[kokopeli]

Since you asked so nicely Hopeful, I don't mind a bit of kiss and tell ?;D

We spent a month or so in Chch in our campervan before we found a house. ?We used that time to stay on different campsites and got a feel for various parts of the city. ?The inner city suffers from late night 'hoons' and we found it hard to sleep within a mile of Hagley Park. ?Weekends are especially bad...

Some of the real estate agents specialise in rentals and publish a weekly list. ?Cowdrys and Warwick & Todd spring to mind. ?We looked at everything with 3 and 4 bedrooms over a three-week period during February. ?Bottom end prices were around $300 a week for a really grotty 'shed' about 500m from Hagley Park (I swear, it smelled like someone was buried under the floorboards!

Top end properties were around $1050 a week for a luxury 4 bedder in Fendalton (one of the more select areas). Gorgeous place, but well out of our price range...

A lot of Brits head to the coast between Mt Pleasant and Sumner. ?We looked at quite a nice 4 bedroom house there for $550 a week, but it was on a very steep hill and didn't have any parking.

We found the house we're in through a private ad in The Press one Saturday morning. ?We're south of the city, about 6kms from Cathedral Square. ?The house is brand new and has 4 bedrooms. ?The kitchen came with a fitted dishwasher, oven and hob, but no fridge or washer. ?Best of all, it's got double glazing and central heating, which most of the others didn't! ?

We pay $450 a week with a $1350 bond. ?Our rent includes the City Council rates although we don't have to pay water rates because the water is free in Chch :) ?Since we moved in, we#ve seen a few other 3 and 4 bedroom rentals in our area, typically ranging from $350 to $500 a week. ?

Hope that helps ;)