North island v south island
Jun 12th 2007, 8:07 am
#1
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 17
North island v south island
Hi everyone
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
Jun 12th 2007, 8:15 am
#2
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Joined: Oct 2006
Location: NZ
Posts: 3,366
Re: North island v south island
Hi everyone
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
We're on South Island but towards the top so can't help I'm afraid. You could send a PM to Sir Eglamore, they're in Dunedin and have a couple of kids too. Be warned though he's a bit slow at picking up his messages!!
Jun 12th 2007, 8:19 am
#3
Here in Dunedin
Joined: May 2003
Location: Dunedin
Posts: 1,975
Re: North island v south island
I'm in Dunedin, drop us a line with any queries you have.
Jun 12th 2007, 8:39 am
#5
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Location: Hutt Valley, Wellington, New Zealand
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Re: North island v south island
Have you not thought of, say, the Wairarapa or Hawkes Bay, or the even the Nelson area?
Last edited by dicknlyn; Jun 12th 2007 at 8:41 am.
Jun 12th 2007, 9:57 am
#6
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Re: North island v south island
We lived in Invercargill and Dunedin when we first came to NZ. However, we prefer Auckland to both. They just didn't do it for us. Invercargill was so cold with icy winds and felt very isolated. However, it had some good housing stock and well-laid out streets with no hills, which was a change from Dunedin. Has a very good park too. Folks say Dunedin has a Scottish feel to it, but I never felt it reminded me to any place in Scotland I'd seen. I didn't like the town either - not very pretty. Broad Bay, across the bay is much prettier, but takes a long time to travel into town, but a very scenic drive.
Jun 12th 2007, 12:22 pm
#7
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Posts: 1,303
Re: North island v south island
Hi everyone
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
we're a family of 5 and have been living in Auckland for just 3 months. Has anyone experience/advise on the south island as we're looking at Dunedin or Invercargill as a place to put our roots!
We've found the 'big city' expensive and too busy and looking for a quieter life.
Anyone out there with any experience of the south that can help us out? Best places, etc,etc.
We have spent lots of time travelling around looking at different areas & in 17 days we are moving to Hawkes Bay. We have found it to be nice & quiet, no traffic, a friendlier atmosphere, more open space than you could wish for & a great deal cheaper especially housing (just over 200k for 1/2 acre
).I suggest you do the same as we have, travel around, take your time & get a feel for different areas, as people's tastes vary greatly (I mean lots of people love the North Shore
). Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for.
Jun 13th 2007, 2:35 am
#8
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Re: North island v south island
Hi, how are you finding it in Dunedin? I have lots of questions!
What's the cost of living like? Feeding a family of 5 with kids aged 17, 14, and 10 is sure expensive around here in Auckland!
How about schools? We have large fees here in Auckland [not private schools that kids go to either]. But because the schools they go to are high decile schools they do expect parents to pay a lot more in contributions.
What are the suburbs of Dunedin like? We are hoping to find an area that's bit more rural and commutable to city if OH gets job in city.
Hope that's not too questions, sorry if it is!
What's the cost of living like? Feeding a family of 5 with kids aged 17, 14, and 10 is sure expensive around here in Auckland!
How about schools? We have large fees here in Auckland [not private schools that kids go to either]. But because the schools they go to are high decile schools they do expect parents to pay a lot more in contributions.
What are the suburbs of Dunedin like? We are hoping to find an area that's bit more rural and commutable to city if OH gets job in city.
Hope that's not too questions, sorry if it is!
Jun 14th 2007, 6:18 am
#9
Here in Dunedin
Joined: May 2003
Location: Dunedin
Posts: 1,975
Re: North island v south island
Hi, how are you finding it in Dunedin? I have lots of questions!
What's the cost of living like? Feeding a family of 5 with kids aged 17, 14, and 10 is sure expensive around here in Auckland!
How about schools? We have large fees here in Auckland [not private schools that kids go to either]. But because the schools they go to are high decile schools they do expect parents to pay a lot more in contributions.
What are the suburbs of Dunedin like? We are hoping to find an area that's bit more rural and commutable to city if OH gets job in city.
Hope that's not too questions, sorry if it is!
What's the cost of living like? Feeding a family of 5 with kids aged 17, 14, and 10 is sure expensive around here in Auckland!
How about schools? We have large fees here in Auckland [not private schools that kids go to either]. But because the schools they go to are high decile schools they do expect parents to pay a lot more in contributions.
What are the suburbs of Dunedin like? We are hoping to find an area that's bit more rural and commutable to city if OH gets job in city.
Hope that's not too questions, sorry if it is!
Jun 14th 2007, 7:45 am
#10
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Re: North island v south island
Sorry will have to come back to this a bit later when I'm not in such a rush. I can say for a starter that everywhere around Dunedin is commutable. From the Octagon (the main plaza area in the centre) with 5-10 minutes driving you'll be well into the countryside in any direction. COL is probably about the same (you pay a bit less for groceries, etc, but probably a bit more for heating energy (the weather is more like the Uks than Auckland's). But houses are dirt cheap by comparison, a good 4 bedroom house in the top suburbs would probably be from $400k (the average house price is about $260k).
Jun 14th 2007, 7:50 am
#11
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Re: North island v south island
Agree totally with your view of Auckland. We've been here exactly 1 year & 6 hours & have found it exactly opposite of what we wanted. It's OK while you are still in 'holiday mode' but soon wears off!!!!
We have spent lots of time travelling around looking at different areas & in 17 days we are moving to Hawkes Bay. We have found it to be nice & quiet, no traffic, a friendlier atmosphere, more open space than you could wish for & a great deal cheaper especially housing (just over 200k for 1/2 acre).
I suggest you do the same as we have, travel around, take your time & get a feel for different areas, as people's tastes vary greatly (I mean lots of people love the North Shore).
Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for.
We have spent lots of time travelling around looking at different areas & in 17 days we are moving to Hawkes Bay. We have found it to be nice & quiet, no traffic, a friendlier atmosphere, more open space than you could wish for & a great deal cheaper especially housing (just over 200k for 1/2 acre
).I suggest you do the same as we have, travel around, take your time & get a feel for different areas, as people's tastes vary greatly (I mean lots of people love the North Shore
). Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for.
We 've looked at Hawkes bay and it does seem lovely.
Good luck with the move.
Jun 14th 2007, 9:13 am
#12
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 65
Re: North island v south island
hi i live in rolleston in chch it's great central for travelling anywere,30mins to alps 30 mins to coast nice quite relaxing place wages not to good but we manage 
Jun 15th 2007, 4:11 am
#14
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Re: North island v south island
Is that cause mybe you live 1.5hr away?
Jun 15th 2007, 4:19 am
#15
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Location: Christchurch
Posts: 75
Re: North island v south island
I guess it does depend on how you define the Alps - ie 1:15 to closest skifield (Porter Heights), maybe an hour to Rakaia Gorge (out the back of Methven), maybe an hour to Porters Pass. I think 30 min from Rolleston would get you to Springfield (compulsory sing-along...).