Nelson, NZ

[adventurewonderlands]

Hello,
I posted a thread on the 'Living Overseas' board and someone has suggested that I try over here.
Edited version of initial post:
Hi,
We have decided to the leave the UK as a family and have been looking at potential options. We are both medical doctors, fed up with the NHS and other aspects of living in the UK. Two children in school.
We are quite drawn to NZ and should be able to find jobs there. I worked there previously for a year although this was a long time ago. We have some old acquaintances living in Nelson so are considering there or possibly Christchurch, Wellington ( a bit too cold/ windy maybe) and Tauranga so far. I haven't actually been to Nelson but it sounds lovely and I hear the weather is pretty good compared to some other parts of NZ. Can anyone tell me more about it?

Any insights/ pre and cons/ suggestions would be amazing.

PM me… I am a GP in Christchurch.
Nelson is beautiful… but the house prices are horrendous.

I'm Nelson NZ born and bred. It is very beautiful, but it's also one place that has no trouble getting medical staff, due to the fact that once people manage to get there, they tend to stay there! The weather is very mild, it has loads of lovely beaches.

As a previous poster said, house prices also tend to reflect it's popularity as a place to live and work.

It can also be quite cliquey.

I lived in Christchurch for 25 years. I loved it. Yes, the weather isn't as good, it can be colder. I found it less parochial than Nelson, although as to that, opinions may vary! It does have a reputation for being conservative, cliquey, and obsessed with status and who knows who, but I didn't find that. Possibly because I didn't move in the rarified echelons of Christchurch society.

House prices are more reasonable, although still not cheap.

Hi @mbosnz thank you so much for your post. It sounds as if you really love Nelson. Did you move to Christchurch for a better job or was it because you became restless being in a small town? Hope you don't mind the slightly personal question!
Can I ask if you know what sort of amenities there are in Nelson? I'm not fussed about masses of shopping malls, etc but presumably they have sports facilities like tennis clubs, sports clubs, nice swimming pools, some nice shops, cafes, etc? Do you have any idea of the approx housing costs and how it compares to the UK? Many thanks

Yes Nelson has everything really. It's a fantastic place. It is like people say, a fairly low key conservative place but it has a big arts scene and many artists/craftspeople are Nelson based. So there is a lot of culture there. It is sunny even during winter. The seasons are a bit similar to the UK but just sunnier more generally (so nice crisp winter days where the sun shines). It's very unpolluted and has the beautiful coastline backed with mountains. The schools are all fine - NZ doesn't really have a private schooling culture and so the government schools are your only choice but they are all fine in Nelson.

Housing costs. I'd say it comparable to London but you will get a bigger detached house instead of a terraced home like you would in London. Richmond near Nelson is an option to consider.

Thanks so much. The arts scene would be a bit plus for me and the sun, for sure!
If you are comparing Nelson housing costs to London, that sounds crazy. Is it full of wealthy foreigners? How do the locals manage in a small tow without masses of high paid jobs is costs are comparable to London?!

Take a look on homes.co.nz for house prices.

Nelson is lovely, and has some great outdoor options around (two national parks, skiing etc)

But come to Wellington - we're desperate for GPs! (said bitterly as I can't get an appointment for 2 weeks...)

Nelson weather is fabulous! All my rellies live there, my folks were pretty much the only ones to leave, and having visited many times, I can see why everyone else stayed put. I was there in July, the mornings were crisp, snow on the mountains make for lovely photo ops, and I was wandering around in short sleeve tops during the days.

I don't think house prices are that bad but I guess it's all relative and what you're used to - where we currently live (Waikato region, rubbish weather, don't move here haha), starting price is around $1.7m which will get you a reasonable four bedder on a big section (2500 sq). We are moving to Melbourne, the price for anything with more than two bedrooms and a decent patch of grass for the dog is making my eyes water ...

I live in London but grew up in Nelson and my family are still there. I look at house prices from time to time. When I say comparable there are variations. Lots of successful rich people who don't live there permanently but have purchased homes in the millions, lots of boomers who are well off from being a boomer basically. Middle ground housing that is similar in price to a terraced house here. Then if you move outwards the pricing can ease off a bit. But yes the prices are high because it's so lovely there basically. Nelson is not very diverse actually - the majority of people are locals. There is a lack of diversity but quite a few Brits end up there particularly in the medical field.

This is a central Nelson property (5 min walk into the central city):

harcourts.net/nz/office/nelson/listing/nn26222-58-nile-street-nelson-central-nelson-bays-7010

This is Richmond a drive away but more affordable:

harcourts.net/nz/office/richmond/listing/rc6755-37-eton-street-richmond-nelson-bays-7020

Actually, I far preferred Christchurch, given that it felt like I was related to half of sodding Nelson, and everyone was into everyone else's business!

It has a great arts scene, and also fantastic hospitality, and some good wineries. Very good facilities, swimming pools, sports clubs, cafes and restaurants. If you want to view a bit of property porn, Trademe.co.nz is good.

Richmond, about 20 minutes out of central Nelson, is undergoing huge growth at the moment, with a lot of property development. I used to live there, and it is nice.

Shopping, you will find in NZ to be a bit meh, compared to what you are used to over here, with a far more limited range and variety, and it is expensive.

Richmond also has good amenities. Some would argue better than Nelson central, especially now, and it's a lot more walkable.

Education, in Richmond, you'd be looking at Waimea College for secondary, although there's Galvin/Garin college there now, as well. There's a few choices for primary.

In Nelson, for secondary there are two integrated colleges, Nelson College for Boys, and Nelson College for girls.

Thank you. Sounds beautiful!

I think house prices in NZ relative to salary are even more insane that prices in large parts of the UK. I can believe that Melbourne/ Sydney/ Perth are even worse! I can only hope that they come down further so that homelessness doesn't increase even more.

I see, thanks. Big difference between central Nelson and Richmond from your links!

I live in Nelson. Housing is really expensive and the town is conservative, largely monocultural and the demographic is on the older side. It is pretty though and has great access to the outdoors. There is a fabulous town beach at Tahunanui and further out there are great beaches at Rabbit Island and Cable Bay. Decent access to sports facilities although swimming pools are distinctly average - the elderly Riverside pool in Nelson and the nightmare that is the ASB Aquatic Centre in Richmond. Schools are all good and are all state schools apart from the fee paying Boys and Girls Prep for Year 7 and 8. Another poster has mentioned the secondary options but missed out Nayland College, a large co-Ed school with a reputation for being progressive. My kids are there and have done fine ~ lots of effort from teachers and lots of opportunities. The weather in Nelson is much better than the UK. I swim in the sea or in the river most days in the summer. Nelson town centre has fallen apart a bit since Covid. You will get everything you need, but there is not the choice you might expect in a UK town. I haven't been to Richmond for ages - it has a small mall and is much more car centred. It serves as a service town for the rural areas beyond, so there are farm supply shops there and a Gun City. I know that people like Richmond. I don't though. I find the mall tacky and the town uninteresting.
The Nelson hospital is falling apart at the seams. And the standard of care is a bit slapdash. We have been promised a new hospital at some point.
There is some gang activity in some parts of Nelson and a gang house on Parere Street in town. For a middle aged duffer like me this causes me no grief, but my teenage son has been harassed and I've told him to keep away from that part of town.
Hope this helps.

Thank you so much @shiningcuckoo. That is a really helpful and honest summary.

Just stumbled across your thread- intrigued to know, where did you end up?