I agree the Deep South is something special, from a climate and landscape perspective, but it is also as close to 'what NZ used to be like' as you can find these days. Go into a gas station in Te Anau, and you chat with someone whose first language is the same as yours (and it ain't the Reo, just saying).
I suspect that whilst most decent folk have no problem with immigrants per se, especially those many who work hard to learn the language and assimilate, the absurd rate of immigrant growth from less compatible countries over recent years is driving people South.
p.s. Apart from the rates, QLDC is perhaps the worst council I have ever had the misfortune to deal with.
Top of the South is a ridiculously beautiful place to live. Several national parks, beautiful lakes, fantastic beaches and yes mountains too. We even have The Rainbow Ski Field great for children and even adults to learn on ready to hit the fiercer runs further south. We also have numerous wineries with world class wines, great food - most of our fruit & Veg is grown locally and our delicious meat is either very local or from further south. Delicious cheeses made locally too. Great restaurants too and spectacular scenery all over the top of the south. Very friendly people - locals, Kiwis moving here from the cold Deep South & also from the North Island plus Europeans from the northern hemisphere. Lots to do and if we’re desperate for some big city life we can drive down to Christchurch in a day though great scenery. The weather (apart from the storms this winter) is usually mild and we compete every year for the sunniest place in NZ.
I was born in the Waikato (my mother's home base) but my father's family was from Central Otago. My great grandfather was an assayer on the goldfields and I have his brass scales kept in their own wooden box, so it wasn't surprising that to Dad, the only university he was willing to agree to his daughter attending was Otago. I lived in Dunedin for another fifteen years back in the 60s and 70s and I still miss it, as unfortunately I could not persuade my second husband to move down. I owned land just outside Alex, always hopeful that I'd eventually prevail, but no such luck! Reading your paean was delightful, thank you.
Love this post Peter, I’m NI born with a couple of decades in Aussie where I found my soul mate. When I was a kid we had August school holidays at my mums sisters place in Geraldine the memories of which I cherish, and I’d gladly migrate south, however I have the same problem as Aroha, said soul mate won’t budge from the sunny bop!
I think it is time to separate the south from the north and have it run separately from the north
or a South Island party would be great a better deal for us all down here.
Yes!
Disagree Peter. The weather down here is way better than Auckland all year round 😉
47 years up there, 7 here, not going back.
I agree the Deep South is something special, from a climate and landscape perspective, but it is also as close to 'what NZ used to be like' as you can find these days. Go into a gas station in Te Anau, and you chat with someone whose first language is the same as yours (and it ain't the Reo, just saying).
I suspect that whilst most decent folk have no problem with immigrants per se, especially those many who work hard to learn the language and assimilate, the absurd rate of immigrant growth from less compatible countries over recent years is driving people South.
p.s. Apart from the rates, QLDC is perhaps the worst council I have ever had the misfortune to deal with.
Agree southland and the wet west coast also need preserving hope they never change
Top of the South is a ridiculously beautiful place to live. Several national parks, beautiful lakes, fantastic beaches and yes mountains too. We even have The Rainbow Ski Field great for children and even adults to learn on ready to hit the fiercer runs further south. We also have numerous wineries with world class wines, great food - most of our fruit & Veg is grown locally and our delicious meat is either very local or from further south. Delicious cheeses made locally too. Great restaurants too and spectacular scenery all over the top of the south. Very friendly people - locals, Kiwis moving here from the cold Deep South & also from the North Island plus Europeans from the northern hemisphere. Lots to do and if we’re desperate for some big city life we can drive down to Christchurch in a day though great scenery. The weather (apart from the storms this winter) is usually mild and we compete every year for the sunniest place in NZ.
I was born in the Waikato (my mother's home base) but my father's family was from Central Otago. My great grandfather was an assayer on the goldfields and I have his brass scales kept in their own wooden box, so it wasn't surprising that to Dad, the only university he was willing to agree to his daughter attending was Otago. I lived in Dunedin for another fifteen years back in the 60s and 70s and I still miss it, as unfortunately I could not persuade my second husband to move down. I owned land just outside Alex, always hopeful that I'd eventually prevail, but no such luck! Reading your paean was delightful, thank you.
Love this post Peter, I’m NI born with a couple of decades in Aussie where I found my soul mate. When I was a kid we had August school holidays at my mums sisters place in Geraldine the memories of which I cherish, and I’d gladly migrate south, however I have the same problem as Aroha, said soul mate won’t budge from the sunny bop!