A British couple has shared the cultural contrasts they’ve encountered since relocating from the UK to a quaint rural village in New Zealand, a move that cost them £30,000.

Ed Porter, 35, and his wife Kim, 34, who previously resided in Henley-on-Thames, South Oxfordshire, began contemplating a life abroad after realizing the high cost of living in Britain, highlighted by a £1,200 staycation at Center Parcs.

Stunned by the expense, the couple embarked on a quest to find a more affordable and fulfilling lifestyle for their children, Elijah, 12, and Willow, 7.

Their search led them to New Zealand, where they felt an inexplicable connection, convincing them it was their destined new home.

After a year of preparation, the Porter family made the bold decision to move 11,500 miles away to Warkworth on New Zealand’s North Island, despite never having visited the village before.

Now, they reside in a spacious five-bedroom beachfront house, renting it for £1,600 a month—a property that would likely cost over £2 million to purchase in the UK.

Ed said: ‘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.’

The father-of-two said the family were surprised by some aspects of New Zealand life, including the Kiwis’ ‘dark humour’ and their love of walking around barefoot, even in supermarkets. 

Pictured: Kim with her children Elijah and Willow on a beach in New Zealand after the family moved there in June

Ed and Kim (pictured) say their new home is enabling them to ‘live their dream’ while building a better future for their kids

While they admit they ‘miss a Tesco shop’, their new lifestyle ticks every box – and New Zealand even has an ‘alive and kicking pub culture’ to rival the UK’s – with premium pints costing less than £3.

Ed, who works in real estate, said: ‘We started thinking about the future of our children in terms of having their own independence with buying properties in the future.

‘We initially considered a move to the States but that has its fair share of problems too, so we settled on here.

‘The move was very nerve wracking and an emotional rollercoaster – but we love it.

‘We’re blown away by how welcoming everyone has been, and we can already see ourselves growing old here.

‘You’re never more than ten minutes from one of the beaches, which have crystal clear turquoise seas and white sands.

‘Plus pints are £2 something and the pies alone are worth moving for. It’s a slice of paradise.’

Ed said he loves how locals still use the native language, Te reo Māori, including on road signs, and has found himself invited to a traditional dinner with some of the locals.

Ed, pictured on a fishing trip, said they had never visited Warkworth in North Island before moving there 

The family now live in a five-bed beachfront home, which costs just £1,600 a month to rent 

Ed and Kim’s daughter Willow, seven, is pictured smiling on a boat in New Zealand 

Ed and Kim’s coffee business was struggling and they had shelled out on a £1,200 staycation when they wanted to move country

Willow is pictured barefoot on a sandy beach in New Zealand after the family upped sticks and left 

The Porter family paid a total of £30,000 to move to New Zealand from Oxfordshire in the UK. Pictured: The verandah of their coastal home 

Ed and Kim say their new home is enabling them to ‘live their dream’ Pictured: Elijah enjoying a boat trip 

Pub culture is very present in New Zealand too, and Ed’s local community all head out for pizza and beers together.

He said the most expensive pint at his local costs ‘£2-something’ – a third of what Ed paid in Henley-on-Thames.

Ed said: ‘Everyone loves a drink here and it wasn’t hard to find a decent English cider either.’

Although he admits they do find English supermarkets superior, as they miss ‘a good Tesco shop’.

Ed described the community as ‘welcoming, helpful and kind’, adding that many New Zealanders have ‘positive’ attitudes.

He said: ‘The kids walk themselves down the lane, and get the bus to school and back.

‘Other British expats here have compared it to England in the 1970s.

‘The kids cycle home and throw their bikes down without locking them up, doors are left on the latch, neighbours share food – people have time for each other.

‘It’s just this amazing rural community.’

Ed and Kim say their new home is enabling them to ‘live their dream’ while building a better future for their kids.

They also love the ‘positive’ community feel, the welcoming and respectful attitudes of their Kiwi neighbours, the stunning weather and beautiful surroundings. 

‘I can’t see us coming back, we can see ourselves growing old here,’ Ed said. 

‘If our kids want to travel, back to the UK or Europe or America, they can do – and they’ll have this safe HQ back in New Zealand.

Ed described the community as ‘welcoming, helpful and kind’. Pictured: Ed Porter and his son Elijah 

Kim and Willow are pictured walking through a path full of tropical plants and shrubs in New Zealand 

Ed and Kim were questioning whether they had made the right decision but said they had a sigh of relief once their children loved their first day at school

The Porter family upped sticks after a year of planning and made the move 11,500 miles away to Warkworth in North Island, despite never visiting the small village

Elijah and Willow are pictured holding up snowballs in England before they moved across the world 

Ed says he can’t see the family moving back to the UK anytime soon. Pictured: Elijah and Willow at Warhammer World in the UK

It took the family 12 months to move and gather all the right documents. Pictured: Elijah in New Zealand 

‘We’re not rich, we just had a dream and we did it. It took us 12 months – nothing happens overnight.

‘But we paid around £30,000 – less than some people pay for a car – to buy a decent future for our children.’

Ed and Kim began considering their children’s financial futures around 18 months ago when they went on their family ‘staycation’ at Center Parcs, Sherwood Forest, Nottingham.

At the same time, Ed and Kim’s independent coffee business was struggling, so they began considering an international move that would benefit the family financially as well as give them a different lifestyle.

After deciding on New Zealand, they soon applied for visas, medical checks and document certifications which cost the family-of-four around £3,580. 

They also selected a rental home and rented a £12,500 shipping container to transport all their furniture and possessions on an 11,500-mile journey to their new home.

While Ed and Kim admit they ‘miss a Tesco shop’, they say that their new lifestyle ticks every box

The father-of-two said the family were surprised by some aspects of New Zealand life, including the Kiwis’ ‘dark humour’ and their love of walking around barefoot, even in supermarkets 

After deciding on New Zealand, they soon applied for visas, medical checks and document certifications which cost the family-of-four around £3,580

Ed’s children, Elijah and Willow, are pictured at a match held at Reading FC when they were back in the UK 

Ed admitted that the move was ‘very nerve wracking and an emotional rollercoaster’

Ed said he loves how locals still use the native language, Te reo Māori, including on road signs, and has found himself invited to a traditional dinner with some of the locals

Ed says that the family are ‘never more than ten minutes from one of the beaches’

After closing down their coffee business, both Ed and Kim began to build new careers. Ed now has a job in real estate and Kim works in a self-taught website development and data entry role.

After spending a month living in an empty home after their possessions were taken away for transport, the nervous family boarded their flight – which cost them £830 each – on June 26 and said goodbye to Henley-on-Thames for good.

They are now settled in their affordable five-bed rental home on the beachfront and plan to buy land in the future.

Ed and Kim are on the hunt for a smallholding, a building surrounded by land, where they plan to build two additional houses for Elijah and Willow.