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Thread: Where to live for 6 months in New Zealand

  1. #1
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    Default Where to live for 6 months in New Zealand

    Looking for some suggestions on where to live for 6 months in New Zealand. My wife and I are thinking of trying to spend 6 months every year in NZ as part of our retirement, I have been there 3 times and my wife once. This November we are spending the whole month in NZ researching towns that might work for us. We ‘average’ mid-50’s and are pretty active – runners, swimmers, go to the gym. No kids, no work. Currently we live at the beach and are not looking to live in a city (Auckland, Wellington), we would like though restaurants, bars, etc. Possibly towns no bigger than 40,000. Budget for rental up to 3000NZD?

    I realize this is a fairly broad subject. I have researched the Visa requirements and know this info.

    Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by FredFromLAX View Post
    Looking for some suggestions on where to live for 6 months in New Zealand. My wife and I are thinking of trying to spend 6 months every year in NZ as part of our retirement, I have been there 3 times and my wife once. This November we are spending the whole month in NZ researching towns that might work for us. We ‘average’ mid-50’s and are pretty active – runners, swimmers, go to the gym. No kids, no work. Currently we live at the beach and are not looking to live in a city (Auckland, Wellington), we would like though restaurants, bars, etc. Possibly towns no bigger than 40,000. Budget for rental up to 3000NZD?

    I realize this is a fairly broad subject. I have researched the Visa requirements and know this info.

    Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated.
    Probably depends what climate (time of year) and activities you are looking for.

    Taupo, Tauranga(Mt Maunganui) , Kerikeri and Queenstown/Arrowtown/Wanaka are obvious candidates

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the quick reply. Guessing our schedule will be Nov thru April each year. I need to see water, preferably ocean vs. lake. Running, swimming, trekking, we're not skiers.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by FredFromLAX View Post
    Thanks for the quick reply. Guessing our schedule will be Nov thru April each year. I need to see water, preferably ocean vs. lake. Running, swimming, trekking, we're not skiers.
    then that probably rules out Taupo and Queenstown.

    Mt Maunganui/Te Puke, Gisborne, Napier (not the best for swimming in Napier itself) or anywhere on East Cost, North Island. Possibly Bay of Islands? Nelson? Marlborough Sounds?

  5. #5
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    adding to Chris's list, Coromandel Peninsula. Plenty of beaches and hiking etc, and close enough to Auckland to get a bit of city life when you want it.

  6. #6
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    Just wondering if there are places on the West Coast of the NI that we should look at? I've never really explored that area. The places mentioned above we will definitely consider.

  7. #7
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    I went through a lot of pondering on a similar question and settled on the Marlborough Sounds. I ended out buying in Seddon, outside Belenheim. My budget was somewhat limited, and I decided I was willing to sacrifice water views for garden space, and high sunshine/low rainfall scored a lot of points on my list. I was raised in Northern California and the North East part of South Island feels a lot like home. . . .with a lot more water and a lot less rat race.

    Please tell me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that, in general, the West Coast is under long white clouds a large fraction of the time, and much of it is pretty wet.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by sandgrubber View Post
    Please tell me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that, in general, the West Coast is under long white clouds a large fraction of the time, and much of it is pretty wet.
    That's generally correct for the South Island, but not the North.

    North Island west coast - maybe Taranaki (New Plymouth and coastal towns), Raglan, Hokianga (Opononi, Omapere), and the beach communities of Auckland's west coast (Muriwai, Bethells/Te Henga, Anawhata, Piha, Karekare).

  9. #9
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    beach communities of Auckland's west coast (Muriwai, Bethells/Te Henga, Anawhata, Piha, Karekare).
    I love that coast.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by JandM View Post
    I love that coast.
    Me too I'm heading out to Karekare today. It's great how each beach has its own 'feel' even though they're all on the same coast, eg going to Anawhata (difficult access, pretty deserted) is a very different experience from Muriwai or Piha on a busy day (lots more people, cafe).
    Last edited by Oregonkiwi; 30th January 2017 at 08:06 AM.

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