[Shana F]

I've been looking at Trademe for rental houses in Dunedin and I'm trying to get a sense of where we might want to look. I know the bay areas are supposed to be really lovely but we're planning to be a one car family for at least a year or so and I'm not sure how much hassle it will be to be far out of the city centre without two cars.

Can anyone recommend good (by that, I mean sunny, safe, and not a student ghetto) areas that are within biking distance to the university and city centre? How efficient is the public bus system there?

Thanks in advance!

[colindp]

Sharna F,

I used to live in Company Bay which I must admit was a great spot for sun and we had a 2 million dollar view, I wouldn't say it would be the best area for cyling into the city though....it's about 12 kilometers each way. There is a very good bus service; I used to work for the city council and caught a bus at 7:55 which got into the city centre at 8:20. The first house we rented for a while was in the Leith Valley and about 10 minutes car drive into the city again a very sunny area but due to elevation could get shrouded in mist and again not the best for cyling and no public transport from there!
Generally public transport is good but the city is quite hilly. For access to the uni and city centre I would suggest areas like Woodhaugh (Malvern Street) which is also close to the botanic gardens, there are a few student properties in this area but thankfully not too many. or in south Dunedin, areas like St Clair which has a fabulous beach. I would avoid places like Ravensbourne which is opposite side of the harbour to Company Bay they tend to miss a good deal of the sun. areas like Mornington, Maori Hill, Roslyn are all nice areas but very steep climb to get to....

Hope the above helps in someway if I can help with anything else please get in touch....

[Shana F]

Thanks so much, Colin. So it sounds like if we plan properly we can get by with one car for a while. I do remember how hilly Dunedin is, and it's hard to get a good sense of distance looking at the maps ...

How long were you in Dunedin, and what brought you back to the UK?

[colindp]

We were there for 18 months what brought me back was that we found it very difficult to get by financially....coupled with the fact that NZIS would not give my son a permit to work also had something to do with it....