Hello from the Canaries (canarlee)

[canarlee]

i am planning to move over to the south of new zealand in april/may time, not sure where abouts yet tho, i was wondering what the average monthly rent is over there?


also i have an english driving/bike licence, can i use that there or would i have to take another test?


also anyone recomend an area to move to, i am looking into buying a bar?



thanks in advance, lee

[Beemer]

You may have to narrow down your intended destination a little for some serious answers as the rents in different parts of New Zealand very greatly. I've heard horror stories of very high rents in touristy parts like Queenstown, and of course you'd pay much lower rentals in places like Westport or Bluff. Any idea of where you'd like to live - as in, by the sea, near mountains for skiing, by a river, big city, small town, etc? What type of bar are you wanting to open? Upmarket, sports, etc?

Rents are very hard to pinpoint accurately as even in the same town or city it can vary, and of course it depends on whether you are renting a large house or a small flat. In 1989 I was renting a three bedroomed house near the sea in Eastbourne (Lower Hutt - North Island) and paying $220 per week. In 2000 I was renting a three bedroomed house in Levin and paying $165 per week. From what I can gather looking at the newspapers, weekly rents in places like Wellington range anywhere from a couple of hundred up to $1000 per week.

You can drive for 12 months with your English licence, but before the 12 months is up, you have to apply for a NZ one - check out this site for more details on that - http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/56.html

Have you been to NZ before? If not, it may be a good idea to travel around the whole country for a month or two, getting a feel for different places. The South Island is beautiful but it does have fewer people than the North, and if you want to run a successful bar and make a profit, you will need to take all this into consideration when choosing a location. But I bet you will get a lot of patronage from KB members when it opens!

[T.I.E]

whats the dress code gonna be like?

[Thomas]

A bar you say? Hey, you could locate it anywhere and they will come...!

[canarlee]

beemer, ta for that. will have a think and get back to you!!!



lee

[canarlee]

dress code? nothing...........ladies only see



am joking lol


lee

[canarlee]

right i am back for 5 mins, beemer thanks again for the respnse! esp the license bit ect.

type of bar? was thinking like a modern but biker bar, with memorabilia for racing, posters, autographed photos, showing as much bike videos and racing as poss ect.

will have to do as you suggested and do a tour of both the main islands and have a look round, am ideally looking for a bar with an apartment on top so no need for traveling but still have a bike for days out(thats how i like to see places see)

and yes i have had a look at bikes for sale and am quite impressed as to what i found, i am easily impressed having lived on a very small island for 15 years lol





lee

[canarlee]

as a thought, if anyone could post a link to a good overall map of the islands it would be appreciated (im a numpty on pooters see)

[Beemer]

I just googled 'maps of New Zealand' and it came up with lots of sites - try these for starters:

http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand-maps.html

http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/maps/

http://www.nztourmaps.com/

[canarlee]

thanks for the links to the maps!


have been looking through them and seen a place called Napier, any veiws on this area? in my opinion it looks like an ideal place to buy/set up a bar, i will keep looking though.



cheers, lee

[canarlee]

oh and whoever edited the title of the thread it is "canaries" not canarys, canary is singular and canaries is plural


sorry lol


lee

[Jantar]

New Zealanders, in general, have a lot of experience in visiting bars. I would definitely support the idea of having a good look around before comitting to a particular area. Do want a bar that will have mainly local support, or will it be more for travellers and tourists?

Many places in NZ with a small permanent population have a large tourist client base, while many of the cities have a transient population. There are the university cities that have large student bars, and many rural areas where a single bar can have a complete monopoly.

So come over, have a look around, then decide.

[canarlee]

jantar, good advice and that is what i am going to do, i was just looking at places i have found via google.com.


cheers, lee

[avgas]

right i am back for 5 mins, beemer thanks again for the respnse! esp the license bit ect.
type of bar? was thinking like a modern but biker bar, with memorabilia for racing, posters, autographed photos, showing as much bike videos and racing as poss ect.
will have to do as you suggested and do a tour of both the main islands and have a look round, am ideally looking for a bar with an apartment on top so no need for traveling but still have a bike for days out(thats how i like to see places see)
and yes i have had a look at bikes for sale and am quite impressed as to what i found, i am easily impressed having lived on a very small island for 15 years lol
lee

We need the equivelent to the ace cafe! Any thoughts guys as to where it should go?

[u4ea]

Napier(Hawkes Bay) is a beautiful city...great weather on the east coast of the North Island.Wine and fruit growers there......

oh and welcome to kb !!!!