Auckland or Wellington?

Charlotte · I Like It Here Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 70

I can either do my degree in Auckland, or Wellington, so I am hoping to get some opinions on both cities.

I like the idea that Wellington is smaller, but I worry about the standard of healthcare there? Good healthcare is very important to me! I have been unable to find out anything about Wellington hospitals.

On the other hand, I've been reading that Auckland has one of the best hospitals in the southern hemisphere.

I prefer the idea of Wellington, but I need more information about healthcare there. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

None of my family have any health concerns, it just sets my mind at ease to know the best is available!

karltsmith · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:47 am Post subject:

AUCKLAND OF COURSE! This thread should start a bun fight!!!!

As a student I think you'll much prefer it over windy Wellington!

Better climate, better beaches, cosmopolitan (not so much so as Welly perhaps), loads to see and do all on your doorstep!

Of course the next person to post will say Welly...you pays your money and takes your choice!!!!!!!

dan-ish · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:41 am Post subject: Well....Auckland

Sorry to dissapoint (kind of) you Karl, but I am going to agree with you! Razz

I think Auckland is the better bet. There is sooooo much to do in the surrounding area, it does have better weather, I think the people are generally very nice, and you can go to Waiheke Island anytime you like. Waiheke time! Nice One

Wellington is cool, but windy and wet, and a bit far away from stuff, although Marlborough Sounds are not too far. The Te Papa museum is also very cool. As is the museum in the Domain in Auckland...

It's a tough decision to make - especially if you have never been to either, but I would say Auckland.

At the end of the day, it is better than almost anywhere in England, USA, etc (with the obvious exception of Brum Wink

)

karltsmith · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 4:02 am Post subject:

Hi Dan,

Thanx for the vote of confidence. Us Brummies must stick together! We've got the Post Office Tower they've got the Sky Tower, We've got Brindley Place, They've got Princes Wharf, We've got The Sea Life Centre, They've got Kelly Tarltons....The comparisons are endless...Ha Ha!

MichelleW · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 6:36 am Post subject:

I don't have any answers but I was wondering the same thing.Wellington looks so beautiful in the Lord of the Rings movies although I know some of that is CGI.

Michelle

Gerry

I agree completely about the better weather in Auckland, especially if you like humidity. You are right too about the beaches (although the Kapiti coast has some great beaches) and the proximity of many beautiful parts of the country.

However, as a student, you are more likely to be able to find affordable accomodation within easy reach of the university(s) in Wellington and will probably have less far to travel each day. Wellington is quite easy to get around and likes to think of itself as the cultural centre of the country, a phenomenon seen in many capital cities which are not the main centre of commerce.

Regarding healthcare, if you have a chronic medical condition that you know will require regular or crisis care, then you should obviously contact the hospital directly to ensure that they have the correct facilities. If however you are referring to general health care facilities, I woudl say they are as good as or better than what you woudl expect to find in a comparable-sized town in UK.

Good luck whichever you choose

Gerry

Charlotte · I Like It Here Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 70

Thanks, everyone!

Karl and Dan: I do love the idea of sunny Auckland, especially because there's so much to do within a short distance of the city. My husband, my son and I really enjoy family days out in the sun!

Gerry: none of us have any medical conditions, I was mainly trying to find out about general healthcare. Coming from London, I would like to move my family away from all the horridness of the big city, but still retain all the benefits (such as great healthcare).

I'm an overprotective mother. Nutcase

Michelle: 'Lord of the Rings' was the reason we fell in love with the Wellington area, too! Are you also deciding between the two cities?

I've heard Wellington compared with San Francisco many times, and that was also very appealing to us, because we've spent a bit of time in SF - and we loved it! Even the weather. Mr. Green

Does anyone know if the crime rate in Wellington is lower than Auckland?

karltsmith · Posted: Fri Jan 16, 2004 11:27 pm Post subject:

If Lord of the Rings was why you fell in love with Wellington why not consider sunny Birmingham-sur -la-mer....THE REAL HOME OF THE THE LORD OF THE RINGS!!!! The Two Towers (only one remaining sadly), Mosley Bog, Sarehole Mill.......It's all here what are you waiting for!!!!

Incidently only a small fraction of the film was actually filmed in Wellington...Setoun I think?

I don't think LOTR locations should influence your decision too much! Theres soooooo much more in NZ!!!!!

Charlotte · I Like It Here Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 70

LOTR hasn't influenced our decision too much! That would be DAFT, wouldn't it... Mr. Green

But when we saw the movie in 2001, that was when we started to notice NZ. Then we went through a courtship phase for a couple of years, when we did all our research to find out as much as we could about NZ. We fell completely in love with the place, and consider ourselves engaged to it - we hope to officially tie the knot soon!

Seriously, though, it's exactly the quality of life we're looking for. All of our friends who have been there (or are Kiwis) have wonderful things to say about it.

I'm thinking we'll start by moving to Auckland. We can visit Wellington, and then if we like it better - I can always transfer to the Wellington campus, and we can move there. Nice One

PS: never been to Birmingham, but I'll take your word for it..... Laughing

JCM · Posted: Sat Jan 17, 2004 6:15 pm Post subject:

Hi Charlotte,

I think it's safe to say that Wellington will have a lower crime rate than Auckland City. Auckland's North Shore City, on the other hand, seems to enjoy lower crime than Wellington.

Clink

Charlotte · I Like It Here Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 70

Thanks, JCM.

I've read through the link you provided, and will look at the gov't site to check crime stats. I don't like the fact that Auckland keeps coming up as number one for crime in NZ. But I guess that's to be expected in a big city.

I went to this website on Wellington: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/

and under 'about Wellington', it states that: "Wellington gets more sunshine than Auckland, Melbourne and London and less rain than Auckland and Sydney."

Is that true? Sunshine is very important to me!

karltsmith · Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject:

I think when you are looking at the crime figures you must appreciate that these are only relative figures within NZ. You need to compare these with crime figures from your own country/city etc to know if these are better or worse than you are used to! The worst crime rate/region in NZ probably has very much less crime than you might think in absolute terms!

MichelleW · Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:39 am Post subject:

That is a great point Karl!I'm sure when compare with Florida NZ has much less crime.

Michelle

Arlevien · I Like It Here Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 56

Well if you look at the ratio on poplulation againts crime rate, the figures show pleasantly safe...

Charlotte · I Like It Here Joined: 02 Dec 2003 Posts: 70

Hi Everyone,

Karl: Oh, I'm sure the crime rate in Auckland is MUCH lower than London. I guess I'm just looking for a smaller town atmosphere, with all of the benefits of the big city. That's tough!

Michelle: my husband has only just started making his lamps a few months ago, and so we haven't set up anything on Ebay yet. So far, we've been selling by word of mouth (friends of friends, etc), and to a local store. The lamps get sold very quickly after he makes them, so he's always very busy! We hope to set up a store on Ebay in the coming months. Mr. Green

He (Rob) was an artist and musician for years, before going into IT, and deciding he hated it. So the lamp - making is like going back to his artistic roots.

Gerry: thanks for the links! I'll pass them along to Rob.

I want to study Counselling, and NMIT has an excellent (three year) diploma course. What really sells it to me is that the first year is part-time, with two days study per week. So this should give our family plenty of time to adjust to NZ life, and do a lot of sightseeing!

What I meant by 'quirky' was somewhere that nourishes, and supports the artistic spirit. Where individuality is encouraged. We heard that Wellington had those qualities, and that was one of the things that attracted us to it.

But now Nelson is looking very good to us. Except maybe for the transport thing. I don't know if we can budget for a car, after all the costs of moving. We're going to discuss it between us for a few days, and I may have some more questions for you, Gerry!

Cheers. Nice One