Best Places to Live with Hiking Nearby?

Im in Recruitment in Chch and we have IT specialists in Chch and through out NZ so you are more than welcome to get in contact when you have decided which city you want to take your boots off in. Im a born and bred jafa (aka Aucklander) and I have been living in Chch for 4.5 years now. The pro's without a doubt is the outdoors at my back door step along with cheaper housing than Auckland or Welly. The only con I can really think of is not that Chch is bland and snobby, but more 'clicky'. A few people did warn me before I came down and I have to admit they were quite right. That aside, I love it here and have no plans to return to the North Island. You get the best of all worlds here, the great outdoors including beaches lakes forests rivers mountains, the work opportunities and the city night life if you want it. I think where ever you go its what you make of it. Where-ever you chose in NZ you'll always be in Godzone! :D

I do agree with lisa_puddles comment, "Where ever you chose in NZ you'll always be in Godzone!" I moved to Nelson twelve years ago and have never looked back. It's a nice size city for me and I live very close to Nelson's main beach in Tahunanui. As far as the outdoors is concerned, I reckon it's paradise. With a forest park on the doorstep, and three national parks within an hour's drive, it's a tramper's heaven. For photos and some of my experiences check out my blog at http://www.skylark.co.nz/blog/ When it comes to jobs and IT in Nelson, you may get an opinion from an acquaintance of mine who runs http://www.nelsonholidayhouses.co.nz/ I know that he moved to Nelson from the States and works in IT.

I agree the South Island,best place in the world to live.I was born in ChCh then moved to Auckland when i was about 10,then moved to Brisbane when i was 28,i am thinking about moveing back to ChCh soon Lindsay

Dunedin -PRO/CON: Student Riots. Christchurch: -Pro: Good selection of tramping stores -Con: Smog Nelson: -PRO: Topless sunbathers during summer -Con: Nelson drivers are the worst in the country. If I had to describe in a few words the other main towns in the SI. Greymouth: (pop 9,920) Typical country town. Closer to the mountains then the east coast towns. Long sandy beach right next to town. The westcoast seems to be 10yrs behind the rest of the country. Queenstown: (Pop 10,400) A overpriced tourist town, right next to a mountain lake. Was a cool place before it turned into a South Island suburb of Auckland. Probably the largest town in the center of the country. Oamaru (Pop 12,950) what!... Small town in south Canterbury... The main street is quite cool. Can not think of any reason why anyone would want to live there. Ashburton (Pop 17,550) Smaller version of Christchurch a hour to the south. Not any closer to the mountains. The residents seem to love it. Timaru (Pop 27,500) Can not think of anything to say about it. Population is in decline, Was a city once. Blenheim: (Pop 29,700) My home town :) Dry, windy and hot in Summer. Dry windy and cold in winter. Grapes everywhere. Surrounded by mountains. Invercargill: (Pop 48,000) Cold and flat. No one wants to live there so housing is cheap. Nearest city to Stewart Island and Fiordland. Has a large Polytechnic but the city is in a slow decline. Ten minute drive to a sandy beach where swimming is possible. My brother swims there during the winter but he is insane. My brother use to do AI programming remotely for a large international game company while living in invercargill but he is the exception rather then the rule I suspect. Nelson: (pop: 58,700) Dunedin: (pop: 114,900) Christchurch (pop: 382,200)

Oamaru is a small town in North Otago =P Thats an important note. Can't complain living here. Only an hour or so to Dunedin or Timaru, couple hours to Ohau or Central Otago, and plenty of tramping in all of these areas. I think Central Otago would be a good place to live. Great walks are only a couple of hours away and there is plenty of options towards the West Coast, Twizel (Hopkins, Dobson, Ahuriri). Lifestyle is good with the lakes all around and IT jobs in Queenstown used to be easy to find.

So it sounds like the north part of the south island gets the most recommendations... Christchurch and Nelson instead of Dunedin. Do you think Dunedin's charm is mostly cultural rather than natural? I'm also wondering about biking. Christchurch is flat, which seems great for bikes, but are there lots of biking trails and/or bike lanes on the roads? Also, how's the biking in Nelson and Dunedin? We're also really into wildlife watching (birds, seals, etc.) and kayaking. Bays seems to be the best place for those, rather than open ocean. I've read that Dunedin has lots of wildlife, and Nelson has lots of kayaking. I'm sure there are lots of pockets of wildlife and kayak-friendly water all along the coasts, but are there "hot spots" near (or, ideally, in) any of the big cities? Also, are there hiking/biking/kayaking groups in each of the cities? Do some cities seem to have a more "outdoorsy" (vs "urban") feel than others? And finally, are there any good videos out there (on DVD or even online) which accurately show the feel of each city, ideally from the perspective of someone who's interested in hiking (rather than, say, museums and shopping)? Thanks!

I do not think Dunedin has any charm. Biking... Chch, does have quite a few bike lanes, but rarely seen people using them. There is a few mountain bike tracks on Banks Peninsula and the small town of Hamner 2hr to the north is popular with mountain bikers. Nelson has no cycle lanes to speak of, I personally consider that Nelson drivers are the worst in the country, their roads are narrow, confusing and over crowded. I would not consider it safe to bike there. In saying that, there is a lot of Mountain biking to be had in the Richmond range just behind Nelson city. Would let others describe Dunedin. With regards to Kayaking, Chch has Banks peninsula, Lake ellesmere (do people Yak there?, but the shallow lake is home to heaps of birds) and several high country lakes 1-2hr drive away. When the sea is calm it can be magical paddling around Kaikoura (2hr), I often see huge pods of Dolphins while paddling off there. Lots of Kayaking around Nelson, there is Tasman Bay itself, the sheltered (but tidal) inlet behind the Boulder Bank or head up to Cable Bay a few minutes from the city for fairly stunning coastline. Have had a pod of Orca swim under my Kayak there before. Further to the east again is the Marlbororugh Sounds which offers almost endless Kayaking or Drive over to Blenheim and explore the Wairau Lagoons which are teeming with bird life To the west of Nelson you have Able Tasman National Park which is a popular Kayaking spot or head even further West (2-3hr) and explore the remote Westhaven (Whanganui inlet). A hour or so inland of Nelson there is Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa to explore. "Also, are there hiking/biking/kayaking groups in each of the cities" Yes.

When I see pictures of the beaches in NZ, I think "oh, that's nice!" When I see pictures of the white mountains, "man, that's awesome!!!" I definitely get more excited by big mountains than big beaches. However, I know we want to live on the coast (which rules out Queenstown), and drive to the mountains on weekends. How long does it usually take to drive to the "awesome" (snow-covered) mountains from the bigger coastal towns: a) Christchurch b) Dunedin c) Nelson d) any others I can see the distances on Google Earth, but I don't have a sense for how long the drive actually takes.

a) Chch to Arthurs Pass about 2hrs a) Chch to Mt Cook about 3-4hrs b) Dunedin to Queenstown Te Anau or Mt Cook about 4 hrs c) Nelson to Flora saddle or St Arnaud about 1.5 hrs It all depends on what you mean by big white mountains and beaches. You won't find the really nice beaches around Chch or Dunedin but you will at Nelson, or in the North Island. For white mountains, most aren't white except in winter. Mt Cook is where you need to go for glaciated mountains. They are less glaciated around Nelson, but all is still excellent tramping country. And don't forget the North Island. No glaciated mountains but you have Ruapehu and Taranaki which are volcanos, but also plenty of bush country as well, which has its own special chalm.

You could probably get to the start of the Mount Richmond alpine route in about half a hour from Nelson. Then it would be 5hr+ of tramping before getting above the bush line, maybe even longer. But even the highest mountains of the Richmond range are only snow covered for a 1-2 months every winter. http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/nelson-marlborough/motueka-area/mount-richmond-alpine-route/ Should also be able to make it to the coastal Kaikouras within 2hrs from Christchurch, maybe even slightly faster.