New Zealand - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

[hayleyearth]

Hot damn! that's awesome!

 

Well it's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the CHC, and it just keeps getting better. The work they have done on the river/terrace side of the CBD is awesome. Massive transformation form when I first moved there, nearly 4yrs ago.

 

So if I had my choice, this would be my top 5.

1. Christchurch
2. Cromwell/Mt Pisa
3. Wanaka
4. Queenstown/Frankton/Arrowtown
5. Richmond/Nelson

The order of those may change depending on what I'm thinking at the time, but here are the reasons that No's 2-5 are not No.1.

 

Cromwell - Beautiful. Way more affordable than Queenstown or Wanaka, but not far form them (so international airport within 1hr). Has most of what one needs. Lakeside houses (Mt Pisa) and lifestyle blocks are abundant, but not overcrowded. Downside is that it will still feel small and possibly isolated. Property there is also on the rise, so it may not be affordable for much longer.

 

Wanaka - It's no secret that Wanaka is an amazing town. Similar to the above, it's within 1hr of the QT airport. The downside is that the property there is already crazy expensive, and the town has almost gentrified too much. there's a slight smugness that veils it.

 

Queenstown - It's like Disneyland for people that love adventure! like Wanaka though, the downside is that property is ridiculous, and the town's popularity may get tiresome to a resident when there are constant streams of tourists.

 

Richmond/Nelson - Both these towns are awesome. To me they're kinda one-and-the-same (don't let the locals hear that though). they're big enough to have the modern conveniences. there's also so much variety nearby, form the Marlborough Sounds, to awesome beaches (Abel Tasman), to great mountainous areas (Nelson Lakes National Park). Plus they're 2 of the sunniest places in NZ. I'm not sure of the property growth side of things though. I'd have to look into that

 

and finally, why if I were in your position, I would pick Christchurch:

 

• International Airport - Check
• Good Schools (CHC Boys & Girls high schools and others).
• Big enough to have almost everything you could need.
• Redeveloped parts of town are awesome
• Hagley Park!
• Decent weather almost year round (winter gets a little nippy, but at least not incessantly rainy like Auckland)
• House prices are still affordable in some decent areas
• Residential water is free
• The Port Hills are awesome for hikes and bike rides with the family.
• City is flat-flat-flat and has plenty of cycle lanes, so commuting by bike is very viable.
• Decent bus network, and buses have bike racks on the front.
• Fairly central on the South Island, so QT, nelson, the glaciers, etc are all drivable for a long weekend.
• Ski slopes within 1hr in winter.

So yeah, for a family I think it's a good option... but yeah, I'm a little biased, haha!

 

I vote CHCH, then I can visit when travelling for my new job

[hayleyearth]

Anyone wants to swap Rands for NZ dollars? (I want Rands)

[Ramrod]

Anyone wants to swap Rands for NZ dollars? (I want Rands)

Lets PM each other

[RossW]

This article came through my email a short while ago. I thought it interesting considering the recent discussion.

 

https://www.emigrationnewzealand.com/auckland-vs-christchurch-vs-wellington-comparing-living-costs/

[intern]

Lost my wallet last Sunday. Wasn't the least bit concerned; didn't even cancel bank cards as I could see no spending on them (plus I have the enormous advantage of having stuff all money).

ife went down to the shops today, at the beach where I'd left on a bench. Collected it from the cafe there - saved me a lot of hassle.  

[Luegar]

Lost my wallet last Sunday. Wasn't the least bit concerned; didn't even cancel bank cards as I could see no spending on them (plus I have the enormous advantage of having stuff all money).

ife went down to the shops today, at the beach where I'd left on a bench. Collected it from the cafe there - saved me a lot of hassle.  

 

That right there is one of the 1,000 reasons I love this country.

[patches]

The bad...

 

The other day a traffic light was out in my area. The maintenance crew was on scene immediately fixing it, but the problem came in with the other motorists...

 

They had no idea how to treat the intersection. Luckily it's not a busy area, so only a little confusion reigned. Traffic light obviously don't go down often enough for Kiwi motorists to practice 4-way stops 

 

Fortunately for me, I spent many years tackling the frequent occurrence of faulty traffic lights and even honed my skills on expert-level intersections like the William Nicol offramp and Grosvenor Crossing

[intern]

The bad...

 

The other day a traffic light was out in my area. The maintenance crew was on scene immediately fixing it, but the problem came in with the other motorists...

 

They had no idea how to treat the intersection. Luckily it's not a busy area, so only a little confusion reigned. Traffic light obviously don't go down often enough for Kiwi motorists to practice 4-way stops 

 

Fortunately for me, I spent many years tackling the frequent occurrence of faulty traffic lights and even honed my skills on expert-level intersections like the William Nicol offramp and Grosvenor Crossing

I've experienced this too - absolute chaos!

[patham]

The bad...

 

The other day a traffic light was out in my area. The maintenance crew was on scene immediately fixing it, but the problem came in with the other motorists...

 

They had no idea how to treat the intersection. Luckily it's not a busy area, so only a little confusion reigned. Traffic light obviously don't go down often enough for Kiwi motorists to practice 4-way stops 

 

Fortunately for me, I spent many years tackling the frequent occurrence of faulty traffic lights and even honed my skills on expert-level intersections like the William Nicol offramp and Grosvenor Crossing

 

Goes for Aus too. A traffic light goes down and its all pear shaped. Well what generally happens is "might is right". If it's an intersection with say 2 lanes crossing a road with 3 lanes - the drivers on the larger road just will not stop to let the people in from the side street.

 

The issue is in Aus is that 4-way stops are not defined in the various highway codes, so they are not taught how to do them.

[Wayne Potgieter]

When I just did my motorbike learners, I was taught that a out of action traffic light in Nz is rated as a traffic circle where you are to give way to people on your right.

 

Because Nz has very few 4 way stops they don’t use the 4 way stop rule.

 

Edit: so the give way rules apply.

 

 

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/ask-an-expert/motoring-rules-and-regulations/show/11266/

Edited March 13, 2020 by Wayne Potgieter

[patches]

When I just did my motorbike learners, I was taught that a out of action traffic light in Nz is rated as a traffic circle where you are to give way to people on your right.

 

Because Nz has very few 4 way stops they don’t use the 4 way stop rule.

 

Edit: so the give way rules apply.

 

 

https://www.aa.co.nz/cars/ask-an-expert/motoring-rules-and-regulations/show/11266/

 

hahaha, shows how much studying I did for my motorcycle learners   

 

[intern]

Thanks Wayne, now we know why we were perplexed!

[Wayne Potgieter]

hahaha, shows how much studying I did for my motorcycle learners   

 

 

 

Thanks Wayne, now we know why we were perplexed!

Bloody immigrants

[GrahamS2]

Goes for Aus too. A traffic light goes down and its all pear shaped. Well what generally happens is "might is right". If it's an intersection with say 2 lanes crossing a road with 3 lanes - the drivers on the larger road just will not stop to let the people in from the side street.

 

The issue is in Aus is that 4-way stops are not defined in the various highway codes, so they are not taught how to do them.

My first experience of this was fairly diabolical. I assumed the traffic light was a 4 way stop, and was nearly t-boned by some clown in a massive ute. I quickly learnt how it actually works. 

[patches]

The good, bad & ugly all in 1...

 

The recent travel conditions (14 day self isolation) announced in both Australia and New Zealand.

 

I agree that we need to assist in flattening the curve and toughening up at the borders can only help. So that's a good thing. But it does create a whole new batch of issues, in and of itself.

 

Anyone here got any travel plans that are/may be affected by this?

 

I have an Aus trip that I may cancel because 14 day isolation in Aus followed by 14 day isolation in NZ is not feasible.

Edited March 16, 2020 by patches

[Wayne Potgieter]

The good, bad & ugly all in 1...

 

The recent travel conditions (14 day self isolation) announced in both Australia and New Zealand.

 

I agree that we need to assist in flattening the curve and toughening up at the borders can only help. So that's a good thing. But it does create a whole new batch of issues, in and of itself.

 

Anyone here got any travel plans that are/may be affected by this?

 

I have an Aus trip that I may cancel because 14 day isolation in Aus followed by 14 day isolation in NZ is not feasible.

I had three trips planned over the next six weeks. All cancelled.