From a Google Search to a New Life: How We Went From Southern California to Auckland, New Zealand

Russell Fehrensen
Feb 1
4 min read

From a Google Search to a New Life: How We Went From Southern California to Auckland, New Zealand

In December of 2016, my wife and I were sitting in front of a laptop doing what millions of people do when they’re feeling uneasy about the world:

We Googled “safest countries in the world.”

At the time, New Zealand came up as number two.

That was it. That single search cracked the door open.

From that moment on, we went all in. YouTube videos. Blogs. Vlogs. Forums. Anything that even mentioned New Zealand—we watched it, read it, or listened to it. Late nights, rabbit holes, and “what if” conversations turned into serious research. We weren’t just curious anymore. We were imagining a different life.

The Flight Alert That Changed Everything

Fast forward to late 2019. I was sitting at my in-laws’ house when my phone buzzed with a Kayak.com flight alert.

$700 round-trip flights to New Zealand.

Departure date: December 25th, 2019.

Because of course it was Christmas. Because the universe has a sense of humor.

We booked it.

We spent the holidays and into January of 2020 in New Zealand—and somewhere between the scenery, the people, and the pace of life, something shifted. When we boarded the plane to go home, my wife cried.

She didn’t want to leave.

Turns out… neither did the rest of us.

Then the World Shut Down

We got home—and almost immediately, the world locked down.

COVID hit. Hard.

I lost my job. I pivoted to working online. My partner went remote. At the time, we were both working in schools—speech therapists and a speech therapist assistant—and suddenly everything moved onto screens.

We pulled our kids out of school and transitioned them to online learning. And just like that, I became Dad, Teacher, IT Support, and Lunch Lady.

For the next three years, we stayed more locked down than most.

Looking back now, I’m not sure everything we did was as necessary as we thought at the time—but I don’t regret it for a second. We had an incredible amount of family time. Real time. The kind you don’t get back.

And throughout all of it, we kept researching New Zealand.

Not casually. Obsessively.

Selling a Life and Packing It Into Green Suitcases

June 2022.

I was sitting in the backseat of my wife’s uncle’s van—actually my van, which we had just sold to him because… well… we were moving to New Zealand.

It was about 90°F (32°C), the window was hot, and I felt sick.

Maybe it was the heat.Maybe it was motion sickness.Or maybe it was the reality finally catching up to me.

We had sold everything.

Our house.Multiple cars.Our tent trailer.Every piece of furniture.Every item we’d collected over a lifetime.

Our entire life was now packed into bright green suitcases.

Each of our five family members arrived in New Zealand with:

One large suitcase
One small suitcase
A backpack
A purse

That’s it.

I knew my kids were young.I knew I wasn’t getting any younger.And I knew that if we were going to make a move like this, sooner was better than later.

Big changes are easier on young kids—and opportunities don’t grow as you age.

Three and a Half Years In… and Sunburned Writing This

Now here I am, nearly three and a half years later.

I’m writing this completely sunburned because yesterday I randomly ran into a friend who said, “Hey, wanna hop on a boat and go to an island?”

Yes. Yes, I do.

And as I sit here peeling slightly and smiling a lot, I realize something simple but powerful:

Every decision we made—good, scary, uncomfortable—brought us right here.

And I’m genuinely happy with those decisions.

Why Cali Kiwi Exists

I run Cali Kiwi—the blog, the YouTube channel, the vlogs, the socials—not because it’s some master plan to become an influencer (trust me, that sounds exhausting).

I do it to give back.

When we were researching our move, strangers answered our calls. People replied to comments. Others shared their stories honestly—the good, the bad, and the “wow, this is harder than I thought.”

That generosity mattered.

If this ever becomes something I can do full-time? Amazing. If not? I’ll still keep showing up.

I’m not an expert. I don’t want to be a social media icon. I just want to enjoy what I do and help others who are considering leaving the United States—or anywhere else—to build a life abroad.

So yeah…Like.Subscribe.Follow.Share.Repost. All the things the algorithm apparently feeds on.

But more importantly—reach out.

Want Help With Your Own New Zealand Journey?

If you’re thinking about moving to New Zealand and want to talk through your options, your situation, or just hear from someone who’s actually done it, I offer one-on-one consultations.

No pressure. No hype. Just real conversations.

How I Help Through Cali Kiwi Consulting

Through Cali Kiwi Consulting, I share my personal experience moving from California to New Zealand and help others think through what that journey might look like for them.

To be clear and upfront: I’m not a licensed immigration adviser.What I am is someone who’s actually done the move—sold the house, packed the suitcases, uprooted the kids, navigated visas, schools, work, and real life on the other side of the world.

I work alongside visa professionals and often refer people directly to licensed immigration advisers when needed. My role is to offer practical, real-life insight—the stuff you don’t always find on official websites—so you can ask better questions, avoid common mistakes, and feel more confident about your decisions.