With their one and five-year-old children in tow, Tonia Harris and Luke Power left Hawke's Bay in 2011, hoping for a better life on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
Tonia was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia with her family when she was just two years old, entitling her to Australian citizenship.
Aged 18, she returned to Hawke's Bay until the 2011 trip with husband Luke but they found it difficult to find jobs.
Eventually he worked as a tattooist but the cost of living made life difficult. While food such as meat, chicken and dairy were "at affordable prices" rent and vehicles were much higher.
"Rental prices in Australia are ridiculous," she said.
"For a three-bedroom house in Sydney it is anywhere between $375 for Campbelltown and $1600 per week city centre.
"Brisbane three-bedroom houses are between $500 and $1800 per week."
"Australia doesn't have cheap second-hand cars imported from Japan as New Zealand does.
"Australia-new good cars over there are approximately $10,000 up.
"To register a four-cylinder car you are looking at $800 plus with compulsory third-party insurance. For a six-cylinder car you are looking at $1000 plus insurance."
Disappointed with their standard of living they moved back to Hawke's Bay in July, finding rents cheap in Tikokino.
They are part of an increasing trend of Kiwis coming home, while those planning to jump the ditch have put their plans on hold because New Zealand's job opportunities and lifestyle hold more appeal.
The number of Kiwis returning to New Zealand reached a record high for the year ended September 2014, with 15,000 coming home.
While New Zealand was still losing more Kiwis to Australia than it was gaining, the net loss of 10,000 Kiwis across the ditch was the lowest in the past 20 years, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Neil Munro, national manager of the Experis recruitment firm, said there had been a definite rise in the number of Kiwis returning home. An abundance of job vacancies in the construction and engineering sectors - particularly in Christchurch and Auckland - had been a huge drawcard particularly as mining roles across the ditch dropped off, he said.
"The economy in Australia not going as well as in New Zealand is the general theme and behind that I guess they have less security than they would like in Australia.
"Some in the construction area aren't working and when you've been out of work for four to six months, you reach a tipping point," Mr Munro said.
Finding work was still an issue for Tonia and Luke.
"We are waiting for the Silver Fern Farms works to start up in Takapau and apple thinning to start in the orchards, so at least we have something coming up but there are next to no job opportunities, which is unfortunate," she said.
Many of her relatives also made the move to Australia.
"No one lasted as long as we did and we probably wouldn't have lasted as long over there if I wasn't an Australian citizen."
Her citizenship entitled them to family tax credits - nearly $900 a fortnight - "so that was a big help considering the rent over there".
"A lot of New Zealand families, because the kids were born here, aren't entitled to that for the first two years."
New Zealand adults have to wait 10 years before entitlement, leading to hikoi and protests on the issue in Brisbane.
Kiwis in Australia "stick to their own because we help each other out".
She made good friendships and help through the Facebook page Kiwis in Aussie, finding a good deal shipping her goods back to Hawke's Bay through Conroy Removals - 40 per cent cheaper than other quotes.
"People on Facebook lead you down the right path."
They are glad to be home.
"You don't realise how many good things there are in New Zealand until you go somewhere else."
The New Zealand Government is hosting job fairs in Perth and Sydney at the end of November, in a move to reclaim some of New Zealand's skilled and experienced workers. It is targeting expats and Australians in the ICT, construction and engineering industries, which is where the biggest skills shortages are.
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce did not think the number of Kiwis returning home would impact on the average Kiwi.
"I just don't think it's going to have a massive effect on its own [to the housing and job market]. In fact, it's all about growing the economy and we know the housing market is responding - but the number of people will not make a difference on their own," he said.
New Zealand Institute of Economic Research principal economist Shamubeel Eaqub said the flow-on effect of more Kiwis migrating was small with only the labour market likely to feel the impact.
"That's been one of the reasons we haven't seen wages growing strongly in the economy in the past few years. Part of it is the recession and the recovery but also part of it is there are more people around looking for jobs and competing for the vacancies," he said.
The Hawke's Bay economy does not have the depth to absorb all who return.
Wairoa-born Rodger Hedley decided it was time to return to Hawke's Bay after 36 years. Turning 60 and accepting voluntary redundancy from Qantas in Sydney after 19 years, he sold his Sydney house.
A naturalised Australian citizen, he said many Kiwis were returning as the Australian economy slowed but finding work was difficult.
"I'm doing a little bit of casual work and I keep applying - don't know if my age is a factor," he said.
"You apply for a lot of jobs and some jobs you hear from but the bigger percentage of jobs you don't hear from - which is a bit surprising and disappointing. I'm not necessarily talking about small businesses either. I've applied for jobs with companies which, by New Zealand standards reasonably large organisations, and I have never heard a word."
"Fortunately I still get my airline discounts for quite some years, so that makes it a little bit easier to hop across the Tasman."
There were pros and cons for both countries, he said.
"I looked around Sydney and that doesn't really have the quality of life that I want in this time of my life.
"The New Zealand people are a lot of different from Australians. I think there is a little bit more of gentleness here. People have got time for one another and there is not that-dog-eat-dog mentality.
"At the airport I dealt with people all the time. Kiwis stick out like a sore thumb because they were always polite and always patient. I'm not saying that because I am biased, I think we are nicer and the pace is slow I guess. People are very different."
Western Australia is a long way from Waipawa for Bridget Tamepo, who said Australia was now her home after leaving for better wages.
She worked at Mr Apple for $13.50 an hour, a school student's wage in Australia.
"I managed - single parent, too. It paid my rent and bought food," she said.
"I was laughed at by many who said they wouldn't get out of bed for that pay - mainly beneficiaries. "Beggars can't be choosers. Weekly pay was definitely more than the dole. They were usually the first to whine about the workers who were imported so the apples could get picked."
Some emigrants changed their minds more than once. Hawke's Bay man Phil Crofskey moved to Australia in 1982 and returned to New Zealand for eight years, before jumping the Ditch again "after finding it too tough back home".
For many, moving home is not about the Australian economy going off the boil.
Cody Hollis plans to return to Hawke's Bay in December from Melbourne, after being lured over by his best friend after completing his studies last year.
From Raupunga, near Wairoa, he said moving to Australia was successful only if you had a plan.
"The same can be said with any place. Most people I've spoken to here are in the same predicament as they were back home. They do earn more but expenses are more."
"It was in February, during the Kahungunu senior kapa haka regionals, when I got the first taste of homesickness," he said.
"I'm wishing to return home and pick up studies again - be a youth mentor using skills I have with art and kapa haka."
He likes his job with a health company, promoting a healthier lifestyle.
"I believe in the kaupapa and wish to spread what we offer," he said. He's concerned at Facebook postings about "kids' fights and drinking".
"I think I can make a good youth mentor, grooming Hawke's Bay youth into strong leaders. Also Kahungunu has a big part of kapa haka within the next few years and I want to be a part of that journey for our iwi."
Many can't come home thanks to deepening Australian roots. Emma Verhoeven Dorrepaal said she would love to return to Hawke's bay after losing her job.
"Unfortunately my Aussie husband does not want to leave, which means I cannot take the kids back with me as he would stop me leaving the country with them," she said.
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