Thread: Reasons to move to Tasmania or NZ

Originally Posted by steveG

OK - definitely ticks all the boxes...
So why are you still in Oz then - is she your sister/cousin/daughter

[snip]

Steve

Current SWMBO strongly objects and I've been threatened with consequences

Originally Posted by Dougal

I live an hour from Queenstown. I might be biased, but I think it's the best part of the country bar none. Driest, hottest and coldest too.

As a huge bonus, it's a long way from Auckland.

My vote is Central too.
Born in Ashburton lived in Invercargill (the worst) Alexandra (the best) then Christchurch (OK) Moved to OZ in 67. Wouldnt go back as love the climate here and the wide open space.

Originally Posted by steveG

That area is one of my favourites too. Queenstown itself doesn't do much for me but the mountains, lakes and rivers are awesome. We were back there on holiday a couple of years ago with some Aussie friends, and they were blown away with the clean/crisp environment and grandeur. Seeing large trout swimming on the bottom of crystal clear water that's probably 5m deep was one of the highlights for them.

I was born and bred in Northland, but lived in Wellington, Palmerston Nth and Blenheim as an adult before I moved across the Tasman.
To me there's not much in the North Island that doesn't have an equivalent or better in Oz - but there's no Aussie equivalent of most of the South Island.

4WDing is better here though

Steve

Depends what type of 4wding you want.
Where I am it's very dry, it's almost all sandy gravel with patches of clay. The only mud that I have to deal with is the band of slush and snow-melt before I get into the proper white stuff. Finding tyres that'll work in mud and snow is quite the challenge. Duratracs will be here in a few weeks, so I'll see how they go.

But go 100km in any direction and it changes completely. Southland gets heaps of mud. Around Queenstown/Wanaka you'll get shale type rocks which are wet enough to be a completely different challenge. Drive to the west coast and you've got mud, water and round river gravel everywhere.

Originally Posted by Dougal

[snip]

But go 100km in any direction and it changes completely. Southland gets heaps of mud. Around Queenstown/Wanaka you'll get shale type rocks which are wet enough to be a completely different challenge. Drive to the west coast and you've got mud, water and round river gravel everywhere.

Spent some time in the hills up from Wanaka and it's very shaley, lots of shale slips everywhere.

Have to say I'm partial to that part of NZ.

Everyone thought I was going to emigrate when I got home in '93.

Originally Posted by rick130

Spent some time in the hills up from Wanaka and it's very shaley, lots of shale slips everywhere.

Have to say I'm partial to that part of NZ.

Everyone thought I was going to emigrate when I got home in '93.

Plenty of refrigeration work around here. One of the locals I had to work with last year deserved a strong kick in the nuts. Apparently we were holding up his island holiday. Cromwell is just about to open it's new multi-million dollar speedway too.

I'm not allowed to mention how awesome the mountainbiking is. The tracks I like the most are private land. Local's advantage.

Originally Posted by Dougal

Plenty of refrigeration work around here. One of the locals I had to work with last year deserved a strong kick in the nuts. Apparently we were holding up his island holiday. Cromwell is just about to open it's new multi-million dollar speedway too.

I'm not allowed to mention how awesome the mountainbiking is. The tracks I like the most are private land. Local's advantage.

Haha, starting to transition out of the fridgey thing (again) but you do what you do to earn your keep.

I wouldn't have guessed you'd mention MTB's at all either

Originally Posted by Dougal

I'm not allowed to mention how awesome the mountainbiking is. The tracks I like the most are private land. Local's advantage.

Now that sounds interesting.....

Originally Posted by rick130

I wouldn't have guessed you'd mention MTB's at all either

It wasn't until I moved to other places that I realised how good the riding here was. Other people have to drive to the trails.

If you live in Auckland, your biggest downhill track has 100m vertical drop. Here it's 1600m vertical and 28km from the top of the mountain range back to my house.
The last time I did that, I came across people riding up.