londonescapee

Hi all thanks so much for the responses, have provided real food for thought and been very helpful in focusing thoughts. Think I need to have a practical head on rather than emotional one - support network isn't really an issue - we've got friends in both cities and all his family who I get on with and they are in Christchurch - I think I was having a selfish moment earlier....

I will earn a very good salary in NZ so I am lucky (fundraiser) but senior roles are very rare so when something good comes up I have to go for it - even though I'm not quite ready yet but what the hey life is too short

Husband looked at me as if I was daft and said exactly what CAN2NZ said...well durr we don't have to stay in Christchurch for ever do we! And then I remembered Wellington airport I HATE flying and the landings there just do me in, particularly in rough weather

I'm not fussed by the lack of people and can't wait for a bit of peace and quiet TBH. Living in London 10 years has had that effect! I also confess to being a total philistine and don't do museums and galleries and stuff so I never notice that kind of thing - I do notice a good and varied restaurant selection tho mmmmm and love hanging out with the dog & husband going for walks etc.

And Browner_: absolutely Brighton is amazing and fabulous and I adore living here particularly after the horrors of where we were in London (moved 18 months ago and I still have nightmares), but I commute to central London 3 hours every day sometimes (still better than living in London mind!) and my monthly travelcard costs could feed a whole African nation for a year so a) I never get to actually spend much time here and b) when we do we can't afford to go anywhere Still the beach is free and there's nothing like the view of the sea walking down from the station when I leave the smog of London behind I still get excited to see the welcome to Brighton sign whenever I get home!

Think it's gotta be the practical option - job first....and at the risk of sounding all gushy and newly-wedded blah blah I would actually be happy anywhere so long as husband and dog are there too

anyway enough from me, thanks all - would still be interested to hear from more peeps tho their thoughts on the two as said, this has been so helpful.

londonescapee

I have a vision of my kids (if we are lucky enough to have them) going to ski and snowboard school at the weekends learning from a young age which husband says will be easier in christchurch - I am sure that he really wants to go and spend some time with his folks too who are in C. I think I need to be a bit less selfish and let him spend some time there as he's been away 10 years How nice that your little one had her birthday in Queenstown by the way! Did you do something special?

Te Papa is fabulous though and so good for kids - my niece lives in there by all accounts. And Wellington has such a nice vibe and a civilized commuter service. Oh dilemas! I do think it's got to come down to where the work is at the end of the day tho?

Lots of ocean around Christchurch I think? but living round there must be expensive I've started to look around speculatively and I want to say Sumner is by the sea, but not sure. I had my heart set on Paekakeriki on the Kapiti Coast just up from Wellington...who knows I may yet make it there someday

Let me know where you end up perhaps we can check out the local craic together

londonescapee

Forgot to add in earlier post that if hubby had his way that is where we would go (he went to uni there). I thought Dunedin was a really lovely city and there is some amazing architecture (the old station is beautiful). It made me chuckle as to how the Scots sailed half way round the world only to end up somewhere that was so similar to their home country! Very nice city - it was however the first time I felt in NZ that I was really really far away from anything......that was a bit freaky......

Glad to hear you are enjoying it

saoghalbeag

LOL I think I have those same visions of my daughter becoming a snow bunny! I guess because it was so far removed from my experience of growing up (tropical Queensland - we used to race out in the early hours in winter and pretend the frosted cobwebs on the grass were "snow"...

Like others have said tho, altho you feel like a kid in the candy store having this luxury of choosing between so many great places, at the end of the day we have to be practical...

Q'town was great - I had big plans of heading out to Milford Sound etc whilst in Q'town, but in the end it suited the small one better to chill out around town (and eat an ICECREAM in the bitter biting wind!), then take a shorter boat trip out to a remote farm (it was a paddle steamer - best scones I have EVER seen/tasted - they were as big as our heads!)...she had heaps of fun with llamas and hairy coos, and of course - the sheep!! She made friends with another kid on the boat and spent an hour in a park with her which turned out to be the favourite part of her day...so really all I need is a good swingset & she'll be happy wherever we go!!

Let us know how you get on with yr decision making...I'm waiting in Queensland atm for a niece/nephew to arrive, then we're heading over - just in time for snow (the real stuff, no more icy cobwebs for me!!)

DGH

Ok, there don't seem to be many pro-Christchurch posts on here so thought I'd add one. We're living in Christchurch and are absolutely loving it. We'd pick here over Welly any day! Yes Welly is probably a little more cosmopolitan, and there are times when living in Christchurch feels kinda like you live in the olden days, but that's what's appealing about the place.....after living in a city in the UK too it was so refreshing to move into our new place in Chch and have the neighbours come round to introduce themselves and bring us bus timetables/doctors info/details of nice restaurants etc. It was great to see kids walking around the city in their pinstripe school blazers. It was fab when we caught the bus from the airport and had the bus driver notice that we looked tired and therefore drop us off outside our hotel door instead of at the bus stop 2 blocks away!
House prices are not bad considering it's a city, and if you look outside the city at Sumner/Redcliffs/Banks Peninsula/Lyttelton you can snag a house with fantastic views. We don't have a dog but love walking and have had some brilliant walks in the port hills and on Sumner beach.
You literally can be on the beach in the morning and skiing in the afternoon if you want.
Let me know when you arrive and we can have a few cocktails in Sol square, some funky bars around there!

crap coffee

do you like winter scenery in CHCH?

CHCH winter... ohhhhhhh

Honestly....the landscape was bleak, desolate... and grey.. can't stand.

Whereas the UK winter... no.. never felt like that way. It was (mostly) green or white - just beautiful (to me). Nothing like dull and bleak like CHCH. I prefer Welly winter...to CHCH winter as its vibrant at least...however. all in all, none of cities in NZ is/are pretty or appealing as Paris or Edinburgh... I want to live somewhere pretty though... (man made beauty/civilized) ... Paris, Vancouver, Oxford...etc for instance.

Browner_

Jesus, youd save money on a house then, just live in a caravan.

londonescapee

Erm I dunno which part of the UK you were in but having lived in various parts of the country it is just as bleak and grey and miserable here as anywhere in the world if the sun isn't shining and the storms along the coast get very vicious. We've just come out of one of the longest, coldest and miserablest winters I can remember. Looking out the window today, I reckon it stil hasn't quite ended


Aside from the odd winter storm, across nearly all of the country you very rarely get to see the white stuff properly (although Cairngorms skiing was superb this year - but that is rare and driving 13 hours to get there wasn't so much fun). The novelty of not being able to get home due to snow on the train lines wore off pretty quickly - but there was a great Blitz-esque sprit at times

londonescapee

Thank you so much for this post I think the Port Hills and Lyttleton are fabulous! I was blown away by how beautiful the coastline was around there.

Yay to the cocktails we hope to be over sooner rather than later - regardless of what happens job-wise we will be in Christchurch for a month with the in-laws, at least whilst the dog is in home quarantine. That sounds like fun

londonescapee

Totally with you - I grew up in Singapore and am fascinated by the cold white stuff! The disappointment when we moved back to the UK down to the Westcountry where it snows properly about once every 10 year was immense! Can't get enough of it (until I can't get home because of it - not really geared up to deal with snow here 3 centimetres and everything shuts down )

Will keep you posted - it really does seem to be dependent on the work which is same as so many peeps seemingly. Hubby is adamant that he will only consider Wellington, Christchurch or Dunedin (and I vetoed the latter) so that's our options - candy store as you say

Best of luck with the new niece or nephew, that's such a lovely thing to look forward to

harrogate girl

God what a good post
I still say its all down to the Job Offer First.
Its like when you buy a car some one will say thats crap I had one act.

Go with your gut feeling you can make it work get into NZ!!! then you could always move later

Good Luck Lots would love to be in your place

CAN2NZ

I have to chuckle about the poster who said there is on Wellington when in Wellington and after a few years the walls could come in. If that's how it is, why live in NZ? It is so far from every other place of interest that it is a bother to get there.

Anyway, each city has its pluses and minuses. I look at it this way, if Wellington were on the South Island, it would be the very best place to be. I have enjoyed Wellington as I said above.

Christchurch is a funny sort of place. We lived there for 18 months while we build our house north of the city. I found it a difficult city to navigate because one doesn't just drive through it. So while there is QEII pool and complex, it took us 30 minutes to take our son there for gym on a Friday after work, and it was only 12 km away.

I think if one is coming to NZ it is about balancing work with other persuits. That's why we picked the South Island. It seemed to fit us better. it has been hard to make ends meet. Being from out of country with large company experience, I have found it hard to find work. My last job was relocated to Wellington, I was out of work for nine and a half months. Oh, I am getting off topic. So back on topic. We have tried to balance making an income against having something interesting outside to do. The South Island made the most sense for us under that criteria.

So, again, take the best job, and then go from there. You really shouldn't make too many hard and fast rules about where to live and where you can or can't go out for a drink or meal. You can do those things most places. Just get working and take what comes wth more direct experience.

PSW2010

I thought I may aswell add my tuppence worth.
I have lived in both places, ChCh for about 6 months, Wellington for 2 years.
For me, I prefer Wellington overall, but that's because Wellington provides me with the things I want from somewhere to live, and doesn't mean that Chch is no good.
Firstly, the 2 are very different and it's hard to know where to start the more I type, it truly does depend on what you like to do in life.


Wellington
The reason we moved from Chch to Wellington, was, having spent a year living in Wellington, then going to Chch, we realised that we loved having a lot of water around us, and a very manageable way of moving around city / suburbs. Wellington seems to be easier to get from one side of the area to another, where as Chch general area seems huge in comparison, and a car is needed a lot of the time. Things seemed to take a long time to get around Chch, where as Wellington, you can get from the Eastern Suburbs where we live to the city really quickly, and in fact can walk around the eastern suburbs aswell quite easily, from one place to the next. You tend never to be more than 5 minutes from being able to see the sea / beach in Welly, which we love.

Wellington has an amazing harbour, with a lot of culture based around it, there is always something going on, with lots of food & drink places surrounding it, again you can walk from one part to another really easily, also if you work in the CBD you can walk to the harbour easily in lunch and eat your sandwiches on the harbour front.

Wellington has a very cultural vibe about it, has a lot of open space wherever you tend to be, there is always something going on, shows, art, beach, sports.

The airport and ferry terminal are well located for a lot of people in my opinion. (I'm talking about Wellington living, not up in Hutt which people may argue is a bit far to the ferry & airport).

You can pop up the coast to Kapiti which is a lovely place to relax, we spent a week in a beach house there in Paekakriki and we're sure we saw one person walking their dog on the beach once. Also Paraparaumu is a nice day out from Welly.

Christchurch

We lived between Sumner / Mt Pleasant, which was great, but there is only one road in & one road out of that beach area, and it gets PACKED out at weekends. Great area, but being one of only a couple of accesible beach areas, Chch can feel like a trek getting to the water.

The city needs a lick of paint behind the main square, feels old to me.

It has great access to the south island (obviously), but very good for skiing, hanmer springs, kaikoura.

Amazing views of the mountains from most of the city, especially in winter, and whilst I miss the smell of wood burners, the smog is noticable.

Better shopping malls, but as I said earlier, it's so spread out you have to drive.

More of an english feel about it, I was told and agree that South islanders tend to think of themselves as old english, where as Wellington people don't.

They have countdown supermarkets more in Chch than Welly & I love countdown.

COLD in the winter, colder than welly, even with welly's wind.


Generally, for us, it was about proximity to things we liked, beaches, water, culture, so we chose Wellington.
I love the drive around the Miramar peninsula, up into the City via Oriental Bay, so many nice bays & little seaside villages / towns.
Chch is probably visually more amazing than Wellington, but it feels so sprawling and car dependent.
I think Wellington is very forward thinking and dynamic with a very positive City council behind it, that has turned it into a very resident friendly place to live.

Sorry for the long email !!!!! I could go on more, but I won't.

They're both good places to live, it depends what you want.

Dustybin

I live in chch. and I also have no kids one wife and am in my 30's.

Its a good place to live in general, it's not scary at all but I suppose that depends on where you have come from in the first place.

It's as lively as you want it to be, and unlike wellington I've never been in a pub in the city centre on a friday night that was closing at 9.30pm.

Oh and it flat, which is good if you bike to work!

Just for the record, after 3 years of being down here I'm yet to find any part of NZ that is like an 'english city' least of all Chch. Which is a good thing, or I might aswell live in england.

Like anywhere, it is what you make of it.

Have fun and enjoy!

Oh and if you come down here i'll by u a pint.

Kiwiprincess

You're a fundraiser and have found Christchurch to be better for you? That's interesting actually. We have two fundraisers at work (I'm in Wellington) and both talk about Wellington and Auckland above Christchurch.

Nothing against Christchurch at all. I am just surprised that as a fundraiser, you are finding Christchurch to be ahead of Wellington. I have no clue though so was just curious. Have you checked the Finz website?

I'm a born and raised, dyed in the wool Wellingtonian. I wouldn't live in Mexico (south of the border) myself but it's a lovely city.