Wessa

So, im looking into migrating to NZ, Can anyone give me a rough guide on good and bad area's please. Are there big area's where exbrits tend to go for and why?. Im fresh to looking into NZ so please be honest as we have 2 young kids. Many thanks, Regards, Gary.

Maz

Erm... that's a bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question, and there are so many right answers to it, unfortunately.

We're headed to Wellington. Don't want to be in sub-tropical Auckland and prefer the European 'feel' of Welly. (Also there are a lot more jobs in my area of expertise there .)

I'm also from Essex, and there right now, actually. Funny how so many people want to escape loverly Essex, eh?

annbee

Hi

We are going out to Hobsonville, near Auckland, Hubbie has a job out there. It all depends what you want from NZ as to where you want to live? Enjoy your quest

Annbee

kiwi_child

Most of NZ is fine. There are good, very good, and dodgy areas in all cities and towns. Thing is to consider what you actually want eg; work opportunities, commuting distance, recreational and community resources, cost of housing, weather, etc

Then get some info on different regions/cities/towns and refine it from there. Once you have 2 or 3 places shortlisted, then ask those who live there, read local area news, etc

Check out these links:

www.stuff.co.nz

www.nzherald.co.nz

One piece of advice: Never go for the cheapest suburbs in a city or town. Try to get into one of the best areas you can afford without overstretching your budget. Most mid-priced and above should be fine. Some cheaper ones can be okay, but you need to have indepth local knowledge, eg; 2 or 3 streets in a suburb could be dodgy but the rest of it okay.

Also I don't mean dodgy as in you take your life in your hands by being there. I just mean low income areas that attract (obviously) some of the less sensitive of residents including those with a tendency to anti-social behaviour.

Ash1

Hi,

Not too sure about other areas, but where we are (Papamoa/Tauranga- Bay of plenty) is full of Brits. I think mainly because of the lovely weather and because its the fastest growing city in NZ. We also had a look at Hawkes Bay,inparticular Napier/ Havelock North, which was really nice but lacked a decent local beach .We went to Pahia/ Bay of Islands a couple of years ago which is very scenic and busy during the summer months but quite touristy.
Best book yourself a recce!!!
Ash

bourbon-biscuit

Ocean Beach!! 15 mins from Havelock North.

Or Waimarama, a few kms further along the coast.

Kerry W

We moved to Wellington as my partner is a Kiwi (living in the UK for 14yrs) as his family live here.

Wellington City is very cosmopolitan and there are many nice suburbs around Welli, you are never far away from the beach. In summer, there are many many activities going on, i.e. carnivals, jet boat races, surf competitions, beach treasure hunts etc etc. Its impossible to do everything. We live about 15 mins bus ride out of Wellington City centre which is ideal. Its great if you have children too. I don't believe there are many 'dodgy areas' here in Welli that I know of.

We travel out occasionally to Papakowphai and Paraparaumu which are really pretty and a little less windy These areas have a big expat community.

I cannot comment on Auckland as I only got as far as the airport.

Ash1

Exactly, not local as in walk to. We went to this beach and there`s nothing else around!!

bourbon-biscuit

It has a beautiful beach and the sea. What else could you want at a beach?

Waimarama has a dairy and chip shop if you want that sort of thing.


I agree the BOP has more beautiful beaches and a similarly gorgeous climate but unfortunately it's a 'discovered' area and house prices are much higher than Hawkes Bay.

I love Northland beaches too.

Colin in the middle

Central North Island where the summers are short but the winters are sunny

Otago (Alexandra) where the sumers are Hot and dry 30c+ and the winters are cold -20c

Put it this way where ever you live its wetter than the UK (not you would notice this summer ) the winters are shorter, the days are sunnier and the summers warmer. Might get a shock though in some parts with your house on how cold it gets without actually getting cold.

Wessa

An Essex girl eh!. Its not that Rayliegh Essex is not nice, more the whole country is going into meltdown..

Wellington sounds fine. Was thinking about a warm climate, a beech and the oppotunity to travel to some snow winter time too.

As for work i will be looking soon,just got to check if my quals are good enough for application. Welly may be a place to start.

Thanks all.

kato33

Come to the BoP.

Tauranga has been sold to us by so many on here. Keep the Essex people together or the whole of NZ will be like chav city.

BEVS

OK . Come to Nelson and Bays then.

Ski field hour and a half away. Several quality beaches. National Parks. Lakes.
Camping. Outdoor Life. Warm winters and hot summers. Grapevines in the garden. No snow in town.
What do you do , coz that may dictate where you go.

slippery

The south island......end of story.
I have lived on both islands and there is no competition.
Further south you go the more welcoming it becomes.

Wessa

Bev, i'l either be working in the Halth and safety field, or working on the roads hopefully