WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Hi,

Me, my wife and 1 year old baby boy have started the long process to leave the UK and move to NZ. My wife is a nurse so its her skills that will be getting us over there. Im a Tree surgeon/Forester/Landscaper so i'm hoping there is plenty of opportunities for me too. Jenna (my wife) has taken her IELTS test and we are waiting on results which should be any day now. Then on to next stage of registering onto the New Zealand Nursing Council. While wanting on this we have started to look at places to go.
We first couldn't decide on North or South island. We first thought of Whangarai and then i read some info and posts on the net and kind of put us off. Said that crime was quite high..does anyone know whether this is true?
At the moment we have now gone completely the other end and are now thinking of Dunedin. Does anyone have any useful information on Dunedin?weather, people, jobs, Hospital.....any info would be fantastic and most appreciated.
Even better if you could suggest any great places to look into that would again be fantastic.

Thank you

Simon, Jenna and Toby

We look forward to hearing back.:):)

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

You'll bloody love it, it's a beautiful city.

It'll not be a problem getting a lovely house in a lovely area with fantastic schools, close to the beach and a 10 minutes drive into town, something that's out of most people's reach in Auckland. It's big enough of a place to not feel quiet and small enough to have lots of space to yourself.

You've made a wise choice. Whatever you do don't listen to the 'experts' up north about the weather down here, it's no where near as cold as they make out, much better than the weather back in Yorkshire. It's 30 plus degrees today and roasting, I'll be on the beach later soaking up some rays watching the surfers.

There's plenty of jobs around, it took our houseguest less than 10 minutes to find a decent job.

I know people that work at the hospital, they seem to enjoy it, it's close to town so no long commute.

If you need any information email me on [email protected]

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Well said barnsleymat I couldn't have put it better myself.

Dunedin hospital is a great hospital and has plenty of expats working there. With regards to vacancies at the hospital I would contact them directly or through the website

http://www.healthdownsouth.co.nz/index.php?pageLoad=6

I work at the hospital in admin and its a good place to work.

As barnsleymat said housing is much cheaper than Auckland but you need to be aware of locations in Dunedin and areas that get good sun because it can be colder in the winter but not like UK winters.

Good luck with your decisions.

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Hi

I work for the SDHB PM me if you have questions. I wasn't keen on Dunners when I was here on holiday, but I have grown to love love love it. Has a bit of something for everyone

J

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

"Dunners" i like it! Thats really nice of you thanks. I suppose my first question to you would be.....Do you know what the average salary is for a registered nurse in Dunners Hospital?

Thanks

Simon.:)

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Thanks for the info. The more we read, the more excited we get. Thanks again.

Simon

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Thanks Barnsleymat, i will keep hold of your email address. i sure the nearer it gets to us coming over the more questions i will have spinning around my brain.

Simon.

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Dunedin is very pretty. My favorite city on the South Island.

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

Good luck guys, I hope we can join you all down South at some point!

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

I lived in Dunedin whilst I was in NZ and I wasn't keen. It's a nice enough city but feels isolated (or at least did to me). My mate and I found job prospects weak given that a lot of people fleeing the Christchurch earthquakes had taken up residency (and thus, work) in the city. But generally, it's an alright city and should be suited to your needs.

Barnsleymat had a point about the weather to: don't listen to the scare stories. While I was there, it snowed twice but it was never really cold. The summer there was amazingly hot: the best in NZ that year apparently. Also, if you're like me and sound a wee Scottish (even though I'm a Geordie), they'll love you! :D

Good luck! You'll have to let us know how it goes!

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

What?! Even over Queenstown? :P Well, fair enough, Queenstown isn't a city per se but still! :P

Re: WE ARE THINKING DUNEDIN? THOUGHTS ANYONE
 

I have lived 18 months in Whangarei and at present live in Dunedin also been here 18 months. While the weather is far better in Whangarei I prefer Dunedin, more things to do and see down here. House prices are probably about the same but as said before you need to look for somewhere sunny here as it can be a bit gloomy in winter but far better weather than the UK. The beaches in Whangarei in my opinion are prettier and I have yet to take a swim here in Dunedin but the beaches in Dunedin are dog friendly, surfable and nice and quiet. I never felt unsafe or worried about crime in either city but Dunedin has deffo more life on a night, Whangarei lacked decent nightlife for me. Any questions just ask. Marie:)