jasoncwarner

Hi Everyone -

Sorry to ask a question that has been asked countless times, but I was hoping to get some fresh perspective to my unique constraints.

My wife, 18 month old son and I are anticipating a move to NZ by June '10. My wife is a family physician considering Locum work outside either Auckland or Wellington. I am a computer programmer by trade but have been managing people and projects (CTO/VP Engineering) for the past 5 years.

Our interests are the following:

* Triathlon (swim, bike, run)
* Beaches/oceans
* Hiking
* Spending time together as a family either on adventures or trips (and hikes)
* We live in AZ/USA so heat isn't a problem, but we rather do not like humidity.
* My wife HATES the cold

A side note: I would like to start a software company when we move. That would necessitate having access to a fairly skilled and educated talent pool. I have a consulting business here as well as a small software product line. I would like to do the same in NZ.

My wife and I are thinking Auckland, but a friend told us we were should be thinking Wellington. From what we've read about Wellington it didn't seem to fit our lifestyle. Can anyone comment on the differences between the two specific to what you see above?

Thank you! I would appreciate any feedback. A move of this magnitude is obviously nerve-wracking as it is and thinking you might be making the wrong decision only adds to the anxiety!

Thanks,
jason

gina and danny

if your wife hates the cold then whichever of the two you choose she will be in for a shock

wellingtons a nice place though i havent done auckland so wouldnt like to compare the two but someone will be along surely who has some good insight.

good luck

sr71

Definitely Auckland, much better beaches available within an easy distance, and in my experience much better for sports activities like triathlons, especially with great resources like Cornwall Park, the waterfront, Waitemata harbour etc.

Skills and talents will probably be better, but you'll find both in Wellington and Auckland - IT in Wellington will be focussed more in the public sector.

Weatherwise - Auckland is humid, but tolerable - not as bad as say Singapore, but the weather would generally be a lot better than Wellington and out of all weather I hate wind more than anything else so for me that would preclude Wellington straight away.

Matewx

But if you're wife do not do cold then might want to rethink Auckland too... It's been a shock for me!

I havent experienced the summer here yet so cant really tell but from what I have been told it does get humid here...

irnbru14

I suspect Auckland probably suits your needs based on what you have said there, yes most of that is accessable from Welly and there are no real decent beaches down here, and Auckland is a bit warmer than here.

Welly is a bit more isloated than Auckland in terms of getting to different places by road for adventures and trips, however Welly does have access to the South Island by the ferry and Nelson (and fantastic areas like Abel Tasman) are only 30mins away on a regular plane service.

However, I think you need to have a look at your day to day lifestyle too, Auckland is a very spread out city of over 1 million people, and there are traffic issues and congestion, its also fairly de-centralised and suburb life seems to be more the thing, maybe this suits your family life of course, wheras Welly is a much smaller City and everything is really centralised around life/work in the CBD and the Harbour which makes it, IMHO, a nice and more personal place to live. And the cafe culture down here is fab!!!

And there are always watersports (kayaking, sailing, dragon boating) going on in the harbour and there are plenty of marathons and triathalons and the like going on during the year.

Also Welly offers a lot of culture and events, seems like there is always something cool and different on most weekend. And we get our fair share of sports here (Cricket, Rugby, Football etc etc).

Depends how you want to live your life I guess, there are some great family suburbs here to live.

And the Waterfront, on a good day (and on some pretty awful windy wet days!) is just amazing

So maybe just broaden your horizons a bit more to make sure your day to day life, as well as all the cool stuff, suits you

Actually, have you considered Sydney instead, its warmer!!

sr71

An uncultured dump with all the problems of Auckland but amplified 10x. And it gets horribly humid there too.

irnbru14

I prefer Melbourne to be honest

luvwelly

Wellington gets less rain than Auckland.....I prefer the wind but less rain. Auckland's nowhere near as isolated so I agree with Irnbru it may suit what you've outlined better. Good luck.

Bellasmum

I would say that anywhere just north of Auckland would be ideal

bananalana

Auckland is warmer.

Wellingon is windier.

They both have nice beaches. Aucklands are probably more accessible. Wellington is close to Paraparaumu, Levin and Foxton beaches which are not necessarily the best for surfing or anything but they are great for a family day at the beach.

Auckland is larger and more spreadout and flatter.

Welly is more compact and smaller and hillier.

You will find educated people in both locations, and probably best be prepared for some competition in the software industry.

Can I throw another location in?? I suggest Hawkes Bay. Reasonably mild winters compared to Welly. Fantastic summers. Halfway between Auckland and Wellington. You could live in Haumoana or Te Awanga (on the beach) for pretty cheap compared to the larger cities (its a stony beach but the lifestyle if awesome). There are some really nice beaches only a half hour 45 minutes drive away - waipatiki and waimarama. Also there are some other beaches just a little further like Prangahou (sp) and stuff. Napier itself is on a beach (again stony though). There is a technical institute in Napier which has students completing computer degrees which they get to do rather than just theory. And you could grab some graduates for the EIT graduate program offering a six month internship. This means, you provide 6 months of work fora student, you get free labour and they get their degree. You will have less competition here but it will also be harder to get a business off the ground.

I have live din Hawkes Bay (in Hastings, Napier and Haumoana - which is between Napier and Hastings), and Wellington (well, Paraparaumu) and am now in Sydney, have been to Aucklan millions of times. For me, the best place of those lifestyle wise is Haumoana, absolutely loved it and miss it.

jasoncwarner

Thanks for all the replies! Keep 'em coming...getting perspective is a great thing. My wife and I truly appreciate the feedback.

So far we seem to be leaning to the Auckland region, though the Hawkes Bay suggestion is very intriguing. Any other places we missed?

Does anyone live in Auckland and have thoughts about the specific regions in Auckland? From what I understand Auckland is really broken into different regions like 'north', 'south', 'east' and 'west', but more specific than that I am not sure. I have heard some great things about Titirangi, but also heard that it can be quite humid in the summer months. Are other regions less humid? As you can see I am trying to get a feel as I have not been able to visit just yet. Hope to in the coming months.

Thank you everyone for all the replies.

lapsed kiwi

I would say Wellington is better if you like the city itself - shops, cafes, public transport etc
If you prefer to live on the outskirts/suburbs of a city and enjoy the coast and country, then Auckland has more to offer. Its beaches and sea are far more user-friendly the ones around Wellington
Traffic here is not too bad provided you're not transitting the CBD at rush hour. I guess if you're running your own company you won't be doing that
For me the biggest difference is the climate, especially winter climate. It is rarely too hot or too cold to do what you want in Auckland - even in winter, sailing/kayaking/biking etc are perfectly reasonable things to do