Fitzpatrick Family Wanted Down Under Revisited

Starting a new life in a country you've never been to

requires a massive leap of faith,

especially if you've also to convince your partner

it's the right move.

Hoping to do just that,

in 2012, Billy Fitzpatrick spent a trial week in New Zealand

with his family. Four years on,

we're going back to see what happened next.

On their original week down under

Billy's wife, Beth, just couldn't see the appeal.

It's a no.

It's not an option for me.

It doesn't make it feasible.

Complete no.

And it looked like moving would cause heartache

for the couple's children.

I'd love to make new friends here

but I'd really miss my friends and family back home.

So, four years on,

have the Fitzpatricks made themselves at home in Scotland

or New Zealand?

I was torn apart because my heart was somewhere else.

Known for its relaxed lifestyle,

New Zealand has long been a draw for Brits seeking a new life.

Being the same size as the UK

but with a fraction of the population

only adds to the country's appeal.

But reality doesn't always meet expectations.

Many expats return home, giving up on their dream.

In 2012 the Fitzpatrick family faced a major dilemma.

After spending a week experiencing the reality of life in New Zealand,

they had to decide whether they would stay in the UK

or make the move down under for good.

Today, we'll find out where the Fitzpatricks now call home.

Four years ago,

the family travelled over 12,000 miles for their trial week.

After 23 hours in the air, they finally reached Auckland.

And it seemed they'd taken the travelling in their stride.

The journey wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.

Yeah, the flight here was fantastic,

don't know what all the fuss was about.

I could do that again tomorrow.

One member of the family begged to differ.

Really, really long and really, really boring.

HE LAUGHS

Home for the Fitzpatricks was the village of Twechar near Glasgow.

Beth, a florist, and Billy, a prison officer, lived with their two boys,

Paul, then aged nine, and Lucas, who was two.

The village had been Beth's home for most of her life,

but Billy had an itch that just wouldn't go away.

Over the years Beth and I have been together,

it's always been at the back of my mind, and I've bugged her.

Every now and again, I'll mention it, and she'll say,

"No, it's not happening."

Beth had never been taken by the idea of emigrating

and leaving her family behind.

Billy's been looking to emigrate now

for probably about... I would say about 12 years.

And I was always of a mind that it wasn't for me.

And I used to say, not while my gran's here,

and, unfortunately, she passed away ten years ago.

And then he's still gone on and I said,

"No, not while my mum and dad's here."

But since we've lost my dad,

it's put a lot of things into perspective,

so I think now...maybe it's time to follow his dream now.

Billy was hoping the country could offer their children

a better future.

We can pretty much settle anywhere.

I could live in a cardboard box on the hard shoulder of the M8

if I had to.

But as long as my boys are safe and well,

and they get all the opportunities that I want them to have

that I never had, then that's important to me.

And the couple both believed the wildlife and lifestyle

in New Zealand would particularly benefit Paul.

He's been dubbed Nature Boy since he could walk.

The prospects of Paul having a more outdoor lifestyle over there

appeal to me greatly.

But any future in New Zealand would come at a very high price.

The hardest part would be leaving Beth's mum.

She is a massive part of our lives, you know,

a massive part of the kids' lives.

And I think that's going to be really, really tough.

I'm a wee bit nervous about moving to New Zealand.

Because I won't be able to, like,

every Friday, stop for a break and go to my granny's.

That's the biggest part of my life,

is my grandkids.

Leaving my mum is going to be the hardest part of the move for us.

I don't think she realises just how hard it's going to be,

going away and leaving the boys.

Not having the boys.

And I think she'll really struggle with that.

The Fitzpatricks faced a painful dilemma.

While Billy believed New Zealand

would offer his family a better life,

moving would see Beth separated from the mum she loved.

The family chose to visit Auckland for their trial week.

The city offers plenty of work and lifestyle opportunities,

but property prices can be high.

Home for the family's week was the Saint Heliers Bay area.

And this two-bedroom house offered a good base for exploring Auckland.

Wow.

What does that say?

"Welcome to New Zealand Fitzpatrick family."

-That's nice, isn't it?

-You think they knew we were coming here?

The spot was a perfect start for Billy,

and he was quick to point out why.

I mean, if we were sat out in our back garden just now,

on a bench similar to this, which we've got,

would it be like this? Would it be as quiet as this?

Would you smell the sea air?

Would you have sunshine like this?

Billy seemed to have entranced Beth,

but she was busy thinking about the distance from her mum.

If my mum turned round to us and said,

"I really don't want you to go,"

then I think it would make

the decision very, very difficult for us.

And I would be left in a quandary, I would be really stuck,

I wouldn't know what to do.

Back in the UK, Beth and Billy owned a four-bedroom house in Twechar,

a village near Glasgow.

And it was a house they'd completely transformed.

This house has been a labour of love.

It's been... It's been an adventure.

Having been bitten by the DIY bug,

the couple were looking to do the same in New Zealand.

Similar to what we've got, in its own plot, three, four bedrooms,

needing quite a bit of work.

Because I quite enjoy getting my hands dirty.

The family's property budget was £200,000.

To give them an idea of the cost of homes down under

we'd lined up three properties for them to view

based on their ideal home

and what they could afford.

The family's first stop was in Avondale.

Close to the city centre,

the area has countryside and national parks nearby,

which should have suited everyone.

The three-bedroom house was on a good-sized plot

and needed some renovation,

which could have made it ideal for Beth and Billy.

This is more like a project, isn't it?

Something we could get our teeth into.

Imagine the size of this room, though, if you could...

-Just empty it.

-Leave...what? Nothing?

Nothing. No, nothing.

Beth and Billy took the house in their stride,

and by the time they got outside

Billy was totally in his element.

Look at the size of this place, Beth.

So that could be, like, a private entrance for your mum.

Fenced at that side.

She'd still have her own separate kitchen.

That wouldn't be that expensive, babe.

But Beth wasn't impressed by the views.

And just to make matters worse...

TRAIN RUMBLES

..a train at the bottom of the garden

maybe wasn't a winning feature.

But would the price make the property more appealing?

The couple's budget was £200,000,

and they had both seen SOME potential at first.

£207,000, or 420,000.

It was slightly over budget.

If that was negotiable,

then I would certainly be interested in speaking to them.

No, the work doesn't faze me.

But could you honestly live with the noise

that that train made on the way past?

-On a daily basis?

-Yeah, I could.

Mmm.

I couldn't live with a pylon out my living-room window,

and a train line in the back garden.

The next house the family viewed was set in Papatoetoe,

12 miles from the city centre.

But would it provide the peace and quiet Beth craved?

The three-bedroom house needed some work,

but that shouldn't have been anything

the Fitzpatricks couldn't handle.

The boys were happy to leave viewing to Mum and Dad.

It's quite a nice outside space.

Nice and protected and covered.

Is that French doors as well?

-I'm assuming that would open clean up.

-Open out.

Billy was doing a good job selling this house,

but would the inside appeal to Beth?

-Nice cornice.

-Yeah.

The only thing missing's a ceiling rose, babe.

-We could fix that.

-You would open that up,

so that you'd have all the natural daylight.

Think of the light they're losing by having that closed.

I would want that opened up.

AEROPLANE ENGINE ROARS

Aeroplane.

How close to the airport are we?

We're going from bad to worse here, aren't we?

Planes, trains and pylons.

It wasn't going well for Beth,

but maybe finding the quiet countryside she wanted

wasn't possible in a big city.

Billy wasn't beaten easily, though,

and hoped space for Beth's mum would help change her mind.

Could this be the granny annexe?

I just don't think the house fits.

-The rooms don't fit.

-Mm-hm.

-Not for what we need it for.

-Yeah.

Nice try, Billy.

Was there any chance the price would help sell this house to Beth?

£197,000.

399,000.

I think, at that price, it's a decent house for someone.

But it would be just not for us.

-No, I would agree with that.

-OK.

House-hunting wasn't going well.

However, there was one way of getting the perfect place

for DIY-ers like Beth and Billy -

having a house built from scratch.

This four-bedroom property

was the show home for a design the couple could have put

in any location that suited their tastes.

Wow, this is nice, isn't it?

Really nice.

It's nice and bright.

I like the windows.

Upstairs also made a good impression.

Wow, this is gorgeous.

Look.

Look at the window.

That glass...

Beautiful, isn't it?

You can see into the sky.

The Fitzpatricks had taken to the style of this house.

Now they needed to find a plot of land where they could build it.

One option was Massey.

On the northern outskirts of Auckland,

it was close enough to the motorway

to make it an easy drive to the city.

The family were met by estate agent Janet Jones,

who had several plots of land in the area.

Now, this is it.

This lovely fresh grass.

And we've got the big motorway extended to Albany.

It's one of the fastest-growing areas in Auckland.

It's a good location.

Had the Fitzpatricks found the ideal package?

Absolutely no way.

-No.

-Not for you?

No. I couldn't live that close to pylons

and that close to a main motorway.

No way.

The location seemed to have put Beth off

building a new house altogether.

But would the price bring her back round?

Well, moment of truth.

-You ready for this?

-Go for it.

OK.

At around £300,000 for the land and house,

it looked like the option was blown out of the water.

For £300,000 I would not be buying a house

that had motorway noise and pylons behind it, so...

So it's a definite no now?

It's not even a consideration.

OK.

It hadn't been a great end to the day, but overall,

had the Fitzpatricks been swayed by Auckland properties?

The first house was exactly the kind of property they'd want to take on,

until Beth heard a train and spotted a pylon.

The couple both saw the potential in the second house,

but being on a flight path was far from ideal.

And although everyone fell for the last house,

the location was a letdown for Beth.

So when it came to properties, which way did the Fitzpatricks vote?

-UK.

-Undecided.

-New Zealand.

I'm afraid to say, for what we've seen today,

I'm not prepared to give up my house,

to move to the houses here for the money that they want.

Back in the UK, Billy had worked as a prison officer for 16 years...

..and Beth as a florist for 17 years.

The family's aim was for Billy to work in New Zealand

while Beth stayed at home with the children

until they were settled.

We'd arranged for Billy to visit Auckland Prison

to find out what his future could hold.

His day got under way with a tour of the facilities

with prison manager Neil Beales.

These guard towers are no longer manned...

-They're not used any more?

-CCTV.

If Billy was to make his dream move a reality,

getting the right role and salary would be crucial.

After his tour, he sat down to talk shop with Neil.

What comparison would I have, salary-wise,

to what I get in the UK?

The starting salary of a prison officer here

is round about the 50...

about the 50K mark.

You'd start on the starting salary for a corrections officer,

should that be the avenue that you go through.

It's a bit less than I earn at the moment,

but then I'm 17 years down the line.

It's considerably more than the officers

back in Scotland start on.

It's a good few thousand pounds more.

£25,000 would mean a £3,000 dip,

but with his experience, Billy could progress quickly,

which left just one more question.

So, Neil, what are the job opportunities

for someone like me in Auckland?

In our region alone, we're looking at 100 vacancies at the moment,

as we sit here today.

Everything you've told me today

indicates to me that you're the kind of person

that we would like to talk to.

That was great news.

Billy would be in demand, even if it meant having to take a pay cut.

But had he seen enough

to consider restarting his career in New Zealand?

New Zealand.

The opportunities that I would have for progression,

and the things that I do that they seem interested in,

it's an absolute no-brainer for me.

Billy had been taken by what he'd heard,

and was keen to share the news with Beth.

Hello.

Hi. Was it what you expected?

It was more than I expected.

Would we be able to survive on your salary alone,

if we had to come here?

There wouldn't be really that much of a change

between the UK and New Zealand, so, yeah, it would be good.

It would be good.

Billy's job prospects had excited him,

but could the couple afford to move?

They'd bought their home in the UK as a project for £140,000

and spent years renovating it.

Three years previously,

it had been valued at £270,000,

but the property market had changed dramatically since.

We sent round two estate agents to give us their valuations.

It's lovely.

Really nice outlook from this room actually.

It's quite dark.

It's very different.

It's obviously a modern kitchen.

A good-sized master bedroom.

Quite generous proportions.

Lovely big window, as well.

OK, this is a great big room.

This is exactly what you'd like to see in, I think, any family home.

In terms of the present value,

I would value the property in the range of 220,000 to 230,000.

I would recommend putting it on the market

at offers in the region of 229.

So, my expectation on market value,

I'd expect the surveyor to

value the property around the £250,000 mark.

That being the case,

with a supporting Home Report valuation,

we would recommend an asking price of offers in excess of £235,000.

It was quite a drop from the previous valuation.

I think it's what we expected, but not what we wanted to hear.

The lower valuation meant a possible hole in the couple's finances.

Billy's only hope was there would be a positive outcome

when calculating the family's living costs down under.

One woman's haircut, one man's haircut...

THEY LAUGH

-Do you think we could make a saving there?

-So it's the same.

132, so, £59, it's the same.

If you added those three, it would probably come out roughly the same.

I don't think there's a massive...

..difference between the two.

The couple wouldn't be much worse off,

but there was one big gap in their finances

yet to be considered.

Initially, Beth wouldn't be working.

But when we think that we're coming over here with just me working,

earning £1,530...

..our current outgoings would be £2,426, which is...

..£900...

-Short.

-..short every month.

It doesn't make it feasible.

Really.

£900 a month was a massive shortfall.

In one stroke, it looked like Billy's dream was over.

Or was it?

I suppose the thing that's jumping in now for me

is to try and convince your mum to come with us.

If my mum would come with us then...

..you know, we'd be fine from day one,

because I know she'd be there to help look after the kids

round your shifts.

Which means it wouldn't be such an issue you going out to work.

It was a good idea, but before trying to persuade Beth's mum,

the couple had to be sure themselves.

So, how did they vote?

-Undecided.

-UK.

I want to vote New Zealand, but it's just not doable just now.

Finances were a big step backwards for Billy.

With so much at stake,

the family needed to find out

if New Zealand could offer the lifestyle they hoped for.

With Paul passionate about nature,

Beth, Billy and the boys wanted to get close up with wildlife.

Oh, what are we going to see? There's the butterflies.

I think the kids are having a fabulous time today.

The reality is beginning to set in of what life could be like.

The day had picked up everyone's spirits,

but it wasn't all gentle fun.

Luckily, nature-loving Paul didn't scare easily.

How cool was that, dude?

Super cool.

Super cool.

After a day getting to grips with the wildlife,

it was time to vote.

-ALL:

-New Zealand.

It was the first unanimous vote.

The Fitzpatricks had really taken to Auckland's lifestyles.

I liked getting to touch baby crocodiles

and seeing the giant ones.

But emotions were mixed.

Really sad cos I'd love to make new friends here,

but I'd really miss my friends and family back home.

Their day out had shown the Fitzpatricks

everything they could gain from a move down under,

but they also had to consider what they had to lose at home.

Beth and Billy decided to watch messages from home

together with the boys.

Hi, guys.

How's things out in New Zealand?

Hi, Billy, Beth, kids.

I hope you're having fun.

Beth has a really lovely personality,

she is very easy-going.

Absolutely fantastic with her two kids.

The two kids are her life.

Well, what I'd say about Billy is,

why say it in two words when 500 would do?

Billy and Elizabeth Ann are a good family,

their love for each other, they've got the two boys.

of which the two of them I actually adore.

They'll do anything for their kids.

Plus any of the family.

We can always imagine Paul when he's older

and it's with the wee girl and the wee cardigan

and the wee half-moon glasses,

whereas Lucas will be coming home with the tattoos

and the leather jacket.

Beth is one of my closest friends, anyway.

And you don't get many very close friends that you can, you know...

-Rely on.

-..rely on.

The house is going to be funny

because I'm not going to have the kids coming in every day.

It's their wee cheery faces that comes round the door

that you're going to miss.

I only hope that it works out for them.

He's always been there for me and...

..just now he's only maybe 15 minutes away in the car.

To the other side of the world, it's...

It's a big difference, a big difference.

He's everything to me.

Remember, this is for life, go and enjoy it.

-CRIES:

-Go and enjoy, Bill, and remember,

I'll only be a phone call away when yous are away,

and I love yous to bits. But enjoy your new life out there.

PAUL CRIES

Hey, come on.

Come on.

Come on, now.

Hey, come on, it's not that bad.

Come on. Come on.

You'll see her again very soon. You know that, don't you?

You'll see her next week.

Right?

Seeing messages from the people they love

was a painful experience for everyone.

It was now time to cast the last and most decisive vote.

Had the taste of a new life

convinced the family to leave everything in the UK?

-ALL:

-New Zealand.

Why did you pick New Zealand?

I picked New Zealand because I had a really good time.

What about you, missus?

I know. Kind of surprised myself.

I think with it being such a nice place to bring up the boys.

You guys are the most important things to us,

the lifestyle that we can have, I think we can make it work here.

THEY LAUGH

When we caught up with them in 2014,

the family were living in Wellington in New Zealand.

Beth had been convinced

a better lifestyle awaited her family down under.

At the end of the trial week,

I think we had realised

just how family-focused New Zealand is as a whole.

People were very friendly, welcoming,

and the boys enjoyed the great outdoors,

being in and around nature,

and I think, by the end of the week, it was an easy decision.

And breaking the news to her mum

that they were moving to the other side of the world

had been easier than expected.

She put the kettle on, sat down and said,

"OK, so when are yous going?"

I don't think that she ever thought we would stay in Scotland.

She knew, deep down,

that it was best for the kids to make the move.

The Fitzpatricks began planning to emigrate.

After their trial week,

they had stayed on in New Zealand touring the North Island,

where Billy made enquiries at prisons.

I had an interview in two of them,

and I was, again, fortunate enough

to be offered positions in both of them.

Billy accepted a job offer from a prison in Wellington,

and after waiting 11 months to get the paperwork processed,

he was finally on his way.

I had 11 days from the minute my visa landed

to me getting on a plane and leaving.

Less than two weeks later,

Beth and the boys had waved Billy off at Glasgow Airport,

not knowing for sure when they'd be together again.

This was something we found Paul really struggled with,

and I think it was because he didn't know

when the next time was going to be that he would,

you know, see his dad again.

It was immensely hard saying goodbye to them.

But again, we made a decision that we were going to keep it brief.

Beth was left to pack up the family's life in the UK.

Selling the house was heartbreaking.

It was very difficult, very stressful,

and lots of sleepless nights.

Beth and the boys were finally reunited with Billy

in February 2014,

and were preparing to move

into their dream home in Upper Hutt soon after.

The house is everything that we would want it to be.

Six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a cinema room,

it's got everything it needs to have.

It's a beautiful area.

Beautiful street.

Lots and lots of space.

So I'm really looking forward to making it a home for the boys.

With keys in hand, the family were keen to get settled in.

Very careful.

Everything is...

a bit crazy.

Billy was enjoying work at a nearby prison,

but had already set his sights

on moving up the ranks.

I'm currently a corrections officer,

which is the first rung on the ladder.

I've applied for a promotion to a senior corrections officer,

where they look for a bit of experience, a bit of leadership.

Billy got the job he wanted, and overall

it looked like New Zealand was delivering on all fronts.

We're spending just about every waking moment together.

Whereas before we would have just sat at home, stuck the telly on,

or been on the computer.

We're getting out, exploring, going walking,

the boys have taken up fishing.

Oh! Is that rod twitching?

But the boys had mixed opinions on the climate.

I like living in New Zealand because it's nice and hot

and we never had that back in Scotland.

But it's too windy and cold.

Sometimes, Lucas, sometimes.

Sometimes.

Arguments with his brother aside,

nature-mad Paul was spending more time up close with wildlife.

Mum, look at me.

We've seen some cicadas, we've seen...

We've seen some fish.

We've seen crabs, we've seen starfish.

-We've been lucky.

-You know what I saw on my own?

A dead sock.

Beth and Billy believed the country's outdoor lifestyle

had helped the boys settle.

I think because we've been out and about and did so much exploring,

and going on so many adventures for them,

I think that's helped greatly...

..in them becoming used to living here and calling this their home.

But there was something, or rather someone, everyone missed from home.

I really miss my gran.

I miss her yummy cooking.

Without a doubt, they are missing Granny.

Who wouldn't? She's a great person.

And not physically having a hug off her

has been difficult at times, particularly for the big fella.

The couple were also missing some home comforts.

Teabags.

I can't have a proper cup of tea.

And I miss the school dinners.

-A curry.

-Yeah.

If you go for a Chinese takeaway, it's completely different here.

Plain bread and square sausage and brown sauce

and a big mug of tea on a Sunday morning with the newspaper.

That doesn't happen here.

But ultimately, the Fitzpatricks had no regrets.

In the future, I am hoping that we have a nice happy life

and it all turns out well.

We make lots of new friends and we get into lots of after-school clubs.

My hopes for the future are living in a nice airy family beach house

and I think, once I get that...

..I'll be living the dream.

To anyone out there who has got doubts or fears...

..I had all of those doubts and fears and I didn't want to come,

but now that I've been out here and I've experienced the country

and the people, I would recommend anyone to give it a go.

Our future, in my eyes, is here now.

For me, also, the future's got to be here.

With Billy's promotion in the prison service,

it looked like the Fitzpatricks were all set

for a very happy future in New Zealand.

Two years later,

we've caught up with them again to find out where they are now.

It's May 2016,

and Billy, Beth, Paul and Lucas have relocated to...

Raumati Beach,

just over 30 miles north-west of Wellington.

But although not far from the house we last saw them in,

the move has been far from straightforward.

I don't believe you want to put butter

on that tiny, tiny, tiny little bit.

In the months after we last caught up with the family,

the lure of the country Billy had longed to call home

had begun to lose its shine.

On the surface, everything looked good.

We had the beach on our doorstep, a really good job,

the kids were thriving.

Beth was loving it.

It looked great. Everything appeared to be great.

But it wasn't.

My mum came for a visit.

Billy very quickly became homesick.

It had been gradual and there had been many conversations

about things that he had missed,

and was it really worth giving up the life that we had

to be so far away and missing so much about our life in Scotland?

That's that question, isn't it? What's the weather like?

Things came to a head when Billy was invited to the wedding

of one of his closest friends' sons back in the UK.

I was supposed to be there, and because I wasn't going to be there,

that was tough.

And I didn't think something like that would hit me as hard...

..but I think it was a combination of a lot of different things.

That was just the kind of straw that broke the camel's back.

Seeing how upset he was, Beth decided it was time for action.

Watching Billy crumble was just the final nail in the coffin for me.

We made the decision that night that we were going home,

and because we couldn't afford to go back for a holiday,

we just decided,

"Right, let's just sell everything we have, book the flights

"and go back."

Tell Granny.

-Look at the camera.

-'Are you still playing football?'

Yeah, I'm still playing.

'Are you scoring the goals?'

-No.

-He's a defender, aren't you?

I just tackle and pass it.

Paul and Lucas were quite happy to pack up

and return to their old life in the UK too.

At that point...

..all the boys could think about was seeing Granny.

And a Chinese takeaway.

Did he tell you what he did in science a few weeks ago?

Ironically, the only person who wasn't thrilled

about returning to Scotland was Beth.

Even though it was me that made the decision to go back,

I didn't want to go back.

I was happy, I was settled.

But it's not the dream when your whole family don't feel the same.

With the decision made, Billy handed his notice in at work.

Well, tried to, anyway.

My boss at work, rather than accepting my resignation...

..gave me 12 months' leave without pay.

He said, "I know you'll come back.

"You've worked so hard to get here.

"Don't throw it all away."

'Remember when we played Head And Shoulders with the singing?

'Lucas...

'# Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes... #'

THEY LAUGH

Scheduled to return to the UK just five weeks before they could qualify

for permanent residency in New Zealand,

they decided Beth and the boys would go first,

in case any of them ever wanted to return.

The first few weeks when we returned to Scotland,

it was like the boys had never been away.

They went back to the life that they knew, they were happy,

it was approaching summertime, so they were out playing

with people they knew.

Staying with her mum, Beth found the move harder than anticipated.

-Bye!

-'Love you!'

It was difficult, because I was so glad to be back where I come from,

but I was torn apart because my heart was somewhere else.

And when it came to Billy's departure day,

he had mixed emotions, too.

I missed Wellington the minute I got on that plane.

When you take off, and you're straight over the water,

I just... I didn't...

I knew I had to go back, I knew I had to go back,

but the minute I left,

I started missing this place.

Once reunited in Scotland,

it wasn't long before Billy and Beth were discussing

where their future really lay once again.

Three days after arriving,

Beth and I were sitting having a private moment,

and she looked at me, she said, "What are you thinking?"

I said, "You don't want to know what I'm thinking."

He said to me, "I think we've made the wrong decision."

So, we knew, we knew we had to change where we were going to be.

Having flown halfway around the world to get there,

Beth and Billy felt they had to give life in Scotland a fair try.

Billy returned to his old job,

and the family moved into rented accommodation,

but New Zealand was still on their mind.

Several weeks later...

..I went to a psychic evening, and before I went

we had actually started pricing up flights

and...when I was at this psychic night,

my dad and my brother both came through...

..and they both said,

"Stop talking about the flights and just book them,"

which totally blew me away.

Throwing caution to the wind,

the couple made the bold decision to give New Zealand a second chance,

despite concerns about uprooting the boys all over again.

The gravity of what we were about to do was such

that we just didn't want to tell them until we HAD to tell them.

The family returned down under in November 2015,

and settled back into the life by the beach

they'd left just a few months earlier.

I was literally five days back in the country

and I was back working in the prison again.

The kids were enrolled in the school and back at school.

We made a bad decision, we went to Scotland.

Then we came back and that's this.

That's that.

They initially rented this four-bedroom house

in Raumati Beach for six months,

but have since made it a more permanent home.

In the past three weeks, we've actually now just bought the house,

which is great, because it's now somewhere to call our own.

This is a kitchen/diner.

Clearly needs lots of work done.

Going to be busy.

HE LAUGHS

This is Lucas's room. This is one of three big bedrooms down the stair.

There he is.

And another feature was all the sliders,

all the ranch sliders that come off every bedroom.

Straight out onto the deck,

so the downside to that is that when we think they're still sleeping...

..the two of them are sitting out there playing,

you know, at night. So, we need to keep an eye on that.

But, no, really, really good-sized rooms.

THEY LAUGH

Good-sized back garden. The kids are down there somewhere.

And look at the view.

The hills in the distance.

Very private.

Really nice. Really nice.

It's very, very clear...

..we've now put our roots down.

We've done all that wandering,

wandering and wondering, if you like.

We now know, this is it for us.

And buying this place was just...

That's sealing the deal.

Paul and Lucas are both coping well with being back down under.

When we got back, it was just nice weather for weeks.

Nice house.

Good friends.

I've been going to school a lot.

I've been on some play dates and parties.

Yes, they miss their friends in Twechar...

..they miss their Saturday-night takeaways...

..but the boys don't really talk about life in Scotland any more.

Now in his teens, Paul's making the most of life by the coast.

We've joined quite a few clubs.

I've got sailing all year round.

Spring and summer, we've got sailing, and then autumn and winter,

we've got, like, in the Scout Den,

and we're learning to tie knots and how to set the boats up properly.

We are definitely enjoying our clubs.

In the past few weeks, Billy has also been promoted at work.

A vacancy came up for a senior management post.

It was a job I knew I could do.

I decided I wanted to stretch myself a little bit more.

The new job was in the same office Billy visited

during his trial week four years ago.

The bad news is that's over 300 miles away in Auckland,

but the good news is, he has every weekend off.

As much as he's not here Monday to Friday...

..the boys are actually getting more quality time with Billy

because they have him all weekend long.

The Fitzpatricks have proven to be ping-pong Poms,

but it looks like they've finally made themselves at home down under.

It's been a massive roller-coaster, huge roller-coaster.

Emotionally, we've been dragged around the place, all four of us.

But we all now know...

..even the kids...

..that this is where we are and this is where we want to be.

And because we've been back

and had a look at the other side of our lives

back in Scotland...

..we now know that this is the right place for us.

I was gutted at going back, but I'm glad we did it

because I know now that...

..it's definitely been the right decision for us

to come here as a family.

-My feet are getting wet.

-You don't really want wet socks, do you?

I found a wet sock!

It was a dead sock.

That's what you get, smarty-pants.

And when I'm down on the beach watching Paul out on a sailboat,

I am living the dream.

As far as me and Lucas go, we're really enjoying life here.

Ready?

You threw yours at the front.

You're obviously going to win, aren't you?

But the best part about being here is that we're all here,

we're together and we're happy.

Billy and Beth are more convinced than ever

their family belongs in New Zealand.

With two international moves under their belt in as many years,

they're testament to the motto, if at first you don't succeed,

try, try again.

We wish them, Paul and Lucas a very happy future down under.