New Zealand - North or South Island?

My partner and I are considering moving somewhere that suits our lifestyle more and on some reading we feel the combination of sea, mountains, countryside and citylife all within close promimity might be for us in New Zealand. But which Island, and why...?!

defintly the south island

christchurch has beaches,sea,mountains,countryside and citylife i live there and i am a new zealander

then if you want all that move to kaitereteri top of the south island best beach in new zealnd nelson is close by mountains country side all thats in the south island trust me move here

south island is much cheaper too but nicer and just as modern as the north

while im typing this im looking out my window i see the port hills ,the river 3 houses away, trees ,the pool close by and over the hill is lytellton harbour where some big flash boats come in everynow and then

north because the south is more tourist, it has more volcanoes and such. and the north has the major cities like auckland and wellington.
wellington is good.
but auckland is warmer.

I would move to the Coromandel peninsula on North Island.

I personally would love to move to Wellington, on the North Island, as it is easy to go over to the South Island to the mountains etc and easily the best city in New Zealand I have visited.

However saying that, if I wasn't as interested in the citylife aspect I would move to the South Island as it is just beautiful (as is all of NZ) I guess it depends which is more important to you, but everywhere is easily accessable in New Zealand.
I would check out Dunedin on the South Island as well, that was pretty cool.

if you want a much more dense population, try the south island, it also has more natural beauty, although the north island does have its charms too, more man made charms than natural and it has more people and bigger cities, so its up to you

All of New Zealand offers the scenery/lifestyle you're talking about.

I think the NZ government is trying to get people to move down south so there might be incentives to move somewhere like Dunedin.

I lived in Wellington and it's my favorite city on the planet. I walked to work, ate my lunch by the sea - it has great museums, fun nightlife, pretty parks - it's just plain got loads going for it. Everything that is, except the weather. It's pretty bad. Right now they're having a great summer but Wellington is usually rain & wind. Auckland, however, has much nicer weather. It also has more of a "big city" feel but I personally prefer Welly.

Now - there's more than just those two cities in NZ, too. Napier is beautiful - having the most 1930's architecture of any city in the world, I think. Moreover, Nelson (at the top of the south island, a ferry ride from Wellington) gets the most sun per NZ city as far as I know and has a cosy little coffeeshop artsy fartsy town feel.

It's too hard to say - everybody likes what they like. You should really just go down for a visit and make a decision afterwards! Otherwise, my totally biased answer is - go to Wellington!

I have lived in the South Island for most of my life and prefer it to the North Island...some people don't like it as much as it has less people, less resources ( compared to the North)...but hey different strokes etc

Christchurch is a lovely place...its the largest city in the South Island...central to other places in the South so you can go north to the beaches around Nelson/ Marlborough ( but there are nice beaches around Chch as well), or inland to the Southern Alps, to the West Coast etc which are only a few hrs drive from chch.......

Other smaller places will be closer to the nature but further from the citylife........its a balace I guess.

A lot can be dependant on whether you need employment and how much money you have for housing. As you haven't mentioned these perhaps they aren't important. Housing is more expensive in Auckland but there are also more job opportunities. Housing is slightly less in Wellington, much less in Christchurch and quite inexpensive in Dunedin. Weatherwise you can get out and about more in Auckland because of the temperate climate but it can be as wet and windy as Wellington. I personally love Wellington the most. I have lived in all the main cities as well as Rotorua. South Island is colder although it can have very hot temperatures in summer. Dunedin is quite cold and although it does have some lovely weather - summer doesn't really last long there. Countryside, mountains and sea aren't far from all the cities.

North Island, hamilton, you could move there, its really nice out there

The two islands have a pretty different feel to them. Maybe you'll need to do some soul-searching to determine which of the two is more you.
The North island is comparatively urbanized and cosmopolitan, with lots of Asians, a warmer climate, and a relatively busy feel to it. There's stuff going on, and the landscapes are pleasant, but not dramatic.
The South island is incredibly mellow and mountainous, feels like Wales or Scotland in 1976. It's quite conservative and calm, and temperatures are lower, although Otago's sunny and dry winters are legendary.
I've had to decide whether to go to the North Island or stay in the South island over the past few weeks, and I decided to stay in the south.
The serenity and the untouched nature are just what I want. If I didn't, I could have stayed in England.
My suggestion to you is Dunedin if you like your cities Scottish, and Christchurch if you like them English.

If you haven't already come to visit NZ, then I suggest you come down and spend a good amount of time down here, visiting both islands, learning about the major cities etc before you make an expensive move.

There are advantages and disadvantages of both Islands and it really comes down to personal preference since both [islands] are quite different.

The South is very mountainous and the climate can be quite harsh. In places like Alexandra, winters and summers are both ghastly...you freeze under a heavy blanket of snow or you expire from heat exhaustion in summer! That said there is no shortage of mountains and uninterrupted coast line. You would have to research employment opportunities in cities like Invercargill (southern most city) and Dunedin; Christchurch is a lovely city.

The North Island has a greater population and quite a different feel as far as scenery is concerned. From the Central Plateau (Ruapehu district) it is 3 hours travelling south to Wellington and about 5 hours travelling north to Auckland and about 2 hours drive to either coast. This may give you an indication of how small NZ really is. From Wellington (or Christchurch for example) you can be skiing one day and on a sail boat in the ocean the next.

Auckland is our largest city and it's growing. Work opportunities are probably greatest in this region but dont' discount Wellington.

My best recommendation for you would be to spend time in both islands, be specific about what you want and why, be realistic in your expectations and above all do your homework.

Good luck!

I would suggest doing a tiki tour of both. My prefence is the south island. But both have special features.
Each area was colognised by different cultures. You get Christchurch which is English influenced. Dunedin is Scottish, Akaroa - French. There is a beautiful city in the north Rotorua with a lot of maori features. Auckland is very multi cultural but these cultures don't all relate to one and other in the city where as in Wellington they do.
Auckland being the biggest has more concerts and overseas artists and shows available. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it here.

well I'm in the middle of immigrating to new zealand so Ive done loads and loads of research. The south island is quieter than the north and if you like you wine then defo pay a visit to Marlborough, there are a few places to party in the south, the north island has is quiet places to and Auckland is quiet crowded but nice. It really depends on what you want. Personally i would go for north because of the better public transport, but there isn't many jobs, that's why i have gone for south to start with then after a year or so move to the north island.
Its prob best if you have a holiday and check it out for yourselves.
Good luck and dont be put off. :c)

South Island all the way!

The climate is much more milder and not as hot.

The people are more friendly...and there is less of them.

Housing is cheaper.

It is safer in the South Island.

Nature is greener and more preserved.

Take this into consideration, and GOOD LUCK!


(best answer please)

South Island is brilliant. If I were to move there, Queenstown would be my choice as I have been all over South Island and always would choose to go and live in Queenstown.

taranga got all that....if want middle england go christchurch more city life in wellington cosmpolitan, auckland cold dunidin,north island warmer both islands r beautiful but i found south island colder.Bay of plenty in general fits your description.but it subjective