Want to learn more about New Zealand

Hey all,

Brand new to this board. I'm starting my journey to learn more about New Zealand, with the hope of someday moving there. I live in the prairies of Canada, and long to live in a place that has no snow, or extreme weather really to speak of. I have a number of things I want to learn about New Zealand, and I know the internet will be my friend for all that - but I hope this place will be a good resource for some of the info.

I've already found that the weather is quite varried depending on your location in NZ. What I'm looking for specifically, is a place where the weather is as even as possible. I don't like snow, and I dis-like extreme weather (very very cold.or very very hot). My dream all my life is to live somewhere that has nice average weather all year around. I don't mind rain and slightly cooler climates, and warmer periods of up to 25 to 30 degrees C are nice too. So what areas would be best (keeping in mind I do not want to live in a heavily populated city)?

I've owned my own business here in Canada for the past 8 years - as a Drafter/Designer (using AutoCad) for mostly residential and light commercial projects. What is the market like in NZ for something like this? I'm not sure if I'd ever go to work for a company or whatever, but it may be my only choice until I get a feel for the area (and then set up my own business). Does anyone here have any ideas what such a trade in NZ pays like? On a good year (I don't like to kill myself with work), I usually make between 70 and 90k (Canadian).

I know I could sell my home tomorrow for roughly about 300k (Canadian). It's an average 35 year old (ish) home. About 1200 sq. ft. Nothing super fancy, but a nice comfortable place in a decent neighborhood. So what would I be looking at that would compare in NZ?

I have a lot of homework to do in my journey, so any help here would be great. Thanks in advance.

Lyle

Hey Lyle,

I just moved to Auckland a few days ago from Montreal so I am still trying to figure out a lot of things on the fly. What I can say is that the winters are not going to be as harsh as what you can experience in the Prairies. Since I have been here It's been OK weather wise around 10 to 14 degrees C during the day, cooler at night. Could be humid at times, kind of the Vancouver weather in the winter if you are familiar with it.
Like I said I am in Auckland which is pretty populated 1.5 millions but you'd find plenty of rural areas.
As far as the rest It seems that you will be alright .
Good Luck

Hi Lyle,
In terms of an ideal city to settle in, sounds like Wellington might be a good place for you to look into. As long as you don't mind the wind, the weather here is pretty good. Winters are cold, wet and windy, but still never really any lower than 6C (though do keep in mind that unlike North America, we don't really have the luxury of central heating, so at times it can seem impossible to escape the cold). Summers are mild, though with this exception of this year which was fantastic they have been somewhat late and a little unsettled recently. But it'll hit about 25, 26C over February/March. Auckland is definately warmer, but a lot sticker. I guess it'll come down to what you can tolerate more - the humidity or the wind.

I also prefer Wellington over Auckland due to it's size and compact layout. The population is half of that of Auckland, and the city and suburbs are pretty much walking distance while Auckland is horrendously spread-out. But there's still a fair amount going on given it's size, a lot of cute bars, restaurants, shops, beaches. I think a lot of people on working holiday visas and such tend to settle in Wellington than anywhere else (excluding the ski towns).

Sorry, have no idea what the market is like for your kind of trade. Can only suggest doing a bit of googling for that - perhaps check out seek.co.nz which is NZ's most popular job website.

As for houses, it's kinda pricey at the moment. In Wellington, you're looking at anything between $300k and $600k, even just for a 2 bedroom. The Tommys real estate website is pretty good, tommys.co.nz, in that they'll list a rough price for those houses even going for tender.

Anywho, hope some of that info helps!

Thank you very much for the postings. I check back frequently to see if more info has been added.

Would love to hear from people that don't specifically live in the larger centers. The City I live in here in Alberta is only about 80k people, and I'm certainly not interested in living in a City much bigger. Citys the size of Edmonton and Calgary do not interest me in the least.

Thanks.

Well, I come from a small area on Vancouver Island, BC. I now live in Tauranga, which is probably the biggest centre in the Bay of Plenty, with about 100K people. It's about 2.5 hours southeast of Auckland.

Winters in NZ are cold and wet...sure the overnight temperatures may only get to 3-5C, but one of the strangest things about NZ is that the houses (almost without exception) are not insulated sufficiently for this climate. The house I rent is about 20 years old, and if it's 3C outside at night, it's 3C inside in the morning. So while Edmonton AB is technically colder, from a 24 hour point of view, I've never been colder more hours of the day than I have been here. As I write this post I have about three blankets on, a small space heater next to me, and my fingers are still numb. It's about 10pm, and a frost is forming (and I'm on the North Island...poor souls down in Invercargill). It's like camping in your house.

The summers however.different story. The Bay of Plenty is incredible in the summer. Imagine swimming in a blue ocean on Christmas Day, or BBQ steaks on New Year's!

You really need to do your research when you look at small town NZ. A small town like Portobello (outside Dunedin) is a really nice, artsy place with a lot of character. A small town like Ruatoria is a town populated by gangs.it has a rough reputation.

I like Whakatane (the wh is pronounced as an "f"), a town I think is the perfect mix of natural beauty, convenience, and tradition. Sure there is an activist Maori community there, but it's positive.you don't get the Mongrel Mob types walking around on the street.

Just remember.what they tell you in the tourist brochures is only half the story.NZ has it's social problems, and small towns can really be plagued by them. Look carefully.

Houses in Tauranga run 400K plus for anything decent in a safe neighborhood. The market here is collapsing though, so stand by for big deals in real estate. More importantly.interest rates are almost 9%.how do like them apples?

I am a civil engineer, where I would make 90-100K in Canada, I make under 70K here, which is about 55K Canadian.don't come to NZ to make money. You will make morein Can, USA, UK or Australia. In fact, NZ might be the worst paid 1st world country.sorry.we gripe about it all the time at work with the poms.

To put the $$ in perspective, you'd be looking at less pay, same house prices, higher interest rate, higher groceries, higher fuel, etc etc. It's very hard to make ends meet here.this isn't me whining.it's the #1 topic in the media here.ask someone about the price of cheese.

You have to come for the right reasons.unlike Australia, where a lot of folks go for sun, surf and money.here it is about finding something different.

Wow.great info Moose. Your last sentence speaks directly to me. I'm certainly not thinking NZ for money, opportunity, or advancement. There's a ton of money and opportunity here in Central Alberta's booming economy. But I'd say that I'm 100% looking for "something different!"

I think I get a good understanding of your weather references. I have much research to do in that department. I need to find that zone that has the 'happy medium'. Not too cold in the winter.not too hot in the summer.

And I thank you for being blunt regarding the "issues" that some small towns can face. Bad people exist everywhere.even in beautiful NZ. That'll be the biggest hurdle I feel.finding a place that's not too big.and not too small. I could NEVER live in a massive city (over a couple hundred thousand people).it's just not me. I couldn't imagine moving to paradise.only to live in a rat-race 'people infested' city.

Thanks for the info.