# Moving out to Christchurch



## dobby0207 (Jun 29, 2013)

I am just in the process of starting my visa application after being offered a job in christchurch. Me and my partner are currently looking into rental properties for when we get there. Can anyone recommend any decent areas for a young couple to live? Preferably close to the city center. I understand that there isn't an awful lot of choice at the minute when it comes to the rental market so any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Also any other tips about relocating from the UK to NZ.

Thanks


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

dobby0207 said:


> I am just in the process of starting my visa application after being offered a job in christchurch. Me and my partner are currently looking into rental properties for when we get there. Can anyone recommend any decent areas for a young couple to live? Preferably close to the city center. I understand that there isn't an awful lot of choice at the minute when it comes to the rental market so any help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Also any other tips about relocating from the UK to NZ.
> 
> Thanks


Hi,
Congrats on the job offer. You've done well securing work without first having a visa or in the process of applying for a visa.

We spent some time in Christchurch recently as we had some friends living there.
They are a young couple, no kids and both professionals in the health sector.
They rented in Riccarton just across from the Hagley Park / Christchurch Botanical Gardens in the centre (off Deans Ave).
Was a really nice area, street and house.
All within walking distance of the centre across the park, 5 mins in the car, easy to cycle/jog - if you're into stuff like that.

If you want to know specifics about the move just ask as there can be so many topics, I could by typing all day ;-)

Good luck


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

The eastern suburbs were the hardest hit in the Feb 2011 earthquake, so be cautious about renting there, the roads are badly damaged as are many of the houses (I live on that side of town). Be careful renting in areas like Aranui, Papanui, Hornby, Wainoni, they have a tougher crowd living there. Rents in the city are averaging $400 a WEEK, but in the less sought after areas, I think it is closer to about $350 a week. There is a housing shortage, just be aware of that. You might consider going to the NZ website of TradeMe where most rentals are put up for viewing. This will give you a good idea of what prices are like and what you get for it.


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## vanilla paws (Jun 27, 2013)

hey kimbella we're job hunting in christchurch at the moment hoping to be there by the end of the year. 
i was thinking of looking for a house in the eastern suburbs so we're closer to the mountains and away from the sea (to avoid humidity). 
what do you think?
and what do you mean by 'tougher crowd'?
we're a couple in our 30s with a 9 month old. we want a family friendly area.
also, from what i see online, i thought you can get a good house for 250/week, am I wrong?
thanks


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## topcat83 (Apr 16, 2009)

vanilla paws said:


> hey kimbella we're job hunting in christchurch at the moment hoping to be there by the end of the year.
> i was thinking of looking for a house in the eastern suburbs so we're closer to the mountains and away from the sea (to avoid humidity).
> what do you think?
> and what do you mean by 'tougher crowd'?
> ...


Do you mean 'west'? The east side is nearer the sea and further away from the mountains!

See http://www.wises.co.nz/l/christchurch/

Also - houses to rent - not sure how big a place you want, but it looks like 3 bedroomed houses start at about $330 (there's just one that's less than that). And it's really $375 upwards for anything more than the typical Kiwi 'looks like a large garden shed and has insulation to match'! 

And I really recommend that you look for a place that (if possible) _is_ insulated - especially with a baby. You'll see that the biggest gripe of many is the poor quality of Kiwi housing stock. There are good, well insulated houses out there - usually the newer builds - so try and be picky. That may be difficult in Christchurch at the moment, because of the number of houses that were damaged.

See http://www.realestate.co.nz/rental/search/bedrooms_min/3/districts/282


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## vanilla paws (Jun 27, 2013)

thanks for the tips!

yeah i meant west


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

The eastern suburbs is right next to the sea, I am literally two blocks away from the shoreline. Tougher crowd in that they are lower socio-economic areas with higher than average ratio of state housing (low income housing). Those areas generally attract a higher crime rate, incidents of tagging, gangs, lack of recreational amenities, etc. I love in North New Brighton, still in the less than desirable area, but still populated mainly by homeowners who care about the neighborhood.


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## vanilla paws (Jun 27, 2013)

hm ok thanks! how's the humidity in the area of christchurch? i lived by the sea for most part of my life and i dreaded the summer! should i expect to dread it in nz as well?
and how come insulation is such a problem? does it get that bad in the winter?


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

vanilla paws said:


> hm ok thanks! how's the humidity in the area of christchurch? i lived by the sea for most part of my life and i dreaded the summer! should i expect to dread it in nz as well?
> and how come insulation is such a problem? does it get that bad in the winter?


I haven't found the summer humidity to be bothersome at all, which I thought I might having come from California which has a very dry heat, comparatively. I welcome the summer warmth after the cold winters, and have yet to be overheated even once so far. Air conditioning is unnecessary here. The Chch summers are very moderate compared to the California heat I'm accustomed to, so when my kiwi family occasionally groans when it gets about 20 degrees, I giggle to myself at their reactions to the "heat." I'm not certain how humid and muggy a summer climate you are used to, I am from the San Francisco area, which is not particularly hot or humid in summer--Chch is quite similar to that climate, much more coastal than tropically humid (not tropical at all!) The humidity is more a problem in the winter, moisture just hangs in the air, especially indoors--papers will curl, mold grows inside if you're not careful, etc. Dehumidifiers are commonly used to combat that, although personally I don't find them to be that effective unless you are using a few of them around the house. I, myself, do not know why insulation has not been standard in kiwi construction until fairly recent, especially on the S Island, given the climate--the cold in Chch is nothing new. Part of it might simply be the kiwi stoicism passed down from their British background: keep calm and carry on sort of thing. The housing standards are more modern now, for new construction, but mostly what you will be looking at to rent won't be new... and, yes, in my opinion, it *does* get that bad in the winter. We get polar blasts from the Antarctic that bring freezing temperatures, and snow to sea level for the past three years. Do prepare yourself by buying true winter clothes, ESPECIALLY if you are coming from a significantly warmer climate like I did. I brought California winter clothes, and, well, those are my spring and summer clothes here in Chch!  If you are prepared for the winter with durable, warm winter clothes and shoes, and get through it, you will find the rest of the seasons to be mostly pleasant. Hope the info helps!


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## vanilla paws (Jun 27, 2013)

wow thanks so much!
summers here are horrible! in august it gets up to 42 degrees celcius and humidity 90%+ ! in winter it can drop down to 16 if we're lucky.
gladly our family loves winter but being we've been living here all this time we will need some adjusting. 
i don't think i actually have any *winter* clothes  guess i'll have to get some when i get there.
i can't wait to live in a country with a *normal* climate. with cold winters and romantic falls and sunny summers!
so do you think the western suburbs are a good choice for someone who'll be working in restoring the city center and his family?
how much pay do you think we should ask? i wanna stay at home with the baby or any other future babies so my partner's pay needs to be enough for a family of 4 i guess. 
we've been thinking of asking for 800/week since we thought we could get a house for 200-250/week. i should 've been here sooner!


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## tamarisk (Apr 26, 2013)

vanilla paws said:


> wow thanks so much!
> summers here are horrible! in august it gets up to 42 degrees celcius and humidity 90%+ ! in winter it can drop down to 16 if we're lucky.
> gladly our family loves winter but being we've been living here all this time we will need some adjusting.
> i don't think i actually have any *winter* clothes  guess i'll have to get some when i get there.
> ...


Buy winter clothes before you get here - even if you have to order them from the UK before you leave Cyprus - you will be surprised at how expensive decent clothes are here. And get thermals too - unless you get a really decent house, it is VERY cold here in winter!


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

vanilla paws said:


> wow thanks so much!
> summers here are horrible! in august it gets up to 42 degrees celcius and humidity 90%+ ! in winter it can drop down to 16 if we're lucky.
> gladly our family loves winter but being we've been living here all this time we will need some adjusting.
> i don't think i actually have any *winter* clothes  guess i'll have to get some when i get there.
> ...


Hi again, Vanilla!

You will be in for a treat then if you get through winter ok... the summer's are quite nice (in my opinion). I think the highest it got this last summer was around 26 or maybe 28, and as I said, for me at least, the humidity seems negligible. The average seemed to hang around the low or mid 20's though. Generally it seems Chch will have a string of about a week, maybe two weeks of dry, sunny weather, and then a summer storm might roll through and drop some light showers. It's great for having a garden! We stayed a week last summer on the N Island near Rotorua and it was much more the type of muggy, warm humidity you've described--however, as it was still only about 20 degrees, even that was very pleasant for me, warm air, grey clouds, smattering of rain, but definitely not a hot and sticky humid. I have yet to experience a day of humidity in Chch like that. 
I will forewarn you that Chch has become an extremely expensive place to live, shoes and clothes included. I don't know what the cost of living is for you where you are now, but if you have an opportunity to purchase winter clothes and shoes there, you might want to consider doing that, or at least take a look on the website TradeMe for what private parties are selling so you can see what the prices are like (second hand prices). TradeMe is akin to what Ebay or Amazon is in the US market, except it also lists jobs and property for sale or rent. You should consider taking a look there for rental properties in Chch to see what prices are like and what you will get for certain prices--I am pretty certain you will not currently find livable accommodations for $250 a week, but, I suppose anything is possible! I just know that my sister-in-law has struggled for the last year to find accommodations to suit her single income budget. Make sure you look in advance at what prices are like here... with a child (and maybe more in the future), I'm guessing you can't really risk having less income than required to live on. I can't really say what sort of wages you should look for, just make sure you research the cost of living here to make sure you are compensated adequately. There IS a severe housing shortage here, and rents are skyrocketing--they really are averaging over $400 a week in Chch. 
Here is a headline from today's local press: Tenants struggle to meet high rent | Stuff.co.nz. 

It might help you get a feel for the current events affecting Chch if you pop over to The Press website for a read every now and then. Just remember when navigating that website, The Press is the local news for Chch, STUFF is the main website for the national news via Fairfax media--if you click on a STUFF link, your headlines will be an aggregate of headlines from different regions throughout NZ--click on a link for The Press, and you'll be back to news in the Chch and Canterbury region again.

I don't know your Visa status, if you will be eligible for health care or not, if you are not eligible for healthcare, you might be paying out of pocket for visits, and although that is not particularly expensive for a general MD visit (about $40 to $60 per visit), it could add up with three people, and prescriptions are an extra cost on top of that. You might also consider going to the website of one of the main grocery stores (Countdown) and preview what food/grocery prices are like. My experience is based on comparison to what the US consumer market is like: highly competitive and dozens and dozens of brands to choose from, which forces prices down, so dealing with what I viewed as significantly higher priced goods, with significantly less to choose from was a big adjustment for me--it might not be the same for you! The prices on the Countdown website will give you a pretty accurate idea of what the prices are like overall. I have done price comparison shopping to try and get the best deals and find that most places have basically the same prices. There is a national chain called Pak N Sav that has somewhat lower prices, after 18 months of shopping here, I've found the savings to be about $20 on a typical $200 shopping trip. 

The western side of town is generally nice and will likely have upgraded and better maintained homes, and the neighborhood amenities will be in good shape as well. The rental prices will probably be at a premium to reflect that. You can check out this website (7. North and west Christchurch – Canterbury places – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand) to get an overview on how the city is laid out in regards to the suburbs, and then Google different neighborhoods for more information on their demographics. I would really take a good look (more than once!) on TradeMe for what the going rent prices are in different areas. That's probably going to be your best research tool, as far as trying to get an idea of what rental prices are like, which areas are most expensive, what are you getting for your money, etc. TradeMe is one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) advertising site in NZ. I have heard that you stand a better chance of getting a decent rental if you rent from a rental agency, versus a private landlord--which is probably true. 

Again, I hope the information is helpful. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a realistic and accurate idea of rental, food and energy prices, as those are probably going to be your biggest expenses. Check out the websites for power providers to get the best power rates, there are a number of companies that provide service to Chch: Meridian, Orion, Genesis, Contact, just to name a few. I was befuddled by the prices, as they charge you a "line" charge on top of your energy use... you pay for using the lines that send the power to your home. It's a very odd business model to me, it's like a car rental agency charging extra for the tires that make the car move, except you can't avoid it here, all the power companies charge it. Anyway, I think this post is long enough, hopefully you have found some useful and comprehensive information to set you in the right direction!


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## hunty8 (Jul 12, 2013)

humidity isn't bad at all - got back from there and feeling great. I am not sure about prices but good luck with your move. 
The people seem pretty friendly


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