Originally Posted by
sea-wlg
A couple of generaly notes, NZ doesn't seem to have as extreme as temperatures as continental US. Additionally, everywhere is windy. Wellington is windier on average, but lots of places are quite windy. It has to due with the fact that the only other landmass at this lattitude is S. America. With a general Westerly flow that means winds have crossed most the globe picking up strength.
Humidity normally means clouds, Auckland is quite cloudy. Though there are micro-climates(I've noticed Waiheke island is generally sunny for exampe), however it's not generally that cold. In the summer it's not that unreasonable for Cristchurch to be hotter (and always drier). Chch is down wind of a major mtn range so it's got a dry continental climate generally. Hot(sort of) summers, cold(sort of) winters, much less rainfall.
Wellington is very mild, except the wind. Winters and summer only seem to be about 10 degrees(18f) different. Almost never freezes or seems to break 80. However 3-4 degrees(C) with a strong Southerly can feel worse than freezing and calm that you'd have in Chch.
Homes are very poorly insulated, so something to consider.
Also there is something about the sun here, blame it on the proximity to the sun for the S. hemi Summer or the ozone layer but it's true. Sweating in the sun, freezing in the shade is commmon. Also lots of microclimates due to the uneven terrain, i.e within 90 minutes of wellington it can be 100% different because you can be completely costal(Kapiti) or semi-continental(Marlborough). Even Wellingtons major suburban city 10 miles away can be quite different.
Thanks for the detail! Info like this is what I'm after!
Seems there's a give-and-take game we'll just have to play...weighing what we want most. Of course, majority of where we end up living is going to depend on where OH finds work...but at least we can "encourage" opportunities in the most desirable spots first.
Many thanks to all who've replied. (Keep 'em coming if you've anything to add!!)