LittleGreyCat

We are on George Street at the moment and we are generally liking what we see about the culture and diversity all concentrated in one small area.
Wouldn't want to live in the City Centre, though.

Grumble - they now only run the Inlander about once a month now.
Allegedly only when cruise ships have an arrangement.
Another high spot gone.
We didn't do the Christchurch/Greymouth train trip once we found out how much it cost!
Over $800 which would get one of us to Sydney and back on a short notice booking, and probably both of us if we picked our dates.

Dunedin downside -the climate.
It is like an English summer at the moment (which isn't a recommendation) and allegedly there is the occasional snow and frost over winter.
Much like the benign climate on coastal Suffolk so not a big win.

Houses look affordable but we don't know the areas yet.
I know Justcol doesn't like it here, but are there any positive views plus areas to live?
We had a good long chat with an Expat who has been here since 2013 and who sold up in England and bought 3 properties in Dunedin.
This just illustrates how much we have missed the boat on house prices.
He is still loving it here, possibly due to the active arts scene.

We walked the city centre yesterday following the art trail for all the wall paintings.
My cynical view is that nobody objected because most of the centre is comprehensively thrashed, although some is now being upgraded.

Off to the Chinese Garden today, and some exploring of different areas using the real estate sites which so far has given us a good feel for which areas we both like and can afford.

Happy New Year to you all.

Justcol

Dunedin gets quite a few heavy frosts and icy roads in winter

There are plans to redevelop the waterfront which is currently unused and rundown, these plans have been in place for years but so far nothing has been done

There was a plan to build a new 5 star hotel complex in the centre. The council said it wouldn't compliment the current style if buildings there and blocked it. The current style is a mix of typical early 1900's shops and old commercial buildings and a large number of run down nondescript mid century shops and offices. It could definitely do with a much needed redevelopment make over.

If you don't mind a bit of a steep walk, check out tunnel beach and try to find time to go for a drive out along the peninsular to the Albatross center. It's a nice drive and you can stop at Portobello for a spot of lunch

RICH

Sorry off topic a bit, but Dunedin near me is awsome! https://visitdunedinfl.com/

Moses2013

Can't say much about it personally these days, speaking to other people they either love it or hate it. Those who like the place are usually the quirky type, so Indie/Folk musicians, creative artists in general and people who don't really value glitz and glamour, so maybe who won't mind missing out on certain things a larger city can offer (better shops, entertainment etc.). It's just a smaller student city in general, so you won't really see the Gucci or Prada type. Those who hate it are often also people who expected NZ to be a tropical paradise, although that can be a general problem for those seeking something like Côte d’Azur, Miami Beach or Gold Coast and they might find Auckland more appealing as that's where everything is.

Justcol

I doubt anyone has ever visited Dunners expecting any similarity to the Cote d'Azur

BEVS

My interest is the birds and wildlife. I would prefer the climate there to stay the same but it is not currently, to the detriment.
Someone once suggested the area was as per the SW of England. They were having a laugh.
Part of the atttaction is the richness of the area. Nothing wrong with seasons. Dress for that.

Moses2013

Generally speaking. A lot of people also move without visiting the place beforehand and can only go by what was sold to them. It's no different with a hotel and how often do people complain it wasn't like the pictures online, same with buying clothing online. People who don't mind wearing a jacket and appreciate the natural surroundings Dunedin has on offer will be happier.

Justcol

I think you've gone down a rabbit hole here.
I know probably 2 or 3 hundred people who live in Dunedin.
I'd guess that round 60% are migrants and around 0% were disillusioned by or have issues with the climate down here

Moses2013

Exactly and totally agree with you, those who don't put the focus on sunshine with tropical island feeling won't find weather to be an issue. It's the same with the UK/Northern Europe and a lot of students from warmer parts of world only know what cold is when they have lived there, but in the case of NZ it's advertised as tropical in certain countries. Although not too many Germans move, I did speak to a lady I used to work with who left Dunedin because of weather and on German TV everywhere in NZ is warm and sunny. Maybe that also plays a part in why 10.786 Germans moved to NZ between 2012-2021 and 8.494 moved back. Same with shopping and those who like going to fashion outlets might feel bored after a while and Dunedin is more suited for those who value cafes and book shops. It's no different with Wellington and I remember a poster here on BE and although they were aware of wind in Wellington they left because of the wind.

LittleGreyCat

The climate seems quite similar to East Anglia in the UK.
The climate would not be a major problem but the target is to move somewhere where most things are better than our home in Felixstowe, or at least provide the equivalent facilities.
So climate in Dunedin isn't a win.

We very much like Dunedin so far because it seems to have a lot more character than Christchurch, for example.

We still haven't found an area where you can buy a nice house and also walk to the shops.
I think the area around the Botanic Gardens and the University may have qualified before they built the SH1 one way system through the middle of it.
It looks as though it was once a thriving area, but there isn't much industry and commerce left which is presumably why they built SH1 through the area near the waterfront.

We are now thinking that if we can't get anywhere decent within walking distance of the shops (which seems to be George Street in Dunedin) and we have to commit to driving anyway then we might as well move further out from the city/town centre.

P.S. it seems windy here - possibly the streets funnelling the wind - is this a known thing like Wellington?

Justcol

Being so close to the coast it can be a little breezy at times but it's certainly not wellington windy and I do think there is a bit of funneling going on.
Some of the better suburbs are Maori Hill, Roslyn, Bellknowes, Half way bush and, St Clair. You might also want to have look at Mosgiel.
And if you get chance pop into Toitū the settlers museum. It's very good

Moses2013

As Justcol said, being near the coast you will always have a breeze. Of course all people are different and every area will have it's unique microclimate, so if you want to be on the safe side check windy.com https://www.windy.com/-45.909/170.51...9,11,m:coHakTl
This way you can compare how windy it was and if it was the norm or just a one off.



I had to laugh here
https://www.critic.co.nz/features/ar...-suburb-review

Pine Hill:

Pros: The nice, posh sounding name. Close drive to Mt Cargill for scenic crying/car sex.

Con: The sounds and traffic from State Highway, the ****-off hill, having to explain to everyone exactly where you live.

Average Rent: $120

Maori Hill (macron not included):

Pros: Hot soccer moms. One of the richest suburbs in Dunedin, so some privilege might rub off on you.

Cons: Having to explain to my parents why I would want to live in the same neighborhood as them but not move home. If you so much as let the microwave beep, your neighbours WILL call noise control on you.

Average Rent: Somehow only $150

St Clair:

Pros: Hot surfers. The beach. The ice-skating rink for cute Winter dates. A lot of rich people live here so it’s prime dating territory.

Cons: Don’t even think about walking. You’ll either need a car or be really comfortable with the Dunedin bus system. Every time it’s even remotely sunny, the entirety of Dunedin will flock here, take your parking spaces and steal your seats at your cafes. Thankfully, Dunedin is often grey and bleak.

Average Rent: $134

BEVS

It has been a rather unsettled and gusty month and more. Not so unusual for this time of year . Wind has howled where we are - top of the south. I always feel that the better months are Feb/April overall. 'Summer' is always a bit hit and miss which is why there has been mutterings of moving the long school break away from January.

BEVS

To add.

I follow the live royal albatross webcam. We try to saunter down there for the wildlife. I know people that live that way as we share the interest.
Dunedin and surrounds are not 'often grey and bleak' at all. It is often sunny and dry. Too dry at times.
The only diff is that it can ge a degree or two cooler down that way then up my way. That can be a blessing.

Moses2013

You are right BEVS and all in all it won't be much of a difference to Felixstowe in terms of weather (as LittleGreyCat mentioned, quite similar) and Suffolk is also too dry.
At the end of the day you just need to be realistic and the bigger problem seems to be this:
The climate would not be a major problem but the target is to move somewhere where most things are better than our home in Felixstowe, or at least provide the equivalent facilities.
If you don't really want to give up your home and are trying to find the exact same home on the same street with the same facilities/same people, it will never work.
Overall Dunedin probably has everything they have now, it's just different and further away from other major cities.