About GoingNZ
Who is behind GoingNZ?
My name is Dawn, and my partner Isaac chips in too. GoingNZ grew out of my love of travel, and of course of New Zealand. I’m an adventurer at heart. Growing up in Cornwall, a beautiful corner of England, I always wanted to see the world. I find it hard to sit still. There’s a big world out there and I always feel like I should be in it.
I spent years working in the travel industry, helping other travellers plan the trips of their dreams. I caught the bug myself along the way and have travelled through China, Europe, Africa, South East Asia and Australia.
So why New Zealand?
Why not! Isaac has family in New Zealand, and back in 2009 we took a six-month trip over there to get to know his extended family and learn about his heritage. Little did we know that trip would change our lives. Quite simply, we fell in love with the place. New Zealand felt so similar to England and yet so different, all at once.
The next few years were full of dreaming about a life over there. We tried to settle back into England but we couldn’t quite conform. It took a while, but eventually we packed up everything and made the leap. In December 2014 we moved to Auckland, I found work in travel and Isaac set up a digital marketing company. We decided not to live a life full of “what ifs”.
Travel became my career as well as my passion. I spent years as a travel consultant with one of New Zealand’s leading agencies, building custom itineraries for people exploring the country, which is exactly the experience behind the itineraries on this site. Isaac’s one-man marketing band grew into 3WH, the agency we both still run today. And in between, we lived a fair bit of New Zealand ourselves: a rented Auckland flat, a motorhome we called home for a stretch, and eventually a Northland lifestyle block with an old house we renovated, an orchard, natives we planted ourselves, and more sheep than we ever planned on.
Ten years, and a few homes
We ended up giving New Zealand ten years. The first couple were in Auckland, where we never quite fitted in: we’d swapped one rat race for another. So we moved to Wellington for a couple of years, then spent four years up in Northland, with plenty of the country explored in between. Every chapter taught us something new about what life in New Zealand is really like.
Going NZ was born
When we first decided to move, we started researching and found ourselves lost across dozens of different websites. I couldn’t keep up. There’s so much conflicting information out there, and I wanted one honest place to put everything we were learning. It turned out we weren’t alone, and we’re happy to help anyone planning the move, wherever in the world you’re coming from. The adjustment is a long road, but it’s worth it.
GoingNZ has grown a long way from those first informal travel notes into comprehensive guides to living, moving and expat life in New Zealand. It’s become a go-to resource for travellers, expats and migrants heading to NZ. GoingNZ was never really about us and our story. It’s about connecting our community with honest, up-to-date, trustworthy information.
If you’re planning your own move, that’s exactly what we’re here for. And if you’re an expat with a story to tell, we’d love to hear from you: get in touch through our contact page.
Dawn & Isaac