[Myrkk]

Ok, this could also potentially be posted in the working section but it's more than just work advice......
any views appreciated

Our choice of locations have always been [in order]

Christchurch
Wellington

note....no Auckland in there!!!!

My hubbie has been offered a phone interview for a job in Auckland with a potential teckie interview in their UK branch.

We're wondering if this is the best way to go...... we can always move south later I suppose.

The problem is we live in the boonies in the UK, moving to somewhere like Auckland would be like us deciding to go live in London or something similar.... well to my way of thinking anyway.

What is Auckland really like? I have visions of crime, gangs, [my hubbie is laughing at me here :o ] really high house prices and no chance at all of getting a nice house.... but then we have done absolutely no research for Auckland at all 'cause we were very definate we weren't moving there:roll

[hoffenberg]

i heard it is a nice place, we will be relocating there in december 2008 to auckland

[IanW99]

Myrkk, do you like cities or would you prefer to avoid them at all costs?

IMO, Auckland is the only city in NZ that feels like a UK city. It's not as bad as London but it is still a big city.

How much capital are you hoping to bring over and what sort of house are you hoping for. Someone will be able to advise if that is even possible in Auckland.

If you are looking for a techie job, then this shouldn't be a problem in any of the main centres unless it is very specialised.

Ian

[dharder]

The problem is we live in the boonies in the UK, moving to somewhere like Auckland would be like us deciding to go live in London or something similar.... well to my way of thinking anyway.

We'll be moving there from London. I've been once before. Personally, I don't think it feels anything like London. At all. It is essentially spread out over much the same space (as in area) as London, with 1/12 of the inhabitants, so it just can't feel like London (I love London, and would stay if given half a choice). If you don't live near the centre, I doubt it would feel like a big city at all.

Having said that, I found some of the 'issues' there similar to those in London. Not sure about your situation, but for us, looking for a place to live within a good school zone proved not easy (read: expensive). In some areas, I noticed a lot of graffiti and there are definitely areas that look like socially problematic areas even if you only drive through.

I also had to shelve my idea of a house with a big garden fairly quickly, and was surprised to find houses that had smaller gardens than ours in London. It really is a money thing.

So look and feel, nothing like London, some of the social problems (I live in East London) somewhat similar in areas that aren't terribly expensive.

But on the whole, I don't think it would be like moving to London at all :)

Good luck with the decision,

Daniela

[KerryS]

I don't think Auckland is really like any city in the UK. It's geographically large, but with such a small population that it doesn't feel crowded at all.
I live in the centre, but there are outlying areas that are within easy commute. West out in the Waitakere ranges are some lovely areas that feel a million miles away from the city. Ditto further north around Kumeu and Helensville.
It all depends what you want from the area you live in. For me it's easy - lots of cafes and bars, close to my friends and an easy commute to wherever I happen to be working, whether walking, by train or bike. I prefer not to drive if I can avoid it.

[Familyofmonkeys]

We were in a similar situation to you. We always planned on being in Christchurch, then OH got a good job offer in Auckland. We did a bit of research and decided that we would give it up to 5 years here and then move to Christchurch later on.

We are country people at heart (but worked in London for couple of years after Uni), but have found that Auckland is nothing like London. For example, I would never in a million years consider walking down Oxford Street with a double buggy on a Saturday. However, we have yet to find anywhere in Auckland that is close to as busy as most large UK cities. Apart from the CBD, parking is free most of the time, so you an afford to go out. Plus there are the beaches and the bush & Waitakere ranges.....something you don't find in London either. There are also some nice quiet, almost rural feeing areas to live aswell.

We had planned on buying somewhere in Auckland, and selling later on as although it is very expensive compared to rest of NZ, it is still cheaper for similar size house than small midland town we lived in UK. But, as prices have started to drop in some areas of Auckland....market correction, we are renting. Instead we have bought 2 acres outside Christchurch, in an area not likely to be affected by price drop. We are going to get house build later on, but for now we have no morgage, and minimal costs e.g. very low rates on land as no dwelling (about $200 or so a year), insurance and the odd payment for someone to go over land with big mower to keep it tidy. It is likely that work opportunities will mean we will move South in 2009. In the meant time we are really enjoying Auckland....making more effort to go out and do things, meet people etc, as we will not be here forever and want to make the best of it.

[scoobydoo]

We live in what's classed as Auckland Central. Our view from the garden is green - for all the houses - lots of trees. Don't compare with UK cities as it's just .... not comparable.

Having said that we're off to the countryside soon but that's down to career situation.

[Myrkk]

cheers guys.

We've decided to stick to our original plans and go for Christchurch and Wellington.