squiddley

I have a query,and wonder if any body can help????????????
In the process of sorting out my WTR ..i have already got a job offer from company near Palmerstone,i have also just been offered a job near Blenheim
So now i am in two minds..what to do?????

The reason for this thread is, What is Blenheim and the surrounding area like to live?? Renting ,schools?
I already have good idear what Palmy is like,so any info on Blenheim would be great.

Many Thanks

Genesis

Hi S, much as I love my life in Palmy much of the 'love' is about the 3 years I have invested here, if I had the choice to start again I would probably go for Blenheim. Its by the sea (so I understand) in a very, very beautiful part of NZ. I know very little of the area but would imagine most people would chose B over PN.

PN is the kind of place you come to live for a specific reason..not many would choose it as a first..harsh but probably very true. We came because that was where the job was and we were not very fussy about where we lived in NZ.

Having lived here, in my neighbourhood we are exceedingly happy and unlikely to move for eons. I guess you grow into places, I have very young kids and I know there are WAY better places to live but I do not want to turn them into nomads.

Don't know what house prices are like there, big advantage in Palmy over many areas is that you get a lot of house for your bucks, the other advantage is is that Palmy is so close to an array of things, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Taupo, superb skiing and the Kapiti Coast. Blenheim by contrast is somewhat isolated. You take your choice.

At the end of the day you have to look at both job offers and which area will best suit your lifestyle/family/needs and wants. Much as Blenheim appeals to me and my heart would love to be there, however I think for day to day living, Kates career and many other reasons Palmy (albeit a VERY poor cousin) suits us well.

Life is one huge compromise I find, we take all the benefits of Palmy and weigh them agin the negatives and we find Palmy more than acceptable, wonderful infact. But as I said it took many months for my heart to be locked into Palmy!!!!!!

But as I said..had I a clean sheet with no knowledge of either place Blenheim wins hand down. Good luck what ever you do.

squiddley

Hi many thanks for that..I totally understand what you mean..
I do have my mind set on Palmy..everything i have read from people,it does sound ok,the job prospects for my wife sound good as she has been in touch with people in palmy..
The Blenheim thing has just thrown everything in the air...S**t ....decisions....

I just want it to work,my wife is pretty scared...What do i do...Go on a recce before everything is signed sealed and delivered.....
Blenheim looks wonderful on paper..everything you read,Wow...and to be honest you dont see much on Palmy...which can be a good thing...
Christ i Live in Grimsby at the mo,you tell people where you live and they say'UURHHH' AND TO BE HONEST THE PLACE IS OK..

The name sounds S**T.................Any way time is running out decision time..

Beachcombers

Hi

I live in Renwick and commute 10mins to Blenheim.

Blenheim itself is OK, pleasant enough, but hardly the center of the universe. But and this is the hook, if you want to have an incredible outdoors lifestyle, fishing, diving, horseriding, skiing, surfing etc, then it is all on your doorstep.

Housing is affordable (although rising), schools are good and being a new dad, I can not imagine anywhere else to raise our daughter.

Nelson is only a hour (ish) away, for retail theraphy, Kaikoura is 90 mins, nearest ski field a 90mins, beach 20mins, Marlborough Sounds 20mins.

We lived in Auckland for two years before coming down here and this is the picture of NZ we were looking for before we left Europe.

All the best!

squiddley

Hi
Thanks for the reply.
I honestly dont know what to do,because once i commit,thats it for at least 2 years ???
Yes i suppose it nice having all these wonderful things to do on your doorstep...but could we afford to do them...After all we do have to go to work,so i suppose its getting the right work/social life balance correct...

So the question is which is the best place to achieve this

Beachcombers

It's a question only hindsight can answer!

But as to being able to afford what Marlborough has to offer, a fishing rod cost $50 , a half days ski pass and gear hire is $ 45, body boards cost $20 at the warehouse, get a tent and get outdoors, or just chill out with some great local wine and watch the sunset from your deck!

You do not have to be rich to have a rich life here.

hazeandsteve

I was offered a job in both towns, and having visited them both, would go to Palmy if it was for the reasons you stated.
Blenheim is a highly recommended place to live, but we found it just didn't have enough life to it. The view is slightly depressing beige hills, although that's fantastic for the local vineyards. You're on the main "just got off the boat" through road, and if you want skiing/seaside/mountain biking, although they're all close by, none of them are "there."
Palmy, I was advised, can be a bit blowy. I met a McExpat from PN in the Wairarapa at a motorbike event last weekend, he lived in and loved Palmy, and can't understand why we live in Taupo. Each for their own.
End of the day, if you can, go, stay a while, make your own mind up.

Maz

Haven't been to either, but wanted to bump this up. Hopefully Kev&Sarah will see this.

Frenchy

Well I have been in Blenheim just over a year having moved from Sutton Coldfield (just outside Brum). We did a reccie on North island and ended up here having never set foot on the South Island.

It took around 6-9 months to adjust but now we love it so much. I work as a specialist nurse at the local hospital and OH is an avionocs engineer at Safe Air.

It really depends what you are looking for... I love it cos we walk on the beach (rarangi) every night with our 2 dogs, I see people I know in town (It has a real village rural feel). its a lovely laid back place. I also feel its a really safe (relatively speaking) place for my 16 and 14 year old to be.

pm me if you want any further help, good luck

squiddley

Thanks for that i will be PMing you...
Cheers

P2L

Hi Squiddley

We too initially looked at Palmy, having some kiwi friends in the area. My DH even interviewed and was offered a couple of positions there. Blenheim was always my 'ideal' place on the map but always thought it would be unattainable from a work point of view, so we were over the moon when a job offer for here came up.

We have been here for almost a year ( in 2 weeks) and still love it! Admittedly my DH was in love with it from day one and I have fallen in love with it

We have a completely different lifestyle here to the UK. I walk up those 'beige hills' called the Withers whenever I can. Our eldest (14) wouldn't go back to the UK if you paid her. She plays netball twice a week, swims once a week and lots of sleepovers, trips to the cinema in between. Our 9 year old has joined the local gymnastics club and is here, there and everywhere competing, and my littlest one has just caught his first fish at the ripe old age of 3!!!And those on here that know me, will tell you that I have a part time husband these days as he is always off hunting somewhere

The beach is on our doorstep, moreso than in Palmy tbh. My kids and I spent the day there on Friday whilst DH was out sea fishing.
Skiing is an hour away at Rainbow or you can drive south to some of the best skifields in NZ and as for mountain biking, a ride through the Sounds should more than satisfy that desire!

Shopping is not bad and more is on the way here, but otherwise its a trip to Nelson (an hour) a drive to Christchurch ( 4 hours) or a trip over the Straits to Wellington ( 20 mins by plane or 3 glorious hours on the ferry) or if you get stuck there's a thing called the internet.

The downside
Cost of housing is still quite high here, but in saying that you can still buy a 3 bed house in the low to mid 3s and you shouldn't have the worry of your house been worth less than you paid for it!

Would I change my decision to come here???? Not a chance.

I hope that helps a bit ( but probably not!!) Feel free to PM me or Frenchy with anything you want to know.

Off to drop DS at kindy and then meeting my DH for morning tea!!! It's a hard life...

Sarah

Cheesehead

I have a similar problem in that we have our heart set on the Blenheim/Nelson area but I stand very little chance of getting a decent enough job there. My wages are what we depend on so we will probably end up near a much larger town/city.

Extremely jealous but hey ho. At least some of us can live the dream!

Good luck

P2L

What work are you looking for Cheesehead ??? there is a lot of work here that doesn't even get to the sites or the paper, sometimes it is a case of who you know not what you know especially around here

Nothing is impossible if you want it badly enough

squiddley

Everybody says the area is wonderful..so does the information what the company sent to me..

I guess i'll come for a recci.Can we afford it? Maybe not,but it could be money well spent...

11ThousandMilesFromHome

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Blenheim....it's lovely there, has a small town homly feel to it.

I'd move there tomorrow if i could