rach3

HI HAS ANYONE BEEN TO OR IS ANYONE LIVING IN EITHER OF THESE AREAS? ANY INFO YOPU May have would be greatly appreciated and is there much to do as they both appear to be reletively small although the scenery looks fab. just been talking to someone and there maybe jobs in this area for my line of work.
thanks
rachel

littleal

When we did our recce, Greymouth was the only place in the whole of NZ we didn't like. Very isolated and not much to do. Billy Connolly liked it though.

Seriously, tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for lunch who stayed there over Xmas with an Expat schoolfriend who moved to the Greymouth area. If you PM your details, I'll pass them on.

Alison

irnbru14

I stayed there for a night, one night too many in my opinion now! I didn't really like that bit of the West Coast, its very lovely in places, and Punakiki is great (bestest pancakes in the cafe there!) but was glad when I got down past the West coast, and LOADS of sandflys...

But its all to do with personal taste I guess, but it ranked up there with Invercargill as places I didn't really like here

cally49

Hello there i just thought i would drop you a line as i have lived on the West Coast (actually much further down just before the Franz Josef Glacier)
I never liked Greymouth (its well named GREY)
There isnt much to do really and im not sure if you know or not but the west coast gets a huge amount of rainfall (thats why theres a lush green rainforest) probably not quite such a high rainfall in greymouth as where i was (7meters a year) but still high and my friend that lives there is always complaining about the weather.

Its on a very rugged coastline and not the safest swimming beaches especially further down south. In the last few years there have been some developments by way of a new supermarket and the Warehouse (a huge place where everything is fairly cheap)

I am unsure what line of work you are in but i do know that there seems to be plenty of vacancies at the hospital there for various medical personal (my friend works there) BUT my partners 18yr old daughter was told there was heaps of work down in Greymouth so she went with a friend a couple of days ago and sent me a text saying she was having trouble finding something apart from bar work but then again she is not trained in any particular line of work.

Hokitika is a pretty town but again is a bit the same as Greymouth in the fact theres only the basic shops and not a great deal to do. The dairy company would be the biggest employer in Hokitika i would imagine.(Its a factory where all the millk etc is processed)
One bonus about the West Coast is that theres NO traffic lights (well not yet lol)

Greymouth is around 2hrs drive from Christchurch over the Alps and Hokitika is about 30mins drive south of Greymouth. There is a train (the transalpine) that runs from Greymouth to Christchurch daily, its not a fast journey though and takes around half a day to get there so not handy for daily commuting lol.
Would i go and live back down there? Hell no but thats just my opinion. Where we lived was a great place to bring up kids (we owned a dairy farm) but now when i go back i have to ask myself whatever possessed me to stay there for 21yrs. Anyhow i hope this helps you a bit if you have any questions please ask.
Good luck in your adventure wherever you decide to make your home.....
Cheers
Cally :

julesnye

What an excellent post,Cally

rach3

so its a bit grim there then? maybe ill lok somewhere else. thanks for the info though. i do work in health so i guess job wise may be a good move.
rach

cally49

Hi there sorry i have had computer problems and havent been able to log on....
As you said the scenery is beautiful and you are right but of course theres often a price to pay for the lushness of the countryside on the West Coast and thats a high rainfall im afraid.

Its quite hard to describe really i just think there are better places to go and the thing is when you arrive in a new country (or even move towns) it can take a while to meet people and if you are in an area where theres not a lot to do unless you are outdoors hunting tramping and fishing type of people it could be a bit lonely for a while. its very laid back down there but i feel also a bit behind the rest of NZ. (again just my opinion, id hate for the local posse to round me up for my comments lol)

Anyhow i hope that the info has given you a bit of insite, the link below is a few years old info so ignore any dollar amounts (or double them lol) but it was all i could find.

It used to be one of the cheapest places to buy land/houses but it has really shot up in the past few years as you will see when you read the link its now caught up with the rest on NZ price wise i think.
http://www.globalvisas.com/new_zealand/west_coast.html
Right i must dash, enjoy your weekend.
Cheers
Cally

cally49

Thanks for you kind words, have a lovely weekend.
Cheers
Cally

Dudubug

Hi - I live on the West Coast (Greymouth) right now and love it. I spent most of my life in East Africa, and when we moved to NZ 2 years ago we spent 5 months in Christchurch. When we first moved to the West Coast we lived in a village about 90 minutes south of here, which was stunningly pretty, but pretty dull! I find everything I need here in Greymouth, and if I want to go on a big shopping spree (or rock concert!!), I just go over to Chch which is a great drive anyway. The West Coast is plagued by sandflies in summer but we just use repellant (after Africa and malaria, these are just annoying). Lots of rain, but statistically not THAT much more than some other parts of NZ and the bonus is that it is slightly warmer on the WC than in winter. Cost of living is lower, but so is the average wage. Things are improving and more and more "Townies" are discovering the delights of this part of NZ.
Not a lot seems to happen in GM as a town though. It only has 10,000 people, but that is part of the charm for me. 2 supermarkets, low cost department store, little cinema/theatre, several primary schools, one high school, several bookshops, fast food places!, plenty of nice cafes and eating places, some well-known NZ chain stores selling hardware, clothes, electronics, homeware etc..............
It really depends on what you are looking for. I am happy with the quiet life, but if you want nightlife, theatre, shopping malls, etc close by then this would probably not be for you.
Hope this helps balance the picture!

Buzzy--Bee

We lived in Hokitika for 18 months, 10 years ago. My in-laws have always lived there and still do.

It is a very beautiful part of the world, and if you are looking to "get away from it all" then it is perfect. If you have the financial means to live there, either through a local job or generating income from home somehow, and you're not bothered about big city stuff, it's fantastic.

Some of my wife's schoolfriends still live there, one has just bought 25 acres of absolute sea front land just south of the town and has built a house, with a hobby farm around it. How many places in New Zealand, or the world, could a 30-something with an average job do that?

We stayed 18 months and couldn't hack it any more. We were in our mid-20s and we needed more of the big city stuff.

But for rural life I reckon you can't beat it.

Buzzy

Browner_

Very beautiful west coast, but to live out there you are gonna be looking for an alternative lifestyle, or have a very specific occupation.
I would have to describe Greymouth as a dump, and Hokitika as in interesting place to stay for one or two nights!

Buzzy--Bee

If you were a tourist, correct.

To live there is a different propositition. The amount of community organised stuff going on is incredible for such a small population. I don't believe we were ever bored there.

Buzzy