mandy77

Hello everybody.

I know that everyone will have different opinions regarding this but I just wanted to know what place any of you considered to be the best place to live and why.

Also, I saw a post yesterday in which somebody showed pics of around where she lived and I really enjoyed them, it was nice to see real pics of NZ not tourist ones. I was wondering if any of the members already over there had any pics of where they lived and wouldn't mind sharing some.

All the best

Mandy xx

Here comes the sun

Hi Mandy, there is a new zealand picture thread on here you might need to go back a few pages to find it. Not so long ago someone asked the same question again have a search through. Good luck

mandy77

Thanks for that, I'll go have a look.

Wilma & co

Hi Mandy - bit of an open question that one!! Give us a bit more to go on, such as, do you have kids (ages?), are you a townie or a country bumpkin, do you mind colder temperatures or would you prefer a warmer climate, are you limited by profession/job offer?
We (me, OH - both in early 40's - and our 3 boys aged 9, 7 and 3) live about 20-25mins north of Wellington and we are very happy here. Beaches nearby, lots of shops, cinema, library, swimming pools all within easy reach and good road and rail links into Wellington. Husband walks to work and kids are very happy at their school, which they also walk to.
Weather is variable!! Doen't get much above 25 - 28 on the hot days, which is fine by me, and we did have some frosts over last winter but not hard ones like in the UK. Yes, we have some windy days but the tornadoes last year were further north!!
I would hate to live in central Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington, because I am not a 'town' person, although all those places are great to visit!
A few more details would help us to give you an accurate answer!

Alison

irnbru14

Wellington

Next Question please...

mandy77

Thankyou for for your objective and completely unbiased opinion I guess I asked for answers like that didn't I?

Sorry, I should have been a bit more specific. I'm 30, OH 25 and three kids 4, 2 and 6 months. I do like warm weather but to be honest I'm not a big lover of rain so more bothered about dryness than temperature. I live in a large town at the moment but have lived in lots of different places big and small before. I like things about both but probably prefer to live somewhere a bit quieter.

Having said that, I do like to have the facilities like schools, shops, travel links nearby as I don't drive. Also things around for the kids and we would need somewhere to work. Oh and I suppose I could manage to live close to the beach if I really had to

Cheers

Mandy xx

happynz

If you don't drive perhaps your best bets would be Wellington or Christchurch which both have fairly OK public transport. Auckland does have buses, trains and ferries, sure. However, Auckland is sprawled all over the place and busing there ain't much joy.

irnbru14

Hi Mandy, yes that is my biased opinion as I do live here! Public transport in NZ is not what you are used to in the UK, the rail service is minimal to be honest! Though you could, like a load on here do, live North of Welly in Porirua or Whitby which is only about 30 mins (I believe) in the train to central Wellington, and its on the coast with beaches and stuff within easy reach. Those with kids will be able to give you a better idea of schools / facilities etc.

I live in fairly central Welly, and love it here, and it suits me, for your guidance I'm from Edinburgh and find Welly vibe quite similar, its a nice compact city, but it never really feels busy. I fancy a move to some of the nearer city centre suburbs when my rent is up in May.

Other places I would think you should consider would be Nelson/Richmond at the top of the South Island, its a growing place and I think that about 1 in 10 folks are ex-pat Brits now, its popular with families and has great access to Golden Bay, Abel Tasman, has its own beach etc while still having reasonable size shopping and is only 25 mins on a plane across to Welly. It also seems to get more sunshine too.

Christchurch folks on here will help you with there as I suspect the Auckland ones will too.

Wanaka and Queenstown would be AMAZING too, but expensive and a bit more isolated!!

Hope this maybe helps a little! It does depend what work you want to be doing of course as to which area will be best for your needs too

Genesis

Hows your $$$s for house purchase or rental?? A $400k house in Auckland is very different from a $400k house in Hastings, Gisborne or Palmy, same with rentals.

You will get much more house for your rent in less populare, cheaper area...Palmerston North is one of those VERY unpopular areas...don't quite know why because after 3 years life just keeps getting better and we have more and more fun....guess its a very well kept secret..eveyone seems happy here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are some very, very expensive places to live in NZ. If you chose to live in one you have to be prepared for big rental or mortgage payments (unless you are sufficiently wedged for that not to be an issue).

crap coffee

True.

If you do not have a car in Auckland then life is just a nightmare - unless you want to be stuck at home all the time

Also traffic, roads, and (bad) drivers are pretty awful ............I'd never drive a car in Auckland..........man, too scared! they are a bit of a nutter...........

While I was visiting here for a month last time we had _two_ minor car accidents and it's not our fault! ANd! getting to the airport is very annoying............ too far + you will get lost on the road ...

BUt! The weather (Auckland) is fantastic!

Wellington is freezing (7 months)....................!

mate, simply there's no best place to live.......all right?




ps. Nothing fancy but it's our place (Dairy Flat) and my goat

luvwelly

I have to disagree with Crap Coffee about Wellington being freezing....I arrived in the middle of winter and was going out in t-shirts. This stuff is all relative.
Most people let the job drive where they live...although it depends what you do for a living I suppose.

By UK town standards even Wellington is small so as a bit of a townie who likes the countryside as well..it seems perfect. OH's job was based here though - we had no choice of work location.
Driving here is much less stressful than in the UK...maybe you could learn to drive as it would give you much more freedom, wherever you choose.

crap coffee

Maybe it depends on the area you live in and how healthy you are.

Particulary my place is cold enough to freeze my nuts off in winter - Cold strikes me to the marrow. (Actually it's not that cold outside as lovewelly said) Unfortunately I can't wear a short sleeved t-shirt at all in Welly As being a sick person + very thin = Wellington's miserable freezing cold weather ruins my health badly. After all, my parents left (after 10 yrs in Welly) because they do hate cold/strong winds + they are scared of the earthquake. Everybody is different.

luvwelly

I can well believe your house could be cold if there's no central heating. That's what happened actually, I'd be cold inside and warm outside; while Kiwis would be commenting on how cold it was out today.

I know you've lived in the UK as well Crap Coffee but the winter I had here did not compare to a Southern English winter...there was no frost for instance..it was much milder here.

crap coffee

yes I lived in Edinburgh for a long time and yes of course it's much milder here. No frost or snow ~ oh yeah! absolutely No Fuss here! I no longer have to struggle with getting the snow off of the front and rear windows of my car Cleaning off your car sucks, no two ways about it.

All I can tell you is Auckland is much much warmer & hotter and less windier than Wellington therefore I can wear a short-sleeved shirt!! However when I arrived in Welly (from AK) two weeks ago, I was freezing at night and needed to turn the heater on + 5 layers of clothes(in the middle of summer?) how crazy I am?:curse:

Kaz n Joolz

:whatchuta lkingabout

DUNEDIN EVERY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's no comparison, great city(although comparable to a small UK town), fantastic weather (It's often touted as having really bad weather but we only spin this line to keep the riff raff out!!!) and you're never more than a few minutes from a great and uncrowded beach.