If you had merely left off your first sentance
Someone wiser than me once said that internet discussions would go much more smoothly if everyone just omitted the first and last sentence (or paragraph) from what they were going to write. It's remarkable how often that holds.

As for New Zealand, I spent 3 weeks there in 2005 and absolutely loved it. It's a bunch of the most dramatic natural scenery you could imagine, all crammed into a couple small islands. I loved it so much I'm probably going back for another visit in September.
The only warnings I might give someone who's considering actually living there are:
1) It's a loooong way from anywhere except Australia. If you'd like to travel on occasion to North America or Europe, it's going to cost you in both time and money. That flight is neither short nor cheap. You're paying $1500-$2000 to be locked in a tin can for 14 hours straight, and that just gets you as far as LA.

2) Because of the distance, manufactured goods tend to be expensive. Food is cheap (and good!), but that new flatscreen TV will probably cost you a lot more than it would in Texas.