Norwegian thinking about studying in New Zealand

Hello

I've recently been thinking about studying in New Zealand.
I'm not going to ask about the general life as a student, but rather how it is to live in New Zealand. Yes, this is a     “big” question, so I thought I can help a little bit with what I'm wondering about, which is most about the social aspect.

Just fast going through some of the comments here, I'm kind of stunned by the underlying racism which many points towards: foreigners are not seen in a good light, and that it's a little bit hard to find friends etc.  What I'm wondering about is if this is more of a cultural thing or is it really a reality? Would it be difficult to find friends over there and, also, love? These are probably the most important question for me, as the other ones doesn't matter that much. I mean, the whole idea for going abroad for me is always to get friends and socialize with people from all over the world and especially the from the country I'm visiting.

When it comes to the actually cost of living in New Zealand, I'm really not that worried. Coming from probably the most expensive country in the world, we always get shocked going abroad. I don't expect China-prices on things, but it would be significantly cheaper than in Norway.

One other thing is the general safety. Is it safe to go out in cities like Wellington and Auckland? I'm not expecting Shanghai-safety here (which is one of the safest cities I've lived in)

So, would people recommend going from a place in the Arctic to a place “close” to Antarctica?