Fred & Annemarie(67)

After 42 years in education (Fred as headmaster, Annemarie as English teacher) we both retired. Our house in Haarlem was too big, the winters too cold and healthcare too uncertain. We wanted to spend our retirement somewhere with sun, nature and a relaxed lifestyle. After traveling through Australia, Portugal and New Zealand we chose the latter — the nature, safety and friendliness were decisive.

New Zealand doesn't have a specific retirement visa, but the Investor 2 Visa offers a route for retirees with sufficient wealth. You must invest at least NZ$1 million in acceptable New Zealand investments (not property) for a period of four years, and demonstrate NZ$1.5 million in total assets. With the sale of our house in Haarlem and our pension savings, we were well above this threshold.

The investment went into a government-approved managed fund investing in New Zealand companies and government bonds. The return is modest (3-5% per year), but the money is safe and after four years you can spend it freely. The application process was complex — an immigration advisor in Auckland helped us with the paperwork, due diligence and financial verification. It took six months in total.

Whangarei is the capital of Northland, the subtropical north of the North Island. The temperature rarely drops below 10°C and in summer it's 25-30°C. The city has 55,000 residents, a new hospital, good facilities and is surrounded by beaches, bays and kauri forests. We bought a house with garden in Onerahi for NZ$650,000 — a fraction of Haarlem.

Healthcare was our biggest concern. As residents we're entitled to subsidized care through the public system, but waiting times for specialists can be long. We took out supplementary private insurance with Southern Cross (NZ$450 per month for two) which gives us access to private clinics. ACC covers accidents regardless of your age or visa status — that's unique.

Our advice to Dutch retirees: New Zealand is fantastic for retirement, but it's far from family. We Skype weekly with the children and grandchildren, and they visit twice a year. The flight is long (24+ hours), but the quality of life here compensates for everything. We walk daily, garden, belong to a bowling club and enjoy the Northland sun. It was the best decision of our lives.