[westi]

Hi. If a job offer works out we'll be leaving sunny Waitakere ( well, it is some times ) and moving to Christchurch.

The job is in the centre of town ( Columbo St ) and I wondered where would be a commutable distance to buy a house, also ( don't laugh ) whats public transport like ? It can't be as bad as trying to get into Auckland city... can it ?
Son will be starting yr 12 there next feb so if anyone has any recomendations on high schools that would be great. Also, for those that have made the move South - would you say cost of living/ house prices differ from Auckland ?

Thanks...

[Moorf]

When you say commutable, do you mean you want to live outside of the city? That makes a big difference in terms of what public transport is available - inside town it's great - lots of bus routes, some free - outside of town the services become more erratic and rural and not really commuter focussed. Not sure about the Kaiapoi/Rangiora lot though - they may know of public transport routes, I'm not familiar with that area.

I know people who commute via ferry and bus into Chch from Diamond Harbour, so it's not necessarily how far out you are that dictates if the transports links are available or not.

People drive in from Darfield and that takes around 40 mins into central city, which is where Columbo St is.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the lack of congestion - not saying we don't have queues and traffic lights and roadworks - but when I see Auckland on the news I find it hard to believe it's the same country!

School zones are THE topic in Chch and is something that will be reflected in the house price... it's a topic I keep clear of (no kids :D ), but there are plenty on here who can tell you lots about the good schools.

Apparently the house prices are cheaper here - you'll probably get more for your money.

Good luck with the job offer.

Moorf

[adamsat]

There is a bus service from Rangiora that goes through Woodend and Kaiapoi. It starts about 6am and runs through to about 10pm during the week and gets afair ammount of commuters using it. It takes about 45 minutes to get into the city centre.

There was even a commuter service from Oxford for a while, which took about a hour to get into the city, but that seems to have stopped now.

If you take an hours drive as an acceptable commute you can draw a circle of around 60kms radius from the city and live anywhere inside that, and that covers some fantastic locations.

[Moorf]

Andy - it's interesting you mentioned the lack of transport from Oxford, whilst in the supermarket there the other day I noticed on the noticeboard someone trying to get enough people together to run a commuter service from Ox to Chch - sounds like a great idea to me and a potential earner (or at least get your petrol paid) if you've got a people carrier :nice1

[adamsat]

whilst in the supermarket there the other day I noticed on the noticeboard someone trying to get enough people together to run a commuter service from Ox to Chch

I've seen the sign too and it's a great idea - I'm not sure whether rural New Zealanders are ready to embrace the idea of commuting by public transport to work though. The rising petrol prices might change that!

I did get the old bus service from Oxford to Chch at Christmas (so I could have a drink at the office party). I thought it was great. It picked up from all along Main Road, then went through South Eyre before going straight to the Bus Exchange in the city centre. Took about an hour and only cost $12 return (or $50 a week). Trouble was on the day I got it I was the only passenger from Oxford and it picked up another in South Eyre. Chatting to the driver / owner he told me only about 4 or 5 people ever used it, and he rarely had more than two passengers on any one day. The service stopped at Christmas and never restarted in the new year. Which was a real shame because having tried it, I was going to use it more frequently.

[wilson182]

There is a bus service from Rangiora that goes through Woodend and Kaiapoi. It starts about 6am and runs through to about 10pm during the week and gets afair ammount of commuters using it. It takes about 45 minutes to get into the city centre.



Hmm, thats interesting. Silly question, which bus company is that I would like to get some more details.

Debs

[westi]

Hi. Thanks for all you replies. It all sounds very possitive on the traffic side !
I don't think DH will want to travel more than 30 mins each way, but it sounds as though there is plenty of choice.
Now we just have to figure out how to get the dogs there from Auckland...... and to find an initial rental that will take them ( and us )!

[adamsat]

Hmm, thats interesting. Silly question, which bus company is that I would like to get some more details.

Debs


Go to http://www.metroinfo.org.nz/ if you look at the timetables it's service "R Rangiora"

I moved from Rangiora last Septemebr so I haven't caught it for quite a time, but the timetable doesn't look like it has changed much. It does get quite busy during commuter times, I think it was full by the time it got to Kaiapoi.

[westi]

Job offer's been confirmed so we're off to ChCh !

Unfortunately DH has to go before us as we have to stay untill the end of the school year.
He's going to be looking for a 1 bed place to rent within easy reach of the city from July to end november so if any one can recomend any where..... ?