@Thorvald: I wish. Unfortunately I've never been there. I just love NZ culture. Both on an admiration level as well as on a personal level (my childhood home benefitted greatly from them).

@chaseawaythedark: If I was guaranteed a job I would strongly consider following my friend. The biggest problem is the housing market is dominated by foreign investors and the prices are inflated through the roof. I wish I took a picture of a billboard on the drive back: "Apartments starting at $225,000" x_x

@Thorvald: I've always considered it. I've always wanted to go there and often fantasized about living there. I even have the accent for it (thanks to being ethnically Polynesian). Surely it's cheaper to live in the rural areas, no?

@chaseawaythedark: Presumably, though the Friend's Family bought a plot on the outskirts and town planning was still finding ways to nickel-and-dime them with pedantic ordinances. The yurt was originally a scheme to cheat property taxes (it's not a tent but not a fixed structure and so falls into a legal grey zone), but that fell through as it was never properly waterproofed and contracted a mould that caused one of them permanent sinus problems. (Also the door had lead paint—the hazards of vintage construction.)