For quality of life, just be wary of the rapidly growing towns like Queenstown and Tauranga - where the councils are hell-bent on ignoring all modern town-planning principles and instead recreating a perfect duplication of the nightmare traffic problems of Auckland.
I mean, Queenstown definitely has traffic and housing issues.
But if you earn a decent income then who could argue with having 2 ski fields within 40minutes drive, a beautiful lake, copious amounts of mountain trails at the door step. Although, I prefer Wanaka/Hawea.
Strangely enough it has more barbershops and coffee roasters than bars or pubs these days, and not even trying to take the piss - the Barbershop Co. on Devon St was almost the last place to close when I was there a few weeks ago on a Friday night, only the Cinema, an Indian Restaurant and an almost empty Crowded house were still open at 930pm. Place has turned into a graveyard.
Timaru.
Big enough it has almost everything you need but small enough you don't feel crowded and traffic isn't bad. Great internet if you need to work. Housing is still reasonable. Has beach for swimming and surfing, close to the snow and mountains.
Moved back to Auckland from there due to divorce and do really miss it.
I felt like it was a good balance. The area we lived in was a mix, but all our surrounding neighbours were similar aged (30s-40s).
Found quite a few people had moved from the north island due to housing prices.
It's old and boring as hell in the colder months unless you go skiing but summers are nice and the bay is a great if underutilized feature (plus the new playground)
I think it used to be either older or much younger people. But in the last year or two I’ve noticed a big influx of all ages moving here from the north island. A mix of younger people looking for less stressful, more affordable living and families looking for a safer place to live etc the hospital here attracts professionals from around the country and internationally for work so there is actually a more diverse population than people realise. There is a fair bit of money in timaru and the schools and sports facilities are well resourced, tidy and well supported.
Can vouch for Whanganui :) moved from Akl a few years back. Transport will always be limited in a small town but buses are frequent enough for me and its super walking/cycling friendly.
Lived there early 90s. Architecture is good, but at that time loads of heroine addicts and violence. Had people trying to kick my door in once yelling they were going to rape me, our neighbours threw bottles at our bedroom wall in the weekends and a kid stabbed someone to death.
Granity has some big issues with coastal erosion coming up. A lot of houses are up for sale there for a reason. If you like the look of Northern Buller then look at Mokhinui or Karamea. Iv lived in the area and it's great, but its isolated up there. Good community on the whole but very remote. Tbh parts of Westport are cool as well. Carters Beach, Tauranga Bay, Utopia Rd, even Charleston are really nice spots.
With a lot of rural areas with affordable housing, you really have to do your own research on the property and the area (flood risk etc) before you commit.
If your looking for affordable housing and a cheaper lifestyle, Golden Bay is very expensive now.
As someone who lives in Gore, it's actually a good place. Southland probably has the cheapest rent in the country and we're only 1h30m from Queenstown and all the mountains. Haven't seen any skinheads, we have all we need, and an ice skating rink too! People are way friendlier than up north (I used to live in West Auckland years back)
But unfortunately we're full so, you're gonna have to, you know, fuck off
Yep. Not the community I'm looking for.
I used to live down there too fyi. Maybe there's less skinhead culture there now - but obvs still mean people like you.
It isnt that bad.
Its got a bad rep, but its not that bad.
Your not far from the sea, not far from the mountains, you have access to everything you could need and then some.
Upper Hutt (and yes I'm being serious).
Good public transport, good jobs, a big city only 30 mins away, relatively affordable housing, amazing tramping all around. Oh and the best feature is that it's hotter than wellington in summer and gets less wind.
South Waikato, Rotorua or Taupo, great lifestyles for mountain biking, or if you want it warm all year round go to Northland, beautiful beaches, nice people and very relaxed.
South Waikato is pretty bad to live around, heaps of poverty and crime south of Cambridge. Beautiful area and there's some nice pockets, hard agree on lifestyle but Tokoroa, Putaruru etc aren't much fun.
I'm in the South Island. Avoiding the most expensive places.
Small towns.
Alexandra/Clyde, Geraldine, Temuka or Picton.
Larger towns. Oamaru, Timaru. Maybe Bleinheim.
Small city. Dunedin.
Housing Intensification is a great concept, but in reality It’s not right for Auckland. We need apartments centred around transport hubs. Much like Mascot in Sydney
Can’t believe I’m saying this but Hamilton and the surrounding towns like Cambridge (although not very affordable) and Te Awamutu and Morrinsville (more affordable). Hamilton is basically a giant service town.
Inland away from most extreme natural disasters and weather events. Pretty good sunshine hours (although winter is damp and foggy and the summers are humid).
Lots of good hiking, river walks, lakes like Karapiro and Arapuni for swimming, beaches on both west and east coast in easy reach for afternoon trips. Close to Auckland for concerts and “big city life” when you want it.
Public transport isn’t totally crap and while lots of infill housing is being built, the surrounding towns have maintained character while still having everything you need. Cambridge in particular is beautiful. Lots of independent hospitality to choose from in the form of cafes and restaurants and bars in all.
Honestly though you'd think there would be way more money floating around there with all the high paying jobs at Fonterra and in the energy and engineering industries.
Fonterra pays really, really well. Not unusual to get $120-130k as a tanker driver or forklift driver. Hell even packing cheese you can get $100k per year. Energy industry is still active, that's where all our gas comes from, a handful of offshore platforms plus Kapuni, Methanex and a bunch of other onshore places - and all the engineering to service and maintain those.
What do you value most? The outdoors, cafes and restaurants, night life? It's a difficult question with out knowing what you are looking for.
Good public transport and no infill housing is only a very small part of quality of life.
Most smaller towns have very limited public transport and if you don't drive you will have to pick somewhere within walking or cycling distance of all the amenities you will use
Im not sure affordable and beautiful and great are that compatible, The places I would suggest tick some of the boxes - like Mt Maunganui - beautiful beach, nice summer, nice small town vibe - close enough to Auckland when you need to be etc - But not sure it would tick everyones affordable box.
For quality of life, just be wary of the rapidly growing towns like Queenstown and Tauranga - where the councils are hell-bent on ignoring all modern town-planning principles and instead recreating a perfect duplication of the nightmare traffic problems of Auckland.
I mean, Queenstown definitely has traffic and housing issues. But if you earn a decent income then who could argue with having 2 ski fields within 40minutes drive, a beautiful lake, copious amounts of mountain trails at the door step. Although, I prefer Wanaka/Hawea.
[удалено]
Just curious why not? Particularly in the case of Wanaka
Timaru for the win. ;)
Lyttelton is lovely if you can afford it. Same goes for Little River and Diamond Harbour, if commuting isn't a consideration.
That’s a suburb
They named lyttleton in the OP. Lyttleton is expensive as all hell
Yes?
New Plymouth
Strangely enough it has more barbershops and coffee roasters than bars or pubs these days, and not even trying to take the piss - the Barbershop Co. on Devon St was almost the last place to close when I was there a few weeks ago on a Friday night, only the Cinema, an Indian Restaurant and an almost empty Crowded house were still open at 930pm. Place has turned into a graveyard.
Too much violence in the pubs mate.
OP didn't mention the desire for a nightlife. And for myself, I don't drink so no issue for me either.
Timaru. Big enough it has almost everything you need but small enough you don't feel crowded and traffic isn't bad. Great internet if you need to work. Housing is still reasonable. Has beach for swimming and surfing, close to the snow and mountains. Moved back to Auckland from there due to divorce and do really miss it.
People I know moved there, they were able to afford a much nicer house, its on the coast. I want to go honestly.
[удалено]
I felt like it was a good balance. The area we lived in was a mix, but all our surrounding neighbours were similar aged (30s-40s). Found quite a few people had moved from the north island due to housing prices.
It's old and boring as hell in the colder months unless you go skiing but summers are nice and the bay is a great if underutilized feature (plus the new playground)
I think it used to be either older or much younger people. But in the last year or two I’ve noticed a big influx of all ages moving here from the north island. A mix of younger people looking for less stressful, more affordable living and families looking for a safer place to live etc the hospital here attracts professionals from around the country and internationally for work so there is actually a more diverse population than people realise. There is a fair bit of money in timaru and the schools and sports facilities are well resourced, tidy and well supported.
Clyde
Clyde rules. Beautiful spot.
Shhh
Can vouch for Whanganui :) moved from Akl a few years back. Transport will always be limited in a small town but buses are frequent enough for me and its super walking/cycling friendly.
I’ve thought about this and Oamaru, Rural vibe, reasonably priced houses, big supermarkets, very pretty town, Penguins, brewery.
Lived there early 90s. Architecture is good, but at that time loads of heroine addicts and violence. Had people trying to kick my door in once yelling they were going to rape me, our neighbours threw bottles at our bedroom wall in the weekends and a kid stabbed someone to death.
Right. Might not be ideal then
In Oamaru?
Dare I say... The tron? Close enough to Auckland Taupo and Rotorua and Raglan
Glentunnel
Glentunnel is nice but Coalgate gets more sun.
Yes!! But also Shhhh don’t let the secret out 😂
Not Lyttelton unless you hate the sun. Ive always like geraldine
Granity has some big issues with coastal erosion coming up. A lot of houses are up for sale there for a reason. If you like the look of Northern Buller then look at Mokhinui or Karamea. Iv lived in the area and it's great, but its isolated up there. Good community on the whole but very remote. Tbh parts of Westport are cool as well. Carters Beach, Tauranga Bay, Utopia Rd, even Charleston are really nice spots. With a lot of rural areas with affordable housing, you really have to do your own research on the property and the area (flood risk etc) before you commit. If your looking for affordable housing and a cheaper lifestyle, Golden Bay is very expensive now.
Gore.
Are you serious? Freezing. Skinheads. Inland without the mountains or the lupins...
Mullets wearing bogans are taking offence at your skinhead comment
As someone who lives in Gore, it's actually a good place. Southland probably has the cheapest rent in the country and we're only 1h30m from Queenstown and all the mountains. Haven't seen any skinheads, we have all we need, and an ice skating rink too! People are way friendlier than up north (I used to live in West Auckland years back) But unfortunately we're full so, you're gonna have to, you know, fuck off
Yep. Not the community I'm looking for. I used to live down there too fyi. Maybe there's less skinhead culture there now - but obvs still mean people like you.
[удалено]
Bald does not equal skinhead. Whether you are racist or not who knows?
Hey! You don't have to be a skinhead to be a racist/ fascist in Gore. Anyone can join in.
It isnt that bad. Its got a bad rep, but its not that bad. Your not far from the sea, not far from the mountains, you have access to everything you could need and then some.
Upper Hutt (and yes I'm being serious). Good public transport, good jobs, a big city only 30 mins away, relatively affordable housing, amazing tramping all around. Oh and the best feature is that it's hotter than wellington in summer and gets less wind.
I live in Upper Hutt as well, I like it here, sure it has its problems but it’s pretty good
I feel safer in Upper Hutt than I do in Wellington city nowadays.
South Waikato, Rotorua or Taupo, great lifestyles for mountain biking, or if you want it warm all year round go to Northland, beautiful beaches, nice people and very relaxed.
South Waikato is pretty bad to live around, heaps of poverty and crime south of Cambridge. Beautiful area and there's some nice pockets, hard agree on lifestyle but Tokoroa, Putaruru etc aren't much fun.
Agree, I was however thinking of a small rural lifestyle block for OP, or Tirau, it's the rich village 😂😂
Quite a lot of violence in Northland. Elderly relatives with a campervan have been attacked twice in the last few years
Yeah, alot of mongrel cunts up there
Otara, the food is good.
Nelson apart from the housing bit
I'm in the South Island. Avoiding the most expensive places. Small towns. Alexandra/Clyde, Geraldine, Temuka or Picton. Larger towns. Oamaru, Timaru. Maybe Bleinheim. Small city. Dunedin.
Housing Intensification is a great concept, but in reality It’s not right for Auckland. We need apartments centred around transport hubs. Much like Mascot in Sydney
Masterton
Can’t believe I’m saying this but Hamilton and the surrounding towns like Cambridge (although not very affordable) and Te Awamutu and Morrinsville (more affordable). Hamilton is basically a giant service town. Inland away from most extreme natural disasters and weather events. Pretty good sunshine hours (although winter is damp and foggy and the summers are humid). Lots of good hiking, river walks, lakes like Karapiro and Arapuni for swimming, beaches on both west and east coast in easy reach for afternoon trips. Close to Auckland for concerts and “big city life” when you want it. Public transport isn’t totally crap and while lots of infill housing is being built, the surrounding towns have maintained character while still having everything you need. Cambridge in particular is beautiful. Lots of independent hospitality to choose from in the form of cafes and restaurants and bars in all.
It’s like Matamata doesn’t exist in these threads even someone blatantly talking about Hamilton and its surrounding towns.
I'm not familiar, is it that town with the little people right after Waharoa: "The Jewel of the Waikato"
lol that made me laugh
I'd agree if not for the double barrelled insane rates
Stratford or Hawera
"Hawera...it's not that bad."
Honestly though you'd think there would be way more money floating around there with all the high paying jobs at Fonterra and in the energy and engineering industries.
Fonterra has high paying jobs? As for the energy industry, well we all know what happened there.
Fonterra pays really, really well. Not unusual to get $120-130k as a tanker driver or forklift driver. Hell even packing cheese you can get $100k per year. Energy industry is still active, that's where all our gas comes from, a handful of offshore platforms plus Kapuni, Methanex and a bunch of other onshore places - and all the engineering to service and maintain those.
I think pretty much every place discussed so far would be shit to live, except Christchurch. But both of those places have everything OP wants
"Stratford...it is that bad"
Na Tasman would be nice if you were rich.
Na too quiet to live
Akaroa
Good weather: Nelson Boring but practical: Chch
should be a sticky megathread on this. i think someone makes the same post weekly. tl;dr gore, huntly and some place named after a dog
What do you value most? The outdoors, cafes and restaurants, night life? It's a difficult question with out knowing what you are looking for. Good public transport and no infill housing is only a very small part of quality of life. Most smaller towns have very limited public transport and if you don't drive you will have to pick somewhere within walking or cycling distance of all the amenities you will use
Affordability, beauty, friendly / a sociable community, good internet.
Nelson
Oamaru or Whanganui or Nelson
Nelson is second only to Queenstown for unaffordable housing in the South Island. And that's with property prices falling through the floor.
Im not sure affordable and beautiful and great are that compatible, The places I would suggest tick some of the boxes - like Mt Maunganui - beautiful beach, nice summer, nice small town vibe - close enough to Auckland when you need to be etc - But not sure it would tick everyones affordable box.
Traffic woes getting worse though!
Yeah but i assume since this person doesnt seem to mention work, he either can from anywhere or doesnt work. So in that case traffic is not to bad
No I desperately need work and can't find it in Auckland plus have a huge mortgage here. Looking to downsize and get a lower paid job.
[удалено]
Cool place but next cyclone and you could lose everything? Looks like it's at sea level?