[nickbraddock]

Hi,
I may have a possible job offer in Rotorua, can anyone tell me what the place is like, what house prices are like etc as I have no great knowledge of the area

Thanks
Nick

[Timbo]

Here a start Nick;
http://www.emigratenz.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1499&highlight=rotorua

[nickbraddock]

Thanks for that :nice1
Nick

[richsadams]

Hi Nick and All :cool

When we first moved to NZ we lived in Rotorua...actually Ngongotaha which is on Rotorua Lake just outside of the town itself. We were setting up a company and we rented a holiday home for three months from some terrific people.

Rotorua is a "tourist Mecca". They have all sorts of things for tourists and locals to do and the streets are filled with tour busses most of the time. (Be sure to give Zorbing a try!) It's situated in a fairly active volcanic zone and the smell of sulphur permeates the air in some areas - some days are a bit worse than others. They say you get used to it, but we never did. The area we lived in didn't have any of the aromas, so it wasn't a worry for us. It is tough on cars and electronics though.

The surrounding countryside is beautiful. It is about 45 minutes drive from Matamata where they filmed the Hobbit scenes in the LOTR movies. There are several incredible crystal-clear lakes and the trout fishing is some of the best in the world.

The area is fairly inexpensive to live in by comparison, especially to Auckland. Housing is a bit less than Hamilton or Tauranga (where we now live). You could spend NZ$100K on a house or find a small mansion along the lakeshore for NZ$1MM or more, but the average seems to be around NZ$250K - NZ $400K.

The weather is cooler than a lot of places, but very tolerable. It does get down to freezing during the winter, but again, nothing drastic. (It's warmer than Taupo as they like to say!)

The economics would be lower middle class for the most part. It does have an element of crime, but again, nothing too serious. There is a large Maori population and for the most part everyone gets along.

The people we know are very friendly and many folks were born and raised there and plan to stay there the rest of their lives.

It’s a good central location with plenty to see and do and is within an hour’s drive of the ocean, skiing and more. All-in-all, it’s not a bad place. If you get away from the fumes and don’t expect to hang out with too many “tall poppies” (monied folks), you’ll enjoy it.

Here’s their official website:

http://www.rotoruanz.com/home.asp

Hope that helps and best of luck! :cheers

[nickbraddock]

Thanks for the post Rich, it has given me an idea of what Rotorua is like. I am waiting for a contract to be sent to me from an electrical firm so I will see what the contract has to say as to whether I sign it. The area sounds just like what I want.
Cheers
Nick :nice1

[Carol]

If you can stand the smell you should "be right"



Personally a week is long enough for me.
But my friend who lives there reckons you do get used to it!

(Probably because it kills off your smelling bits!!)

[dave k]

I thought it was a beautiful place.

Couldn't see myself living there ( I exhausted the possibilities of the towns' nightlife & restaurants in 2 days......& it does really smell like eggy farts), but it was great to visit fer sure.

[Jules]

We have lived in Rotorua for 4 months now and still love it. You do get used to the smell honestly :yes

The smell does get worse during the winter though, so I have been told. It did take us a few weeks to get used to it but now we dont seem to notice it. I stated in one of my previous posts that when I first arrived here it did make me gag :uhoh

The area is fab :nice1 loads of touristy things to do, we have done some of them but its finding time to do them all.

We find the people very friendly too :nice1

PM me if you want anymore info

Jules

[ruthyroo]

My response in the link posted above and having re read it I would still stick with most of it. We are still making the most of what the area does have to offer - but are unlikely to stick around longer than we have to. Important point: most people I've come across on the talkboards that are in Rotorua have, like us, moved out of the city itself. There's a wee lesson in that. My OH recently agreed that if we weren't in the jobs we are in (teaching and local government - we really get to see the seedy underbelly of most places!) he would probably be quite happy to stick around this area as there are some great places to live... but the twon itself isn't up to much, and I would be reluctant to choose to bring up kids here.

Rotorua is well known for attracting people, especially professionals, who come and live for couple of years then move on as the social problems put them off. That will probably be the case for us too.