[Paul]

Right after some tome on here and other boards we have gathered lots of info ( :nice1 thanks to all!) and w are now talking about a holiday/reccy trip out to NZ so we can see what we might be taking on.

Probably won't happen until end of 2006 or early 2007 due to recent house purchase in UK and want little girl to be a bit older for the trip.

What I need from the great members on these forums is a suggested places to visit (ie "must sees") and best order to do it

What we think we want is to see Christchurch and surrounding area (preferred place to settle at present) and Wellington area inc Kapiti coast, anything else will be a bonus. Will ceratinly try and see some agencies whilst out there to get a feel for accountancy positions)
Wife has family up near Auckland so may have to include a trip up that way for a night or two. On the return journey we plan on seeing my parents in OZ (Gold COast) for a few days so flight back will be via Brisbane

Likely duration of NZ part of trip is 14days

Thanks in advance!!!

[wanderingoregonian]

Just speaking about the transport side of things... I really loved the ferry ride between the islands. I rented a car to do some exploring here and there (1st trip picton, nelson, and back a different route; 2nd trip Christchurch day trip out of the city). Other than that I flew between the cities, because it was so fast. FOr example, it was 1 h to go from welly to auckland by plane, and the airports were very easy and quick to get through, I spent only 45 minutes before my flights arrive, checking in, and having a nice leisurely read before boarding - nothing like the stress of flying in America!

So my suggestion is to do some driving around a center point so you can get a feel of the surroundings, consider the ferry ride at least 1 way, and look at flights if they fit into your budget.

PS I posted this link before, but here are my photos from my scouting trip - http://nzphotos.shutterfly.com/action/

[David with a dream]

Hi Paul,
We to are planning to go back to NZ in April 2007 to validate our visa and check out some places to possibly live. Having spent 3 months in NZ this year I can only suggest your reccy trip is based around two/three places you may want to settle in. We made the mistake of thinking we would just 'land' and drive where ever the mood took us to find our new life. Mean while back on planet earth the kids didn't really go for this......
Anyhow it all really depends what you want out of NZ and your new life. Parts of Auckland are lovely while we didn't really care to much for C/church (but remember these are only our own preferences). South Island is so beautiful but in other ways so is NI (not much help am I). If I was to do it all again from the start we would have done more resurch and planned on visiting perhaps 3 places before making a final decision .
I am sure the good people on this forum will give you many ideas but at the end of the day like I have said it all depends on what it is you are looking for.
We are going to check out Nelson and the area around. Lovely climate, beautiful beaches, SI mountins not to far away and Kayaking in Able Tasmin. Sounds good but we shall see and if not by then I will have perhaps one or two other places sussed out by then to visit.
Wanderin suggested flying between citys. It's a must if you only have two weeks. EG 9 hour drive from Auckland to Wellington, add kids to that and a dozen toilet stops and wahh it's dark!
Do let us know your plans for the reccy and you never know we might just bump into each other en-route.
Good luck mate........................David

[wanderingoregonian]

yup- I found flying a must. I had less than 2 weeks. I flew into Auckland and had a good 3-4 days there, plus 1-2 days in surroundings areas. Then I flew to Welly for a conference and had 1 day to wander the city on foot and 3 for the conference. Took the ferry over to Picton, drove to Nelson, spent the night there and drove back to catch the ferry the next day so I could fly to Australia. On my way home from OZ, I had a stop over in Christchurch for a weekend to do some exploring there. I would do some research and pick 3 places to really get to know, and start in your top choice and work your way up/down the islands to your other 2 choices.

Then I'd try to be based in each place for 2-4 days and then take day trips as the mood struck you from each base. Its more realistic of what life is like when you are living/working somewhere. You spend the most time in the city your reside and most trips are day/weekend jaunts in the neraby areas.

I also found it very helpful to stop by a petrol station or at the airport buy a map of the city and area. When people would give me recommendations of where to go, I often didn't understand the place names until they showed me on the map :nice1

[leosus]

While some found flying from place to place the way to go, we had only 17 days total from home to home, and wouldnt change a thing. It wasnt a restful trip but we felt we got to really see NZ, and what it had to offer BY driving, not to mention the challenge of the other side of the road thing...
It really depends on what you want to see, and if it's a settling trip, or just scouting.
We did this in case you want to know about any of these areas:
Flew into Auckland, took Tranzscenic train to Wellington, took Interislander Ferry from Wellington to Picton. From Picton we rented a car- drove to Kaikoura, Christchurch, Lake Tekapo, Queenstown, Glaciers, Westport, and then to Nelson. We then flew from Nelson to Rotorua, rented another car, saw Rotorua, Lake Taupo, Waikato/ Waitomo, Tauranga, Coromandel Peninsula, and Auckland & surrounding areas.

Driving was key for us, but that was just us...

[Paul]

PS I posted this link before, but here are my photos from my scouting trip - http://nzphotos.shutterfly.com/action/

Nice photos thanks

Thanks for the advice David and Leosus - think the three main cities C/church, Welli and Auckland may have to be done in that order as that would be our preference.
As always it may come down to work though - Auckland has got to have the most opportunities so maybe will check out some surrounding commutable areas

What areas round Auckland that are commutable are still relatively affordable? I know North Shore can be v expensive

Thanks

[David with a dream]

Hi again Paul,
Yeah the north shore is not cheap but it's nice. Again it's down to what you are lookin for and of course what you can afford. It took us 35/45 mins to go from Whangaparoara to the city, a tad longer on the way back at end of day, it's not a bad drive though by UK standards. If the shore is out of reach $ wise then keep on going north, places like Walkworth and small towns in that area are cheaper but still not bad drive times to city. Also I'm told by many locals that as the northern highway pushes northwards (it goes into single lane at Silverdale) then property prices are sure to push upwards.
All the best ..............David :cheers

[Avalon]

My number one tip for any reccy trip is to "do a shop". Not exactly exciting - and certainly not on any "must see" list of teh wonderful attractions this place has to offer. BUT - really good to do for future sanity and to help you settle once you get here for good.

If you bring with you a list of things you would normally buy at the supermarket, and then head to a few supermarkets here and "virtually" go shopping. Note down any prices, and if you cant find what you would normally get - note what is available instead and how much. This way - you get to price your shop here and compare it to what you would spend at home, and see if you can cope with the fact that you cant get Weetabix here.

In a similar vein, I would also suggest trying to "live" here while on your visit. I know that it will be a holiday -but it may be worth looking at not spending as if its a holiday. This only really works well if you have an idea of what your wages are likely to be, but again it would help you understand the cost of liveing and whether you are happy with it.

On the fun side - Ballooning over Christchurch was wonderful! In welly - coffee or breakfast at Scorching Bay (the Chocolate Fish)is a must, followed by the same at Days Bay (and swim if its warm enough!). Te Papa really is terrific - and is very good at explaining some of the Maori Issues and the treaty. Auckland - well - you could do teh Sky Jump! Its really good once you jump off - honest!

[Paul]

My number one tip for any reccy trip is to "do a shop". Not exactly exciting - and certainly not on any "must see" list of teh wonderful attractions this place has to offer. BUT - really good to do for future sanity and to help you settle once you get here for good.

If you bring with you a list of things you would normally buy at the supermarket, and then head to a few supermarkets here and "virtually" go shopping. Note down any prices, and if you cant find what you would normally get - note what is available instead and how much. This way - you get to price your shop here and compare it to what you would spend at home, and see if you can cope with the fact that you cant get Weetabix here.

In a similar vein, I would also suggest trying to "live" here while on your visit. I know that it will be a holiday -but it may be worth looking at not spending as if its a holiday. This only really works well if you have an idea of what your wages are likely to be, but again it would help you understand the cost of liveing and whether you are happy with it.

On the fun side - Ballooning over Christchurch was wonderful! In welly - coffee or breakfast at Scorching Bay (the Chocolate Fish)is a must, followed by the same at Days Bay (and swim if its warm enough!). Te Papa really is terrific - and is very good at explaining some of the Maori Issues and the treaty. Auckland - well - you could do teh Sky Jump! Its really good once you jump off - honest!

No Weetabix?? Right that's it I'm staying home :exit

Good idea about the virtual shop - as you say need to think outside the normal holiday things to do and get a real idea as possible of what it will be like living somwhere (v difficult to do though in a matter of days!) - Thanks again

[alann]

Hi I,m alann from south africa and i will be travelling to NZ in feb next year looking for a place to stay possibly buying a service station.i envisaged buying a toyota van to tour around in .i would appreciate suggestions about whre to stay iro say north or south isle.we are a family of four myself 45,linda?,kyle 15,lance 13.i found looking at house prices i wondered how much does a average house cost in a reasonable area as its difficult to relate prices on the net to locality.thanks to you all.

[Smiler]

Hello Alann and family, Welcome to the forum. :clap There is a mine of information on here.

Just to answer your questions with more questions ( so I can try and help)

Are you talking about a petrol station or a garage that services cars? I guess if so you would need to be in a bigger town? Will it be a franchise?

Difficult to say where to go in that case then but a good all round trip first sounds ideal for you.

We haven't bought yet but looking, the house prices do vary, ie expensive in Auckland and big cities, cheaper the further you get out. Also depends on the decile rating of schools, commuting distance etc.

Have you seen any where you like the look of? I'm sure if you give us some ideas, someone will live nearby and can give you some info.

Deborah