slimchic

hi

whats the best place to live in NZ?i can go anywhere but would love to hear about all the best places you think i should go. I should point out that I can't stand shivering and will be one of those expats who fork out for central heating and shiver in the summer so a warm climate is very persuasive!

i can't afford to go to a really expensive area, as i have my daughter to educate and i will have to pay for it about £20k sterling, there is no way around this, i have looked into it, she is too old to get it free. one year in fact too old:curse:

I will be working as a nurse yes poor i know and i will have to keep me and my daughter for the first three years- am open to suggestions but please no dating agencies!

happynz

First of all, what is your visa status? Will you be here on a temporary work permit or are you arriving with a permanent residency sticker in your passport? Do you already have employment lined up? As a nurse you shouldn't have much difficulty in finding work.

As far as warmth goes, if you are looking for a house with central heating, good luck. As I have stated in other threads, Kiwis heat rooms, not houses. This is not to say that you can't find a warm dry abode. However you might be either shocked or amused at the strategies that people use to keep warm. You'll understand this if and when you spend a winter here. If the cold bothers you tremendously New Zealand may break your heart.

So uh, yeah. Will you be coming on temporary work visa or have you applied for residence?

slimchic

hi

i will be coming out on a pemanent residency visa. i will be applying for work once i have decided the geographical location i wish to be in. the uk is cold in winter but i live in kent and its bearable, i love scotland but couldn't hack the winters up there.

happynz

Wow, so should I assume that you are able to get residency without a job offer? If so, cool-o-mundo!
You mentioned in a previous post about school fees for your daughter. What is your daughter's situation? How old is she? Will she be your dependent?

Uh, anyway, your focus seems to be the warmth or lack of warmth in New Zealand. Go north for milder temperatures. Kaitaia, Whangarei, Bay of Islands to name a few may be what you are looking for. The east coast towns of Gisbourne and Napier have lovely warm summers. The Bay of Plenty also has generally agreeable temperatures, but do be aware that it gets occasionally frosty there. There's always Auckland.

However, to reiterate, central heating is as rare as hen's teeth here. Very, very few houses will have it.

Good luck with it all.

slimchic

no i wont apply for the visa until i have a job offer on the table, i wouldn't get it without one. if the temperatures are similar in NZ to uk thats ok for me, but as long as its not as cold as scotland, so i wouldn't want to be in the South Island.

My daughter is adult but wants to do some further training to degree level. As i will be going to NZ and she can't bear to be that far from me, the solution is for her to do her training out there but it will cost and i will have to keep her for the duration of the course. but as i wouldn't want to be parted for that time from her, it seems the only solution.

is there a website that gives temperatures for different parts of new zealand with overall average temperatures for each month- i have yet to find one, so we are just looking on world weather, but it only lists the major cities, so can't give us much idea of other areas.

thanks for you help

happynz

This from NZIS website: Dependent children of a principal applicant are children aged up to 24 years who are unmarried and who have not married, in a civil union, or in a defacto relationship, and who have no children of their own. They need not live with you but must at least rely mainly on you or your partner for financial support.

That is why I was asking how old your daughter is. If she can come in as your dependent it will save you squillions in international student fees.

If you are a bit of a weather wonk the NIWA site may get you what you are looking for. http://www.niwa.cri.nz/edu/resources/climate/overview

Happy reading...

BEVS

Yes you would if it was Nelson and Bays. Weather here is every bit as good as South Coast of England. Different in many ways ,but as good. It is the temperature inside the houses you have to watch for

slimchic

hi well she is 26 so i can't avoid the fees. that weather site is brill, thanks

Kiwiprincess

If she is 26 then she would be eligible for a working holiday visa though - so she could at least spend a year in NZ

CAN2NZ

I used to live in Kent before returning to Canada. I can think of many places there I would live just as nicely as here in Canterbury. However, I might need a few more monetary units to live just the same.

slimchic

yes i gather the cost of living is lower there, its seems to be costing more and more here to live in the uk:curse:

2hb

The website for NZ weather reports is www.metservice.co.nz

You can check the daily temperatures and forcasts around NZ from here.

Good luck

slimchic

thanks

Gill and Rob

Rotorua !!! loads of nursing jobs and a polytechnic for your daughter.
But then again I'm biased.
Houses are still affordable here, and being almost central to the North Island, accessible for loads of places. There is loads to do here and you do let used to the limited shopping.

Gill

Amanda Hart

Hi there, We moved out end of July form the Midlands and couldn't understand how locals thought is was so cold, if this is winter bring it on!! The kids go to school in shorts and don't always wear coats. We live 25 mins outside Auckland and are surrounded by beaches, we feel we have the best of both worlds with city and countryside. There are both expensive and inexpensive areas. Amanda