Wallen Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

Time spent travelling on the other side of the world

when you're footloose and fancy free

can often leave you longing for more,

but when your bachelor days are behind you

and you've a wife that's happy at home,

is it a move you can realistically make?

In 2015, Greg and Jenni Wallen

spent a week in New Zealand to find out.

Today we'll discover where they are now.

Ever since backpacking in New Zealand,

Greg Wallen had been bent on making a permanent return.

I want to make a home in New Zealand more than anything in the world.

In 2015, his wife was willing to be convinced.

It's always been his dream,

it's been what he wants to do and he put all of that on hold for me.

I owe him to try.

However, when a trial week in the country didn't quite go to plan...

It's cold, the floor feels damp.

It's not the image that I had in my head of moving to New Zealand.

I'm worried, Jen, really, really worried.

One year on, is there a happy ending for both of them?

I'm not convinced that we are on the same page.

Lying nearly 1,000 miles from its neighbour Australia,

New Zealand's home to the southernmost capital in the world.

A third of the country is designated as national parks and reserves and

inhabitants are never more than 80 miles from the sea,

so it's easy to see why every year

7,000 adventure-loving Brits

choose to make the country home.

Greg Wallen was all set to return to the land he loved as a backpacker

when a dabble in online dating

bought his plans to an abrupt halt.

Fast forward to 2015,

and Greg still believed New Zealand was where he should be living,

but to make the move,

first he needed to convince wife Jenni it was a realistic option.

The Wallens' trial week began with more than 22 hours in the air,

flying to Auckland via Hong Kong.

For Jenni, who was three months pregnant,

the journey was a particularly gruelling one.

My morning sickness, which lasted...

27 hours,

was not great!

The long trip had given Jenni plenty of time to think about the distance

she was putting between family.

I kept thinking about how often my mum would likely come over,

and it all just got a little bit overwhelming, didn't it?

For Greg, touching down on Kiwi soil was moving, too.

I got a bit emotional when I landed, actually.

It was kind of like, almost like an "I'm home" feeling.

Whether New Zealand would become his home would depend on Greg persuading

Jenni in the coming days.

In 2015, the Wallens - Greg,

Jenni and Evie, who was three,

were living in Sheffield.

Five years earlier, as a young, carefree bachelor,

Greg had fallen for New Zealand while backpacking.

The thing I liked most about New Zealand was the people, the culture,

I think, of the country.

When his travel visa expired, Greg had reluctantly returned to the UK,

but smitten with everything New Zealand had to offer,

he immediately began planning to move there for good.

I had about a six-month, tops, target in my head and then go back.

But fate intervened in his New Zealand plans

when he dipped his toe in the waters of online dating.

I wasn't looking for anything serious, I wasn't looking for love,

I wasn't looking for marriage.

I don't think either of us really went into it thinking that...

"This is going to be a long-term relationship".

Within two weeks of meeting,

Greg begged Jenni to join him for a new life in New Zealand,

but as their relationship blossomed,

it was clear her heart lay in the UK.

I fell in love with Jen and the more I was falling in love with Jen,

the more the dream was slipping away at the same time.

Then Jen was going, "Stay, don't go back, we can have a good life here".

I was just, obviously, I was torn.

Choosing love over the Kiwi lifestyle,

Greg settled into home life with his new-formed family.

But when the couple married in 2013,

his dream of a life in New Zealand hadn't disappeared.

When I lived in New Zealand, I felt it was perfect for me.

I remember walking through towns, parks, beaches,

kids everywhere and they were all incredibly happy.

And I remember just thinking to myself all the time,

"This is a brilliant place to raise a family".

When Jenni was pregnant in 2015,

the couple were outgrowing their current home and Greg seized

the opportunity to kick-start his dream again.

If we can make it work, finance, job wise, quality of life wise,

now would be a good time.

But Jenni was already losing sleep thinking about leaving her family

-behind.

-I'll wake up in the night,

or I'll be talking to one of my family or friends who are saying,

"Oh, we're going to miss you," and I crumble and go,

"I don't know if I can do this!"

And taking Evie away from her grandparents

was also causing concern.

It's one of the things that holds me back,

thinking that Evie's not going to have that relationship with

her grandparents that I really want her to have.

Leaving loved ones would be hard for Greg, too.

He'd only recently been reconciled with his mum.

The hardest person for me to leave behind would probably be...

Sorry, it's probably...

It's probably going to be my mum.

I hadn't talked to my mum for a number of years, and, um...

..since meeting Jen, we've kind of got our relationship back,

so...I'm kind of nervous about chucking that away again.

That's tough for me.

For four years, Greg had been desperate to make a permanent return to New Zealand.

Now, he had one week to see if the country he fell for

as a backpacker was as good as he remembered,

and convince his wife to start again on the other side of the world.

To move to New Zealand is a risk, it's a massive risk, it's a gamble,

-I'm not going to lie about it.

-The rest of our life feels on hold

until we've made that decision.

Greg, Jenni and Evie spent their trial week in Auckland,

home to a third of all New Zealanders.

Their base for the week was situated in Milford,

on the city's North Shore.

Did her first taste of Kiwi living work its charms on Jenni?

Wow, it looks lovely!

As they settled in,

Greg was overjoyed to have finally got Jenni to New Zealand.

It's took four years to get Jenni to this point,

I can't believe it's all boiled down to this.

But she was anxious about the week ahead.

Deciding on the rest of my life at the end of this week is...

..quite a scary prospect.

And in no mood to bow to pressure.

He's going to have to allow me time to think.

He needs to not try and force his viewpoint onto me.

Greg had an uphill struggle on his hands

if he was to finally make his dream come true.

This is it, this is like, make or break for me.

The following week would decide

where the family would spend the rest of their lives.

In 2015, the Wallens were living in

a two-bedroom house in Sheffield.

We do like living here and we do like the area we're in, but...

it's just not big enough for our needs any more, we've outgrown it,

-haven't we?

-Yeah.

Jenni was fond of an aspect of their current home that

Greg felt could help his cause.

I like the open-plan living, I like the fact we've got two toilets.

You'll like New Zealand then, that's very open-plan living.

-Yeah, that's good.

-But there could have been a difference of opinion on

what a Kiwi home had to have.

At least three bedrooms, two bathrooms,

preferably one of those is ensuite.

A wood burner.

-It's a must.

-We can put one in!

We can't change sizes of rooms.

With £250,000 to spend on a Kiwi house,

we showed the Wallens three properties,

based on what they wanted

and what they could afford.

The search began in Waiuku, close to

a park and a local primary school,

this four-bedroom property

could have been a good fit for the Wallens.

The house's kerb appeal got the viewing off on the right note.

-What do you reckon, love?

-It looks very nice.

Ahh.

It looked like a good start, until they stepped into the first bedroom.

-I don't like it.

-Why?

I reckon the place has got rising damp, it needs a rewire.

I don't know, I just don't like it - full stop.

And the next room didn't help, either.

I don't like the feel of it, Jen.

We've got to come 12,000 miles, both find new jobs, with two children,

integrate into life, and then we've got to sort the house out as well.

So you don't want a renovation project?

-It's going to be too much for me, Jen.

-OK.

Two further bedrooms were downstairs.

Oh, this is nice.

This is lovely, I like this exposed brick.

It was an improvement, but Greg's expectations just weren't being met.

It's just not the image I had in my head of moving to New Zealand,

it's far from it. This is... Oh, God...

I'm actually really scared this is not going to work.

Upstairs, the sitting room showed more promise.

Well, this is much better.

It's got the log burner, it's one of your requirements, a log burner.

-I know, but we're going to need a log burner.

-Was it a log burner you wanted?

-Yes, it was, dear.

-Was it?

I wasn't quite sure, you've not said it enough!

And the kitchen also came up trumps.

-Nice, big kitchen.

-It's nice, isn't it?

Until electrical engineer Greg spotted some dubious wiring.

Oh, my God, look at that!

Back home, that would be uninsurable.

This house clearly wasn't the one for the Wallens,

so just how close did it come to the family's £250,000 budget?

Right, the moment of truth.

Come on, think positive. £165,000.

Go on, do it.

£261,000.

It was £11,000 over budget.

-It's looking bleak at least, isn't it?

-I'm glad we're not moving for the house!

This has made me feel sick with worry about the rest of this week,

-to be honest.

-But with the price

of Auckland property hitting home for Greg,

would the next house be more up his street?

It was in Pukekohe - a town offering a relaxed way of life,

yet within an hour's commute of Auckland city centre.

Wow, look at this front garden!

I definitely like this area more, it's got a much better view.

-Inside...

-This is a nice little hall, this feels more modern.

..Greg's mood continued to life.

Yeah, this is nice.

Positive first signs, doesn't feel damp, doesn't feel cold.

And Evie was happy, too.

Really, really, really good!

-Yay!

-This house may have been winning Greg's approval,

but the floor plan was a stumbling block for Jenni.

I'm glad there's a third bedroom,

but I'm not sure how I feel about it being off the dining room.

And she was no happier in the kitchen.

I'd redo it.

The lot?

-Yeah.

-Really?

Yeah.

Outside, the garden didn't impress, either.

This is a bit pokey, isn't it?

So basically, the garden for the kids is at the front.

-It's not enough, is it?

-No.

The house had won praise and criticism in equal measure,

but could Greg and Jenni afford it

with their budget of £250,000?

For us, to flip that card over

and keep the dream alive, it's got to be...

under 200, I'm thinking 180-ish.

Based on the last property, I'm going to say about 250.

Go for it.

251,000.

It was £1,000 over budget.

No, absolutely not.

Maybe I was thinking the grass is definitely greener on the other side.

Now, I'm kind of like,

if I'm brutally honest, "Oh, my God, what have I done?"

The possibility his dream could be slipping away

proved too much for an emotional Greg.

The property hunt had brought both doubt and disappointment,

but there was still one more property to view. Also in Pukekohe,

we found what we thought could have been Greg and Jenni's dream home.

Would it be the one to turn around their property fortunes

and get Greg's dream back on track?

-Wow.

-OK.

-This is much better.

-This is much more like what I would like.

It looked like Greg's expectations were being met at last.

-This is the image that I had in my head, this is what I wanted you to see, spot-on.

-Lovely.

-Perfect.

The spacious kitchen with its granite worktops

had both Greg and Jenni excited.

That's amazing, isn't it?

This is such a nice finish.

-Nicely laid out.

-Nicely laid out, large enough.

And a second living room hit the spot.

-This is huge.

-Wow.

I have noticed the one thing it doesn't have that you wanted...

-Log burner?

-Yeah.

I'm willing to sack the log burner off.

Fair compromise, Greg!

The first three bedrooms continued to impress.

-This is nice.

-This is nice.

-I would say I'm sold.

Well, well yeah, it's a lovely sized room.

Nice window looking out over the back garden.

It ticks every box and more.

But Greg was beginning to worry

if they could afford to call this house home.

I've got a feeling we're going to get absolutely smashed on price.

Money worries seemed a distant memory, though,

as the master bedroom sealed the deal.

Oh, this is perfect.

It was a room that just kept on giving.

-Walk-in wardrobe...

-A walk-in, not just a built-in!

Oh, wow.

Mind-blowing.

En suite! Oh, this is nice.

I'm absolutely still speechless!

It's perfect.

And outside, the garden was picture perfect.

That view is stunning.

This property looked like it could have been

Greg and Jenni's dream home.

But was it within reach of their £250,000 budget?

If we flip this card over now, it comes in £350,000, £400,000...

If it works out financially and the lifestyle is good...

-We're on!

-Even if,

EVEN IF this costs us so much that we couldn't really afford at least

in the short term to be saving up to go home,

I like this house so much that I'm thinking...

-We'll deal with it for the time being.

-We'll deal with it for the time being.

-Right,

this is it, darling. £400,000!

£331,000!

-Really?!

-That is cheap!

It was £81,000 over budget.

It's looking positive, at that, isn't it?

If we can get a decent wage,

that is all my dreams and more and everything I could ever have hoped for come true.

Greg was delighted.

If he could secure the job to pay for this property,

his dream really could be back on track.

Property one had caused concern

with potential damp issues and outdated wiring.

House number two failed to impress,

with the garden deemed far too small.

But property three had raised the bar with wow-factor living areas

and scenic views.

So when it came to New Zealand houses,

did the family vote Home or Away?

Three, two, one...

-UK.

-Undecided.

Where do you want to live?

Er...

My house!

That last house we saw was just ideal.

And in England, we would never be able to afford that.

But, if the finances over here means that we could afford that,

then I would be New Zealand.

I need to put my thinking, logical head on,

and my logical head at the moment says to stay in the UK.

Greg may have found the perfect pad,

but if the couple were to afford it,

finding well-paid jobs would be vital.

Back in the UK, Greg was an electrical engineer,

running his own business fitting and testing electrical safety equipment.

Absolutely love it.

Used to work for a company which I enjoyed, but I thought,

"I can do better on my own".

And business at the moment is really, really busy.

I'm currently booked out for the next sort of three months solid.

But in New Zealand, he was keen to become an employee again,

hoping that would improve his work-life balance.

I hope kind of to work around the 40-50 hours a week in New Zealand

for a company, weekends and evenings off, ideally,

so I can get some more time with my family,

which I currently don't have, always.

Jenni worked as a social worker dealing with child protection.

I love, in my job, the thought of helping people.

I'm helping children to make sure that they have the greatest start in

-life they can.

-To sign off on a move,

she'd need to be sure her career prospects wouldn't be hindered.

The next step forward, if I was to remain in the UK,

would be looking at a management role.

And that's what I would be looking for maybe in New Zealand.

The couple set off to investigate their work prospects down under.

First up, Greg met Dave Burt,

who ran an electrical company fitting out a new housing complex.

This here is a block of probably the first 15 apartments that we've just

-started pre-wiring.

-Greg wanted to know what his chances of finding a job might be.

I would say that a qualified electrician is normally never out

-of work. A good one is never out of work.

-It was a positive start.

What about the all-important work-life balance?

-Generally it's a 40-hour week...

-Yeah.

..but because most of the guys work a nine to ten-hour day, you know,

you can easily knock on 50 hours per week.

The hours were what Greg had hoped for,

but what about the bottom line on his potential earnings?

Between the 60s, and you could easily go up into the 80-plus.

At around £35,000,

that was about £10,000 more than Greg currently earned at home.

That's good. That's a bit more kind of what I was hoping for.

Encouraging news for Greg.

Across town, Jenni was visiting

a charity providing social work services.

Senior manager Elizabeth Walker

gave her the lowdown on what her prospects might be.

So you would come in at a senior practitioner level.

It starts at 53 and moves up to around 63, the mid-60s.

Even at the top of the bracket,

Jenni would have seen her income fall from around 31 to £27,000.

How sought-after are social work roles?

It has become extremely competitive.

My last recruitment effort, we had one social work vacancy,

we had 72 applicants.

Catching up with Greg, Jenni broke the bad news.

I wouldn't be earning as much as we thought, basically.

It wasn't what Greg had been hoping to hear.

But his prospects softened the blow.

I'd be looking at about 60-65,000.

If I did overtime, I'd be looking at about 80,000.

So actually, in one respect,

it's not as good news for me, but it's much better news for you

-in terms of finances.

-Yes.

So after a day of mixed fortunes,

how did the couple vote when it came

to work in New Zealand versus the UK?

BOTH: New Zealand!

Your news actually makes me think, well,

maybe I could be the one who works part-time,

and you could be the one to work full-time.

I'd have to do a few more hours than I was hoping to,

but we've always done what we have to do to make it work.

After a shaky start to the week, a vote for New Zealand from Jenni,

despite a drop in salary,

meant Greg's dream could have been back on track.

New Zealand's famed for its family-friendly lifestyle,

so would a day sampling some of Auckland's activities

land another vote in his favour?

The family kicked things off with a visit to a French market

in Parnell, just east of the city centre.

It's been voted one of Auckland's best food markets,

and they soon tucked in.

-Mozzarella.

-Mozzarella?

Mm, that's nice!

It was the kind of family day out Greg was hoping could be a regular

-occurrence.

-Today's going absolutely swimmingly.

Seeing Evie here in New Zealand and how she's been the last couple of

days, wow, you know, it's tears of happiness, not sadness.

Seeing your children happy makes me happy.

And the market was a place

Jenni could imagine making a regular haunt.

Come here, have breakfast, get some fresh produce...

some wine and champagne to go in our hot tub

that we're going to have out the back of our house!

-Are you...

-Why am I trying to convince you?

I know! Are you beginning to change your mind a little bit? This is good, this is progress.

INDISTINCT

Next stop, a trip to Auckland Zoo,

where Evie soon displayed her wildlife knowledge.

Ostrich!

Penguins. Look, zebra poo!

Oh, dear me!

Thinking of Evie's future,

Jenni's view on moving to New Zealand seemed to be softening.

Evie is loving New Zealand.

And I think I am starting to feel

very much that this would be ideal for her and for our other child.

And Greg was beginning to feel confident his wife could be coming round.

As the week has gone on, she's become more and more towards New Zealand.

I reckon the dream's still alive.

I kind of feel it's job almost done, but not quite there.

I've still got a little bit of apprehension.

Leaving loved ones, though,

could still have been an issue for both of them.

Mum's kind of been really, really supportive about the whole thing.

She keeps saying, you know, "We're only a day away, worst case scenario".

Wow!

You know, I need to do what's best for my family.

And ultimately, that's what I need to do.

It's very easy to get caught up in the whole lifestyle,

"Wouldn't this be great, wouldn't this be brilliant for us and for Evie?"

But I've not yet really started to think about

the impact of leaving family and friends.

The day out had given the family food for thought.

So, did the lifestyle in New Zealand prove a winner for Greg and Jenni?

Time to vote!

-New Zealand!

-New Zealand!

-New Zealand!

Good girl!

We've not been constantly worrying about the weather,

even though we're in autumn, nearly winter over here.

And it's not been too costly.

You can't fault this, can we?

Can't fault it. Can't fault it, it's beautiful.

With two votes from Jenni for New Zealand,

it looked like Greg's dream was almost within reach.

But for it to stand any chance of becoming reality,

it was vital the finances stacked up.

The couple thought their house in the UK was worth around £110,000.

Did two local estate agents agree?

Nice open plan living space.

Neutrally decorated.

Nice windows that overlook the garden.

The kitchen looks well looked after, and also nice and modern as well.

So it's a nice, low-maintenance garden with the access out to your rear parking.

Good sized bathroom, and again, another contemporary look.

I'll fix the bath now!

In today's market, I'd value this property at a guide price of 110 to

£120,000.

For a quick sale, I'd value the property at £105,000.

In today's market,

I'd value this house at around about 110,000.

If the owners wanted a quick sale,

then I'd suggest a price between 100,000 and 105,000.

-I'm not shocked about that.

-No shocks, I'm quite happy with that as well.

With the valuations on target,

the couple moved on to examine

how their finances would fare in New Zealand.

We provided a comparison of costs,

starting with the weekly food shop.

Ketchup, £1.23.

Meatballs, £2 - she's not going to be having THEM any more!

Which means it's £57.27 dearer.

Over £200 more per month

was double what the family currently spent on food,

but Greg wasn't daunted.

It's more, but it's not terrible,

is it, if we're honest with ourselves?

Well, we need to put it into context with wages.

Looking at the bigger bills,

Greg and Jenni based their sums on the dream house they'd seen.

GREG WHISTLES

Sorry, that's just jumped straight out at me, the cost of the mortgage,

-compared to at home.

-Yes.

That's...

That's a biggie.

-Phone/internet, £20 at home.

-Yep.

£40 here.

What's the difference? £1,796.

Yep.

In total, the couple discovered they would spend

around £1,800 per month more in New Zealand.

And taking their potential wages into account

only improved things slightly.

-We're £654...

-Worse off.

The couple would have been almost £8,000 per year worse off

IF they made the move.

But while Jenni wasn't impressed,

Greg wasn't giving up.

-I don't think that's bad.

-Basically, we'd have to go for a house

which was like property one or two.

Yes, but it wouldn't be forever, would it?

But when it came to voting on finances in New Zealand versus the UK,

was the compromise one they'd both be happy to make?

-UK.

-UK.

-Are you a bit gutted about that?

-Massively.

We probably could still make it work financially,

but I think it would be more of a struggle.

I'm not going to lie, after seeing that, I am questioning myself.

That's massive, for me.

While New Zealand's lifestyle had been everything Greg remembered,

achieving the life he dreamed of would have required significant

sacrifice. And the emotional cost of emigrating could still prove

the biggest barrier to a move.

With Evie looked after by a childminder,

the couple sat down to watch messages from home.

Hi, Jenni, hi, Greg.

I hope you're having a wonderful time in New Zealand.

Hi, Jenni, Greg.

Hello, Auntie Jenni and Uncle Greg.

Hiya, guys, I hope you've had a good week.

On the whole, they seem to be...

..a match made in heaven.

Hilarious is the word to me that sums Jenni up.

She's got a lot of friends, she's sociable, she's popular.

He's very much a family man.

Family's really important.

Evie's a really bubbly little girl.

My granddaughter,

I do spoil her.

But if they go, I'll miss her.

If they left, I think it would leave a big hole...

..in everybody's life, not just in mine.

Obviously, yeah, it would be a massive wrench,

because you've got my mum and dad,

then you've got me and Jenni.

The family would be halved because my sister's gone,

so it would just be me and my kids.

You make a decision based on what you think is best for you and your

family. We'll always love you, and we'll always be here for you.

We'll all really miss you,

we'll miss the times that we spend together.

We'll miss seeing Evie grow up.

We know that all your other friends will feel the same,

but you've got to do what's right for you.

You know that I love you, you know that I'll support you.

But please make the decision which is right for you.

It's really making the question whether I've got...

..the guts to...

go through with it.

We are going to have to be very selfish

when we make that decision and not

think about others, because I think if we thought about others,

the answer would fairly clearly be, "No, we're not going".

Greg's long-held dream was hanging in the balance

as the couple faced the biggest decision of their lives.

The trial week had more than lived up to Greg's bachelor day memories.

It's infinitely better in my opinion

than what we would have back in the UK.

And despite her initial reluctance,

a taste of what New Zealand could offer had also appealed to Jenni.

The experience I've had this week that has won me over the most...

is...

is the lifestyle.

But their week had also shown

the reality of everyday life in New Zealand

hadn't been quite what Greg had envisaged.

I'm not going to lie, I thought we'd fare a lot better than we did.

He is having to come to terms with the fact that things aren't as

picture-perfect as he initially thought out here.

Greg was also struggling to come to terms with leaving family behind.

I know that I need to make the decision for my family,

but, you know...

I kind of care about everyone else, as well.

As the final vote inched closer,

the couple wrestled with emotional turmoil.

I can feel it, I can feel an internal conflict,

of arguing with myself over it.

I'm playing with the rest of my family's life.

With one final turn of the cards,

it was time to find out if Jenni would green-light Greg's dream.

-New Zealand!

-New Zealand.

Home!

There's some negatives, but there's also a lot of positives and I think

that we've got to give it a try,

because I think otherwise we'll always be wondering, "What if?"

This is all my birthdays, all my Christmases,

everything I've wanted since I came back.

The week had given Greg the result he was hoping for

and with Jenni signed up to the move, it looked like he could be

on his way back to New Zealand soon.

We visited them one year later,

to find out where in the world they are now.

It's September 2016

and the Wallen family are living in...Sheffield in the UK,

and after Jenni's terrible sickness en route to New Zealand for the

trial week, the latest addition to their family has happily arrived.

Ethan was born on the 15th of September 2015.

Ahh, cuddles.

It was a very quick birth, which I was very pleased about.

Fortunately for everyone,

the baby slotted into family life pretty swiftly, too.

He's such an easy-going child, he's so happy.

Clap, clap!

Clap, clap.

He's an absolute joy.

What would you like, then, you want chocolate spread on bread?

Yes, please!

Big sister Evie couldn't agree more.

I love my baby brother because he's cuddly

and very funny.

He really has completed our family, hasn't he?

Yeah. Yeah, he was definitely like the missing, the missing piece.

With the new addition, it's been a busy few months.

In a lot of respects life's gone on as normal,

but in other respects, it's completely changed.

Obviously the birth of Ethan was kind of, that's a massive,

massive change for anyone.

Feed my baby...

What are you going to do your baby for breakfast?

Now, I'm going to feed you some water and wee your nappy.

While the subject of emigrating to New Zealand has been an ongoing

conversation, and the pair can still vividly recall their trial week

-down under.

-Definitely lived up to my expectations,

in the fact of how clean it was, how nice the people were and, you know,

just what a genuinely great place it was to live.

Despite its ups and downs,

the week had opened Jenni's eyes to the possibilities of a move.

It really did help me to...

..envisage whether we could actually live out there and have a good life.

Her vote for New Zealand, in the end,

felt like a dream come true for Greg.

All my Christmases come at once, all my birthdays come at once,

I was like, "Right, we've cracked it".

After a brief stay with some friends,

Greg and Jenni left New Zealand

convinced it was only a matter of time

before they returned to make it their home.

We got back, told all our friends we all voted yes, we're going to do it,

we're going to start getting plans in place.

The couple agreed they would stay in the UK

until after the baby was born,

which turned out to be the right move

as Jenni's pregnancy wasn't all plain sailing.

I started to feel increasingly unwell.

She had the most terrible morning sickness...

Well, I say morning sickness,

it was just all-day, all-night sickness.

She really, really struggled.

You slept for a little bit?

A little time.

Only about 20 minutes.

Fortunately, friends and family rallied round.

With childcare, coming to see me,

keeping things stable and secure for Evie.

Greg was grateful for the support,

and the experience left him contemplating the reality of leaving

loved ones if they moved to the other side of the world.

The whole thing was made massively easier with the support that we had

from friends and family at that point.

You're going to mess up the carpet.

'And without having...that,

'we would have struggled a lot more.'

As the weeks went by,

Greg also began to have more practical doubts

about the cost of making his dream move.

When you started working out the finances of moving and the money

you'd be earning out there, it just wasn't really a viable option.

We started talking about pushing it back further and further...

..until finally Greg kind of admitted

that actually, he wasn't so committed

to the idea of going any more.

After all his efforts to get Jenni on board,

Greg had lost faith in his own dream.

My heart was saying this is a perfect place to raise my family,

and then my head's kind of pulling me in the other direction, saying,

"Well, is it really going to work?"

You know, you need at least one of you to be really positive

and focused and want to do it.

But if you're both sat there saying, "Ooh, I'm not sure,"

then it's probably not the best decision.

Letting go of the dream wasn't easy.

It was quite a heart-wrench, it was tough,

it was actually really tough to sort of...

..sort of digest that.

In my quality of life perspective,

New Zealand would be infinitely better than we have here in the UK,

however, unfortunately, as with life, you need money to back this.

Despite their plans not working out as hoped,

it's fair to say the Wallens' time down under

has inspired Greg and Jenni to make

some really positive changes to their lives in the UK.

The trial week has really, really helped us to adjust

and to start focusing

on what's important in life.

Greg has started to realise that...

..he doesn't need to work all the hours,

that it is just important to have family time.

What colour would you like to be, Daddy?

Yellow, please.

I go first!

-One, two.

-Thank you.

It's made me think the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

There's things here that I think as a family we can adapt to make things

better here to what I thought it would've been like in New Zealand.

Three.

That's rubbish again, I'm back on it!

One, two, three...

Oh, Daddy got a ladder!

I'm not playing!

Since spending more time together in New Zealand,

and then since we've got back,

we started to set up a few routines for ourselves.

So we'll have...

Evie and Greg will go out for an afternoon once a month,

myself and Evie will go out for an afternoon once a month

and then once a month, we'll all go out together as a family.

I feel better in myself as a father

and as a husband than I did before and I think that was also maybe,

like, another missing piece to the family puzzle.

Having moved from Devon to be with Jenni, Greg had found himself often

feeling isolated and lonely in Sheffield.

But taking up a new hobby has proven

a positive step in the right direction.

I've taken up boxing now.

So that plays quite a large role in my life and I really enjoy it.

All the guys at the gym that I've met have been so welcoming and I've made some really good friends.

Keep it nice and long on the jabs, yeah?

Greg's feeling a lot more settled.

He's really started to forge some links, some relationships here.

He looked almost like, gaunt, like he had...

-Yeah.

-Like his cheeks were, like, dead.

-Yeah, you could see it, couldn't you? Now, he...

-Looks natural, yeah.

I kind of feel more cemented here in the UK.

Having my outlet in boxing...

..I have my life as me as well as my life as a husband,

my life as a business owner and my life as a father.

No, you're the scaredy-cat.

-Alfie!

-And there are some more changes on the horizon.

Now a family of four,

life's proving a bit of a squeeze in their two-bedroom home.

When it was just me, Jen and Evie, it was kind of just about doable.

But kind of my work office space

is now kind of in our bedroom, so it's all a little bit cramped.

I get annoyed at Jen because she chucks clothes on my desk

and I'm trying to work and stuff like that,

so it's a bit tight, so we've decided we need to move.

We are now...

..just about in a position in the next few months or so to be moving.

Buying a house together, our family home.

As far as the right house in the UK goes, Jen would be able to list a

million and one things of what she wants from a house.

More space.

More rooms.

Children can have a room that we can shut the door on them,

adults can have a lovely lounge,

which isn't constantly full of toys.

I don't really get a lot of choice in the matter, to be honest,

I'll just be the one that's probably paying for it!

But I'm sure it's going to be a hell of a lot easier to make that move

as a family here in the UK, than it is to a certain extent

go it alone in New Zealand so I think, once again,

100%, right decision.

Come to Grandma.

Deciding to stay in the UK has been welcome news for loved ones.

We're very happy to see them stay.

I mean, we've got a beautiful new grandson

who we're just getting to know.

Hi, Grandad!

I welcome it and it gives us extra time with the two children.

Peepo!

Peepo!

Peepo!

They are very happy and they were all saying,

"Oh, well, we're really glad.

"We wouldn't have wanted you to go,

"we would have supported it, but we wouldn't have wanted you to have."

And now they just ignore it like it's never actually happened.

-Cartwheels!

-However,

the door's not completely shut on the down under dream.

Having had a taste of what New Zealand can offer,

Jenni is keen to keep the option open for the future.

Ethan!

In my head, it is only a postponement.

If I think about us never going to New Zealand...

..I do get quite sad.

Jenni's hoping they might revisit the idea in five years' time,

but with their full and busy life in the UK,

Greg's more than happy to stay settled in Sheffield for the foreseeable future.

-Auntie Claire's going to get her shoes.

-Come on.

I get the occasional moment where I think,

"Oh, have made the right decision or have I not?"

And then I quite often sort of set my mind back to when we kind of did

the reality check out there in New Zealand and we had the prices and everything,

what it would cost to eat, what it would cost to live.

My mind sort of skips straight back to that and I think...

..yeah, I have made the right decision.

I'm not convinced that we are on the same page!

I do feel we might regret the decision in the future

if we don't even give it a try.

I think New Zealand would have been a good place...

..but I don't think the UK's a bad thing for us, either.

I'm happy where we are and I'm happy with where we're at as a family.

It's been an eventful year for the Wallens,

but it looks like it could be a while longer

before Greg and Jenni are in total agreement.

Wherever their final destination may be,

we wish the whole family a very happy future.