KEY POINTS:
Sales consultant Linda Budd and her family moved from Auckland to Wanganui in March 2005 and back to Auckland in March this year.
A hankering for a quieter life was the motivation for the 41-year-old's first move, and she reluctantly headed back north when two of her children landed apprenticeships in Auckland.
"I can't understand why so many people are stuck in this hellhole and why they don't move out," she said.
"The biggest thing I noticed when I went to Wanganui was how fast I walked down the main street."
Mrs Budd said it took her three minutes to get to work in Wanganui, and she could go home for lunch or to bring the washing inside.
"There's [also] good shopping outside Auckland. You don't actually lose anything, but you have a much better quality of life."
She also enjoyed the social aspect of living in a smaller place, saying it was easier to meet up with friends during the week in Wanganui because people lived closer and there was no traffic.
She and her husband, Lee, paid $200,000 for a three-bedroom villa, which they still own, and Mrs Budd said they would look at going back to Wanganui when her 16-year-old twin sons doing the apprenticeships were older and could look after themselves.
The couple have five children between them from previous marriages, the youngest an 11-year-old girl, and Mrs Budd said schooling was also preferable in Wanganui.
"You go from 38 children in a class to 25. I just think Aucklanders don't really know what they're missing."
Wanganui was also closer to places such as Mt Ruapehu and Manfield Park in Feilding, where motorsport is held.
"It's a lot more accessible and a lot cheaper. You can do a lot more fun things with your kids," Mrs Budd said.
Now back in Auckland, she was enjoying earning more money, and attempting to maintain a semblance of the quiet life by living on an acre section in Titirangi.
"But as far as stress levels go, it's definitely a lot more stressful."
This case study relates to a Statistics New Zealand survey on people's house-moving habits.
