Fantasy time; Stay or go, and why?

[Huntn]

I’m too old to flee. Plan on going down with the ship if it comes to that. That said places we’ve been to and fantasized about moving to: UK (if it was not falling apart), S.Ireland, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Mallorca.

 

[ArgoDuck]

I heard that ArgoDuck has a spare room. I would just go to Kiwiland, if I had a sailboat to get me there.

I’m sure you’d be welcome!

Might find our country a bit boring (low population density except for Auckland; tendency to argue about things that don’t matter).

But boring might be tolerable. We’re open-minded enough. I think we’re a fairly robust democracy, more so than I thought two years ago. Social media and its persuasion tactics are powerful, but our relative remoteness perhaps makes us less involved in global issues, and a little less responsive to having our buttons pushed. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Warning! I understand some of your very wealthy citizens have already built retreats in our South Island…

I'd love to be able to do some astrophotography from there. Haven't seen any of the southern sky yet.

Our less populated south island has great dark skies, which i really must get down to myself sometime

 

[Yoused]

Might find our country a bit boring (low population density except for Auckland; tendency to argue about things that don’t matter).

Sounds just right for me – I am told that I do not know how to "have fun" or that I do fun wrong. I would probably try to get onto a kakapo conservation team or something like that.

 

[Nycturne]

Our less populated south island has great dark skies, which i really must get down to myself sometime

The catch is that further away from the equator you go, the less of the galactic core you get, which has a number of interesting nebulae. But looking at the light pollution maps for New Zealand, there’s still quite a bit of dark sky on the northern island. Even so, you’ll still get a better view of Sagittarius than I’ve ever got from places like Nelson Lakes.

 

[Yoused]

further away from the equator you go, the less of the galactic core you get

The southern end of the big island is about the same latitude as Lewiston ID. The northern end of the big island is close to Redding CA. The northern end of the north island is about in the hills above Santa Barbara. Or, we would be stopping in Fiji because it is more or less on the way, we can just leave you there.

 

[leman]

After 45 y in the US, we are moving back to Switzerland.
I am also telling my (dual nat) son it's time to marry his GF of many years so she can follow him if he wants to do the same...

Are we crazy for still considering moving to USA? It has been very difficult to plan lately…

 

[Renzatic]

You know who else was from Austria.

...Steve Bob?

 

[Nycturne]

The southern end of the big island is about the same latitude as Lewiston ID. The northern end of the big island is close to Redding CA. The northern end of the north island is about in the hills above Santa Barbara. Or, we would be stopping in Fiji because it is more or less on the way, we can just leave you there.

Well aware (I say as much in my post). More pointing out that the north island has some benefits for astronomy work (and equally dark skies). And the trip isn't quite as long.

Honestly, either island is going to be nice and dark compared to North America or Europe once you get far enough out from the cities.