Where to live in New Zealand - Advice!!!??

[roadie]

Hi - My wife, I and our two kids 4 and 7 months moved to the North Shore last Decemeber from the UK (Bristol/Bath area UK) as my wife got a teaching job here, and we'd become fed up with the UK and wanted a change of pace, and believed that NZ would offer more opportunities, and a safer enviroment for our kids to grow up in.

Since being here, we have become a little disalusioned with the place (North Shore), and hopefully not New Zealand. The list of 'complaints' we have is:

1) Nutty drivers - you don't feel safe on the road, and statistically they do suck, you are for example twice as likely to be killed on a NZ road, tail gating, no indicating, drunk - you name it we've seen it all since being here! I've been as far as Rotorua and Corremandel, it was certainly no better there!

2) Litter -we live in supposedly the nicest of the East Coast Bays, yet everywhere you go the pavements, hedges, verges are littered with broken glass, mostly beer bottles, thrown out of moving vehicles, and the bus stop next to our house has had the glass smashed 3 times in the last 6 months. Used condoms etc etc........ it's pretty disgusting!

3) Back to the driving - Boy racers using the local roads as a race track up until 5am most weekends.

Don't get me wrong, I love many aspects of New Zealand but am getting depressed with the idea that the people who live here have scant regard for anyone other than themselves, the way they treat others, and the way they treat the countryside - please please please tell me that not all of New Zealand is like this, i might as well of stayed in the UK - there is honestly way less litter, and most folk say thank you if you open a door for them!

I know i'm gripping maybe, but to be honest i'm getting fed up with the place, tell me where's a place i and the family should visit to change our minds Pleeeeeease!

[Taffy]

Hi Roadie,

It sounds like you're experiencing the worst NZ has to offer there! I don't think you'll ever escape the bad drivers, there's plenty of those no matter where you go although around here (in Hamilton) seems to be limited to the few rather than the many. The only vandalisation I've ever seen is tagging, and thankfully that seems to be slowing down with all the recent docos reporting taggers to be morons .

I think the litter situation where we are is great. You hardly ever see litter, and what litter there is, is usually recently deposited mcdonalds wrappings by some loser from their car window. It gets cleared up pretty quick though.

Maybe you need a road trip, to go and look for somewhere else to live. I do honestly believe that what you're experiencing is the bottom of NZ's barrel.

[Corelliz]

Hello. Sorry you are feeling disallusioned about living in NZ. I've been living in NZ for 7 years now (from the UK) and have lived a year in Wellington and 6 years on the Kapiti Coast (an hour's drive north). I live in a wonderful rural area on 5 acres, very peaceful, no litter, close to both the sea and the hills. I commute to work in Wellington on a reliable and comfortable train service. Much much better than being in Auckland I can tell you - so I completely recommend moving here. If you need to work in a city then Wellington is the best bet as you can choose to live rurally/by the beach and commute OR live in town (which is very quiet at night in the weekdays). The Kapiti Coast has a much better climate than Wellington, more sun and clear skies.
Hope this information helps.
Oh but the driving is terrible all over NZ!

[kokopeli]

Hi Roadie,

If it's any consolation, I don't think crap drivers are a uniquely Kiwi phenomenom. It's just that there are comparatively fewer cars on the road, so the really bad drivers stand out.

We know all about boyracers in Chch, so you wouldn't be any better off here. I'm hoping the price of fuel will take a few of them hoons off the road. I don't know how anyone can afford to drive above 60kph when gas costs $2 a litre, let alone waste it on donuts, wheelspins and slides....

I don't think I've seen anything to suggest that we have a significant litter problem on the South Island though. Well, not unless you count the houses. Most of them are junk.....

[stanley]

Hi We have just recently returned from a recce of NZ, we really where just in Auckland for the flight home, we did our trip in a campervan and found the driving to be very good,was expecting much worse, but maybe poeple in NZ people have forgotton the road rage driving that goes on in the UK. We didnt see any litter and this is one of the things we have raved about since coming home, we loved in particular, Ruby bay, Motueka in the south island and Kerikeri in the north island, we only noticed graffiti in the big cities and i dont think we saw any in the south island.
Hope you find somewhere that is right for you.
We are hoping to come accross on a business visa and whilst this will be very hard work i am pleased we where able to come and look where we might have to settle rather than get a job and have that decide where you have settle.

Paula.

[Colecraft]

Hi Roadie

Must agrgee with Taffy, I don't think you'll ever escape the bad drivers, there's plenty of those no matter where you go but pleased to say a minorty only. seems to be limited to the few rather than the many. The only vandalisation we have ever seen and experienced is tagging. We been in NZ for 16 months and spent 3 months living in Hamilton before moving down to the Wairarapa. Great place to live if you enjoy the rural side of life. Great coast line and some great rivers. Just over an hour drive to Wellington so you can enjoy the city life for the day or even be lazy and catch a train (limited they are). We live and work in Masterton largest town in the Wairarapa pop 22000, A great community and feel to the place.
We enjoy visiting family in Auckland, but then enjoy coming home to the Wairarapa.

Get in your car and spend a few days travelling around, if you visit w
Wairarapa then let us know and we can arrange to show you around.

All the best
Colecraft

[Welshgirl]

Just a quickie, won't hijack this thread, just wanted to welcome you Colecraft - you're providing some helpful and friendly advice to our members and I don't think anyone's officially welcomed you yet

Feel free to tell us a little about yourself in the Introduce Yourself thread

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