where's best to live in nz,and what do we need to know?

[AngryBeaver]

My dh has been on at me for a year to move from the uk.He wanted Quebec,which looked gorgeous and romantic,but i wasn't sold on the winters and coudn't leave my mum.
He recentley said he wanted to move to NZ and i thought ,yeah if it's warm and a better life than here,let's do it.
So we've got fuck all money and 3 kids under 4.5 ...but we want to do it.
I don't know what's changed in me for me to agree ,but I hear th schools and hospitals are fab,and just want the best life for my lovely children.
I'm worrying though because I've read the houses are crap and cold.
We want sun,space and not too expensive (don't we all!)
We thought Tauranga,but that seems quite busy and we've read about boy racers.
We don't want Wellington as we've heard it's windy and weather not great.
Does anyone know about Nelson?Heard it's nice weather,but what's the reality?
We are going to put the house on the market this week,I am shitting myself,but I feel it's now or never.
Any help or advice,gratefully recieved

The coldest I recorded it in our house was 8 degrees one winter morning . It's got much better since we put insulation in the roof and we also have a heater that can switch on with a timer, so we can set it for an hour before we get up (though knowing when we will be getting up, with a 3yo and an 11mo is a bit of a challenge).

I think it's only just got cold in Auckland - it's been a really mild early winter.

Angrybeaver, if you check the stats on immigration new Zealand website, a lot of people are getting selected under 140 points. We know people who have gotten selected out of the pool second try with 125 points, so it definitely is possible.

Well that's good to know frick,but also frustrating as we haven't been picked! Kind of like being the last to be picked to play rounders at school! ( ahh,memories of rejection and embarrassment flood back like it was yesterday!)
lolly just take a deep breath and remember how much you've missed him.Mistakes happen and he just wanted to get home so did what was necessary..i understand that.

littlestkiwi and Whatshesaid,apparantly it was nz weather here yesterday!.It was heavy/close/humid and the garden filled with midges (little bastards) Then we went out for a walk and it pissed down,whilst still being boiling. Dh turned to me and went, "this is nz weather right here"
"i was like you're really selling it to me there mr.angrybeaver!"

Oh! Sorry I should have probably read the whole thread.........

We have just got our ITA after being selected, but we are only planning on going in a couple of years. After DH and I have earned some cash! Hopefully by then things will be a bit better on the job market too.

yup, frick...just rubbin' it in

Lol! No, I promise I'm not :-) it took us a year to get picked out of the pool, so I know what it's like

I'll let you off then

lolly, how did the reunion go??!
Dh is paying for police checks and has booked his medical in anticipation of job offer in July.
I soooo hope he gets it,I reaally want to start our adventure!

Big row swept under carpet thank god. Think both too tired to argue. He's just woken up after 3 hour sleep after work - jet lag getting to him. Nz contact did try to contact him when he was in Nz but damn it his voicemail not working. They may have Auckland role in our timescales and we were expecting call tonight but it didn't happen - these time zone issues nightmare. He's been googling a ford territory now as potential Nz car (4 kids). Any thoughts off the kiwis on this. Off to bed now. One benefit of the jet lag is dh is dealing with the boys in the night.

European cars tend to be more expensive- lots of Japanese import here which are cheaper. I got a three year old Swift that I love. We both got a fright at the poor driving here and paid more than planned for cars with better safety ratings. OH says his car is like a bouncy castle inside! The road toll here is 2x the UK. But a lot of it is drunk drivers going off the road.

Have a look on trademe for car prices.

I'd second that. On the whole, Japanese "NZ new" imports are better value for money and cheaper to service/replace spare parts. Honda Odyssey is popular for bigger families.

Am taking notes here!! We will need a big car too and will have no idea what to get.
It does worry me that so many have commented on the standard of driving over there. As a quite nervous /under-confident driver, this alarms me.
I wouldn't ever hire a car in Spain, for instance. The driving over there scares the bejesus outa me. The portugeuse drive pretty well,as do Germans and a lot of other places ime..it's weird how whole countries can haver a rep for good/bad driving,isn't it. Gutted that nz has the latter

Agree about Japanese cars plus check out this site:

safety.rightcar.govt.nz/

I'd also look at fuel consumption, it's cheap here compared to the UK but the prices are rising all the time.

Also agree driving here is bad, but I havn't driven in the UK for a while so it might now be just as bad. Tip don't assume that if somebody is indicating they are turning or if they are not they are going straight ahead.

My golden rule when driving: expect the unexpected.

This is the only place in the world I've ever seem people stop at red lights, then get bored and drive through them! (More than once).

Funny how kiwi's are so polite on the street but when they get in a car it is so different.

Sorry, Angry, I love NZ and Nzers but they are loons when behind the wheel! Something to do with being able to drive at 15 and a theory test which doesn't include stopping distances is my guess.

At first, I thought cars behind me were doing that rude English thing of driving on my bumper to get me to go faster - then I realised that they had no such intention, they just consider driving that close together quite normal. Even if you're the only two cars on a deserted road!

You will get used to it though. And if you buy a second hand car you won't mind the inevitable bumps and scrapes quite so much.

aargh!Am terrified now...I'm not coming!

Hey, you don't need to worry, you're going to be living it up on Waiheke, catching the ferry into town!

Well that depends,either there or Torbay I think.
Anyway,at this rate I'm worrying over nothing,no bloody job offers.
Getting a bit down about it.
I finally agree to emmigrate after 2 years of dh asking.
Am all hyped up about it,break the news to family,deal with the fall out...and then NOTHING!!
Talk about anti-climax! I really didn't think it would be this hard to get in.
My sensible head says that's a good thing,because part of the reason we want to leave here is because it is so over populated.
But my emotional head says,let us innnn!
dh just phoned to say there was an earthquake in Aukland last night.I don't think it was a big one though and haven't heard about any one injured,thank goodness

Blimey just checked the news and you're right a 2.9 - was in the spa about then and didn't feel a thing.

I didn't feel it either

We're really close to Mission Bay- the epicentre and we thought someone had driven into the house. The place really shook- I'm sure we saw it move. It was pretty scary. We went and packed up some stuff afterwards and left grab bags by the door.

But pals a few km away didn't feel it at all.

I really feel for the folk in CC now. Apparently they had 5 of about the same magnitude yesterday. But saying that, OH and I have both been in tremors before and this one felt totally different.

Shit! Pretty terrifying I would imagine. I wouldn't have a clue what to do in that situation..fight or flight i suppose.

Dh has just been talking about an article over here re the earlty release of rapists..it led to a conversation about the crime over in nz...he reckons the rape stats were particularly high,which is alarming.What says you?

Sorry,was that put really indelicately?
I was wondering really,if it was because all serious crimes are reported there..whereas in the UK,they couldn't possibly.
Ch.ch seemed to have the worst stats for crime.
Does anyone know if the age for learning to drive has been upped from 15 to 17?
Dh reckons so but i can't find anything to support this.

The driving age is going up to 16 not 17, in 2012

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10618336

Wouldn't know about the crime stats at all tbh, is there a website or something you are getting the figures from?

Actually I think it's going up this year, not 2012, that article was from 2010 and it said "Next year"