I'm actually going to post something sensible and constructive
May be worth considering what time of year you're coming over Lou! August is probably the coldest time of year, and being in a campervan with kiddies when it's freezing cold and damp is not fun - ask Dawn! Campervans (decent ones anyway) are also pretty expensive, and may take you a long time to sell on.
This isn't a sales pitch, but if you're not sure where to settle and want to move to the North Island, then you can't beat Hamilton as a base of operations - by car it's 1.5 hours to Auckland, Tauranga and Rotorua, 2 hours to Taupo and New Plymouth, and only 6 hours to Wellington. This leaves you with the ability to get to interviews anywhere, without the need to panic about getting there! It's also one of the cheapest cities in the NI to rent a house. I'm suprised more people don't use it as a fact finding tour base.
Where ever you end up, keep Jon away from Dawn. She's far too loose with insults, and he could still be harbouring some resentment over the 'turd' incident.