# Christchurch?



## Cosmic26

Hi all,

Any 'real' experiences of Christchurch living? Like the Climate - is it better then UK winter? Anything else you could share!

Thanks


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## Kimbella

Cosmic26 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Any 'real' experiences of Christchurch living? Like the Climate - is it better then UK winter? Anything else you could share!
> 
> Thanks


I can't compare it to the UK, only California in the USA, but I've lived here for over 2 years now, and will provide you with some insight, albeit from American eyes.

Overall I have found the lifestyle suits me, personally, basically very well. The pace is slower than any of the mid to large sized cities I lived in previously, BUT, the traffic is the worst of any city I have lived in. In fact, even after this amount of time (years), I'm still completely flabbergasted by how bad the traffic congestion is. Because of the rebuild, in addition to private vehicles, there are tonnes of commercial vehicles as well... it can be a big of a nightmare if you're trying to get somewhere "fast:... And, kiwi drivers are an impatient and semi-reckless type.. they tailgate, dart in and around, ***** if you don't indicate 5 mins in advance, and in general, are pretty discourteous... not a lot of people will let you in if you're trying to squeeze in or merge... it's kind of a free-for-all... 
Other than that, just going about your everyday life will probably prove to be pretty nice, especially if you really like the outdoors. The climate, by California standards, can be kinda crappy, not a lot of sunny days strung together in a row, but you'll get 5 or 6, if you're lucky, in summer, that are incredibly perfect, and then you'll get a day or so of drizzles... I do miss getting 10 months of non-stop sunshine, on the other hand, I also LOVE living in a place that is perpetually green!
Winters for me were tough and cold when we lived in a broken down (earthquake damaged) home, but once we moved on and in to a place that is insulated and not cracked to bits, they are much more comfortable and even enjoyable.
We do lots of outdoors stuff here as our hobbies: boating, jet skis, kayaking, etc... they also have a decent number of pubs, if that's your thing, Hagley Park is big and amazing and houses the botanic gardens... the museum is also very cool. There are lots of little markets peppered around the city, and my favorite thing is that there are walking trails all over, hidden in different neighborhoods, around the rivers (Avon and Heathcote), along the coast, etc. Prices for everything are high, but that's just the way it goes here. We cut costs by growing our own garden, and have chickens for eggs. We had an endless hot-water system installed, which costs about $85 every 4 months to change the gas tank, and our power bill this month was $69. Before we changed, our power bills ran in at around $160+ depending on the season...
I love the city, although at times it drives me bonkers because it's constantly in a state of flux...
I'm still working on compiling a list of places worth going out to eat at... it can be a lucky-dip, going out for a meal... service is sub-par in my opinion, and lots of places serve mediocre food at ridiculous prices.. coming from such a "foodie" place as California, most of my meals out have been, unfortunately, very disappointing. On the other hand, I'm a good cook, and don't work, so it's further incentive for me to keep up on my cooking skills! 
You'll want to be careful when you find a rental, and make sure you find a place that is warm, repaired, insulated, etc... the rental market is nuts, and everyone is vulnerable to being gouged for their money... high priced rentals at very low standards.
In some ways it's a bit like the "wild west" down here in Chch... the rebuild has brought out the vulture in some circles... greedy people just preying on the public because there aren't a lot of competitors to choose from... on the other hand, there are people doing neat and exciting things in blank and broken spaces here.. and it's pretty exciting living in a city that's being rebuilt from almost scratch! 

Hope some of my info helps flesh things out for you... sorry I can't compare to the UK, perhaps someone else who's been here for a while can add/amend my post! 


Cheers!


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## Cosmic26

Hi, thank you for your reply and yes it has really helped. I have heard such mixed things but alot of positives, like its one of the friendliest etc Im surprised at the traffic, thats something I thought we would be moving away from lol Ive heard similar things about properties too, so if it does happen we will make sure we look in to the 
Properties for all their faults!!
The weather has to be better then the UK surely!!
Thanks for your time in posting


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## Liam(at)Large

Where in the UK, weather is dramatically different between Southern England and Northern Scotland!


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## eastendoflondon

I returned from chch about 3 weeks ago. Stayed there for couple of months with family. Weather is definitely hit and miss. It's sort of a micro-climate and you can't really trust what the weatherman is going to tell you. For example you can wake up in the morning to dark clouds everywhere and by lunchtime it's clear and hot. It never really got above 27/28oC when i was there. Haveto agree with Kimbella that it's hot one day/then raining/then cloudy/cloudy again then hot again. There never seems to be a solid spell of hot(25oc+) cloudless hot days. Saying that we never really had any prolonged bad weather either. There were a few thunderstorms but nothing worse then what we get in UK and they pass pretty quick. You haveto watch out for the "Norwesters". It's basically a really hot wind on a hot day. Made me feel a bit sick and gave me a headache. I prefer cold(15-20oC) sunny days so you can go out all day and not haveto worry too much about soaking yourself in suncream! Be warned the hole in the o-zone affects NZ pretty badly so you can get burn't very easily!
A few years back i was at Taylors Mistake(cool little bay where surfers go)and it was very cloudy so i didn't reapply suncream. I got pretty badly burn't. I'd say it's actually quite similar to UK in may ways apart from the "Norwesters!". Their summers and winters are probably slightly warmer even though they can freeze over like us(not that we have this winter).


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## bikaz

hello and thanks for all this information"s and yes rental prices are high we are looking on the moment to find a place my hubby have a job offer now we wait for the visa to come trough and than we are off to Christchurch .


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## Mark D

Get accommodation in place for your arrival. Motel holiday let or whatever. You will not get a house to rent being in Scotland. It took us 3 months to get ours.


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## bikaz

Hello Mark how are you long time ago that I heard from you and yes its difficult we are looking already around want my hubby"s employer said she will help when we see anything we would be interested .


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## Mark D

Yes they will tell you anything. Don't believe what they say. My personal advice is what I said. Get somewhere to survive and comfortable near the city or place of work. You will get a better understanding of where to look and what you want when you get here. Happy hunting.


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## bikaz

ok Mark will do so and are you now at home in NZ and when I have it right your family is now with you as well that is good isn't it when you are back together with your family mark .


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## Mark D

My family came with me. I went to work the day after arriving and my partner went looking for houses and locations. It's the only way to do it. It's long days working and there really was no time if I came myself to look for a house. We love it here. Down the river today fishing all day in the sun with friends children had a great time.


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## bikaz

that is great for you ha,ha we have it cold windy and lots of rain so we looking forward to go took long a naff where are you staying now mark when It is ok to ask regards Karin and William :juggle:


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## Mark D

No problem. I stay in redwood. Lovely but we will stay for a while then hopefully buy somewhere in kaiapoi or something. Who are you working with? I am in a Celtic supporters club here great bunch of guys. It's recommended to make friends when you get here. It does help. Unlike the 2 bums from Scotland that I was working with. The less said about them the better.


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## bikaz

oh my hubby doesn't support anybody he doesn't like football that is great for me but he said when we come over he will go to the over 40s Bikers club they are around Christchurch and have over 180 members want William is crazy with motorbikes and will buy one as he comes over is kaiapoi not far from your work we would like it too but prices are high I see them in trademe nz is it not to far from Christchurch mark ??Karin and william


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## Mark D

It's a bit out but we want somewhere out in the country. It's best to get somewhere local first and find your feet. I am only 29 so I have plenty time lol.


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## bikaz

do you work in Christchurch mark what are you doing jobwise ??


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## Mark D

I work all over Christchurch yes I am a decorator.


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## bikaz

aha that is what you are not have to stay in any town so you find a job than easy anywhere else right my hubby is a plasterer and will work for a firm in riccarton so we have to be there around for the first few month and there is a wee problem as well we have a dog ohhhh my good you see that is a problem but we wont leave him here we have him already 5 years how comes you wife clear with all the new things in NZ mark and do you have children as well ????lane:


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## Mark D

I have a child, we left 2 dogs of 8 year. Really hard but we had to over 10k to get then here so not a chance were we paying that.


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## bikaz

what have you done with them I haven't got any family here only my son is here and he is with his girlfriend in a one bedroom flat and she have already a dog so I have no one to ask and I don't gave him in the shelter that's not good a naff are you from Scotland or England and where are you from ??? its nice to know a little bit from the people we talk to maybe we are close from there where you are from Karin and william:welcome:


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## Coachgirl

*Christchurch*

Hi Cosmic!

My partner and I have been in Christchurch nearly 2 weeks, so far we like it. We've only been in NZ 3 weeks, and so far have been really lucky with the weather. It's rained 3 times since we've been here but been very hot, which I don't mind.

The biggest shock for us since arriving has been the cost of things, an average 'breakfast' is around $19/$20 - so about £10 excluding tea and toast! and that's typical of all over NZ not just Christchurch. 



Cosmic26 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Any 'real' experiences of Christchurch living? Like the Climate - is it better then UK winter? Anything else you could share!
> 
> Thanks


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## Kimbella

Coachgirl said:


> Hi Cosmic!
> 
> My partner and I have been in Christchurch nearly 2 weeks, so far we like it. We've only been in NZ 3 weeks, and so far have been really lucky with the weather. It's rained 3 times since we've been here but been very hot, which I don't mind.
> 
> The biggest shock for us since arriving has been the cost of things, an average 'breakfast' is around $19/$20 - so about £10 excluding tea and toast! and that's typical of all over NZ not just Christchurch.


Yes about the prices, especially for dining out. What I've decided is that this city (perhaps nation) does not have a casual dining industry (especially not what I'm used to in the US). You generally get mediocre quality for outlandish prices (imo). At first I thought it was because people simply were greedy, preferring to charge you max for as little product as possible, but, I've decided that it probably is more realistically tied to the "foodie" palate here, it just doesn't exist. My husband was a food lover and cook, by NZ standards, even went to poly-tech training to become a baker and had his own bakery when he was young. He was blown away by my baking abilities, and I'm just a home-cook whose had a penchant for self learning gourmet and ethnic foods for the last decade or so. 

I have found a few places that I'm happy to go to regularly because the food is good and the service ranges from either decent to good.


Pierside Cafe (personal fav) over in New Brighton has daily specials, and although I haven't been in about 5 months, every meal I've had there was REALLY good, by local standards. And, their prices really are very good, as are their specials. They have a bar attached to the other side of the small Cafe that hosts bands almost every weekend, and the owner, Tony Brooks, is very involved in community projects around New Brighton. 

Madame Kwong's (personal fav) is on Blenheim Rd. and serves very authentic and delicious yum cha (dim sum) in the morning. The staff are super attentive there, particularly if you go in the evening for a more conventional meal (not yum cha). It can get extremely busy weekend mornings, the bulk of the crowd being Chinese nationals, so it must be pretty good!  The yum cha prices are the best priced food I've found. A steamer basket with 4 dim sum is less than $4, and everything is freshly prepared with great flavor!

Speights Ale House has pretty good food with decent prices. We generally go for lunch when it is cheaper and less crowded.

Tandoori Palace has pretty yummy Indian food, dialed down heat wise for most european palates. You don't get a ton of food for the price, but at least the flavor is good. And, their mango lassi's are truly heavenly. 

Lonestar has pretty good food, moderate prices, and generally decent service.

If you've found some places you like, I'd be interested to know, as I'm always looking for good places to go for casual dining!

Cheers!


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## Coachgirl

Hiya! Thanks for the tips! Not tried Speights Ale House but heard good things.

Tried Lone Star (Manchester St) when we first got here, it was 'ok' not great. 

Must admit so far, I've been impressed by the prices and quality at Burgers & Beers inc (Colombo St nr Sydenham) and also Clink in Sumner. I couldn't get over the amount of salt that's added to chips/wedges etc, so having learnt our lesson, we now asked for no salt to be added. 

What area are you in?

If you think traffic is bad in ChCh you should visit our home city! 1.5hrs to travel 8 miles! 



Kimbella said:


> Yes about the prices, especially for dining out. What I've decided is that this city (perhaps nation) does not have a casual dining industry (especially not what I'm used to in the US). You generally get mediocre quality for outlandish prices (imo). At first I thought it was because people simply were greedy, preferring to charge you max for as little product as possible, but, I've decided that it probably is more realistically tied to the "foodie" palate here, it just doesn't exist. My husband was a food lover and cook, by NZ standards, even went to poly-tech training to become a baker and had his own bakery when he was young. He was blown away by my baking abilities, and I'm just a home-cook whose had a penchant for self learning gourmet and ethnic foods for the last decade or so.
> 
> I have found a few places that I'm happy to go to regularly because the food is good and the service ranges from either decent to good.
> 
> 
> Pierside Cafe (personal fav) over in New Brighton has daily specials, and although I haven't been in about 5 months, every meal I've had there was REALLY good, by local standards. And, their prices really are very good, as are their specials. They have a bar attached to the other side of the small Cafe that hosts bands almost every weekend, and the owner, Tony Brooks, is very involved in community projects around New Brighton.
> 
> Madame Kwong's (personal fav) is on Blenheim Rd. and serves very authentic and delicious yum cha (dim sum) in the morning. The staff are super attentive there, particularly if you go in the evening for a more conventional meal (not yum cha). It can get extremely busy weekend mornings, the bulk of the crowd being Chinese nationals, so it must be pretty good!  The yum cha prices are the best priced food I've found. A steamer basket with 4 dim sum is less than $4, and everything is freshly prepared with great flavor!
> 
> Speights Ale House has pretty good food with decent prices. We generally go for lunch when it is cheaper and less crowded.
> 
> Tandoori Palace has pretty yummy Indian food, dialed down heat wise for most european palates. You don't get a ton of food for the price, but at least the flavor is good. And, their mango lassi's are truly heavenly.
> 
> Lonestar has pretty good food, moderate prices, and generally decent service.
> 
> If you've found some places you like, I'd be interested to know, as I'm always looking for good places to go for casual dining!
> 
> Cheers!


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## Mark D

Fox and ferrett in the palms during the week do great deals. There stone grill is brilliant. Highly recommended by a fussy eater.


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