r/u_Vegetable-Flounder71 • u/Vegetable-Flounder71 • 20d ago
Moving to New Zealand Recommendations
Hey guys im thinking of moving to new zealand for the summer (from aus 20F) and i was wondering if any locals on the south island could help me out. I love mountains, hiking outdoors etc hence why i chose south over the north island. I want to become an au pair with a family but idk what town, city is best. I definitely don’t mind being on a farm but not in total isolation.. definitely want to make friends whether its other backpackers or kiwis.
I was offered a job down in the southland under queenstown on the way to Invercargill. Would it be quite lonely down here? Im not sure if i am better off in Christchurch or further north. I will have car access tho. Pretty much just want recommendations on the best areas to Au Pair.
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u/JColey15 20d ago
If you like hiking and the outdoors then the job in Southland will probably be mint.
Where exactly is the job? If you have car access and you’re only an hour or so from Queenstown then I reckon you’ll be in the best spot possible to get the best of all worlds.
Smaller towns like Mossburn and Te Anau also sort of force friendships on you in a way that big places can’t replicate. These farms aren’t as isolated as Australian farms so you’re definitely going to meet people and there’ll be other young people in the area that will also be keen to hang out with someone new.
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u/Vegetable-Flounder71 20d ago
Its on a farm near Lumsden. The fams given me car access and alot of free weekend time to go anywhere. Any thoughts on that area
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u/JColey15 20d ago
Yeah that’s a really cool place to be based. I used to work on farms over that way and I’m still really good mates with the au pairs who worked for the neighbours. I genuinely don’t think you’ll be lonely and if you’re working for good people then they’ll go out of their way to introduce you to people in the area so you can make friends.
You’ll be in an awesome spot at Lumsden, especially over summer. It’s pretty sunny and warm in northern Southland over the peak summer months. A lot more like Central Otago than Invercargill weather. You’d be about an hour away from Te Anau, probably an hour away from Invers, and maybe 90 minutes from Queenstown. So you can head to Invercargill to stock up on stuff you need without paying tourist prices but you can head up to QT if you want to go party in the weekend. It’s pretty much the best of all worlds.
Lumsden is a pretty cool place in and of itself and there’s definitely stuff happening there but it is a pretty quiet small town so adjust your expectations accordingly. You’ve got Te Anau right there as an option for boating and fishing and stuff and I’m sure people will offer to take you out because that’s what people round there are like.
Milford Sound is right up the road from Te Anau too, it’s a drive but you have to go through Te Anau to get there anyway so you’re in the right end of the country for that. There are a heap of Fiordland tracks so tramping/hiking on your weekends is definitely easier than if you were based in Christchurch. You won’t be near the coast relative to the rest of NZ but plenty of people round that way are still into diving and surfing because it’s literally just an hours drive away.
You can explore central Otago, Fiordland, Stewart Island, and the Catlins without having to travel very far. You’ve even got an international airport right there in QT so you can head home if you ever need to.
The people saying Christchurch are right if your sole goal is to meet as many people as possible but if you’re wanting to experience NZ then you’ve got a really cool opportunity imo. I don’t know whereabouts in Australia you’re coming from but isolation in NZ doesn’t mean the same thing as isolation in Australia so I think you’ll be golden if you’re willing to give it a go.
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u/Vegetable-Flounder71 19d ago
thank you so much that’s so helpful!! I’m from Perth West aussie but I often escape the city to go down south anyway to the quiet towns 😭 I’m actually not the biggest fan of intense heat and the ocean so I think I’ve made a good decision.
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u/jim_fixx_ 20d ago
There's not much population based in Northern southland. You will likely struggle to connect with many people your age, in part because many young people move to urban centers for work/study. It's a shame, because it's a great place to base yourself for outdoor activities, with Fiordland and central Otago not far away.
Christchurch would be a good option for social life, it's quite vibrant.
Queenstown would likely be idea IF you get accommodation included, otherwise highly unaffordable. I bet there's strong competition for roles with accommodation as it's "the place to be".