moving to New Zealand

[keziah_sandiego]

Hello Amanda,

Why don't you try these areas:
Auckland City - Auckland Central, Mt Eden, Newmarket, Parnell, Ponsonby, Remuera and St Mary's Bay
South Island - Christchurch or Queenstown

New Zealand is very nice and clean.
Come and pay a visit, then after, decide if you want to stay for good.

[calbernard]

Hi Amanda/Carol

Firstly, you don't need to be legally married. Being a de facto partner (of 2 years' standing) will do just fine.

Secondly, as regards places to live in the South Island...I would strongly recommend either Christchurch or Dunedin. They may be a little drive from all that is spectacular, but both are easy to get around, friendly (Dunedin more than Ch Ch), and have plenty of facilities that aren't alien to anyone from the UK. Both also have a range of rental properties, and I say this for two reasons: 1. you mention wanting to rent yourself (you can rent in either place for anything from $150 p/w upwards), and 2. because your partner may be able to find work doing renovations etc on rental or cheaper properties bought for rental.

Why don't you want to go to Australia, by the way?

Sorry I can't give any info about visas; we got ours a few years ago, and things have changed dramatically since.

Good luck.

[carl]

hi nigel im looking at moving to hamilton... i want to know more about it and house prices and stuff... im an I.T geek so am looking for a computer job is hamilton ideal otherwise people have suggested tauranga to me...

your views will be appreciated

thank you

[lucybo]

Hi Carol

I'm a kiwi living in London. My suggestion is Nelson. It's slower paced than say Christchurch and is close to Abel Tasman National Park. Nelson is a retirement, alternative life style town. There is not the same problems in Nelson with law and order as there is in other towns. Nelson has all the facilities you require without the big town feel. Nelson has the highest number of sunshine hours in New Zealand and has plenty of orchards and vineyards. The downside - housing is expensive. My retired parents live there and if we ever move back to New Zealand our choice would be Nelson or Napier (Hawkes Bay in the North Island).

[shazniko]

Hi

Can anyone help please? My husband and I and 2 young children have applied for permanent residency for NZ, however we can't decide where to settle! We can't make up our minds - its gonna be either Whangarei or Hawkes Bay. Any advice would be gratefully received!

Thanks

Sharron

[CdnKiwi]

The South Island is beautiful. So is the North Island, but speaking as someone who comes from a colder climate, I have to say that parts of the North Island were simply too rainy for me. I have recently moved down to Christchurch and am loving it so far, despite the cooler temperatures. The trick is to get a comfortable house with heating, which you will pay for here, but which is worth it.

We looked at some places for $300/week that were small, old, unmaintained, and cold. We got a place for $325/week that is old but large enough for two-4 people, updated, maintained, and warm. I don't know about prices in other areas, but you can always look on the trademe website for some ideas of what is being offered and for how much.

[fritzie]

$325 a week sounds like a heck of a lot of money. I had a nice apartment in hollywood, ca, and the rent was about $950 US per month. there are still parts of socal where one can live very close to the beach for that. Now I'm in Berlin where a flat can be had for the 400 euro/month range.

$1300 nz = $977 US = 622 euro, and this is for a city in NZ that is relatively normal size, etc. and in comparison to a place like LA, not exactly off the hook as far as earning potential is concerned.

perhaps I'm making an error in my comparison, as the figures I'm providing are not for such large places that would accommodate 4 people. and i know that on many internet forums or property-oriented web sites the prices are much higher than one will find when one is actually in the city and searching at a more intimate level. (ie there are always great deals to be found once one operates at a face to face level)

in all seriousness, what would it cost for someone to have their own flat, or for a couple of people to rent a small house, without any of the surface amenities that inflate the price so quickly?

in places like Nelson, Wellington and its vicinity, and Auckland and its vicinity, for example. These are 3 possibilities that I'm researching. I don't need anything fancy, esp. in the beginning.