
I have never been more jealous. I see living in NZ in my future.
me and the wife have been thinking the same thing. Heck, i think my business would fit in real well down there
as for the weight argument..... i'm gonna call baloney for the most part

my "bigger" game gun is a model 70 winnie, 7mm rem mag, bushnell 3200 elite 3-9x40, stud mounted harris bipod (6-9") , BOSS brake, and a real nice sling
my road hunting truck gun for deer and moose trips is an iron sighted standard configured m14s/usgi rifle in a custom composite stock.
my under 100 yard, walking thru the thick stuff or ambushing rifle is and always will be my trusty BSA no1 mk3 .303 brit with scope and sling
the winnie is the heaviest by a couple pounds,and still wieghs more than my standard config m14s with arms mount and bushnell optic installed
i guess everyone starts to compare to the latest greatest, lightest rifles seen these days..... which used to be geared for sheep hunters, who recoil be damned, needed to pack as light as possible, rifle included.
nevr had a single problem carrying any of the above three rifles on which ever hunt they were needed for. I'm disabled with a pelvic/lower spine injury too boot.
the m14s is an excellent rifle for hunting pretty much anything in north america with exceptions of course. maybe not an ideal cartridge for the largest of game, griz, bison ect..... but given an appropriate range, shot placement and bullet choice, withe the .308 they are all dead.
the M14s is an excellent .308 delivery system when it comes to hunting applications. rugged, affordable to buy, reasonably affordable to feed and simple to maintain once you get the hang of it.