# NZ cities...recommendations?



## MrsRose

It's kinda hard to go off pictures and promotional websites cause I'm sure they mostly just show all the prettiest spots and at the best angle, so I'm putting it out there as a question to you all. 

1. What are the most beautiful cities in new zealand? 

2. What are the best cities for families with small children? (and where are the best suburbs/neighborhoods in those cities?)

3. In which areas/cities can immigrants generally expect to find a warm welcome from locals? (I know friendly and/or unfriendly people can be encountered anywhere, I'm just looking for a general idea.)

4. Which cities provide more opportunities for employment in the construction industry? 

5. Which cities are seeing significant growth?

(answers to any or all of the above questions would be much appreciated.)
thanks all.


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## inhamilton

MrsRose said:


> 4. Which cities provide more opportunities for employment in the construction industry?
> 
> 5. Which cities are seeing significant growth?
> 
> (answers to any or all of the above questions would be much appreciated.)
> thanks all.


4. Christchurch (for obvious reasons)

5. In order : Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton.


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## carosapien

I'm just going to answer the first one.

1. It depends what you mean by beautiful. Do you mean natural or built environment? 

Auckland has some nice views out over the Gulf but they come at a price because anything near water has a premium on it. 

The built environment is not so hot, mostly due to poor urban planning policies and no clear direction from councils. Most towns and cities are an eclectic hotch potch of different styles of architecture and building materials. Many residential areas have been spoiled by sub-divisions and over development IMO. The traditional quarter acre sections are split up into smaller units and it's not uncommon to find two or three properties all sharing the same section. This is why you see addresses like 1/23 Main Road, 2/23 Main Road etc. 

Space can be at a premium too, if you look at a satellite view of most the residential areas around Auckland you'll see lot of houses and trees but there is not a very good ratio of open space to infrastructure. You will need to get out of the conurbation to find that, which is doable provided you're willing to make the long journey in to the city every day on the busy motorways or by bus. This can cut into the quality of life experience unless you can work from home or travel outside the rush hours.


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## topcat83

Based on our travels:



> 1. What are the most beautiful cities in new zealand?


It depends on whether that includes location, or just architecture. For location - take your pick. For architecture - Dunedin, Oamaru, and once it is rebuilt I think Christchurch will be back to it's architectural splendour. Interesting I've just listed three South Island cities there, so I'm going to add Napier, for 1930's Art Deco architecture. Not my favourite city though as I don't like the beach or the railway line that cuts off the front road from the rest of the city (sorry, Napier)



> 2. What are the best cities for families with small children? (and where are the best suburbs/neighborhoods in those cities?)


I think Jen would go with Tauranga - and I've heard good things about it too. Also I'd look at New Plymouth.



> 3. In which areas/cities can immigrants generally expect to find a warm welcome from locals? (I know friendly and/or unfriendly people can be encountered anywhere, I'm just looking for a general idea.)


Auckland (there are more non-Kiwis than Kiwis  ) and Wellington - definitely. But most places will probably be wary at first then accept you for what you show them you are.



> 4. Which cities provide more opportunities for employment in the construction industry?


I'd have to say Christchurch at the moment. But I think any of the cities in the list of 'significant growth' would also qualify.




> 5. Which cities are seeing significant growth?


Auckland, Tauranga for sure. There's a load of expansion into the countryside to the north and south of Auckland. Around our way there are new sections becoming available in Pokeno and Pukekohe, possibly driven by the rumour of an extended commuter train to Pokeno.


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## carosapien

It also depends on how you define a city and if you are looking for some of the benefits of city life.

The three largest are Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Tauranga only has 115,700 peple and Palmy North has 82,100. Most New Zealand cities are administrative districts and nothing more than towns.

I've only ever lived in and around Auckland so con't comment on what it's like to live in the other places. Most people tend to gravitate towards where the work is, which is why the top three are so popular. 

Didn't you say you were coming over on holiday soon, that will give you a good opportunity to look around and see what suits you.


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## MrsRose

yep, we are coming over on holiday soon.  That's why I'm doing as much questioning and online research as possible before we go so that we can pre-plan where we will be visiting during our stay. We will only be there for about 10 days, and can only afford so much travel in one trip so we can't visit _every_ part of New Zealand. So I'm just trying to narrow down the areas we will be checking out on our holiday there. 

We're not really super duper into the whole "big city" feel. Not dogmatically opposed to it either, but would probably prefer somewhere closer in size to Tauranga, or Hamilton than Auckland. 

For us, "beautiful" means a city/town with lots of greenery and lovely natural surroundings. (less concrete, more nature) Clean, well-maintained streets and parks, etc. And not _too_ condensed.


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## topcat83

MrsRose said:


> yep, we are coming over on holiday soon.  That's why I'm doing as much questioning and online research as possible before we go so that we can pre-plan where we will be visiting during our stay. We will only be there for about 10 days, and can only afford so much travel in one trip so we can't visit _every_ part of New Zealand. So I'm just trying to narrow down the areas we will be checking out on our holiday there.
> 
> We're not really super duper into the whole "big city" feel. Not dogmatically opposed to it either, but would probably prefer somewhere closer in size to Tauranga, or Hamilton than Auckland.
> 
> For us, "beautiful" means a city/town with lots of greenery and lovely natural surroundings. (less concrete, more nature) Clean, well-maintained streets and parks, etc. And not _too_ condensed.


Hamilton. Very green, and the Waikato river runs through it 
Lovely botanic gardens too.


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## MrsRose

topcat83 said:


> Hamilton. Very green, and the Waikato river runs through it
> Lovely botanic gardens too.


That brings up another question...

Is the Waikato River clean? Clean enough for swimming?


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## carosapien

Waikato council say its much better now than it was in the 1950s and urban and industrial wastewater treatment has improved considerably.

But the council says the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the river have risen over the last 20 years probably because of changes in land use.

You may have to pick your spot carefully if you want to swim in it. In the last 20 years 17 per cent of water quality measures improved at individual sites, and 37 per cent deteriorated. 

Trends in Waikato River water quality

Campell Live did an investigative report called Is the Waikato River dangerously polluted? There's a video of the show you can look at

Is the Waikato River dangerously polluted? - Story - Campbell Live - TV Shows - 3 News


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## inhamilton

MrsRose said:


> Clean enough for swimming?


I think the general consensus is South of Hamilton = yes, Hamilton and North of it = no. Although there are plenty who do, especially kids around Ngaruawahia and Huntly (probably unwisely).


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## topcat83

inhamilton said:


> I think the general consensus is South of Hamilton = yes, Hamilton and North of it = no. Although there are plenty who do, especially kids around Ngaruawahia and Huntly (probably unwisely).


Lol - my son (who is slightly cracked, if you ask me) is a cave diver. He has been diving in the Waikato river at Huntly (which is NOT a town that I would describe as 'beautiful') into the old sunken power station. He said that visibility was 10 cm and they were basically diving in sludge!


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## Song_Si

MrsRose said:


> Is the Waikato River clean? Clean enough for swimming?


Every year - for over 70 years there is the Five Bridges Race - a 7.1km swim race on the Waikato, so yes it's swimmable, but my own choice would be 'no' despite having friends compete each year - and living to tell the tale!
As with any river in dairy country, farm runoff plus the likelihood of aerial topdressing, not for me.
I found this news item related to the 2010 event: Waikato river safe for swim, as long as it doesn’t rain
Enough there to put me off 



> But Mr Vant said those “unsatisfactory” e coli bacteria readings usually occurred after heavy rain. As long as Hamilton residents didn’t swim in the Waikato River after a storm, they had nothing to fear from e coli bacteria.
> 
> So what’s happening in the catchment is that the cow sh*t is being washed in after heavy rain, making it dangerous for people to swim in the river. It’s pretty amazing that a river with this kind of volume can get so much sh*t in it that it becomes dangerous to swim in it after rain.
> 
> I think it’s great that the swim is going ahead, but let’s not pretend that we don’t have a major pollution problem in the Waikato, and that’s without looking at nutrient and sediment loads in the river.


Too many people drown each year in rivers. OK for race swimmer competent for a 7.1km swim.
There's a good swimming pool complex at te Rapa, Hamilton.


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## MrsRose

Song_Si said:


> Too many people drown each year in rivers. OK for race swimmer competent for a 7.1km swim.
> There's a good swimming pool complex at te Rapa, Hamilton.


Do people ever float down the river on rafts?


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## Dumbo

I have always condidered that Taranaki [ New Plymouth ] has the friendlist people in the North Island.


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## inhamilton

MrsRose said:


> Do people ever float down the river on rafts?


You certainly can do if you want to, as long as you can steer it around the bridge pylons. There's often people going down the river in boats. A bit of rowing goes on too.


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## Krazyspence

Topcat - Cave diving? .. not heard of that before but in my mind that sounds like a great time! im assuming its not just jumping from a height into a cave but swimming in underwater caverns etc.. ?


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## topcat83

Krazyspence said:


> Topcat - Cave diving? .. not heard of that before but in my mind that sounds like a great time! im assuming its not just jumping from a height into a cave but swimming in underwater caverns etc.. ?


Think potholing in tunnels that are full of water. Frightens the bejeebers out of me even thinking of it.
I tell him not to tell me when he's going.
Would never dream of asking him to stop - all things diving are his life - hobby and work.


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## Song_Si

inhamilton said:


> You certainly can do if you want to, as long as you can steer it around the bridge pylons. There's often people going down the river in boats. A bit of rowing goes on too.


and avoid the hydro dams (8). My first employment was with the (then) NZ Electricity Dept, transferred to Hamilton and a highlight was every second Tuesday going on the 'pay run' we paid wages in cash to staff at every hydro station village along the river, it was a long but enjoyable day - these are days before ATMs and remote staff had the option/right to be paid some/all cash rather than directly into a bank.

Waikato River









ARAPUNI: Arapuni is a picturesque little spot in the Waikato region of the North Island. This small lake is formed by the small hydro dam situated in the steep part of the river. One of a series of hydro lakes on the Waikato River, it has a small village of ex-power company houses.

and this is new (ish)
*The Waikato River Trail* is fully open running 100 kilometers along New Zealand's longest river, the Waikato, taking in 5 lakes and a number of hydro dams. The whole ride will take one to four days depending on your fitness, yet you can hop on at a number of access points for quick day trips.


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