[tigerlily]

My partner has just applied (fingers are crossed) for a job in Hamilton. What is it like in the town? Is it run down? Is it cute and touristy? Is there good walking or parks in the area? How far to the coast? How are the schools? How close is it to Cambridge, I've heard that is a nice little town.

Thanks!

[wanderingoregonian]

I drove through it during my last trip in NZ... we were going to the west coast. I was just passing through, but it seemed nice. We had a good meal and on that trip it was the 1/2 point to the destination of the coast. I also remember the public bathrooms next to a park being very nice - not too useful I know. I'd have to look up which coastal area we went to as it was a bit of a windy drive to get there and I don't know if it was the closest area. We were doing some work on the coast and needed to pick things up in Hamilton so its very possible it wasn't the nearest place. Let me know if you need more info, the people I was traveling with don't live that far from there and travel through frequently. - good luck with the job possibility!

[ruthyroo]

Hmm I think you will get fairly divided opinons on the Hamilton question! I wasn't particularly impressed. Techincally it's a university town, but there seems to be very little evidence - no old buildings, not much happening, not many good pubs. There doesn't seem to be much of a central focus to the CBD - just a fairly bleak 80's concrete pedestrian square surrounded by wee cafes and shops. The shops are identical to everything else in NZ. Most of the buildings are traditional NZ 80's concrete style architecture - and of course the lovely big red K-mart / Warewhare. Definitely not cute or touristy - Hamilton is the main service town for the west Waikato region, traditionally a farming area. To be fair it p****d down everytime we were there - and my memories of visiting NZIS in Hamilton are not fond so that probably coloured my impressions! The Botanic gardens have a good reputation and the river looks nice for walking etc. It probably has everything you would need of a large town in terms of services, but is not somewhere I would actively seek to live.

Cambridge OTOH definitely fits the cute and touristy image though - which is probably why it's so popular with migrants. Lots of historic and heritage-style architecture on the main street, good services in terms of cutesy antique shops etc. House prices are relatively high I believe. The whle area is fairly central, one of the big advantages IMHO.

[Kim39]

Ruthyroo i think you have described Hamilton to a tee, don't think i can really add much to what you have already said. Must admit though, i don't think i could live in Hamilton, as city life is just not for me. It likes any city, it has its slums as well as its exclusive area's. Where you want to be in Hamilton depends on your financial situation.

We stayed in Cambridge with friends when we first arrived, and i must say we liked what we saw, and also felt very comfortable with the thought of settling in that town, but things just didn't happen and we have found ourselves 23km slightly west of Cambridge in the next town Te Awamutu. This is very similar to Cambridge and is slighty cheaper than Cambridge.

You ask about schools, well our girls seem to have settled into their respective schools Te Awamutu primary and the college, and they seem to be doing ok at the moment, so no complaints about the education system at the mo.

There is plenty to do in the surrounding area's. Plenty of walks. You have Mount Pirongia and Kakapuku, as well as other scenic reserves within the locality. The coast is not far. You have Kawhia 45 mins, Raglan 45 mins and the BOP 1hr 20, so not to far to travel if your looking for the sun and sand. These times are from Te Awamutu and not Hamilton. TA is about a 25 min drive from Hamilton. You are also about 1 hr from Rotorua and about 2hrs from Taupo, and Auckland is about 1.5 - 2hrs away depending on whereabout in Auckland you want to go. All in all the Waikato region is well suited to alot of things:nice1

Kim

[tigerlily]

Thanks very much all! I'm hopeful, but it is a long shot when applying from overseas I think.


Hey Wandering! I'm glad to have your impressions. Could you compare that area's topography to anything I might know? Like Vermont rolling hills? Or flat like Corvallis?

[bob_the_engineer]

I was in Hamilton the other day on a business trip, to be honest I really wasn’t impressed with the city!

I like cities, the good thing about this one was the people, friendly and confidant, a good mix of people from different places. I thought that the litter was actually worse than Auckland (but I found Auckland clean for a city of its size).

Not much character, a long way from the ocean and only dull by NZ standards, I’d rather be in Hamilton than many UK cites (actually, any UK cities).

Just my point of view don’t let it put you off, Bob

[Cardy]

Hello we live in cambridge its a really nice town . it takes about 30 mins to drive to hamilton in traffic ,15 to 20 without traffic. have a look at picture of our rental in the lounge section of the forum. Kids love schools ,settled in straight away. Pm for more info if you like Cardy and bev :nice1

[tigerlily]

Thanks all! Just heard yesterday that he didn't get it (or even an interview) running into this often, hope it is just that we are not in the country.

[Smiler]

Tigerlily

We did come across this when we were applying (from the UK) quite a lot. :(

When OH did get an interview, it was the fact he wasn't here that snubbed him.

[Mexican in NZ]

I know how hard can it be to even get an interview i needed literally go door to door and start to apply as much as i could and anyways i could. I finally got a job but it took a while to get it. I know that it takes sometimes longer for foreign people to get the jobs so do not lose hope and keep trying, i recomend u try in big cities as it can be i believe a bit easier, why not wellington? is a very friendly city, also i have read about Christchurch and Auckland(where i am) I had a talk recently with a guy from Work and income and he told me that in their website tey have a link for jobs oppenings and barely nobody answers to them so is good chance to find a job thru them.
Ok, hope that helped!
God Bless,
Adriana

[tigerlily]

Thank you for all the encouragement. It's also that OH is not done with his Ph.D. quite yet, we are not approved for PR quite yet, and his field is quite specialized. So if I could get a bit of patience I'd be in better shape!

[Cardy]

We had same problem buti flew over at christmas to check out the situation and once i was here no problem had a few offers ,didnt take any and came back in march landed 9th march had a job in 2 weeks and had a choice of 3.
So dont worry i,m sure you will find it different when you are actually here.
Cardy :D :D

[foolsgold99]

People here joke, if the Aussie slogan is "where the bloody hell are you ?" Then the Hamilton one should be "where the bloody hell am I?"

Although I have to say it's very pretty down at the river, and the paddlesteamer looks great fun