Eastbourne’s Kiwi cousin: visitors glimpse of life in our New Zealand namesake

A New Zealand expat compares life here with life back home on a small town on New Zealand’s North Island called Eastbourne.
Eastbourne- photo by Emily SwanEastbourne- photo by Emily Swan
Eastbourne- photo by Emily Swan

East Sussex is not the only place you will find ‘Eastbourne’ on a map. It is also the name of a small town on New Zealand’s North Island.

With a population of just under 5,000 people, the New Zealand town is a lot smaller than the Eastbourne we know and love: the shops are more likely to sell Chit-Chats then chocolate digestives, the weather works in reverse and, being 11,000 miles away, the rural landscape is less ‘South Downs’ and more ‘Middle Earth’.

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Nonetheless, the two towns are not as different as they seem. According to Emily Swan, 33, a Kiwi expat who visited Eastbourne earlier this month, the two towns might be continents apart, but they have plenty in common.

Emily Swan's photo of Eastbourne, New ZealandEmily Swan's photo of Eastbourne, New Zealand
Emily Swan's photo of Eastbourne, New Zealand

She said: “We obviously have opposite seasons, but they share the same saltiness of the air and both love fish and chips by the sea”.

Now living in London, Emily was raised in Eastbourne, and first heard about her town’s English counterpart through a family member living in Worthing. She said she was fascinated by the idea of life in a town so far away, but which happened to share a name with her own.

So, when she got the chance to visit Eastbourne over the half marathon weekend (Sunday March 1), she took it, finding herself surprised by the town’s life and vibrancy. She said: “It was actually quite lively! I could definitely see the parallels.

“It exceeded my expectations in every way.

Emily with her brother Tom in New ZealandEmily with her brother Tom in New Zealand
Emily with her brother Tom in New Zealand
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“You don’t think about the fact that there might somewhere with the same name, so far away, and where people lead a different way of life.”

Emily travelled with a group from St Mary’s Church in Marylebone and stayed in the Lions Hotel for two nights. That gave her plenty of time to watch the marathon, soak up the sights, grab a coffee and consider all the ways life In East Sussex compares to life in New Zealand.

Alongside everything else, one of the first things she noticed was the toughness of Eastbourne’s people, a quality that reminded her of townsfolk back home.

She said: “The hardiness of the people - especially the runners out on the seafront working against the wind - reminds me of the spirit of the people of Eastbourne New Zealand.”

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“It seems the ‘Eastbourne spirit’ is something that exists on both continents!”

Eastbourne New Zealand might not be as old as Eastbourne East Sussex- whose history stretches back to the Pre-Roman era - but they share similarly coastal credentials.

Five kilometres south of a small city and directly across the Harbour from Wellington, Emily says both towns offer workers a similar sort of “weekend escape”.

Getting the trans-harbour ferry service from Wellington, one of the biggest cities on New Zealand’s Northern Island, takes less than half an hour and costs between $5 and $8. Once holiday-makers are there, it is all sun, fun and hokey-pokey ice cream.

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NZ’s Eastbourne has a variety of neighbouring bays, complete with sheltered sandy beaches. Further up, there is a bike path leading to Butterfly Creek, a scenic nature reserve in the middle of the East Harbour Regional Park.

Eastbourne, that is, England’s own, has a similar legacy. Already a summer holiday destination for royalty, the town really started growing in the 19th century, when railway connections to London and Brighton, in combination with a series of expansions made by wealthy landowners, cemented Eastbourne as a premier seaside holiday-making destination.

Easy access to the countryside is another thing the New Zealand town shares with its East Sussex cousin, which offers residents easy access to the South Downs, Beachy Head and the Cuckmere River. Like their English counterparts Kiwi Eastbournians are no strangers to heading outside and getting to grips with nature.

In New Zealand, Eastbourne is nestled on the western edge of The East Harbour Regional Park, which is accessible through a series of coastal trails, bike paths and walking routes.

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A picturesque strip of Kiwi countryside, the park’s numerous tracks, lakes and rugged hills- which sometimes reach up to 1,224 feet above sea level- are often explored with a bike or on foot.

The East Harbour Regional Park might be tougher going than the South Downs Way, but rural similarities like these make Emily believe the town must be a wonderful place to settle down and raise children.

She said:”The pace of life here is very relaxed.”

“Eastbourne feels like it has a work life balance.

“You can be home in time to enjoy yourself with family and make sure you connect with the kids. It is possible to get out there into nature and enjoy it the same way someone else might enjoy being on their iPad.”

At the end of the interview, Emily’s thoughts turn to her own childhood and to the kind of upbringing she might like her children to one day have, whether that is here in the UK, or 11,000 miles away in New Zealand. She said: “I’m left wondering at the thought of our Eastbourne and dream one day to return and bring my kids up there, licking hokey pokey ice cream from sandy lips - thrashing out hours playing games like Foursquaure or doubles on the courts of San Antonio.”