Kastell

Hi all, my OH & I are planning to come across to NZ for a holiday / reccie, as we are thinking about moving & NZ seems to tick allot of our boxes on paper, after doing basic research & reading posts on here.

We've already discounted Canada, I loved it - OH didn't like it enough to live there (too vast, the worry of bears etc!), I also like the sound of TAS but OH prefers the sound of NZ, (no snakes, not lots of poisonous spiders etc!), I hasten to add I also like the sound of NZ very much!! I was hoping some of you guys could give me some pointers?

Firstly we would like to visit both islands, would 4 weeks be long enough to give us a general idea? Obviously if we like what we see we would come back again for a second reccie. Also the best time of year to come?

Secondly can anyone advise on areas to visit? If we relocated we would be looking for semi rural, not too far from a large town (45 mins away -ish), a nice small community, as we have a young son, so schools nearby & work for us, etc. We keep horses & would also want to if we moved to NZ, so good outriding is a must, also not too hilly (need acreage for horses to live on!), not in an exclusive area, as aren't rich!! A climate similar to UK is fine, a bit warmer area would be nice & not snowed in in the Winter.

Any pointers gratefully received!

george toni

one visit should be more than eough so id say dont waste money on a second. A month should be fine but to see both islands would make it a pretty full on four weeks of travel.

Id say NELSON sounds about right for a look as its quite warm and near what you want from a lifestyle point.top of south island.

TBH almost everywhere in NZ could offer you what you say to some degree.

george

BEVS

You'll have to go at a bit of a fast lick to cover both islands in 4 weeks unless you fly everywhere.

From what you write I would agree with George, Nelson and Bays fits all your criteria if you can find work here.

zoglet

We did a similar thing last year. Try to spent your time at the places you like the sound of and where you think work is likely so that you can get a feel for life there. We also found it very useful to keep lists of EVERYTHING you spend-this helps with budgeting later on. For us, the reccie trip was NOT a holiday, it was a bit of a weird but worthwhile experience.

Hope this helps- good luck!

Justcol

From your list of wants you have descibed Cambridge perfectly.
Lovely small town
20 mins to large town (hamilton)
semi rural, the waikato if area id mostly farm land
Horses, Cambridge is the equine centre of NZ.
You might struggle with the out riding aspect.
NZ is not like the uk where there are lots of bridleways.
most of the land down here is privately owned so access
may need to be arranged.
Its a beautifaul area though and worth considering
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...09692&t=h&z=13

Kastell

Thanks guys, will look into the areas you suggested, we are planning on hiring a camper van to do our tour in, so need to make a list or places to go to, to plan routes etc. I also forgot to say we'd like to be fairly close to the sea (10-15 mins), as OH loves snorkeling, fishing etc, we also don't like really flat areas (We originate from the SW UK).

I'm surprised about there being no bridle paths, where do people ride? Are there no trails for horse riding / biking / walking? I did read somewhere (can't remember where now) that Endurance riding is quite popular in NZ, so assumed the riding must be good? Any horsey people on this site?

bdclayton

Hi there
4 weeks ? think you may need a bit longer
don't discount Tas that easily I live here in NZ although i cant find any work
is a great place to live.
But so is Tas I spent some time there and loved it
Its not like Aus it has a nice feel and Hobart is not to big a place.
If i had the choice ?
you cant go wrong just toss a coin ?

Justcol

There is no right to roam to NZ so most walking is done in the resserves
along characterless tracks. I find them very disapointing and unispiring.
I'm surrounded by beautiful scenery and i cant walk through any of it
There are some tracks for mountain bikeing but again they tend to be in desinated areas.
Motorbike trail rides are a big thing, theres are loads of places to ride off road
every weekend there are dozens of organised trails to choose from.
You just turn up, pay your money (20-30 bucks) and away you go.
Horses, i've NEVER seen anyone riding apart from round a paddock or at the
local track.
Other areas might be different, i dont know

pricklykina

You can always ride on the beach....

Am Loolah

My daughters did that for the second one's birthday!

SarahB is our horsey expert on BE - you could try PM'ing her.

From what I have seen locally I'd agree with colandros, Cambridge is very equestrian, many stud farms etc. Stables are not the norm here - my daughter used to have a pony in the UK at a livery stable where she'd ride him 3 times a week including every Saturday pony club - perfect for us as we don't know one end of a horse from another - but not found anything like that here. Not that it matters now she is 17 with a car and a boyfriend ...

Justcol

It seems like theres a pony club events here almost every week.
must be cambridge thing. we've even got a horse statue in town and
a race horse hollywood stars in the pavement type things running through the town

garfield250

My partner is a keen horsey person and as there are no public bridalways here in Wanganui she has arranged access over neighbouring farmland. Occassionally she will ride on the beach.

LucyS

There are places with trails you can ride on (you share with mountain bikes like in UK). Plus you can ride on the beach - even the ones with restricted riding in the summer are more civilsed than home - in Sussex we had to be off by 7am, here I think it's 10am! And they are lovely long sandy beaches.

But it is fair to say most people ride over farmland (awesome, miles of open grassland), so you would need to make friends with the locals! Also there are livery stables here - plus of course there will be plenty of lifestyle block owners with a couple of stables and fields who may take a couple of liveries.

Endurance riding is popular here, so is something called competitive trail riding, it is similar but shorter distances (you can't do full distance Endurance rides in e.g Wellington area as it is too hilly so too tough). The other big plus is you can enter CTR competitions for fun (I believe most entrants do), so you get a lovely ride across farmland you wouldn't normally have access to, bit like doing a Sponsored Ride back home.

You could look up Trail Riding clubs on internet in the areas you are interested in as getting involved would be a great way to meet horsey folk.

I e-mailed the local one to offer to help out at shows, then got offered a 'spare' horse to exercise and may even get a chance to compete on it!

littleal

I think Matamata is quite horsey too, and a bit closer to Tauranga etc. Mind you, a hobbit invasion is expected....