Anyone love living in Auckland?

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seacat

I'm a kiwi and have lived in many places around New Zealand, spent 3 years in England and a year in Aus, but have called Auckland home for the past 7 years.

I never found getting a job to be an issue, but it depends what you want to do - there's a lot of competition in some areas, and unemployment numbers are high.
Yes, the traffic is horrendous, I still hate it. And if you don't know the area, it can take forever to find what you want. I find the driving instructions section on wises.co.nz invaluable! If you can avoid main routes at peak times, it's much more manageable. If at all possible, live close to your workplace, or spend some time at the weekend looking for traffic routes that wouldn't be so busy.
House prices are terrible too, especially compared to other parts of the country. Is renting a better option for you?

Now let me tell you why I love living in Auckland! There are a hundred beautiful beaches within a couple of hours drive. We're having unseasonably warm weather at the moment, get out and enjoy the sunshine. Go for walks in any of the public parks around the city, the Domain or Cornwall Park, or head out to the Waitakeres for something more hard-core.
The zoo and museum are amazing - I visit both once a year. Not expensive to do, and an interesting day out.
Can't fault the shopping! Wander around Victoria Park Market, Otahuhu or Aotea Square Markets, browse the boutique stores in Newmarket, or visit any of the Westfields for your everyday popular shops.
Any particular activities you're into, you'll find others with similar interests. I'm a member of a choral society and a rowing club! Use your local directory, the Yellow Pages, or google.

Give it a chance - moving to a new country can be incredibly unsettling. You might never feel comfortable somewhere that isn't "home", but just get out there and try to experience as much as you can. New Zealanders are friendly and easy-going, they'll do their best to help you find what you need.

Would love to hear how you get on. Email me if you like, I might be able to help more if I know what you want! klbegg@hotmail.com. I'll leave it up to you. And good luck!

Doug

Auckland is a very odd city

It is like australia, and i love it

kasmc

Its close to lots of good beaches take a 2 hour drive to paunui or whangamata

byebye

i would love to,but my wife wont emigrate,you're lucky

blogs

I lived in Auckland for 10yrs and although i have been away for about a year now i believe its still the same. I know winter is coming but why not enjoy some time at the lovely beaches all around the city? I remember the traffic congestion being really bad as well, that is one bad point about Auckland! It takes time to adjust to a new place but i'm sure once you are settled you will enjoy all that NZ has to offer!

Good Luck!

hsv_051

Let me put a spin on the matter, anyone that is new to our city will take time to find their feet as I did when I first left Auckland to live in Newman, WA.

At the time everything was a culture shock and alot of things I was not used to but over time, I loved the town, the people and the culture of the place and part of me was left behind when I returned to Auckland.

Coming back home, I have witnessed alot of change from what I saw growing-up, change in culture, change in landscape and the fact that we have had greater exposure worldwide since our first Americas Cup victory a while back.

You are right in what you have pointed out within your comments however, the situation is not that bad compared to the more expensive cities globally like Sydney, London or Tokyo where I would be worse-off than in Auckland.

For the problems that we have now are all thanks politicians before us that thought of a "Jetsons" lifestyle have stuffed-up what could have been happening right now however, with new roadworks, revamping of public transport and a change of city council, that will soon be addressed.

I do hope that you do give it some time before you get used to the culture that is Auckland because unlike other countries, we welcome you as if you were born a Kiwi and that we share the good of our country with you.

Philladelphia

I've never been to Auckland but for what it's worth. I'm sure the traffic there can't possibly be near as bad as in Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area. Not even a drop in a bucket. No comparison really.

There's 10 million people in LA, while the whole country of New Zealand only has 4.1 million.

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