Hi,

Yes, we're still here in sunny Hamilton.

Great, quite a lively city with beautiful surroundings. The people here are the most friendly kiwis we've ever met, and we're really pleased we moved here from Tauranga (and would never go back!).

Yes, houses are quite a bit cheaper, ranging from $150,000 for a cheapie, or $300k - $350k for a lovely 4/5 bedroom home in a desirable area. (There are cheaper or more expensive homes available though)

No, not sure where Waikeria is.

Yes, Te Awamutu is about 15kms outside of Hamilton, quaint town, but lokos pretty boring there. Does have a fascinating history though.

Erm, depends what you like! Hamilton is very central to some great attractions. Tauranga, Rotorua and Auckland are all around an hours drive away, Raglan beach (famous for surfing) is about 30 mins away, the Waitomo caves are just under an hours drive. In Hamilton itself, you have the city centre lake and the Waikato river for walks or water sports etc, go carts, horse riding, Hamilton Zoo and Hamilton Gardens. Hamilton is very much a functional city, as opposed to touristy, so there are no theme parks or anything.

There are enough things to do when it comes to every day living, but it would be pretty boring as a holiday destination. If you live here, and can't find anything to do, then as I said, you have some great attractions not too far away. The connecting roads are of a good standard, and traffic between the major cities / attractions is pretty low volume.

Its funny really, we hated Hamilton the first time we came here as it was a bigger city and quite a bit more bustling, as opposed to sleepy Tauranga city, but our second visit we took the time to have a look around, and it opened our eyes. It's a forgotten city when it comes to immigrants for some reason, probably as it's an inland city without beaches etc, but in reality, once you start life here, working and school etc, you rarely get to the beaches anyway!

I wouldnt hesitate to recommend Hamilton to anyone, but only if not being within 5 minutes walk of the coast isn't a problem!

If you want any more info on Hamilton then let me know, or if you're looking to live here I can take a few photos of areas for you. Just remember that photos of NZ do it no justice whatsoever!