Is the South Island of New Zealand really as bad as people say?

Question

I've been considering a move to New Zealand for a while, and don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who views New Zealand as an idyllic paradise, and then is disapointed when they get there. I realise there is crime in New Zealand, often as bad as anywhere else (although less frequent), and I'm aware the wages prehaps aren't as high as many other Western countries, but I'd still like to try New Zealand, mainly because the much lower population density, and natural beauty of the country.

From what I've read about the South Island, it sounds great. Signicantly lower crime than it's Northern counterpart, lower population density, quite a decent job market, less built up and thus more natural beauty than the North, and less polution. I was quite exited about the prospect of the South Island until I spoke to some New Zealanders.

They told me that the North Island is a much better place to live, despite the higher population density, they said the wages are higher, the weather's much better, there's better leisure and entertainment facilities, and all in all a better way of life. They said the people in the North Island in general are probably friendlier than the South. Apprently, a lot of people from the South Island have a chip of their shoulder about the North Island, and are what could be described as "rednecks".

Obviously, I don't believe everything anyone says, but it has made me think maybe life would be better in the North Island. As there's more towns and cities, so thus better amenities, yet still, compared to a lot of the world, has a low population density, so there's still a lot of untouched natural beauty, and you can still live in a quite area, while still being fairly close to decent amenities, and it also has fairly good weather. The North Island sounds like a good balance.

What do you think?

Answer 1

The weather is not better in the North Island!  Auckland is pretty wet (it rains all the time in winter) and Wellington is very windy.  I'm not saying that the South Island is necessarily better, but it's certainly no worse - a bit colder maybe but I prefer that to endless rain...Christchurch (which is where I live) gets a lot of frosts followed by beautiful clear sunny days in winter, and while it's not quite as warm as Auckland in summer, it's also a lot less humid.  Dunedin gets nice weather - it's just rather changeable (four seasons in one day). And while wages may be higher in the North Island, living costs are also higher, so it's a bit of a catch-22.  And I certainly wouldn't describe South Islanders as rednecks!  I lived in Auckland for two years, and while it does have its good points, I prefer Christchurch.

Answer 2

south islanders are friendly i have never lived in the north island but have visited auckland a bit its to big and overcrowded and noisey there is ended crime and heaps of crime in the North island young kid are now hanging bandanas out their back pockets representing their gangs. also we have colder tempetures in winter we often recieve snow in our cities they dont in the north island in summer we can get hot but in auckland there might only get 30 degrees once but in chch get exceed 30 degrees about 5-10 times a summer in the south island we are laid back and dont have to wait in trafic for 30 minutes or so like wellington and auckland in the south island there is lots to do more winter activities e.g snowboarding, skiing the north island may have more sports teams the south island teams are genaraliy better e.g crusader best rugby team in the country and southern hemisphere in and dunedin is like a massive campus for university students with endless parties i prefer south island and would hate to move to the north island !

Answer 3

The South Island is a beautiful and friendly place, and a lot of North Island people are migrating down South for the lifestyle.....

Answer 4

the south is better in my opinion

more relaxed and friendlier

christchurch (warmish) and dunedid (cold)  are the main south island citys

but the top end of the south island is warm.

but if you prefer a busy big city

wellington and aukland are good choices (north island)

what about stewart island you may want to live there

i suggest you do some research on different nz citys

good luck

its a great country

edit: the top of the south island

blenheim

nelson

tasman

moulbourah

are the sunniest places

Answer 5

I've recently travelled to New Zealand's South Island, and while it was very pretty, I was a little underwhelmed by it. Coming from a big city in Melbourne, I didn't find enough 'to do'. Particularly Christchurch. I love going out for lots of coffees and shopping, to restaurants, but I didn't find really enough to keep me going. Don't get me wrong it was very pretty and a nice place to visit, but I don't think I could live there unless I was really looking for the quiet life.

I've heard similar to you though about the North Island, and the options there, etc.

I did find people in the South Island to be quite nice though, and the weather over summer was pretty good...  

Answer 6

I had to laugh when reading your question.....

There will always be a 'chip on people's shouler' between the two islands, as there is between the Kiwis and the Aussies.

I lived in the South Island (Nelson) for 20+ years and loved it.  I did try and live in the North Island for a while but hated it.  It's just so much nicer in the SI, more relaxing, better landscape and there is plenty to do especially if you are the outdoor type person.

Am sure you will love NZ no matter what part you decide to live.

Good Luck

Answer 7

Hi, Don't know where you are now obviously but I can say that I have lived all of my life (67) in both islands of NZ and my own preference is for the South Island because of less tension for me. Most things here are done (domani" = tomorrow) and the folks here are really friendly and will welcome people to their homes, share a chat, a cuppa, a beer or even many beers. Both islands have their own scenic attractions and ways of life just like any other country. The advice I would give you is come and try it for yourself, after all it's your opinion that matters, not mine.

Answer 8

Hello,

I live in the North Island, in Auckland to be exact. I've lived here all my life and I love it - the city, the people, the suburbs and beaches.

I have been adown to the South Island a few times in my life and it really is very beautiful. I might be biased but I think New Zealand has the most beautiful landscape and scenery in the world.

As for the people down there, they are very friendly even if they do talk a little funny (heehee sorry guys! I think it's the way you roll your "R's" or something...) and my boyfriend who moved to Auckland from Christchurch is always poking fun at Aucklanders... how we drive, how we dress etc. but it's all in good fun.

I do find the South Island way colder than in the North Island, too cold for my liking. h**l, even the North Island is too cold for me.

Give it a try, it's a beautiful country!

Answer 9

Depends what you want? Nelson at the top of the South Island is a lovely,sunny place,and a great place to visit.The more south you go the cooler it becomes.I live in Napier in the North Island,also sunny,also very popular with tourists.If it was my choice I'd head for either The Coromandel,or Northland , both are warm and inviting.Good luck with your choice.

Answer 10

ok, i live in the north island, and ive been to south island three or four times, and traveled all around it, from picton to invercargill (havent gone to bluff, best oysters there) and i never wnted to leave, im actually going done there again at xmas time to get to stewart island. south island is beautiful, and i absolutly love arrowtown, you should check it out. if your a sort of person who loves the outdoors go to south island, even better try stewart, but if your a city folk, try north.

Answer 11

If your a farmy (live on a farm) and like living in the bush then go for it.

I like to think of the South Island as a land where mythical creatures live. A little like the general northern/southern states stereotype in the US.

To answer your question: yes, the north island is better to live in.

the south island like a holiday zone.

btw: Palmerston North IS the s***z!! John Cleese is a liar!!

Answer 12

I spent my most "formative" years (6-16) in the north island, in a beautiful town in the Bay of Plenty called Whakatane. When my parents decided to move us all down to the South island I never thought i'd ever be able to accept Christchurch as my home, 8 years later and you wouldn't see me moving back up to the North island in a hurry.

Wages are not that different between the cities in NZ, and christchurch is actually the second largest city in NZ ahead of Wellington so you can certainly discount the problem of not earning as high a wage in the south island because thats simply not true.

As for the weather being better well again thats not entirely true. someone made a great point in saying whilst Christchurch certainly gets colder overnight temperatures and frosts in winter, we often have gorgeous sunny clear days to follow. Marlborough and Nelson experience the highest number of sunshine hours in the whole of NZ.

Auckland on the other hand experiences one of the highest rainfalls in NZ and as mentioned Wellington is famous for its notorious winds.

However, parts of the North island undoubtedly have the warmest climate in NZ, namely the Northland region which often experiences high temperatures above 15 degrees celsius in winter.

as for lesiure and entertainment facilities well again theres still the big cities of Dunedin and Christchurch in the South island, a lot of major rugby games are held at AMI stadium in ChCh and most big concert events that come to NZ usually make it to Both Auckland and Christchurch, or sometimes as was the case with Bon Jovi, they come only to Chch (and of course vice versa with some being held in only auckland). theres really not a heck of a lot of difference on that front except that Auckland obviously have several more locations in which events are held., oh and it has the only real theme park in NZ, (not that people come to NZ to ride on rollercoasters) but if that was a major drawer card then i could understand wanting to live closer to auckland.

Friendliness of people, theres really not much difference between the two islands, again its pretty hard to label one whole island as being friendlier than another.

I've travelled extensively round both islands now and my personal preference is definetly for the South island now, as a teenager i definetly would have voted the north island as best but nothing beats the nationals parks, wealth of walking and tramping oppurtunities, the mountains, the sounds, the beaches of the abel tasman national park and nelson/golden bay area, the skifields of the South island.

ultimatly i think the choice is obviously yours, but holidaying to check out the place might give you a bit more of a defintive answer.

hopefully though, this abundance of positive answers regarding the south island might give you a better idea about what to expect from the south island...

Answer 13

You are right, the wages in New Zealand are not quite up to those of some other western countries but the cost of living is not anywhere near as high in New Zealand as it is in some of those countries either.  Wages in Auckland may be slightly higher than the same jobs in other parts of the country, but rent, real estate, transport (in fact most costs of living) are higher in Auckland.   It will depend though on the type of work you are looking at doing.  Different areas of the country may provide different opportunities depending on your profession.  

Facilities, entertainment etc are pretty much equal across the country but will of course depend on whether you are based in a city, town or the middle of nowhere.  

The population of the South Island is much less than the North Island but it depends if you were to live in the city or not.  Auckland (North Island has just over 1 million residents or 1/4 of the country's population) where as the largest city in the South Island (Christchurch) has around 400,000.  Although traffic is getting worse in Christchurch it is nothing like the mayhem on the roads within Auckland city.  It usually takes around half an hour to drive from one side of Christchurch to the other.  Auckland, in terms of land area is one of the largest cities in the world.  You can imagine it is very spread out and can take a few hours to get from one side to the other.  Regardless of where you settle it is worth checking out where you will be working before you find a permanent place to live as the cost of travel is only going to increase.

In terms of natural beauty the two island are about equal.  There are spectacular beaches at the Northern ends of both islands (as well as a lot of other beautiful beaches all over).  Both islands have snow capped mountains, good for skiiing etc but depending on where you are located, they may take a while to get to.  The roads in New Zealand are pretty bad, especially if you are used to driving in Europe.  They can be very windy and are sealed badly but you get used to it.  

Weather - it's cold anywhere south of about Ashburton but only during the Winter.  The people of the north island like to think that everyone south of them freezes all year long.  Dunedin (near the bottom of the South Island) actually has more sunshine hours per year than Auckland but the temperatures aren't as high.  It rains a lot in Auckland.  It can also be very muggy there in the summer.  There can be a lot of wind in Wellington and Palmerston North.  Christchurch has some very frosty winter mornings but they turn out to be beautiful sunny days.  Areas north of Auckland and the Nelson area (in the South Island) have some great weather.  Nelson is one of the most popular areas for retirees because of the warmer temperatures, fantastic beaches and arty crafty population.  So basically like any place worldwide, each city has it's ups and downs but depending on what you are used to, there may be something that suits you better.  

I totally disagree with the people being friendlier in the North Island.  Country folk are usually pretty friendly regardless of which island they live in (i would not call them rednecks at all) but Christchurch has been voted the friendliest city in the world a number of times.  I find a lot of Aucklanders a bit s****. and often don't have the time of day for others.  I know that is a generalisation but i think you do notice a difference between the 2 cities.  

Whichever way you decide to go, good luck, i'm sure you will love our beautiful country.  

Answer 14

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Answer 15

A number of dot points (in no particular order)  I will answer this question in:

1. There will be good and bad people everywhere meaning friendly and non friendly people everywhere, so I guess you gotta get used to what ever you got, so make the most of the people what ever variety they have there.

2. In terms of what entertainment they have in the country, yet again, thats a biased perspective, what someone thinks is fun may not nessiarily agree with what you think is entertaining. So I think you should judge for youself on that one.

3. Weather, there will be you good days and bad days for each part of the country, so its silly to state whether one island will have good weather than the other.

4. Don't listen to what others have to say, make your own mind up without peoples intervention, it only makes you a sadder person.

Hope this helps :-) .

Answer 16

Obviously the people you spoke to are from the north island. I am from the south island. Yes the weather is generally warmer in the north but they are prone to flooding all year round.Most New Zealanders are friendly, it is said the further south you go the friendlier people are. I think the best thing for you to do is to travel around the north and south islands and come to your own conclusion.

Answer 17

lol - i live in the south island and i like chips - they are yummy. And my neck is a little red...but maybe that's because i just took a hot shower.

I live in Christchurch and i love it here ( i moved here from aussie over 10 years ago) it can get a little cold at times but you do get used to it.  I have done some traveling in the Nth Island but haven't seen anywhere that i would want to live personally (although i hear Tauranga is nice) I think the other place i would want to live in NZ would be Nelson at the top of the sth Island - it's sunny & pretty.

There are plenty of ways to answer this question and you'll get a different opinion from people depending on where they live - so the only way you are going to know for sure where you want to live is to have a look around yourself.

If you decide to move to NZ then try to get out here for a little while for a look around first and see what suits you and your lifestyle the best.  Maybe you should come on holiday for a few weeks and see if you like the place - maybe you'll hate us and decide that you like it better where you are now...who knows??!!

Answer 18

I have most of my life in the South Island ( with a couple of years in england and 6 months in South Auckland...Pukekohe)...I can't say I was overwhelmed with life in the North Island.....I did not feel as safe there and while I was close to Auckland, I didn't really enjoy my life there.

I have lived in several places in the South Island...grew up in Marlborough, lived in Christchurch on and off for 10years, lived on the west coast for 6months and in Oamaru for 4 years. While Blenheim and Oamaru are smaller that chch, I did enjoy aspects of life there, eg getting to know people, so you walk down the street and bump into lots of people you know, social life is different, but its not dead, but you have to go to larger places like Nelson, Christchurch or Dunedin to buy things as the shops or range is not available there.

The north islanders always moan about the cold weather, but if you have a coat, a good heater etc its not THAT bad and remember Marlborough is the sunniest place in the country, and has lots of sunny fine days, as does chch ( but it gets the southerly storms that don't usually make it as far north as marlborough) Oamaru did not have the greatest weather in the world, but you get used to it and there are nice days! THe west coast was lovely but it did rain quite a bit but it is breathtaking scenery, but i was in Franz Josef...greymouth and westport were the main towns but they are not big and don't have a huge amount to offer...but it depends on what your lifestyle is..if you like it quiet then thats better....

chch has lots to offer and does have decent size so offers more than other places, has pretty good weather ( eg crisp winters in general with the odd storm and miserable day) but really hot summers and is close to skifields, beachs, mountains etc.

Apart from Taranaki, where i have relatives and my stint in pukekohe I dont have huge experience of the North Island, but i am not hugely impressed with it...but i guess people live, where people live and you get used to it.....i think aucklands weather has lots of rain and is too humid and sticky, the west coast rains a lot there too, there are tropical storms that often hit up north and not down south so you have to weigh it up...its just my opinion