‘We Moved 7,000 Miles From Oregon to New Zealand To Get a Fresh Start in Our 60s’ 

Six months ago, Andrew and Kendall Crosby "overturned the bucket" on their comfortable, well-settled life in Bend, OR, packed up their belongings, and traveled 7,000 miles across the globe to start a brand-new chapter in Auckland, New Zealand.Both in their early 60s and semiretired, the Crosbys grew up in Oregon, raised their children there, and built a career together in high-end residential real estate development. But after becoming empty nesters, the couple began picturing themselves moving overseas to experience a completely different way of life."It kind of came out of a series of conversations quite a while ago, where we just had a little dream of maybe living in a different country together," Andrew tells Realtor.com® in an interview from their new home in Auckland. "And we had a vision for New Zealand probably for the same reason that a lot of people do. ... It's just kind of this magical, far-off island Eden."Mischa Mannix-Opie, director of client experience at Greener Pastures New Zealand, an investment-to-residency firm, says that the vast majority of their U.S. clients looking to move to New Zealand either full or part time have some personal connection to the country,...