Dunedin - Does anyone actually like it???

[denalipop]

We've been traveling in NZ for a couple months, and wherever we went, if we ever mentioned that we were settling in Nelson, people said "Oh, Nelson, how beautiful!". Everyone, whether on the South or North Island, seemed to love Nelson. It got to be a cliche.

Then, when we mentioned to some that we were considering moving to Dunedin, they said, "Oh, Dunedin, yuck; it's so cold!" Again, no matter where we went, people on both islands universally said Dunedin sucked, mostly because of the weather, but also because of the isolation.

Even in Dunedin itself, expats we met were complaining about it, usually the weather being the main scapegoat.

So I am wondering: does everyone hate Dunedin because it's "cool" to hate Dunedin (no pun intended)? Or is the Dunedin weather really detestable? And is that universally detestable, or just detestable relative to the rest of NZ?

We lived in the Pacific Northwest of the US before moving here. It rained almost constantly for about half the year. Drizzle, mostly, but when the wind got blustery it could get nippy. We don't mind drizzle at all, and in fact drizzle and overcast to bright blue sunny days. If Dunedin's weather is similar to, say, Vancouver BC, then we will be perfectly happy with it.

When we were in Dunedin (for a week), it drizzled pleasantly, but then poured rain, hailed, and then turned bakingly sunny, all within the span of an hour or so. Is the mercuric aspect of the weather what people hate so much? Or do they simply dislike the fact that Dunedin is on average cooler than the rest of NZ?

What is the Dunedin weather like really?

And are there other reasons people dislike it down there?

[newarrival]

I can only speak for myself, of course....., we started off in Dunedin for different reasons and lived there for four years.
Yes, the weather can be very changeable ('four seasons in one day'), and in general we personally found it too cold..., when we decided to start a new life in New Zealand we also looked forward to a warmer climate, but I would not go as far as to say that i hated being there. I still think it is a great place to live in, everything is within a good distance, there is a lot of nature around it, people are extremely friendly and it is a young city due to the university.
Two of our children started uni last year, they just love it and wouldn't go anywhere else, at least not in the moment. And our youngest son, who came to Blenheim with us, will most certainly go back to Dunedin to go to uni there as well.
We experienced weather of all sorts, lovely sunny days as well as cold, rainy periods. In general the rainfall in the wintertime is less than at other places. I think it is most important to know where the good places to live are, i.e. where you get the most sun as possible, in winter as well as in summer. And you need to find a place that is sheltered from the wind, as well.
We talked to a friend who moved (temporarily) from Dunedin to Wellington last year to be with her husband who works in Wellington, and she feels it is far worth up there. One of the loveliest views is the view down to Dunedin if you come into town from the north..., or to go down the hill from Costorphine and see the beach of St.Clair!

To be perfectly honest, in my opinion Nelson is overrated, yes, it has lots of shops and the sea close by, but then it is more expensive than other parts of the country as well and full of tourists in the summer.

But, as said in the beginning, it is only my personal experience and everyone has a different view on that!

[dilanium]

I wasn't there for very long- but visited while on my trip around NZ. I loved it! I wish I had been able to spend more time there.

But then I also love Palmerston North and people think I'm a little funny because of that.

[KatieBen]

To be perfectly honest, in my opinion Nelson is overrated, yes, it has lots of shops and the sea close by, but then it is more expensive than other parts of the country as well and full of tourists in the summer.

Much as I love living in Nelson (& hope to be here for the next 20 or so years!) I have to agree with you on this one. It's heaving (even by UK standards) in the summer months, too much traffic on the roads, queueing in the aisles to pay at the supermarket - so different from the spring when we were the only people on the beach.

I spent a few years in Brighton so sure I'll get used to it!

Only stayed a few nights in Dunedin & it was spring, but it was a bit cold overall. Plus I'm sure I'd grumble about students! On the plus side we got some lovely scottish shortbread in a cafe there

[sasvanb]

I'm most definitely in the 'loving Dunedin' camp. My husband and I have been down there a few times since we arrived in NZ. Fell in love with the South Island and Otago/Dunners in particular when we went touring. We were seriously considering a move there in July last year but were scuppered by recession/lack of jobs there. In the end a move out of Welly into the sticks has sorted out out for now, but who knows... in the future I would definitely still consider a move there. Why did we love it? A small, friendly city, with some lovely architecture, feeling of connections with home (Scotland), proximity to stunning open spaces, lower cost of living (mind, wages lower too) etc I could go on...

As to the weather? Well I suppose it depends on where you compare it with. If we compare with cities north then yes it generally Dunedin is a few degrees colder... perhaps a bit wetter (not withstanding the shocker we've had in Welly this summer). It certainly has more of a seasonal feel...and you are likely to get snow in winter. If you're like me, you'd like that. Many kiwi's don't. And don't forget kiwis tend to compare their weather to OZ... and are often complaining the weather isn't great here. Whereas when I compare to Scotland, I'm like bad weather? What bad weather? Winter? So Dunedin I think compares very well next to somewhere like Edinburgh. All depends on what you're used to...

Good luck with the plans...

Saskia

[KelvinAng]

It's an annual Kiwi thing for both islands to congregate in Nelson over the New Year's. Don't know why, but if you intend to do that it's best to book soon, like now, for the next New Year's

Dunners is actually not that cold. It's temperature is comparable to Christchurch's and is in fact often warmer at night. It certainly rains a fair bit more though. I don't like the Duedin weather. I was in St Clare beach not too long ago and in a time span of 30 minutes I've had a bright sunny cloudless day, then rain (not drizzle, but rain), then sunny with few clouds, then rain, and then sunny again! It drives me nuts

My car has one of those Targa-top sunroof thingamagig that can be removed for a look that is akin to having your car roof blown away. The seller was from Dunedin, and I remember she saying something along the line of "oh in Dunedin you'll seldom get to remove these."

I'm also not a fan of hilly terrains, but I know of Dunedinites who thinks the Canterbury plains are just plain boring.

[norma]

We spent part of our recent summer holiday in Dunedin and I tended to get the 'Why are you going there?' reaction from my Kiwi friends before we went. I really liked Dunedin - it has a nice feel to it, picturesque location and is packed with wildlife (at least the Otago Peninsula is). Our holiday accommodation was on the Peninsula, which was close to the city but with lots of open countryside with walking trails through it. From the Property Press I picked up while there, property seemed pretty reasonable to me.

Weather wise, we did get a lot of wind and rain while there and the temperature dropped to 6 degs at one point and this was high summer. Our landlady, a UK expat who had lived there for 25 years, said summers could be unsettled but spring and autumn were usually nice and they have lots of clear blue skies in winter. She did add that a lot of Dunedin residents have a summer place in Wanaka.

I would prefer Dunedin to our location in Auckland but job prospects would be an issue for us.

[denalipop]

I've read that different Dunedin neighborhoods have very different weather from each other. Which areas would you recommend, in terms of milder weather, and also proximity to downtown, nice walks, etc.?

[Kalla]

We just recently visited Dunedin and it was so hot and warm and dry. Ok, it's summer, but man it was hot!

That's not the reason I dislike it though. For me, it was just another city, no special defining characteristics, nothing beautiful about it (have much better scenery in Southland, Central Otago, Fjorlands etc), a bit dirty and busy for me. Just my opinions. Maybe I'd feel differently if I was a student at a different period in my life, but Dunedin, definitely not for me.

We did however, have a good time there. There are some cool things to do like visiting the chocolate factory (yum) and we hopped on the Taieri Gorge Railway - AWESOME!!! But I wouldn't live in Dunedin. But then again, we are not city folk.

[britzy]

I have been in Dunedin for 8 months and love it.The weather is no colder than England,our first winter here was meant to be cold as people kept telling me,we didn't find it that bad,its just the houses that are colder but if you find the right house you're ok.Dunedin has eveything,it is a beautiful friendly city with so much on your door step,we live near the beach and are often out on our bikes down to the salt water pool or the beach.We spend long days exploring the pennisula,Allans beach,Victory beach.There are so many walks and places to visit its great.Everyone has been so friendly and helpful welcoming us into their homes .There is so much for the kids to do especially if they like sport.It certainly isn't isolated it is a great community with great scenery what more could you ask for? you don't have to live in the centre of Dunedin but in the surrounding areas and your away from the city but only 15 mins drive to anywhere