xpat19

Hi. If a job offer works out we'll be leaving sunny Waitakere ( well, it is some times ) and moving to Christchurch.

The job is in the centre of town ( Columbo St ) and I wondered where would be a commutable distance to buy a house, also ( don't laugh ) whats public transport like ? It can't be as bad as trying to get into Auckland city... can it ?
Son will be starting yr 12 there next feb so if anyone has any recomendations on high schools that would be great. Also, for those that have made the move South - would you say cost of living/ house prices differ from Auckland ?

Thanks...

Buzzy--Bee

Hi there. Christchurch is a small city so anywhere is commutable to Colombo Street. Depends how long you want your commute to be!

If you have a good job Christchurch is a great place to live - has gorgeous beaches and spectacular mountains.

Public transport is limited to buses. In my experience these dont run very often and most people use their cars.

Cheers

Buzzy

sky

I wouldn't live anywhere in the actual city of Christchurch, Sumner seems to be the place all the kiwi wannabe's seem to want to live at the mo but the road in and out of there I imagine gets a bit busy on a morning and afternoon.

Joshlin

Hi there
as others have said the commute into chch town is no great hassle - we live in Halswell which is south west outer and I work on Cashel St, which is further across town than colombo. My journey to work, peak time (8am, 5pm) takes me 20/25 mins - traffic moving except at lights etc.
Depends on where on colombo st you'll be - if you're sydenham / beckenham end you could live cashmere / anywhere along the base of the hills and be at work in 10-15mins, if you're further north then it'll open up the Fendaltons, Merivales etc within 15-20mins (although traffic is a bit heavy around that area).
There is a reasonable bus service and the closer in you are the better it is. Lots of people in town cycle in without any great hassle. Again depending on where you'll be working parking could be a bit of a nightmare.
Anything specific I can help with just shout.
Oh and I would say housing is much more reasonable than Auckland

Apple12

Hi if you are working in Colombo in the centre then bussing will be very easy, all buses from the suburbs begin and end at the bus exchange in the centre, so you should have something available. I would have to second biking though, if you are not living in the hill suburbs then the city is really flat, mostly decent bike lanes. Beware of buses when biking, but that is the same anywhere.
Carparking can be a right PITA, so it makes sense to use the buses or a bike.
My end of town is really nice - Beckenham/Cashmere - and it is a comfortable 40 min walk into town.
You need to define commutable, one of my workmates lives in Methven (out close to the mountains) and drives in each day... how much time/traffic is too much for you?

Toppa

I used to live in Papanui end of Merivale and cycled to work in colombo st (just before Sydenham overpass). Didn't take long at all.

The bus service isn't too bad, just check it out when you get there. You could realistically live in most areas of Christchurch and get to Columbo st without any major hassles. Nowhere near the traffic congestion of Auckland.

By the way, there is a butcher near the "Sandridge Hotel" (same side of street), on Columbo st that used to make the absolute best brawn ever!

Don't know if it's still there, but worth looking out for. Just don't drink in the sandridge, it's rough

xpat19

Hi. Thanks for all you replies. It's good to hear that travelling into the city is not such a big deal. We'd probably live up to 30 mins away from town.
it sounds as though we'll have plenty of choice anyway.
Does any one have experience of High schools in the area ?
Thanks

Andrew Cross

Hi there, most of the others have given you pretty good info on distance and on the transport situation.
Most schools here are zonal. So you have two options, decide where you would like to live and then he goes to the local school or decide on the school and then live in the area, which is what we did. My sons are in years nine and ten at Christchurch Boys High School. In my opinion this school is excellent. It is not private (so cheaper) because there are quite a few private schools around which on our money are expensive. Best of luck though.

http://www.cbhs.school.nz/

sky

30 mins out of town is an awful long way and the petrol has to be taken into consideration now, unless you are on a salary that compensates or the petrol is paid for by your employer. I can get to town in less than 30 mins and I'm a long way from the city.

Do you want to be surrounded by other houses or in a rural kind of situ.

We decided that the travelling was too costly in the end and opted for more local work (lower paid but we seem better off now) and we now are planning on moving even further away from the city

xpat19

Hi. I must admit the 30 minute commute is an estimate as we haven't visited any areas yet - I imagined that, as we'll be a car down, DH would get the bus to work in Columbo St and Ï'd use the car for a local job and maybe the school run.
We'd prefer to be rural if poss.
Thanks so much for the school link. It's great to have so much in put.

Apple12

If you want to be rural then you might have to give up on the idea of the bus into the town centre... and definitely bike commuting.... The buses are great if you are living in the greater suburbs of ChCh but if you want to have a rural lifestyle then you may not have the bus frequency that you desire.
And you certainly don't want to be having a rural lifestyle where the one car is used to take DH into work - you would be very stuck.

Check out the bus info here: ChCh bus it should help get a feel for timings and parts of the city.

As a compromise, how about edge of city with close escape to mountains, or up in the hill suburbs with wonderful views to the Alps, or out by the beach, or close to the big sport and recreation reserves... there is a lot to this city, and there will be somewhere that will suits your family.

xpat19

Hi Apple 12, that sounds llike a very pleasant comprmise. At the moment it takes me around 50 minutes to do a 13 k trip into Auckland city for my job ( takes 15 minutes outside of peak times ) and that's something I want to avoid for all of us if we move to ChCh.... it does your head in after a while !!

Has anyone had experience of moving dogs from North to South Island ?
Thanks