nero

I love living in Auckland and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but it is not everyone's cup of tea. We came here in 2007, and if we were migrating today we would not be able to afford where we live today. Prices have shot up and are out of the reach of many, I have friends kiwis and expats looking to buy and there is little they can afford these days. I have a great job and an easy commute, which if need be can be walked. I love the local parks and the various beaches and enjoy paddle boarding throughout the year. We may live in a city, but I have seen orcas, Dolphins, fur seals, sting rays and even a southern right whale all within the boundaries of the city. So maybe I have just been lucky, who knows, but I will be staying in this city for some time yet.

BEVS

You saw the Southern Right whale ?

nero

I drove past him as I headed into work, it was slightly surreal, but very cool too. Then a minke whale beached itself on one of the local beaches the other day, luckily they managed to get him back in the water and out into the Hauraki Gulf. The wildlife has gone mad

Justcol

What we are seeing in this thread is the smugness of those who bought in auckland before the silly season started
They will now be prepared to endure almost anything for a potential further increase in house prices.

For me the huge numbers who are cashing in on their overpriced shacks and moving away tells the real story.
If Auckland was as wonderful as we are we constantly being force fed by the needy and greedy, then surely
the miserable masses who are leaving would be choosing to stay, after all, its such a wonderful city. . . . . isnt it !!

jparsons

Wow, not even owning property myself but bitter much?

killercat

i too live on the Hibiscus coast (Auckland) and totally understand what your saying, whilst i love the life, beaches and general lifestyle i too struggle with the high cost of homes and general living costs. we have been here 5 years and seen the area grow so quickly, what used to take me 3/4 hour to get too work now takes an hour and a half. we researched well, came out for a long reccie and still find myself amazed at the amount i have to pay out to live in Auckland, nothing prepared me for the full cost of living or the ever increasing house prices. So we are in the same boat and will be moving off to the South Island, where hopefully we will be able to afford to live more comfortably. So to anyone thinking of coming to Auckland, prepare well and save hard. just to clarify thou, I do love life in the city but sadely we have found ourselves unable to afford to enjoy what it offers.

bearskin

That's a genuinely horrible post, shame.

lisamct

Wow...little bit on the harsh side maybe!

I worked bloody hard in a job where I was on call 24/7 to get a deposit together to buy in Auckland 2 years ago, so well into the 'silly season'. I'm neither needy or greedy but I live in Auckland, and commute 45 mins to work every day because I love living here.
I tried living in smaller cities here but the slow quite life of small towns isnt for me.
I like the busyness, the people, the diversity, the ability to go get sushi at 2am if I really want to!

Not everyone came to NZ to live by the beach or in a lifestyle block in the middle of the country, personally I cant think of anything worse and I'd move on to somewhere else if that was my only option here so no need to be outright rude to people who have different priorities to you.

jparsons

This 100%

Justcol

Whats even more annoying now is the fact that those cashed up Jaffas are now forcing up prices all
around the top of the north island.

Small townships like Te Kauwhata are being developed and the residents are being priced out.
Even Huntly homes are hawked around as possibilities for commuters, its ridiculous.

Im over 160km away and the number of aucklanders moving out is pushing prices up here. Now I could
sit back and say great, money for Jam, and rub my hands as the value of my place rockets, but, I look
at those trying to buy a first home in a town they've grown up in, and they see the possibility of home
ownership getting further and further away.

I don't see what any of my comments has to do with those who rent !!

jparsons

Its your assumption that everyone that lives in auckland,
a) owns a home
b) are well off

and c) are all some sort of money greedy,manipulative, scheming tycoons specifically trying to ruin NZ.

It is apparent that you have an intense hatred of those who just happen to live in Auckland.

Justcol

no, just those who feign sincerity

outback sunset

personal problems anyone?

Purrball

Personally, I wouldn't class Auckland as a 'big' city. In terms of numbers, it's about the same size as Prague, or 40% larger than Birmingham.

It doesn't even rank in the top 200 of global cities by population. By any measure in terms of population, historical and cultural impact on the world stage… New York, London, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing and other cities like Moscow, Hong Kong, Rio, Sydney, Istanbul, Berlin, Madrid, L.A, Seoul, San Francisco; these all are 'big' cities, in my view. Personally, I'd far rather live in Amsterdam than Auckland.

I've always loved cities. Perhaps it's because I'm a Wellingtonian by birth, or perhaps because I live right in the heart of London just a 30 minute walk from Piccadilly Circus or a little bit further, this weekend's Notting Hill Carnival, but I've never liked Auckland as a city. To me, it's a sprawl of almost-generic suburbia, with pockets of natural beauty but with little of interest at its heart. It's not particularly walkable or even that vibrant in the centre in the evenings. Many of my friends who still live there often tell me that they rarely go into 'town'. Whenever I'm there, like a spectator, I'm often seeing it from the inside of a car, with little sense of 'place' in between getting about. Even its weather is vastly over-rated.

However, when I last visited, at least I heard and saw a profusion of nationalities and languages in the streets which makes it New Zealand's most cosmopolitan city in my view, one where you satisfy that 2am craving for sushi. I'm also not particularly invested in the petty parochial rivalry where the term 'JAFA' is bandied about; I can say Auckland was where I felt most familiar and comfortable in when visiting, unlike my old home town of Wellington. But if you like urban density, historical and cultural interest, a global standard of public transport and the diverse cultural mix it brings, then no city in New Zealand measures up, in my view.

I understand that people move to New Zealand for various reasons and that big city life isn't for everyone. Auckland certainly has more beaches than London, but for those who work in certain specialised fields, work might be difficult to find. As always, people's mileage may vary.

Justcol

Please do share your thoughts

I could do with a free counselling session from someone I've never met based entirely on three posts on a bad day on an internet forum

feel free to go for it. . . . ya jerk