Where should I stay in New Zealand?

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Tainruadh

The Answer to your question is WELLINGTON.

I've studied in all three cities.

Based on your three criteria
1) The landscape anywhere in NZ is stunning, but on this question its a toss up between Wellington and Auckland
2) The music scene is biggest in Auckland but some of the more interesting bands come from Wellington, If you want Electronica its a toss up between Ak and Welly. Fat Freddy's Drop are from Wellington.
3) Meeting People is easier in Wellington and its a really safe place, one of the safest in the World

Wellington is where all the bohemians hang out when they've outgrown Dunedin and before they split for Melbourne.

All places are fine and Palmerston North has a good student scene but it can get a bit much with alcohol.

Wellington is the best place to go to Uni. Auckland is beautiful but its a hassle to get around, the public transport is rubbish, Wellington has 24 hour buses and a really good train and bus system, everything is compacted in the city so it makes it easy to get anywhere. When you go there don't live in the 'burbs live right in the city or near either of the two Universities and you'll have a ball.

I just moved out of Wellington to go overseas, but its New Zealand's coolest city. The only problem, the weather can be crap.

Native New Zealander

Jimmy

My vote Wellington........Auckland's just another big city........sorry wannabe super city.
Palmy haven't really spent enough time there to comment.

Wellington is the place to go, the Art is unreal an the views over the harbour and scenery in general, it is the capital so there is alot of history there which i like not the politics the history also a excellent club scene yeah they got 1 a club scene i mean,allot of great bands come out of Welly...........and the Wellington women mmmmmmm yep they are pretty,natural and friendly 10 outa 10 i say, Im sure the guys are nice to just not something i look at.

The Human Rug

When I was in NZ I preferred Wellington outta the three places you listed. Its really pretty, has a great nightlife and also its the closest to the south island which kicks the north island squarely in the nuts. The flight in is always interesting aswell.

Dangerous

I would easily recommend Wellington of those three. Although there's not much in the way of beautiful landscapes unless you're willing to drive north for some time or take a boat to the Marlborough sounds. Palmy's a tip and Auckland's not an easy place to meet people and its music scene is shamefully limited.

But have you considered Christchurch? It doesn't have Wellington;s music scene but it's got just as good a social scene and has easier access to stunning landscapes. And what about Dunedin? it's got all three!

Hippiechick30

I lived in Wellington for 3 months and I loved it.
The weather is not great. Its not called Windy Wellington for nothing! But a beautiful day in Wellington takes your breath away.
I was only on the 8th floor down near the docks for work but we could see right across the bay and it was gorgeous.
Also a lot of homes are on the hillside in Wellington so even your cheaper accommodation will most likely have a view.
Plus its only a short drive to the beautiful Wairarapa or a short flight across Cook Strait to the gorgeous Marlborough Sounds.
Coming from Melbourne, I found Auckland too fast paced and Palmy too slow.
I don't know about Electronic music but I do know that Wellington has a lively music scene. I like live music and i found there was always something on that I could go to.
Wellington is very multi cultural as well and has a great cafe scene.

dookie

From those three you mentioned i would suggest Wellington.

Roger

Palmerston North is a very nice city but quite small and not much is happening there in comparison with Auckland and wellington. But the scenery and nature is very beautiful. However its very close to Wellington, about hour and a half drive!
Auckland is the most alive from these cities. Heaps of bars and clubs, so you will probably like it music wise.
But to be honest my choice would be wellington, its very pretty, too. Its quite big, many things are happening...you will meet a lot of people...

daisyrose

auckland or wellington palm north dead as..

Yccmp

the electronic music scene is best in auckland but still good in wellington. its easier to get around in central wellington between clubs and gigs. usually electronic artists will tour auckland, wellington, christchurch and dunedin so probabaly wont miss out on any big gigs.

for welligton gig guide most people use
http://www.wotzon.com/gigguide.html

or use this
http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/

for landscape, auckland has beaches, p north close to mountains, wellington, close to south island.

for meeting people, this will happen anywhere

but yea for electronic music, go auckland or wellington

Coco D

Hey! Congrats for choosing New Zealand.

Okay, if you want people and a music scene then your best bet is Auckland. I live here at the moment and there are so many awesome bars and gig venues here. There's really something for everyone, music wise. The local music scene is really great and there's something going on every night in the city. There's also a good amount of beautiful scenery as there are parks and mountains everywhere. Auckland is quite a green city and not like man-made green, either. Aucklanders are mostly a pretty friendly bunch, but I will warn you, there are some real arsehats too. It's got a really great career-focused vibe to it for students, so it's not so much a student city like Palmy, but still very end-goal focused, if you catch my drift. I study PR and Advertising so personally, I really enjoy studying here because all my lecturers are practicing industry leaders and these industries aren't as big in smaller cities, so its great.
My advice would be to stay in the city or as close to the city as possible. Definitely go flatting. Flatting is heaps of fun. The weather here is mostly okay... our summers are beautiful and average around 23-25 celsius and our winters are kinda wet, but quite mild... around 10-17 celsius. At the end of the day, Auckland is really what you make it. You can really pick and choose your friends in this city. Well, sometimes you have to, but Auckland overall is a great city. Heaps of people say it sucks, but you have to make up your own mind.

Wellington is very cultural. It's much like San Francisco actually... very liberal and just so many different types of cultures. Great shopping and just a really fantastic vibe to it. There's always a street festival going on of some sort. It's slightly cheaper than Auckland to live, but really, both are quite similar money-wise. Really great city too and the music scene is pretty big down there, but more kinda reggae, dub, jazz and classical I find. Electronica is definitely down there though. The weather is quite windy most of the time, so take a coat... plus it gets cold down there! Mostly friendly people, but every city has its pros and cons.

Palmy is student-ville. Massey is a really great uni. I've got friends who are down there and they love it. The food is great down there and most things are really cheap. Palmy is heaps cheaper to live in than Auckland and Wellington. The student culture down there is really vibrant and everything is discounted for students. It gets really cold down there and in the summer its usually pretty nice. The only thing I don't like about Palmy is, it gets really quiet sometimes. I guess I'm just a bit of a city girl. You'll meet lots of people though and during the day, there's always something to do. Really beautiful scenery is just a 10 minute drive out of town... It's also quite close to other really great places like Taranaki... if you like surfing.

Dunedin is also a great student town but it's super rowdy. Only place I would advise against is Hamilton. It's beautiful but student life is a bit of a downer there.

But yknow, no matter where you go, New Zealand is a great country. Hope you have fun here and the key to enjoying it here is to really get into it... the food, the culture, the air. Go for a hike, do all the touristy things, do what the locals do too, go to a pub, go bungy jumping, roadtrip, camping, skinny dipping, shopping. Whatever. Make the most of it... you'll love it here. All the best!

travel_stories

Your choice is between Wellington and Auckland. Wellington is a nice city, small, colder than Auckland.

Auckland has a lot going on with music of all kinds........ you will always find a band to hear somewhere .. It is far from" just another city"........it is a very beautiful city and being on two harbours has lots of lovely beaches, islands in the Hauraki Gulf to visit, including open air concerts in vineyards both on Waiheke Island and around the city. There is a great variety of outdoor activities from bush walks, hiking, all kinds of water activities etc. I doubt you will be stuck for something to do. You also have easy access to other parts of the North Island - Bay of Islands, Rotorua, Tauranga, Waitomo.

The way to meet people is to join one or two clubs - maybe to do with outdoor activities and your music.

Have a look at http://www.holidays-in-newzealand.com/auckland.html

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