Why Christchurch?

Scrivo · Posted: Wed Feb 04, 2004 11:24 am Post subject: Why Christchurch?

Having checked out the straw poll on where everyone wants to live, by far the greatest number of you seem to be heading for Christchurch.

I have been to Wellington and Auckland and preferred Wellington of the two, but I've never been to South Island.

Isn't it freezing? What's the big attraction with Christchurch? I would love to find out more about it - vibe, climate, size, jobs, things to do, housing, demographic etc.

dan-ish · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 3:54 am Post subject: Christchurch?

Hey Scrivo,

Christchurch is cool, man Nice One

. I lived there briefly while travelling. It is a really nice area with lots to see and do. The town (sorry 'city') is nice and big and there are probably plenty of opportunities to find jobs.

I expect one of the reasons people like to move there is because it is not Auckland and you get more points for that! It is close to mountains and the sea and is chock to the brim full of really nice people - in my experience. Razz

Another attraction of Christchurch is the beloved SuperShed. A great place to pick up a bargain! This is where people bring the stuff they don't want anymore and the council sells it to us! I bought a great wooden chair there for $10 - and it reclined! Yes

As far as I know Christchurch is not freezing. It was winter when I lived there and it did get a bit chilly - in fact it snowed. But I understand that in the summer it gets pretty toasty.

As for things to do - I shouldn't think you have to worry. The golf course in the park is reasonably priced, they play Rugby there on a sunday too (not on the golf course, in the park!). There are theatres and Pubs and clubs and bars galore. The 'vibe' is certainly pretty cool.

The Crusaders may be worth a visit if you like that funny oval ball shaped game. The atmosphere is fantastic and friendly - not like at the footy, though.

It is definately somewhere to consider moving to. It certainly rivals Wellington and Auckland, that's for sure. In fact I would say that it was more laidback than those two.

Dan-ish Razz

aurora · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 10:48 am Post subject:

Well, where do I start?

The main attraction for me is the fact that it's on the South Island, which is great if you're an outdoors nut like me - a huge amount and variety of natural splendour to enjoy. Yes, it really does look like LOTR when you head off into the sticks.

And while the South Island is bigger, it also has a much lower population than the North Island. The population density is comparitively quite small (compared to Britain it would be described as uninhabited).

As for the city of Christchurch itself, well it's still my pick out of the three largest cities regardless of location. Whereas Auckland is a city in the true sense of the word, ChCh is a place that has all the conveniences of a city but with the atmosphere of a large town. It's easy to get around, no problem with traffic, and the suburbs have the feel of a "large village".

The people here are also very friendly and amicable, although I haven't spent much time in Wellington or Auckland so I don't know how they compare.

If you prefer Sydney weather, you're better off in Auckland. Here it's more like Hobart weather.

Dan-ish: where is this SuperShed you mentioned?

dan-ish · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 3:19 am Post subject: Supershed

Hey Aurora,

Here is a link to a site with a map on it. It is right next to the Nga-Hau-E-Wha Marae. The supeshed is a great place. Hours upon hours of fun...

http://www.rmf.org.nz/index.cfm/Supershed/Format/Print

A tip: only take $10 with and see if you can spend it all!

Dan-ish Razz

aurora · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 9:16 am Post subject:

wow, thanks mate, that's a great pointer ... cool

veronica · Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2004 4:53 pm Post subject:

Hey, whats going on in Christchurch. Reading the news theres been about 3 murders/suspicious deaths there this week, and they don't seem to be linked. Veronica

Gerry · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 6:15 am Post subject:

Hi Aurora

I'm sure this has been asked before and probably answered in another thread, but what is the deal on this penguin whose life you saved. We need the full story

Gerry

aurora · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 8:56 am Post subject:

Hi Gerry,

I was fortunate enough to live and work on a remote subantarctic island called Macquarie Island for about two years. It's only about 35 by 5 km, but its main feature is its incredible amount of wildlife, including hundreds of thousands of seals and penguins.

One day while I was hiking 'round the island, I came across a King penguin (about 3 feet tall) that had fallen on its face after getting its foot wedged in between a couple of big boulders on the beach. It was clearly doomed. So with great courage I picked up the penguin (flapping flippers and all) and pulled its foot free. It scampered off into the ocean (whereupon it probably got eaten by a killer whale, but that's a story for another day).

Incidentally, this island belongs to a group of islands in the subantarctic which also includes a few which belong to New Zealand (Campbell, Auckland, Antipodes Islands) - so there is a NZ connection in this story!

Cheers
aurora

Gerry · Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2004 12:13 pm Post subject:

Hi Aurora

Thanks for the scoop

Surely these heroics must entitle you to some kind of award from the queen or Helen Clark or something. I will mention it to them the next time we have tea.

I guess if you have lived on a subantarctic island you must be one of the few people who considers the Christchurch winters to be warm.

Gerry
I once swatted a fly

Robert · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2004 7:28 pm Post subject: Windier

I thought I should try and find something bad to say about Christchurch to give a more balanced view...

It is all everyone above says and more, so far, a month in and I'm already forgetting my resolution not to simply settle in the place I landed...

Christchurch can be very windy. Often there is a chilly easterly wind blowing onshore and changing winds can change the temperature very quickly. The climate stats you see don't give an impression of the winds as easily as the sunshine and warmth (lovely when you get it) It seems the seashore suburbs (Sumner, Redcliffs, McCormack's bay and the various New Brightons) have the most of the wind. If wind is not your thing then pick the western burbs a little further inland.

veronica · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2004 8:37 pm Post subject:

Hi robert, what's the prevalent wind direction and apart from wind what type of weather does it bring. cheers Veronica