[Jason2112]

It's kind of funny, the more research I do (this forum, city websites, etc) the more cities I add to my list of places to consider moving to. Initially I was sure Christchurch was where I would move to (based on my initial "desires" list), but I'd like to get some opinions on other cities that may meet the following requirements:

- availability of IT jobs. Both my fiance and I work in the IT industry, and it will be important for us to find jobs soon after getting settled in. However, we are both looking to get out of computers and into our own business, so the IT jobs would be somewhat temporary.

- semi-large home lots (2-4 acres). We have 2 large dogs, and as I mentioned in a previous thread, we would like to have a large garden and possibly build a 2nd house on the property. The flatter the land, the better.

- mild climate. I don't mind cold weather, but I'd like to avoid heavy wind and the less rain, the better.

- biking/hiking trails nearby. I am an avid mountain biker, and I need to have some trails near my home.

Now for the "desire" list.... these things would be ideal, but not a requirement...

- near the ocean. Ok, pretty much everywhere in NZ is near the ocean, but the closer, the better.

- home/property values between 200k-400k (NZ). I'd rather not get started in a new country with a heavy credit burden, so housing/property should be affordable.

- high-speed internet. It should be a requirement, but I'd like to spend less time on the computer :)

I realize that opinions are all subjective, and the only way to know where the right place to live is to go and look around. We are going in Feb for 2.5 weeks, and I'd like to have some fun and do some research at the same time. So any suggestions are appreciated, and I'll try to fit them into our travel plans.

[GeorgeM]

For IT jobs Auckland and Wellington are the hot spots, with Christchurch a rather poor third. But this can depend on what you are into, especially if it's specialist and not run of the mill.

Just outside Christchurch is the Canterbury plain, and it doesn't get much flatter than that! It would be about an hour to the sea (is that close or not - kiwis would say no, Czechs probably yes!), and about an hour in one direction to the foothills of the Southern Alps and an hour in the other to the Port Hills - all good for mountain biking.

As far as wind goes - remember that NZ is called by some the 'Windy Isles', and that's not because of any special diet people are on! When a NorWester blows the Canterbury plain can be a pretty windy place - as you fly in you can see the high windbreaks planted around all the residences which suggests that they're pretty much a necessity at times. But I don't think that this place is any windier that elsewhere in NZ on occasion.

Temperatures - it can get very hot in the plains - almost 40 degrees in the summer is not uncommon, but you can also get significant frosts in the winter.

Rain - Canterbury is one of the dryer parts of NZ - approx one third of the rainfall of Auckland.

Cost of property - are you talking about the cash available for the land or for the land plus buildings? For $400K I would think you would get something significant if you're just thinking of buying the section for this price, but you would be pushing it to get a large block plus a decent property even if you were quite a way out I think. Trouble is your wishlist is similar to that of many others so the pressures of the market kick in, and the nearer you are to all the amenities the more expensive it becomes.

[veronica]

agree with all of the above about chch with the addition the mountains are just down the road, and we have found that NZ is generally windier than the UK, and the weather is very wind dominated.

If you were to live on the outskirts of chch, say west melton, you would be about 25/35 from the coast and about 50 min from the mountains.