# Which city?



## Ask1878 (Jul 7, 2016)

Hi guys,

I've been in conversation with a recruitment consultant in New Zealand who has told me I have excellent prospects for a job in the country. I work as a civil/site engineer. 
I'm definately interested in moving from the UK and have no family or ties to hold me back.

So just wanted some opinion on what area I could look to move to, obviously I know location depends on where the work is, but speaking to a group of kiwi's while on holiday last week they insisted I avoid Auckland?? and recommended Tauranga?

Cheers
Tom


----------



## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

What sort of lifestyle are you after? Are you looking for a beachy type place? Is cost of living a factor?


----------



## Ask1878 (Jul 7, 2016)

sports is my main hobbie outside of work so I guess beach would appeal and also being a single guy in my 20s somewhere with a bit of nightlife.


----------



## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Ask1878 said:


> sports is my main hobbie outside of work so I guess beach would appeal and also being a single guy in my 20s somewhere with a bit of nightlife.


Sport wise there's plenty to do if you choose Tauranga. Close to the beach, lots of golf, good cycling routes that are to be made better, lots of walking tracks and places around if hiking is your thing being so close to the Kaimai's. There's also heaps of sporty things to do over the hill in the Waikato if you wanna get into sailing / rowing plus many other options for bike riding and hiking/walking and the drive is around 40 mins to get to Lake Karapiro. Some of the best MTB tracks in the country in Rotorua only 45 mins away which also has options for adrenalin junkies.

Now the only issue really is the nightlife.....there isn't much! There are maybe 10 bars/pubs/restaurants along The Strand in Tauranga but in all honesty it doesn't get that busy as there just aren't enough people around. Was out with the wife a month or so ago for a Japanese meal and we went for a drink later at maybe 9.30pm and it was pretty much dead. I think there's also a couple of nighclubs but never been out late enough to even have a sniff.
During the summer/autumn months there are a lot of events on which makes the city much busier during the day and at night - the jazz festival was awesome earlier this year.
Hamilton is much better for nightlife due to the student population there, but I'd still rather live in Tauranga.
If you want it to be rocking every weekend and have the ability for a decent night out any day of the week it's gonna have to be Wellington or Auckland.


----------



## Ask1878 (Jul 7, 2016)

Escapedtonz,
Thanks for the reply that gives me more of an idea of what tauranga is like. The sport and recreation side sounds great and would definately be a a big pull regardless of the nightlife. Being under an hours drive away from places you mentioned is useful on weekends too.


----------



## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

Ask1878 said:


> Escapedtonz,
> Thanks for the reply that gives me more of an idea of what tauranga is like. The sport and recreation side sounds great and would definately be a a big pull regardless of the nightlife. Being under an hours drive away from places you mentioned is useful on weekends too.


No worries. Anytime 
Tauranga is all about quality of life. It is a stunning place to live. Mid winter now and we've woken up to wall to wall sunshine, blue skies and must be at least mid teens temperature at 9.30am (not that it's like this every day in winter ). We don't see snow and probably count on one hand how many frosts we have over winter. The climate here is pretty awesome - very similar to Auckland but I don't think we get as much rain and we do have more sunshine hours per year. Tauranga is always in the top 3 or 4 places for the most sunshine hours in the country. A couple of other great advantages is nowhere near as many people or traffic as Auckland. We are seeing lots of Aucklanders coming down here now. Buying up property and moving here just because it's way more affordable. It is actually causing issues for people here as they just can't compete price wise so it's kind of pushing houses out of reach for some Tauranga locals. The Aucklanders will move their families over here to live and then go stay in the city for work during the week and rent a cheap room somewhere. Makes much more sense buying a similar property for virtually half the price than spending $1M on a decent house and having a big mortgage while you fight through commuter traffic every day plus the cost of living is slightly lower.
We were at the beach yesterday at Mount Maunganui. Best beach resort in NZ. 15 mins away from where we live in Bethlehem. Was a stunning day yesterday. Bit of wind but perfect conditions for surfing, kite boarding, paragliding off the Mount etc if that's your sport.
Discover Mt Maunganui | Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Maunganui_(mountain)
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=m...KEwjko6Lm7-nNAhXHUZQKHXQTAVEQ_AUIBigB&dpr=0.9

SOLD! lane:


----------



## Ask1878 (Jul 7, 2016)

Wow i think i really am sold sounds perfect..as long as there is construction work ongoing in the area then i could definately see myself giving tauranga a go. The life sounds just like just what im after with the beautiful surroundings and sporting/outdoor opportunities. It cant be a coincidence how all new zealanders i spoke to recommended it!


----------



## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

Lots of construction going on because immigration is at all an time high currently. But it goes in cycles and there is talk of reducing immigration in political circles. So if that happens or the economy takes a downtown, the same might happen with construction. But right at this moment builders are in hot demand in the upper north island (Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton) - from what I can gather from the news reports.


----------



## Maccka (Jun 21, 2016)

Just to comment on what a few Kiwis said to you about Auckland.

It depends.

I lived in Auckland for 6 years and loved it. I was around the Botany/Dannemora area, a 20-minute drive to beaches out east. I would run on the beaches, play touch rugby in that area, and I was part of a social basketball team. We even played ice hockey sometimes (very badly).

There was enough night life out east, and you could go to the city obviously. There's also quite a lot on if you look around on meetup.com. If you enjoy watching live sport (league, rugby, cricket, basketball), then Auckland cannot be beaten. 

The quality of life was fantastic, especially with a 10-minute drive to work in rush hour. But I was lucky that I could choose to live close. 

The bad sides about Auckland... property prices, rent prices, and traffic (barely any public transport). However, again, it depends. If I compare it to London, where I was paying £1150/month for a 1-bedroom place in zone 4, Auckland rent is quite affordable, especially compared with the post-Brexit £. 

FYI, I also think that Tauranga is a great place, although I've only visited there a few times.


----------



## Ask1878 (Jul 7, 2016)

Hey man thanks for your response thats the kind of response i was hoping for.
I have myself been living in london and paying 700 a month for 1 small room in a shared house so im used to paying over the odds!
At the moment ive postponed a move until new year as the work/rate in engineering is great in the uk at the moment.
As long as i can find somewhere to enjoy a good social life and consistent work i woulf be more than happy! The beach activities sound amazing!


----------

