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Thread: Tauranga vs Nelson vs Dundedin? Why can't i make up my mind??

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Dunedin
    Posts
    251

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    Weather
    1. Tauranga
    2. Nelson
    3. Dunedin
    Depends how much you like sun. Nelson's sun is *brutal* in the summer. We hated going outside when it was blazing out. Right now we're in Wanaka and are having the same issue. In Dunedin, even if it's sunny for a few hours, it's likely to become cloudy and even stormy within a couple more, so it never feels relentless. If you like dynamic weather (as in "5 seasons in one day"), Dunedin is probably the most interesting. If you like consistent sun, Nelson is best. Don't know much about Tauranga weather-wise.

    Access to fresh local food and water
    1. Tauranga
    2. Neslon
    3. Dunedin
    Dunedin has tons of fresh stuff (often cheaper than Nelson), and water fountains all over the city. I would probably declare all 3 as a tie.

    Ease of Travel (access to hubs etc..)
    1. Tauranga
    2. Nelson
    3. Dunedin
    Nelson should be #1 because it's smallest. If you live in Nelson itself and not a suburb (e.g., Richmond), then you don't really need a car in Nelson. Dunedin and Tauranga are bigger so you need to either walk 30 minutes to an hour, or drive. Buses are more expensive here than in US and Canada, and not really a sustainable option.

    Best "Vibe"
    1. Nelson
    2. Dunedin
    3. Tauranga
    (this could of course be debatable. Dunedin likely has a young vibe, Nelson the laid back artsy vibe, Tauranga more of a resort feel)
    We love the casual/geeky Dunedin vibe. Nelson felt a little stuffy/trendy, and Tauranga was impersonal. Too close to Auckland!

    Safety
    1. Nelson
    2. Tauranga
    3. Dunedin
    I think Dunedin was rated the safest city in one of the recent surveys (but do Nelson and Tauranga count as "cities"?). However, Dunedin is bad as far as serious car accidents. Note that cities in NZ aren't as paranoia-inspiring as ones in N America. When we first moved to Dunedin we locked our doors and closed the windows every time we went out. By the time we left, we *always* left the windows open, and often left the doors unlocked. Never had any problems.

    Cleanliness (less pollution)
    1. Dunedin
    2. Nelson
    3. Tauranga
    Dunedin's student ghetto is a laughable mess, and there's a lot of smog in the valleys from the wood burning. However, there are also lots of pretty gardens to counteract the grunginess. In general, all NZ cities we visited were impressively maintained, with the exception of Gisborne, which was full of trash in just about every area. Nelson (and not its suburbs) is pristine. Tauranga in the middle. Dunedin at the bottom in terms of looks (and air quality).

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Dunedin
    Posts
    251

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    It sounds like your biggest decision is North Island vs South Island.

    Perhaps this will simplify your decision:

    If you want to be near the biggest mountains, you need to pick the South Island.

    If you want to be near the biggest beaches, you need to pick the North Island.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    41

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    Denalipop... can i have both??? hehehe. Kidding, but it is really starting to sound to me, like the sheer volume of attractions, activities, and things to do, is much more plentiful in and around Tauranga, than dunedin. I realise that they both have this. But it seems in dunedin you are travelling much further distances for it. Man.. its tough to choose. Id say i am leaning a little closer to tauranga though now. Until the visit at least.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    41

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    I Heard that if you want to live in the best climate on earth (subjective i know) that you should live where avocados live. Usually high sunshine, warm moderate sub-tropical weather. Mediterranean like. I know weather isnt everything. but i see Bay of Plenty is the avocado growing region of NZ. ;-)

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Ōtepoti, Aotearoa
    Posts
    2,736

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sidekickeh View Post
    I Heard that if you want to live in the best climate on earth (subjective i know) that you should live where avocados live. Usually high sunshine, warm moderate sub-tropical weather. Mediterranean like. I know weather isnt everything. but i see Bay of Plenty is the avocado growing region of NZ. ;-)
    In my personal opinion Mediterranean is not moderate.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Nelson
    Posts
    163

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    NZS (New Zealand Search) is a useful website for comparing regional climates, it's also a really good resource for finding all sorts of other information on New Zealand.
    http://www.nzs.com/new-zealand-weath...n/nelson-city/

    Oh and you can grow avocado in Nelson too

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    41

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    Thanks Shiney People. Been checking it out all morning. Great link. I have pretty much forgot about nelson. Looking mostly at Dunedin and Tauranga. Seems to be so much to see and do within close proximatey in the Bay of Plenty.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Nelson Bays
    Posts
    542

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    What are your actual hobbies? What do you like to do in the great outdoors? Consider ease of access to your interests. eg - Nelson - you can be at the local ski fields in 1 1/2 hrs, you have easy access to the Marlborough Sounds, Abel Tasman NP for the most amazing kayaking and beaches, Nelson lakes NP for lakes and mountains, Kahurangi NP for absolute wilderness with amazing tramping. Seasonal fruit and veg are cheap and plentiful. You need to consider what you actually want from your life here - eg if it's easier access to museums, galleries etc then choose Tauranga as you're closer to Auckland. If you're happy with a quieter laid back lifestyle with great weather (usually) choose Nelson. If you're happier with a cooler climate choose Dunedin. It looks to me like you need to put your priorities for your new life in order and then try to see which area fits those priorities best.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North Canterbury to UK
    Posts
    2,755

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    I hear Nelson is good for Brown water rafting at the minute

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Dunedin
    Posts
    251

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    eg - Nelson - you can be at the local ski fields in 1 1/2 hrs
    The original poster is from Calgary, so his idea of skiing might be vastly different from what Nelson (or all of NZ for that matter) has to offer. Once you ski the Rockies (or Whistler BC) it's really hard to appreciate the more modest ski areas, especially if you have to deal with expensive lift tickets and long lift lines.

    easy access to the Marlborough Sounds, Abel Tasman NP for the most amazing kayaking and beaches, Nelson lakes NP for lakes and mountains, Kahurangi NP for absolute wilderness with amazing tramping.
    I agree with all that, except maybe the mountains. While Nelson Lakes feels faintly alpine, it pales next to the Rockies (Lake Louise, Bow Lake, etc.) So, like the skiing, the terms "mountains" and "lakes" need to be taken with a grain of salt. Likewise, I wouldn't pitch NZ as "tropical" to a Hawaiian!

    What NZ does have is an intriguing mix of terrain and vegetation, and, in places, a very friendly and/or laid-back vibe.

    Tauranga felt tense and cramped to us, a bit edgy. Maybe that's because we were there in the tourist season, or maybe the development is overwhelming people. You can get away from the "aggressive relaxers" there pretty easily (as you can in all NZ) but eventually you have to interact with your neighbors and people in stores and on the roads, and it's those interpersonal interactions which will make or break the vibe of an area.

    And you won't know until you check out the various places whether the vibe is right for you. The people vibe, not just the natural vibe. So keep your plans flexible. And don't be expecting Lord of the Rings scenery everywhere you look. There's a lot more humble scenery on the way to the big stuff. It's more compact than North America (which means more terrain/vegetation changes per hour driving) but it's also all a bit scaled down.

    Each place has a mix of farms, towns, forest, hills/mountains, and beaches... Some have bigger mountains or slightly beaches than other places, but no terrain absolutely dominates. You're gonna get a mix wherever you go. It's the people that are the tie breaker. You absolutely have to get a feel for the towns, cities, and the other human factors and find what clicks with you. And none of that stuff can be guessed by looking at topo maps or NZ travel videos or reading immigrant blogs or quizzing people on here (and I know because I tried). You have to actually be here, interacting with people, observing people, to know which places feel the most comfortable.

    My suggestion is pick a place, but give yourself a couple weeks (at least) when you first arrive to tour both islands. Get a feel for the various places you might move. Try to take your time. If you don't want to miss a lot of work, then make it a "working vacation" like I did: work in the morning, explore in the afternoons, and drive to the next place on the weekend. Repeat until your shipment arrives (ours was 4 months late!), and then redirect your shipment to whichever place felt the best to you. You can also have your shipment sit in the port while you decide. That's what we did! We shipped in October and didn't get our stuff until the next May, and this worked our perfectly for us!

    Think of it this way: it's a lot cheaper and easier to redirect your shipment before you unpack it than to have to move all your stuff (plus everything you accumulate in NZ) a year after you arrive should you change your mind about where you want to live. You want to make a good first decision, but it has to be an educated decision, and you can't be truly educated until you actually spend time in NZ.

    I, like you, spent tons of time trying to pick the first spot. I researched the heck out of NZ. All that was perfectly fine and dandy and I don't regret informing myself that way, except none of the remote research could tell me how each place *feels* to me. Your research will always be incomplete, until you get here.

    So make a plan which acknowledges that. Since you work remotely, you have a chance of doing what we did. Stay flexible. And enjoy the truly fun part of the research, which starts when your plane touches down in Auckland.

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