# Life in Hamilton New Zealand as International Student?



## terry3218

Life in Hamilton New Zealand as International Student?
This year I might have a chance to study over there. I am from South Asia ,if you have lived there or been there then please tell
How easy is it to find part time jobs?
Being of South Asian descent(brown skin) will there be any prejudice?How diverse is the population of Hamilton in terms of ethnicity?
How is life in General I mean outdoor activites and nightlife?
Kayak spots ,rock climbing spots etc?
Music Scene I mean like local concerts and gigs?
How are Facilities over there like shopping centres, gyms,transport within the city?
Are people friendly and open to different cultures? I mean is making friends easy(with Kiwis)
Any guidance will be appreciated! 

P.S Terry is just my screen name.
And yea I also have option of Nelson but I'd like to live in a bigger cities?


----------



## Toni in Auckland

If you like bigger cities stay away from Hamilton and opt for Wellington. Hamilton is a farming town, some say its a bit ******* but I think it's more of a cultural wilderness. If hanging out in bars is your thing but it may suit you well enough it can get rough at night so it helps to know a few locals. The later it gets the more it descends into hoonsville If Wellington isn't possible try Auckland


----------



## terry3218

Toni in Auckland said:


> If you like bigger cities stay away from Hamilton and opt for Wellington. Hamilton is a farming town, some say its a bit ******* but I think it's more of a cultural wilderness. If hanging out in bars is your thing but it may suit you well enough it can get rough at night so it helps to know a few locals. The later it gets the more it descends into hoonsville If Wellington isn't possible try Auckland



hey tony thanks for replying to my thread:

but i dont have option for auckland neither wellington although i have option of nelson and now I might just may be have a third option of christchurch but you know I'm a bit concerned about earthquakes because i've experienced enough earthquakes already in my hometown(in my country). So what else is there about hamilton that i should know?


----------



## inhamilton

Toni in Auckland said:


> Hamilton is a farming town, some say its a bit ******* but I think it's more of a cultural wilderness. If hanging out in bars is your thing but it may suit you well enough it can get rough at night so it helps to know a few locals. d


Gee, you seem to know a lot about NZ for someone who apparently lived here a few months. Hamilton is NOT *******, in my opinion, and I've lived here a long time. The university is a great cultural mix. You'll enjoy it Terry. You'll probably find there is a social club at the Uni of people from your country or area. And Hamilton is very central to Auckland, beaches, skiing. Plenty of rock climbing and kayaking spots around the area. We have a brand new shopping centre called The Base, which is quite big and modern, with free parking, 100 or so shops and department stores. As well, there is Chartwell and the city centre itself. Hamilton is also one of the fastest growing cities in the country.


----------



## inhamilton

PS. You'd be most welcome to come and study at our polytech or university, which I happen to be a graduate of. 

In terms of concerts, of major acts, most are in Auckland at the Vector arena, but its only about an hour and a half drive to the centre of Auckland from here. Plenty of bars and restaurants in the city of many different cultures. Ethnicities - becoming more diverse all the time (as with most of the world). A large asian population, probably about 8-10%, about 15% maori as well. Hamilton has a population of 150,000. About 2 million people live within a 2 hour drive.
As far as earthquakes are concerned, Hamilton has probably the lowest risk in the country. With Christchurch, the quakes seemed to have died down now. Haven't heard one reported in Chch for a year or so, at least, touchwood.
Let me know if you have any other questions.


----------



## topcat83

Welcome back to the Forum, inHamilton - We've missed you!

And I must concur about Hamilton. We've ended up going there recently instead of Auckland (mainly because I now work there!) and have decided we like it very much as a city. 
The Base is a good out-of-town retail park, and we've been to a couple of the things on at the local theatres. Probably not Toni's taste, but Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers were fab!
The river is a lovely backdrop, and there are some good bars and restaurants in the centre.

Differences I've noticed between working in Hamilton & Auckland:
1. The traffic. Admittedly I am working on the outskirts of Hamilton but I am yet to find myself in a queue of cars of more than 3.
2. The work hours. In Auckland (generally) people start later and end later. If you didn't leave after 5:00 pm then you were considered a shirker (regardless of the time you started!) In Hamilton, I'm usually one of the last ones in at 8:15 and the place is deserted ad 5:00. 
3. The dress code. You really do wear what you feel comfortable in. Even this time of year there are people in shorts, t-shirts and jandals at one end of the spectrum, and others with shirts and ties at the other.

It obviously depends what you want out of life though - it wouldn't suit everyone if they were after a raucous night life!.


----------



## escapedtonz

topcat83 said:


> Welcome back to the Forum, inHamilton - We've missed you!
> 
> And I must concur about Hamilton. We've ended up going there recently instead of Auckland (mainly because I now work there!) and have decided we like it very much as a city.
> The Base is a good out-of-town retail park, and we've been to a couple of the things on at the local theatres. Probably not Toni's taste, but Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers were fab!
> The river is a lovely backdrop, and there are some good bars and restaurants in the centre.
> 
> Differences I've noticed between working in Hamilton & Auckland:
> 1. The traffic. Admittedly I am working on the outskirts of Hamilton but I am yet to find myself in a queue of cars of more than 3.
> 2. The work hours. In Auckland (generally) people start later and end later. If you didn't leave after 5:00 pm then you were considered a shirker (regardless of the time you started!) In Hamilton, I'm usually one of the last ones in at 8:15 and the place is deserted ad 5:00.
> 3. The dress code. You really do wear what you feel comfortable in. Even this time of year there are people in shorts, t-shirts and jandals at one end of the spectrum, and others with shirts and ties at the other.
> 
> It obviously depends what you want out of life though - it wouldn't suit everyone if they were after a raucous night life!.


Hi topcat83 and InHamilton,

Just back home in Welly after a week in Hamilton and thoroughly enjoyed it again.
Why anyone labels this city as a farming town full of ******** and loons must have been in a different Hamilton to the one Ive been in!!!
I really like the place and I was out and about the city at all manner of times enjoying what it had to offer - we even won the quiz in Biddy Mulligans Irish bar on Weds night which came as a complete surprise - yay!!!
Had some good meals out and frequented some good bars and equally enjoyed the cafe scene. Special mentions for Momento cafe for breakfast, Little India for probably the best Indian so far in NZ, The Base shopping centre/cinema, Prodrive golf range, Biddy Mulligans and Quadrant for the Guinness and excellent atmosphere.
Still really like Cambridge as a place to live although since we had to land in Tauranga due to Hamilton fog I'm still sold on it as a place to live over Hamilton.


----------



## inhamilton

topcat83 said:


> Welcome back to the Forum, inHamilton - We've missed you!
> 
> .


Thanks. Well, I had to reply, didn't I? Can't let Toni get away with such arrant nonsense.  Terry should feel safe walking through town on a Saturday night. IMO. I do, even by myself.
Glad you enjoyed the concert Topcat. I actually went to the Herman's Hermits- Gerry and Pacemakers one a couple of years back, and the Hollies one at Claudelands this year. I guess that puts me in your age bracket. Lol.


----------



## inhamilton

escapedtonz said:


> Still really like Cambridge as a place to live


Yea, I agree!


----------



## Toni in Auckland

Thank you but I'll stick by my point of view that Hamilton is a cultural wilderness, it's fine if your social life revolves around bars but for a female of my generation there's little else to do. How do I know this? Because I hung out with people from work that came from that town and used to spend some weekends down there. I was glad to get back to Auckland and that's saying something. Wellington is much better if you want more out of life. One last thing they call Hamilton a city but it isn't really, it's a rural farming town with a chip on its shoulder about Auckland.


----------



## Toni in Auckland

terry3218 said:


> hey tony thanks for replying to my thread:
> 
> but i dont have option for auckland neither wellington although i have option of nelson and now I might just may be have a third option of christchurch but you know I'm a bit concerned about earthquakes because i've experienced enough earthquakes already in my hometown(in my country). So what else is there about hamilton that i should know?


You're welcome. Perhaps you should think about Christchurch, I'd ask on sites frequented by international students if you want to know what it's like to go to college down there. I did hear that Canty Uni was going bankrupt and laying off staff so you'd need to look into that in more depth. Anything else about Hamilton you should know? You could try reading the Waikato Tmes occasionally Waikato Times - Waikato and Central News - Stuff.co.nz... | Stuff.co.nz I've just called up the web page and the second news item was "Night of violence in region's small towns"
Night of Violence in Region's Small Towns | Stuff.co.nz



> A stabbing, a beating, a home invasion and a mystery injury - all in a night's work for Waikato police.
> 
> There were four violent incidents in three of the region's towns overnight on Thursday, resulting in three people being taken to hospital and two arrests.


Also if you like wearing bandanas leave them at home Weird and savage happenings on the banks of the... | Stuff.co.nz



> What I fear, though, is that maybe those two incidents aren't random. Maybe when you look at a list of crimes in Hamilton, it shows a significant incident of petty theft and assault. Maybe there is something dangerous about this city. Savage, even.


it's not the sort of place you'd want to be different in. I was called a "bloody Pom" too many times for comfort and told to "****** off back to that ****hole" last time I was there. "Willingly, willingly" was my reply.


----------



## escapedtonz

Toni in Auckland said:


> Thank you but I'll stick by my point of view that Hamilton is a cultural wilderness, it's fine if your social life revolves around bars but for a female of my generation there's little else to do. How do I know this? Because I hung out with people from work that came from that town and used to spend some weekends down there. I was glad to get back to Auckland and that's saying something. Wellington is much better if you want more out of life. One last thing they call Hamilton a city but it isn't really, it's a rural farming town with a chip on its shoulder about Auckland.


You are of course entitled to your opinion, but to express your strong views about a place you have spent "some weekends down there with friends" hardly qualifies you to give it such a slating.
When you visited and stayed for the weekend what did you expect to be doing with friends ?
Didn't you visit to socialise, eat and drink ?
If you didn't like going to bars or didn't feel comfortable in the city at night - which appears to be your only justification to report your feelings of the city of an evening then don't put yourself in that situation !

Some interesting stats from NZ police :-

http://www.police.govt.nz/sites/def...ics/00-national-official-crime-stats-2012.pdf

Seems Hamilton isn't the worst city for crime - violent or otherwise in NZ with Wellington Auckland and Christchurch all being worse.

Interested to know where you are from and lived in the UK ?

I lived in between Liverpool and Manchester and crime stats for the whole of NZ probably match the 50/60 mile radius of where I used to call home. Wouldn't like to see the stats for UK as a whole - would be frightening.


----------



## inhamilton

Toni/Carosapien/Darla.R from Queensland plus whatever other guises you have posted under, stop messing about with the forum. It's always the same posting style.
There are bad folks in every city in every country. Honestly, I feel totally safe walking in the city late at night. I wouldn't walk the riverbank at that time of night though.


----------



## WannaBeInOZ08

My Experience of Hamilton is positive, We could have moved there from Auckland but i prefer to be on the coast so we are moving to New plymouth in a few weeks.

Auckland is great but its too expensive to buy a house.. .. hamilton is close to Auckland and is a good night out for the younger generation


----------



## Toni in Auckland

escapedtonz said:


> You are of course entitled to your opinion, but to express your strong views about a place you have spent "some weekends down there with friends" hardly qualifies you to give it such a slating.


I'm sorry but I do feel qualified to give my own opinion and have probably spent more time in the town than other people on this thread. It may not agree with your perceptions about Hamilton but that doesn't make mine any the less valid. I was replying to Terry3212's request for further information, not getting into a slanging match with other posters, some of whom are very weird indeed (which may be a reflection of the people who live in towns like Hamilton) Terry I've given you some other options, it's up to you if you take my advice or not but for goodness sakes get some from people who are the same generation as you and have some concept of what it's like to have been as student recently. Try to find it somewhere where people are tolerant of each other's opinions and don't start making false accusations when presented with a different perspective. I'd offer to talk to you by private message but apparently that is frowned upon for some reason. You draw your own conclusions. All I can say is I'm glad I'm out of the place, good luck.


----------



## inhamilton

Toni, so how do you reconcile this statement from your miserable in AK thread :
_It's been so hard, people are superficially friendly but aren't interested in being real friends. _

With this from this thread :
_How do I know this? Because I hung out with people from work that came from that town and used to spend some weekends down there. _


----------



## Toni in Auckland

There is nothing to reconcile, hanging out with people from work is not the same as having real friends. There is a difference. Can I ask you why you accused me of being one of those people just because I don't like Hamilton your reaction was extreme IMO.


----------



## topcat83

Toni in Auckland said:


> ....it's not the sort of place you'd want to be different in. I was called a "bloody Pom" too many times for comfort and told to "****** off back to that _[swear word deleted]_" last time I was there. "Willingly, willingly" was my reply.......


I think maybe it is the attitude of the person that attracts that type of comment. I know I get wound up with some people's attitudes and find it very difficult to be diplomatic and moderator-like.


----------



## topcat83

Toni in Auckland said:


> I'm sorry but I do feel qualified to give my own opinion and have probably spent more time in the town than other people on this thread. It may not agree with your perceptions about Hamilton but that doesn't make mine any the less valid. I was replying to Terry3212's request for further information, not getting into a slanging match with other posters, some of whom are very weird indeed (which may be a reflection of the people who live in towns like Hamilton) Terry I've given you some other options, it's up to you if you take my advice or not but for goodness sakes get some from people who are the same generation as you and have some concept of what it's like to have been as student recently. Try to find it somewhere where people are tolerant of each other's opinions and don't start making false accusations when presented with a different perspective. I'd offer to talk to you by private message but apparently that is frowned upon for some reason. You draw your own conclusions. All I can say is I'm glad I'm out of the place, good luck.


You're right, Toni. You are entitled to your opinion. 
But I'll say the same to you that I've said to a number of other contributors who have chosen to leave New Zealand. 
Continuing to 'live' in New Zealand through this forum is not allowing you to move on. In your position, I'd start moving to a more positive place....


----------



## Leighr

topcat83 said:


> You're right, Toni. You are entitled to your opinion.
> But I'll say the same to you that I've said to a number of other contributors who have chosen to leave New Zealand.
> Continuing to 'live' in New Zealand through this forum is not allowing you to move on. In your position, I'd start moving to a more positive place....


Here here


----------



## Toni in Auckland

topcat83 said:


> You're right, Toni. You are entitled to your opinion.
> But I'll say the same to you that I've said to a number of other contributors who have chosen to leave New Zealand.
> Continuing to 'live' in New Zealand through this forum is not allowing you to move on. In your position, I'd start moving to a more positive place....


People on this forum were lovely to me when I needed support last year, I had some great advice and when I took it things turned out very well. I'm here now to repay some of that kindness and give back some of what was given to me. I've helped people with advice about Albany and suggested places like Wellington as alternatives. It's really hurtful to be told I need to move on just because I gave an opinion that Hamilton was a cultural wilderness, even though no one has been able to prove that opinion misguided. It's fine if you want to hang out in bars but there is little else to do. what's so wrong about saying that. What's the point of having an opinion if its not based on experience. I didn't get nasty with anyone whose opinion was different to mine, yet I feel that I'm under attack and I can't understand why. That's so unfair.


----------



## Toni in Auckland

terry3218 said:


> Life in Hamilton New Zealand as International Student?
> This year I might have a chance to study over there. I am from South Asia ,if you have lived there or been there then please tell
> How easy is it to find part time jobs?
> Being of South Asian descent(brown skin) will there be any prejudice?How diverse is the population of Hamilton in terms of ethnicity?
> How is life in General I mean outdoor activites and nightlife?
> Kayak spots ,rock climbing spots etc?
> Music Scene I mean like local concerts and gigs?
> How are Facilities over there like shopping centres, gyms,transport within the city?
> Are people friendly and open to different cultures? I mean is making friends easy(with Kiwis)
> Any guidance will be appreciated!
> 
> P.S Terry is just my screen name.
> And yea I also have option of Nelson but I'd like to live in a bigger cities?


Perhaps you should tell us what you're studying because there's no point us suggesting places if they don't offer the courses you want. Have you thought about Palmerston North? That has a vibrant and diverse student community and is a lovely little town.

http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/student-life/about-our-campuses/manawatu-campus/


----------



## inhamilton

Toni in Auckland said:


> People on this forum were lovely to me when I needed support last year, I had some great advice and when I took it things turned out very well. I'm here now to repay some of that kindness and give back some of what was given to me.


What you have done in this thread is not kindness IMO. It sounds as though Terry has been accepted as a student in Hamilton. You posted links to an article about someone wearing a bandana that was harrassed, and an article about some fights that took place in some country towns one weekend, that can and does happen in all places in the world, including your home state of Queensland, many times over. It very much sounded to me like you were trying to frighten him off.
I think what Topcat is getting at, is that it would be far more constructive if you posted helpful advice in the Australian forum about how well you have settled in there. After all, you only spent six months in NZ, and you're in, and have been, in Australia for the long haul.


----------



## topcat83

Toni in Auckland said:


> People on this forum were lovely to me when I needed support last year, I had some great advice and when I took it things turned out very well. I'm here now to repay some of that kindness and give back some of what was given to me. I've helped people with advice about Albany and suggested places like Wellington as alternatives. It's really hurtful to be told I need to move on just because I gave an opinion that Hamilton was a cultural wilderness, even though no one has been able to prove that opinion misguided. It's fine if you want to hang out in bars but there is little else to do. what's so wrong about saying that. What's the point of having an opinion if its not based on experience. I didn't get nasty with anyone whose opinion was different to mine, yet I feel that I'm under attack and I can't understand why. That's so unfair.


Toni, I am really trying to help here. You have given some good advice and feedback on areas of New Zealand - but it is very obvious that you have not found it easy here, and therefore for your own sake I'd try and move on. Continuing to reflect on a bad time just continues in making you feel bitter. 
And it's not what you say but the way that you say it that annoys some of the other members. You are criticising in extreme terms places that they love - of course they get upset (as you would in their place).

As you can see, none of your posts have been deleted so they will be there for others to read in the future. Put New Zealand behind you and enjoy your new life. And as inHamilton says, I am sure that your positive experiences in Australia would be of great benefit in the Australian forum.


----------



## Toni in Auckland

terry3218 said:


> Life in Hamilton New Zealand as International Student?
> This year I might have a chance to study over there. I am from South Asia ,if you have lived there or been there then please tell
> How easy is it to find part time jobs?
> Being of South Asian descent(brown skin) will there be any prejudice?How diverse is the population of Hamilton in terms of ethnicity?
> How is life in General I mean outdoor activites and nightlife?
> Kayak spots ,rock climbing spots etc?
> Music Scene I mean like local concerts and gigs?
> How are Facilities over there like shopping centres, gyms,transport within the city?
> Are people friendly and open to different cultures? I mean is making friends easy(with Kiwis)
> Any guidance will be appreciated!
> 
> P.S Terry is just my screen name.
> And yea I also have option of Nelson but I'd like to live in a bigger cities?


So far Hamilton is only an possible option for you and you like to live in bigger cities?There are only three real cities in New Zealand and they are Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. You asked about prejudice and I have told you about my experience of it (I am a white single female Pom, told to get back to Auckland) and I thought I'd fit in without any problems. 

I'm sorry if my point of view has upset people but I can only speak as I find and tell you there are better places to study in New Zealand if you have the option to do so my recommendation is to look at what else is available. I'm not saying you shouldn't go to Hamilton, just to be aware that other people have had problems. Look, I've given you a link to the local newspaper use that as part of your research and make up your own mind.

For the record I've not been here long enough to have a home state as my work takes me to ALL six states but I am based for the majority of my time in the southern part of the country because this is where our head office is based and where most of our client base is located. I'm not sure why there is this fixation with Queensland and I care even less.

Topcat83 thank you for your suggestion about helping out with the Australian forum, if I get the time I will certainly do that.


----------

