Wellington v's Auckland
 

Hi Everyone,

We're trying to make a decision and I hope you'll all muck in with your thoughts. i'm sure lots of people go through this and thought it would be a good place to put all thoughts... we've researched the job market and have decided we have to move to either Wellington or Auckland. After initially deciding on Auckland, we understand that the rentals & house prices there are much higher, there'll still be more of a commute, and there wont be such a significant difference in our lifestyle. We want a more relaxed life, living by the beach where we can regularly walk our dog in a safe / clean environment. We also want to be able to easily commute to work with not much travel time, and have enough left over to live a good life of eating out and regular holidays. Is this possible in Auckland, or would we be better off in Wellington?

We've heard that there are high winds in Wellington, how often are these and are they anything to worry about? Are we going to end up spending a lot of time indoors if we move there, as we're into the outdoorsey lifestyle!?

Any thoughts people have on this would be truly appreciated!

Also, are salaries siginificantly lower in Wellington compared to Auckland? The property prices may be lower but that's no good if we just lose it from the paycheck :-O

Look forward to hearing what people think

D

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Hi we went through the same thoughts before we moved out here 5 weeks ago. We had to deide between the same two cities and went for Auckland, I had a job offer in Auckland so it was really made for me, I now know though that a move to Wellington could also have transpired.

You are correct about most points in your thread, cost of living (especially houses) is more in Auckland but its not loads more. Wellington is windy and colder with less beaches close to the city. We live in a suburb of Auckland called Kohimarama, it is really beautiful. Five minutes walk to the beach part of which is past the local park area but we pay $550 a week for this. Auckland itself is great big enough for lots of variety but not so big you are anonymous. You meantioned eating out, like yourselves, this is one area we have really noticed is cheaper than in the UK. I hope this gives you a little help if you want to know anything more specific let us know.

Regards.

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

[QUOTE=PRinAuckland]Hi Everyone,


We've heard that there are high winds in Wellington, how often are these and are they anything to worry about? Are we going to end up spending a lot of time indoors if we move there, as we're into the outdoorsey lifestyle!?

Any thoughts people have on this would be truly appreciated!

Also, are salaries siginificantly lower in Wellington compared to Auckland? The property prices may be lower but that's no good if we just lose it from the paycheck :-O

Hi there,
No I have never come across in our area of work (IT) that salaries are higher in Auckland, but maybe in some types of work this could be the case.
We are from Wellington so I guess am biased, It can be windy from Sept to Dec but not every day and not every year.
Weather in Wellington can be very cold first thing in the morning and at night in winter but can also on a good day be up to 18 degrees during the day in winter.
It is a very pretty city, good shops, bars, resturants, home to the national ballet and opera, compact and easy to get around. Personally I prefer it to Auckland but there are some lovely parts of Auckland too, Auckland just does not seem to have a center to it like Wellington does.
Good luck deciding
KAZ

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Personally wouldnt want to live in either of these Cities but did read recently that Wellington is "the" place to go if you want to make it financially. Apparently the wages are much the same in The Capital as they are in Auckland & house prices lower so maybe it is worth looking into !

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Just out of interest, where would you say is better than living in Auckland or Wellington ? And where do you live ?

We're living in Auckland at the moment, love the beaches, but hate the traffic and the house prices, so starting to wonder where else we could settle with our young family.

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Sorry I wont do that because Im a south islander & spent 40 plus years living in the south island but spent every summer travelling the country with first my parents then my own children & there wasnt much of the country that I didnt get to see. Sure found some lovely holiday places but never really changed my mind about where I wanted to live.
Have to agree with you about some of the beaches up that way but there are others around too. I personally love the Coromandel area myself but then again only as a holiday place or maybe in my latter years. City life is ok but if I had a young family today I would look at living on the outskirts of the city & commuting everyday if I worked in the city. Small communities far out weigh city life if your raising children but thats only my opinion.

Cheers
Cindy

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Thanks for the input guys - Kaz, I think you've converted us. I wondered whether Wellington is just windy in the months you mentioned, or all year round? I think we're definitely more drawn to it as we're coming for a healthier more laid-back lifestyle, so why subject ourselves to 45-60 minutes commute every day into the Auckland CBD?! It sounds as if the commute into Welly is much more agreeable.

We can't live outside these two cities because of our jobs. We have a dog - where would be the best place for us to live - my dog ikes the sea, and I like climbing up big hills with her - but I MUST avoid bush areas that carry creepy crawlies :-O We don't have kids and don't intend to, so we need somewhere with views, seaside access, in a GREAT neighbourhood where there's NO trouble, and within easy commute of Welly. We don't mind commuting a bit more to get what we want.

We like the look of Seatoun? We're happy to pay what you are paying for your rent at the moment, but it looks like the places close to the centre are really expensive. We also haven't spotted any decent rentals online - can you recommend any sites catering for Wellington?

Also, we don't want somewhere with no central heating as I have bad allergies / asthma which are aggravated by electric heaters and damp and open fires - is accommodation generally unheated there? We're also thinking of bringing all of our white goods with us - can you rent somewhere unfurnished and without white goods?

Thanks Kaz and anyone else from Welly, for helping to bring us one step closer he he he :D

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Ooops, one more thing if you don't mind... do you know of any short-term accommodation that accepts pets? (we're also bringing two cats with our dog). They're like our kids so we don't want to leave them in kennels / catteries etc. We've looked some places up on the net but they're like $1,000+ per week, not a reasonable course of action since it's likely to take some time to find the right house given all of our prerequisites and my allergies lol.

Much appreciated guys and girls...may soon be changing my name to PRinWellington lol.

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

OK the place seemed perfect - and then I read this in the forum:-

"Lyall bay is the only beach in Welly that allows dogs on it, & even then thats at the far end of the bay"

Is this true anyone?

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

dont know first hand but found this link...

http://www.wellington.govt.nz/servic.../exercise.html


Check out what restrictions there are in Waikanae or Paraparaumu, about 45 mins to an hour outside of Wellington but also an option if you want a really beachy type lifestyle.

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Yes wellington is a good option, smaller than Auckland so less hassles with traffic long commutes etc.

Few rental get advertised online unfortunately, most only get advertised in the paper, there are quite a bigger selection than appears from online. Best sites for rentals are propertystuff and realenz.

Wellington is slightly colder than auckland, but it rains less. Summers are really nice. The Kapiti coast is great and only 45 mins or so away. (I think the Kapiti Coast is better for excercising dogs on beaches as well)

Houses can be cold, many do not have central heating. Some rental properties are offered with white goods, some without. About 50/50 i guess.

Areas that are nice include Kilbirnie, Island Bay, Seatoun is nice but can be expensive, Lyall Bay or if you go inland maybe Karori (next to a big nature reserve). Or Johnsonville/ Churton Park (not near the sea though) or Hutt City (a longish commute to Wellingotn from the Hutt). Eastbourne is another great location if youre after a beach type location, on the opposite side of the bay from the city centre, so you can get brill views, and commuting can be an easy ferry ride across the bay, esp if your job is in the CBD.

Another positive aspect of Wellington is that the CBD is compact, its very walkable and most jobs are in teh CBD so central and easy to get to.

Many houses wont have central heating, I dont know how prevalent houses with central heating will be.

The wind is only around at certain times of the year (around autumn and spring), and then only on and off, not a constant issue. One or to days of strong winds then calm again.

Anyway, that enough from me now, hope you get it all sorted and settle in easily.

cheers

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Hi New Kiwi,

How long have you lived in Wellington. Have you decided to rent or buy. How far away do you live from CBD. Nice to hear that the winds aren't constant.

Boopy

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

That is true for quite a few beaches but it is usually only for the summer months and between 9am - 7pm (from memory), but it is a bit like Italian law and people do still take their dogs on. Kapiti coast has a huge expanse of beach on often not many people on it. Seatoun is lovely and would be an area we would like to live in (Peter Jackson has a house there), Eastbourne would be a good option, has a small beach but at the end of the main road is a track that takes you all around Wellington heads, past the seals to a lighthouse, beautiful walk, great for dogs and energetic kids.
Houses are mainly unfurnished and unheated, most people use portable heaters, some newer houses have central heating.
New Zealand has a very, very high rate of asthma, so start stocking up on your enhalers now!
$1,000 sounds very expensive for a rental, should be fantastic for that money.
For houses check our www.stuff.co.nz or justpatterson.co.nz or open2view.co.nz
Cheers
KAZ

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

hi Boopy
We have been living in Wellington for almost a year now, and before that in auckland for two years. we bought a place in auckland about two years ago, and didnt want to sell that when we moved to wellington. we are renting out our place in auckland and renting in wellington at the moment. the rent we are getting is more than the rent we are paying, so we are ahead i guess (thats what i tell myself in any case)

We live in brooklyn about 5 kms or 10 mins from the cbd. we have ice views to teh rimutaka ranges and a sliver of the bay from our balcony. if i can i'll try to post a pic taken from our balcony...

cheers

Re: Wellington v's Auckland
 

Here a pic if anybodys interested, taken from our balcony in wellington