[lnz]

Hello!

I've been avidly reading the forum for months and wanted to say thanks to everyone for keeping me sane - OH says it's all relative :laugh

We've now told both sets of parents of our plans, so I feel I can finally say hello.

We are moving to NZ in the (Northern Hemisphere) Autumn when our UK contracts come to an end (July for me, Sept for OH). We are planning to spend a bit of time travelling and then end up in the Picton area.

Is anyone in Picton, Havelock or Blenheim?

lnz

[JandM]

Hello.:)

[dusk]

I'm not, but hello :)

[Red Devil]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

We're not in Picton as we're still in the UK and about to start our PR application, but we visited Picton whilst getting the ferry crossing from Wellington. We stayed in the town for only a couple of hours before driving onto Nelson but it appeared to be nice and friendly.

My only point would be... and excuse me for being nosey, but what will your main source of income be? On first glance there didn't appear to be much on offer apart from restaurants, cafes, etc.

Enjoy the forum and good luck :nice1

[JayBee]

Hi there - yes this forum certainly helps you through the process in many ways!! Best of luck.

[slider]

Hello, and welcome to the forum :)

[Den]

Hi & Welcome, sorry have not been to Picton, someone will answer your questions though!

[Leanne]

Hi and welcome to the forum :D

[Kiwi-In-Texas]

Hello and welcome.

[Derv]

Picton is a bit of a tourist trap for people waiting for the ferries, although there are some places nearby (Waikawa Bay for instance) which have great views and expensive houses. There are not many facilities in Picton such as a large supermarket or a range of banks but it is a big sailing centre. Havelock is smaller and quieter as it doesn't have the ferry. Both towns are on the Sounds and house prices are thus much higher than inland.

Blenheim is a nice small town with a fairly good range of shops, supermarkets, banks, cafes, restaurants, a cinema and a good library; the scenery is great and the wine is even better. There is probably a better range of jobs available in Blenheim than in the other two places.

[lnz]

Thanks for the information. I hadn't thought about there not being any supermarkets in Picton!

OH writes software from home, so we can be very flexible where we live. This presents lots of (maybe too much) choice of location.

[Red Devil]

... that's a nice position to be in :)

Personally I'd favour Nelson or Blenheim, good luck though wherever you decide.

[Alive&Kicking]

Hi Lnz,

The only thing I would like to add to this, that when you are planning to start travelling in NZ before settling down: keep an open mind and don't try to find the right spot before you arrive. This country is great to travel and there is so much diversity that you definitely will find a spot for you to settle down, but I would not try doing that beforehand, since that will be spoiling part of the fun.

Good luck with everything and when you decide to settle down in the Marlborough, please let me know.

Cheers,
Anita

[Gegsnz]

Hi,

I came to Marlborough in August 1974 and spent the first 20 years in Picton and moved to Blenheim (18 miles south) in 1994.

How can I help you in your journey to the sunshine province ?

Incidentally there is a reasonably decent supermarket in Picton but not on the Asda scale. There are 5 good supermarkets around Blenheim and the climate is much better through here despite being just 20 mins drive from Picton.


Gerry