[Probyn]

Arrived In Auckland for one month recce looking around at where to live.

Checked the area,s that seemed to be right,north shore,and Eastern bays.
All nice no complaints .. except the prices :)

Anyway the point of my thread... havnt really fallen in love with anywhere..
havnt had that spark,area I mean not just a house.

Not been here a long time ofcourse.. but has anyone else had this situation ?

Thanks

[Familyofmonkeys]

We were the same when we arrived. I think it is just getting used to the little differences here in NZ and your perception changes slowly. We were planning on buying (bought elsewhere in NZ...long story), and after some extensive looking around, we realised we couldn't afford to buy in inner suburbs, so started looking at suburbs further out.

Alot of areas seemed quite run down (well by UK standards) and just didn't do it for us, so settled in a nice suburb called West Harbour as easy commute for OH. We really liked the feel of the area...still do, but were unsure about some of the the housing stock. There are some really nice houses out there, but as we have 3 kids, we needed something a bit bigger and really, the slightly older houses that we could afford were poor quality (we rented one for 6 months and had enough), and we couldn't afford a larger newer house.

When we decided to move again, we made the most important criteria finding a modern, newer, child-friendly house that we could afford to rent. We liked the East (Dannemora, Howick, Botany) and there were affordable houses too....but less easy commute for OH. We are now renting a new house in Albany. When first looking around Auckland 7 months ago, we didn't like the area at all.....it seemed too much like UK housing estates. But now our perception has changed somewhat, and we have realised it is actually quite a nice area to live. Decent houses (albeit small gardens), good access to shops/supermarkets so don't have to waste time driving too far, and Browns Bay beach is literally 5 minutes or so down the road by car, so easy to go for evening stroll on beach!

Moral of the story....you need to try living somewhere to see whether it suits you. Hard to tell from such a short visit. Personally, i would decide what you want from where you live e.g. near work/easy commute/near schools/modern house/large house/big garden etc and then find something to suit. If you fall for a particular area but can only afford the tiniest house there, you wouldn't neccesarily be happy. Equally, if you find a nice house in a not so nice area, you probably wouldn't like that either.

[ourquest]

I think your expectation needs to be seen in perspective. You have presumably chosen NZ on the basis of facts, other peoples experiences, reputation and in comparison to where you live now. Then you chose Auckland because that's where the work is. To live in a place which you fall in love with would have to have a different beginning to the process. Probably one without expectation. Sort of a place you might stumble upon and it feels like home even though it's your first visit. Much like falling in love with a person. Not many people who set out to fall in love get it right. The good news is that true love is based on a more enduring, honest and mutually beneficial relationship, something you might still establish with Auckland once you can peacefully allow the place to enter your heart. Remember that being "in love" is not the same as experiencing "love", the latter state requires that you commit your own effort and giving to it without the expectation of anything in return.