Homesick NZ expat wants home-swap with Meath family

Anyone who has ever dreamt of leaving Ireland and experiencing life in New Zealand for a year could help out a Meath native who wants to travel in the opposite direction. Emma Kelly, originally from Lismullen, Navan, has been living in New Zealand for eight years, and is hoping to move back to Navan with her family for a year if she can find someone interested in a house swap. Ms Kelly lives in Napier, which is in the beautiful Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand's North Island, with her husband Emmett and two young sons, Fionn and Lorcan. Homesickness and a desire for her children to experience Irish culture had led her to consider moving back home to Ireland but, to give it a trial run, Ms Kelly and her family would ideally like to do a house swap for a year first. She is a daughter of Olive and Brian Kelly and left Navan to go backpacking for a year with her Kiwi boyfriend after graduating from college eight years ago. She fell in love with New Zealand which, she says, was a "home away from home, green and lush but with a lot more sunshine and very dramatic scenery". She said: "I settled in the North Island in a town called Napier. I worked with local architects for the first two years before I set up my own architectural design business. My husband is a self-employed builder and our careers worked well together. The years flew by and, before I knew it ,one year became eight and I was married with two children," she recalled. The Hawkes Bay area is known for its wineries, orchards and holiday atmosphere and many cruise ships from around the world dock there on their way to Fiji and other Pacific islands. Napier is a pretty coastal town and has the world's largest art deco collection of architecture with giant palm trees lining the streets. It is one of the warmest parts of the country with clearly defined seasons and mild winters. While her sister, Sarah, also married a Kiwi and lives close by, and friends and family have visited regularly, Ms Kelly said that, as time goes by, she has become more homesick, especially when the time comes for visitors from home to leave. She said: "I thought, with time, I'd get used to airport farewells but I was fooling myself. For me, they get harder. I always said I'd like my children to have a taste of Irish life and culture, most importantly, to get to know my family, their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. And now that time has come. I feel like I want to move home but am cautious of 'grass is always greener' syndrome, hence the house swap idea." However, she said New Zealand is a truly beautiful country with a great standard of living. "New Zealand has so much to offer, especially for families with lots of social outdoor activities and a relaxed, healthy lifestyle. My mind tells me to stay but my heart aches to go home. Thankfully, my husband, Emmett, is very supportive and is up for the challenge. A house swap would take a lot of the pressure off us and give an Irish family the chance to live the New Zealand dream for a year." Ms Kelly grew up at Lismullen, Garlow Cross, and would ideally like to swap homes with a family outside Navan. Her son, Fionn, is three years-old and Lorcan is 18 months and Ms Kelly said she wants her children to experience a similar upbringing that she had in the countryside and attend a rural school. "Ireland is in recession but it still has a unique quality, the people. I want my boys to learn of their rich heritage and the beauty of Ireland. My husband spent a year in Dublin and did not enjoy his Donnycarney experience. He also enjoys the semi-rural lifestyle and I want to show him how good County Meath really is and the benefits it would have for our boys." Any local family interested in swapping their home and giving New Zealand a try for a year can email Emma on emmakelly2000@hotmail.com. Ms Kelly also has information and photos of her home on www.homeforexchange.com