight squeeze - how do you intend to travel? Probably the cheapest way (and have a solid roof over your head) is to use backpackers. See BBH World travellers Accommodation New Zealand. But as you can see, at around $20 per night for the cheapest, your 100 GBP (aka $220) will be mostly taken up with accommodation.


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## Darla.R

Searider said:


> Hi Expats, I've got a hankering to spend some months in NZ in the form of a sabbatical at the end of this year, just on my own, without my wife or family. Call it a mid life crisis perhaps, but I need some time away and want to have the challenge of doing it myself with no-one else to either rely on or be responsible for.
> 
> I will be 65 soon and life has been OK for a bit, but we visited my son, who was living near Tauranga last year, [home again now] and I really liked the place, and of course fell for NZ. I'm aware that like everywhere else it has its problems, you only have to read a few posts here, but on the whole, I feel that the way of life and the friendliness of the people go a long way to overcoming other difficulties.
> 
> I will be on a state pension of around £100 pw, with a bit of a topup from my savings, and I'm hoping to get odd jobs to supplement this.
> 
> What I'm after are ideas for both economical living and any ideas of jobs I can do, should I find it necesary. I don't have any skills as such, but there must be many jobs that don't require these, like driving, house sitting, basic office work etc etc.
> 
> Over to you all :confused2:
> 
> Paul


Don't you think 65 is a bit old for a mid-life crisis? Unless you can get your son to sponsor you you will not be able to do anything other than visit NZ as a tourist and you will not be allowed to earn money.

Perhaps you'd be better off having a tour around Europe, or doing some voluntary aid work with a charity in a developing country which can be very rewarding and doesn't have to take you so far from home.


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## Siouxzee

Hi Searider
You mentioned doing housesitter. If you decide to go over on a tourist visa and needing accommodation, it might be worthwhile looking at the following website Sitter account home
People advertise all around the world - there are few for NZ, looking for people to housessit while they are away.


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## Siouxzee

Forgot to add there is even a listing for a farm, to look after the house, dogs etc milk the 2 cows and food is included.


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## Darla.R

Do you have any connection with that company Siouxzee and isn't that advertising?


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## Siouxzee

Have absolutely no connection with the company, so not advertising for them at all!! If I was punting and trying to sell something different story. This is just giving someone ideas of where to get accommodation. Simply trying to help someone as I think we all are on this forum.


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## topcat83

Siouxzee said:


> Hi Searider
> You mentioned doing housesitter. If you decide to go over on a tourist visa and needing accommodation, it might be worthwhile looking at the following website Sitter account home
> People advertise all around the world - there are few for NZ, looking for people to housessit while they are away.


What a good idea! I'd be tempted about it myself! 

My aunt and uncle in the UK do a similar thing for pet sitting - they go and stay at the owners house and look after all the pets when they're on holiday. The owners really appreciate a mature person - for some reason they think they're more reliable


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## Darla.R

Siouxzee said:


> Have absolutely no connection with the company, so not advertising for them at all!! If I was punting and trying to sell something different story. This is just giving someone ideas of where to get accommodation. Simply trying to help someone as I think we all are on this forum.


Thank you for clarifiying that. People deserve open and honest advice at all times.

The rules about advertising seem to be confused. Scubadoo made a reference that was moderated because it was "advertising" (i don't know what he could've chosen to advertise unless he was selling a car or something) but your link and the reference Kiwigser made to a lifestyle magazine (with a well known on-line forum) were not.


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## Siouxzee

Sorry Darla I am unable to comment as I have no idea on the other references you are referring to. 
But the way I see it if you trying to punt a business in order to get people to buy something or as you referred to earlier are in anyway affiliated then you are advertising.
If you are simply posting a link whereby you are letting people know where to look for jobs, look for accommodation, furniture etc you are not selling or in anyway benefitting more just giving people info and giving them insight into where there could be options for them to research and make their own decisions. Also maybe if you post a link for a specific companies website that could be seen as advertising, whereas posting a link to a general where to stay in NZ website for example what are you actually advertising?
I am sure a moderator will be around to answer your question though and give you a more succint, accuarte and meaningful answer than I have, as my answer is just an opinion.


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## Boodle

The OP's son was living in Tauranga *last year* and is now *home* so sponsorship from that source is out of the question.


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## topcat83

Darla.R said:


> Thank you for clarifiying that. People deserve open and honest advice at all times.
> 
> The rules about advertising seem to be confused. Scubadoo made a reference that was moderated because it was "advertising" (i don't know what he could've chosen to advertise unless he was selling a car or something) but your link and the reference Kiwigser made to a lifestyle magazine (with a well known on-line forum) were not.


Scubadoo was advertising a competitors forum - that is against the rules. Pointing someone to a useful company as general information is not - as long as the person doing the pointing is not going to profit in some way from providing the information. Darla, I suggest you read this Forums rules.


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## Searider

Thanks for the helpful replies, especially the pointer to the Mindmyhouse site Souixzee, that is exactly the sort of 'job' I felt might work under my circumstances.

Thanks for pointing out the legalities TC, sadly I am aware of most of the problems concerning earning a buck in NZ, but I am firmly of the opinion that where there's a wil..............

Darla.R you made me laugh with your comments about being past it at 65, [mid life crisis that is],I can quite see where you are coming from with it, and thanks for the other ideas, but they aren't for me. As you get older you begin to realize that you are never too old, as long as your health allows you to physically get around.

I'm still after ideas, as I really need to formulate a plan before going and not to just turn up as a tourist and sort things out on the spot, so all offerings will be digested with real and genuine interest. 

Many thanks for those of you that have taken the trouble to reply to date.

Paul.


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## kiwigser

Searider said:


> Thanks for the helpful replies, especially the pointer to the Mindmyhouse site Souixzee, that is exactly the sort of 'job' I felt might work under my circumstances.
> 
> Thanks for pointing out the legalities TC, sadly I am aware of most of the problems concerning earning a buck in NZ, but I am firmly of the opinion that where there's a wil..............
> 
> Darla.R you made me laugh with your comments about being past it at 65, [mid life crisis that is],I can quite see where you are coming from with it, and thanks for the other ideas, but they aren't for me. As you get older you begin to realize that you are never too old, as long as your health allows you to physically get around.
> 
> I'm still after ideas, as I really need to formulate a plan before going and not to just turn up as a tourist and sort things out on the spot, so all offerings will be digested with real and genuine interest.
> 
> Many thanks for those of you that have taken the trouble to reply to date.
> 
> Paul.


I have not reached your age yet, but probably am past my sell by date, so I agree - cram it all in, that's what NZ is made for, not for boring people.


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## Darla.R

Searider said:


> Thanks for the helpful replies, especially the pointer to the Mindmyhouse site Souixzee, that is exactly the sort of 'job' I felt might work under my circumstances.
> 
> Thanks for pointing out the legalities TC, sadly I am aware of most of the problems concerning earning a buck in NZ, but I am firmly of the opinion that where there's a wil..............
> 
> Darla.R you made me laugh with your comments about being past it at 65, [mid life crisis that is],I can quite see where you are coming from with it, and thanks for the other ideas, but they aren't for me. As you get older you begin to realize that you are never too old, as long as your health allows you to physically get around.
> 
> I'm still after ideas, as I really need to formulate a plan before going and not to just turn up as a tourist and sort things out on the spot, so all offerings will be digested with real and genuine interest.
> 
> Many thanks for those of you that have taken the trouble to reply to date.
> 
> Paul.


You're absolutely right, where there's a will there's a way.

I just had to have a little chuckle at your mid-life crisis at 65. My own father is doing much the same as you and is well into his 70s. He spends most of his time flitting between our family home in Los Silos, Tenerife (where he is forever extending and modernising) and remote parts of Africa. I think he has a car garaged in almost every continent and is showing no signs of slowing down.


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## Searider

I guess it's because when a family comes along, you spend a huge junk of your life with nose to the grindstone, and not doing stuff you would like, which is for me, living the life in a country of my choice, so when the time comes, the desire is still there, it sound like your father and I would have something in common Darla?

Paul


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## Darla.R

Yes probably but he's always been like that, even when I was young we were off globe trotting. 

Make the most of it, you only get one shot at life so live it to the full.


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