why the north and why the south
 

Hi again when we were going through the process of coming out to New Zealand i had been offered a job in the south island which i took, so that meant thats were we ended up and so far we think Dunedin is great , we have also seen a fair bit of the south island which is just magical.
I just wondered if any of you had the choice of going to the north or the south and why you choose what you choose ?.
The reason why i ask is that when we gain residency in 6 or 7 months we were thinking of giving the north island a go and wondered what the difference would be ? (apart from the weather).

Re: why the north and why the south
 

not to sure but is say city for city it would mean more people,more crime,less laid back,more traffic......

I like dunedin as a city and but for better weather I couldnt see a place could be better placed for all a person could want.

Fishing,walking,hunting,sailing,water sports galore,isolation in mins not hours,not land locked,beaches to die for and so on.

Glad you like it here and having said all that it cant hurt trying a different place.

George

Re: why the north and why the south
 

Personally if I was starting out again I would chose the South over North. I have not yet been but get the feeling its EVEN more the kiwi dream than the north. Less peeps, more beautiful etc, etc. In a perfect world I guess I would be on the outskirts of Queenstown or up near Abel T park. As such being little people with limited money and the need for a big hospital/hospice to work from we are stuck with Palmy for now. Which is nice just now.

Re: why the north and why the south
 

Better weather in the north or south can be very subjective.

The north island is warmer on average than the south part Auckland is one of the rainiest cities in NZ while Wellington is the windiest city in NZ. The west coast of both islands get a lot of rain while the east coast of both islands are dryer.

In the south island, Nelson and Marlborough probably get the best weather in the country. Canterbury is probably the driest part of NZ and gets hot dry summers and freezing winters. The same goes for Otago.

Re: why the north and why the south
 

The North Island is warmer and the water temps are warmer, but the South is often sunnier. Even in the winter when we have a high of 6 - 8 degrees the sun is shining in a blue sky. Dunedin is a cute place with a lot to offer, but the weather is very cold and often snowy in winter and you need wetsuits if you're into water sports. It depends what you like and what sort of place you need for work. There are lots of beautiful places in the North too, the cities are bigger and there is more choice of entertainment (touring shows often stop at ChCh). If you like the small city feel and the outdoors Dunedin should suit you.

Re: why the north and why the south
 

We could have chosen anywhere - but it was really important to me to have sunshine and beach! Plus with 4 kids with 10 years age gap between the eldest and youngest we wanted somewhere that had something for all of them. Also for my work we leaned towards Tauranga as it is the fastest growing city in New Zealand - or so I believe.

I love it here - I love the climate and the lifestyle, the beach and the general feel about the place - but I know other people who do struggle with it being quite small still. They need Wellington or Auckland, or even Melbourne for a cosmopolitan "fix" - it doesn't bother me so much.

I'd love to explore the SI, we only managed as far as Kaikora (sp?) on our reccie and I look forward to being able to see the cities and scenary it has to offer.:thumbsup:

Re: why the north and why the south
 

We have been in Dunedin for nearly 5 years, at first did think WTF have we done, was where the job was, so we made the city our home, at first lived in town where the hills do suck the cloud into them, but have now moved to the countryside about 25 mins from town, and the weather out here on the plains are warmer in summer but colder in winter, i would not trade a warmer climate for this place, no traffic jams, less crime, less population and just about all youy need froma place, ok you might need a wet suit, but that also saves your skin from the harsh sun which IMO you can have to much of, if you look at most Kiwi's after a few years in the sun, they look like wrinkled peices of leather:ohmy: Dunedin has it all, there are still lots of opportunities if you want them.


I have been to Wellington and TBH thats an awesome city, they have done the water front up how Dunedin should have done theirs, enjoyed 6 weeks in Welly, theonly thing that drives us nuts in NZ is the bloody windy weather in Oct/Nov that does pee us off, but apart from that you learn to live with what you have and learn to enjoy it all, after all you only live once ay ?

Re: why the north and why the south
 

We live in the far north of the north island and absolutely adore it here.
We have had long hot summers (apart from one which was short and hot!) since arriving coming up for 5 years ago.
The winters are wet - one exceptionally wet one, while the others have been more like a Glasgow autumn.
Before we moved here I was worried it would be too hot for me as I actually like being cold, but you soon get used to it.
We have had an absolutely amazing spring and summer this year - long hot days and almost pure blue skies. Northland is having a bit of a drought at the moment.

We've travelled pretty extensively round NZ over the last few years - but we did choose where we live with a pin in the map before we moved here.
Having seen a lot of NZ, admittedly as a tourist - we are incredibly happy we chose to be here. The only place we've found came close to our idea of bliss was Nelson which I absolutely loved.

There is north island north of Auckland :lol:

Re: why the north and why the south
 

We got offered Rotorua as part of the job offer...and it was a bit take it or leave it, so I couldn't really claim to have chosen one part of NZ over another. But we're well happy in Rotorua, and, for the time being at least, have no intention of moving to elsewhere in NZ. We used to live in SE London/ Kent borders, so thought that moving somewhere too rural or isolated might be a problem for the children especially. Here we're an easy drive to the coast, to some great rural areas, to Taupo & Hamilton, and it's only 3 hrs or so to Auckland, 5 to Welly. Everything feels accessible, and of course we have all the gorgeous Rotorua lakes nearby.

That said, I've not yet visited South Island, fully intend to one day, so of course I could be changing my mind completely after I've been there :eek:

Re: why the north and why the south
 

And to any of you who would like to see the South island and need a friendly place to stop for a few days, give me a bell and let us know when you want to come down, we got extra rooms to offer, the lakes and mountains about 3 hrs away.:thumbup:

Re: why the north and why the south
 

Good Question
I have traveled from the Bay of Islands to the tip of the South going East and West on Route It took over 4 months in our camper van.
We finished up living in Arrowtown a beautiful place on the South Island
We did a similar thing in Europe before it all became the EU
Driving from the UK to the border of Russia that took about 6 months with a few experiences on route.
I even managed to break my leg on the Swiss Alps that slowed us down a wee bit.
If you want scenery go to Switzerland or try the High & Low Tatra Mountains in Slovakia
If you want culture or architecture try Italy, Greece, France or even Hungary or Germany

Where would I live if I had choice in Europe?

No Idea to much choice.

The same applies to NZ

Before returning to NZ this year I would have said “ GO SOUTH”
But having spent the past 3 months on the North Island I am not so sure
Both Islands have different things to offer it depends on you as a person and what it is you are looking for.
North or South?
Just try it out and see what happens.
Its OK to visit these places but when you are working the job has a big influence on your happiness getting the right job in the right place could be the answer ? (if that makes sense?)

Good luck whatever your choice is
:confused:

Re: why the north and why the south
 

I think you are spot on!

Fooferfish, what a lovely offer :)