Great news, Jon. Fingers are firmly crossed for Lou.
We have only visited on a couple of occasions but have stayed as token residents rather than tourists. Our house is just outside Hamilton and we are quite happy with the area as everything, bar a beach, is available. The Waikato River runs through Ham and provides some lovely walks along its banks. There's also a big lake which is great to walk around, with a kiddies' playing area and cafes etc. I felt that it's a modern city and felt very comfortable there. I did put some pics of Hamilton on here so I'm not sure if you've already seen these.
Hamilton Lake
Photos from our
first visit to NZ showing shots around Ham and also Rotorua and Bridal Veil Falls which are easily reachable from Ham. Hamilton is sort of central and most places are within striking distance from there.
These are pics of
our house so you can see what you can get just 15 mins. outside the city.
From what I've heard/read, Auckland housing can be very cramped where land is at a premium so many people have sold off part of their sections to build on. As Taffy says, there's more crime (usual in any big city) and there are problems with gangs. No doubt, further out of Auckland it will get better but then you're faced with possibly commuting into the city and traffic can be a big problem Cost of living may be a bit more and housing more expensive.