Best place to live for active outdoorsy couple

There are so many wonderful places to work in nursing and enjoy the great outdoors. The climate differences between north and south are quite profound for biking etc.  We live close to Tauranga which is very vibrant lots of cafe style fun, on the water and reasonably affordable.  There is a good hospital in Taranga and Whakatane close by, is similar to Tauranga but a lot smaller 15,000 pop.  We both love the south island but cannot handle the cold in winter, we cam from a warm climate (South Africa).  NZ is a good place to live, not fast a furious just gentle with a great rural feel and friedly.

Thank you for your input Cinnie, i will be sure to look into those options. Does anyone know how long the process usually takes from start to finish (application to living & working there)?

Hi Birk,
I also live in Tauranga after having researched the whole of NZ pretty thoroughly and decided the combination of good choice of quality schools, good weather, coast, access to flyfishing (Rotorua/Taupo)etc convinced me this growing community was the place for us to move to and eventually retire in.

We also have one of the best Farmer's Market in NZ taurangafarmersmarket.co.nz and a couple of great organic produce shops.

Julie

Oh I just read you like to garden - well this place isn't called the Bay of Plenty for nothing!!! Stuff just grows so fast. We've planted a native garden from scratch and in 2 years it's just beautiful. Also I'm very proud of our rockery which is full of succulents & cacti. Maybe I should start posting some photos!!

I'm not into surfing etc but its very popular here plus its such a central location easy to get to auckland, west coast (serious surfing) etc.

hi everyone. I'm Manatha, looking into relocating to kiwi land. i like North island, i'm also from a warm country- South Africa,currently in Canada.it's gorgeous here but winter time is depressing wanna know more about less chance earthquake areas in north island. I'm looking for any ideas, I would'nt mind a small town not too far to the city, maybe 70-100km radius!  thanks,

Hi there,
Just remember that New Zealand is made up of islands and you're never far from the coast and NZ does have some excellent and reliable surf options on both sides of the country. Add to that the water isn't terribly cold so one can surf all year round. In the winter you'll need a wetsuit. I used to use a 4/3mm and was sufficient even in Christchurch winters where there's sometimes snow!!

As for location, generally the east coast of NZ contains some pretty reliable swells, however if you're looking for a smaller community with city type options close by then Raglan is a lovely alternative style area with some of the best consistent surf in NZ. Hamilton is about 45 minutes drive away and has a large hospital there.

Another beautiful part of NZ is Nelson. It's a little bit isolated though but has a good hospital. Population is around 60k from memory but it boasts some of the hihest sunshine hours in the country. Not so great in relation to surf but superb for outdoor options as there are many. Really nice community and a very attractive place.

Some of the post here were suggesting the bay of pleny areas. Yes very good if you like gardening. It's the capital of NZ for horticulture and other related industries. Some lovely coastal areas, good climate and yes, some wonderful surf options.

If you need any further help, feel free to email me.

Regards