People & Places
From Northland to Southland
Whangarei and Invercargill are spots in New Zealand that few people can claim to have visited
Venturing off the beaten track, Maike van der Heide discovers what the country's southernmost and northernmost cities have to offer.
Travellers regularly scale New Zealand from north to south, but perhaps understandably not all of them can claim to have visited the country's most northern and most southern cities. This is a sad fact, because Whangarei and Invercargill have a lot to offer to those who dare to leave the beaten track. Invercargill, staunchly nestled in the deep south, is surrounded by vast plains, wild coasts and some of New Zealand's most breathtaking and isolated scenery. Whangarei (pronounced fahng-ah-ray) is New Zealand's warmest city, close to beautiful, calm beaches and fringed by lush subtropical rainforest over low rolling hills. But for places so vastly different to each other, it turns out that being at the far ends of New Zealand's islands means these cities have more in common than first meets the eye.
Whangarei
Being stereotyped as a relaxed, laid-back and easygoing kind of a place can't be a terribly bad thing. Whangarei certainly seems to live up to the reputation rather well. Barely three hours north of Auckland, Northland's main town couldn't be further removed from the fast-paced rat race of the city.
A sub-tropical climate, beaches and bush are all part of what makes Whangarei – which translates to 'cherished harbour' – so appealing, Like most places in New Zealand, Whangarei has various natural attractions just out of town. At the weekends, locals like to head for Ocean Beach, which is just 20 minutes out of town. Other popular beaches within half-an-hour of the city include the sparkling white sands of the Bream Bay or Tutukaka coastlines or Whangarei's deepwater harbour which leads to more spectacular coastal beaches.
As for Whangarei itself, the town's atmosphere is peaceful and welcoming. The city has a great variety of restaurants and cafes as well as all the familiar fast food and chain restaurant outlets. Night time entertainment includes bars and nightclubs with DJs or bands. One of the most popular areas for visitors and locals alike is the sophisticated waterfront area known as the Town Basin. As a favourite destination for international luxury yachts, the area has developed itself in to an appealing cluster of cafes, museums, small boutique shops and glass blowing. The city centre is based around an attractive shopping mall, just a five-minute walk from the Quayside Town Basin development. All major retain chains can be found in Whangarei, which services the Northland region.
In terms of housing, Whangarei is a recently developed city. More than 60 per cent of dwellings have been built since 1965 and the city offers a wide variety of lifestyle properties. Within just 30 minutes of the city you will find rural properties of one to ten hectares with features such as bush or sea views, beach frontage and fertile volcanic soil.
The median property sale price is NZ$259,500 (November 2005) which is quite a step up from a median figure of NZ$187,500 at the same time in 2004. But despite the jump, Whangarei's property market still seems pretty reasonable when compared to the national median sale price of NZ$300,000.
Like Invercargill, property in Whangarei can seem pretty appealing to Brits with pockets full – or even just half full – of pounds sterling. However, once you've bought a house and settled down you will soon notice that Northland's income is a lot lower than Auckland's and many other places in New Zealand – namely NZ$16,400 which is under the national average of NZ$18,000. Of Northland's 68,000 people, 47,000 thousand live in Whangarei, leaving many to live in a rural environment.
But don't be fooled into thinking that Northland is a quiet destination all year round: Aucklanders and other fellow Kiwis arrive in droves throughout the year. With its stunning natural beauty, it is no surprise that Whangarei has a growing tourism industry. Other main industries include the three ports in Whangarei's deep water harbour, farming and horticulture, commercial activities as a result of being the region's centre, boatbuilding and forestry.
Whangarei is New Zealand's warmest city and gets about 2,000 hours of sunshine annually which is at the high end of the scale. Its semi-sub tropical weather means temperatures in summer reach about 28°C while winter does not get much colder than 10°C. Although frosts can occur, they are very mild and very occasional. The area is also the scene of some of New Zealand's earliest and most important developments in European history.
Local Maori people were well established when they watched Captain Cook float past in 1769. However, it wasn't until 1839 that the first settler to Northland, William Carruth, arrived. The next few years would see the number of white settlers build to 50. But in 1845 the settlers left the town after being warned of impending plunder by the warriors of notorious Ngapuhi chief Hone Heke. Several years went by before Whangarei was resettled. Development resumed although the sea was the only means of transport – an all weather road to Auckland was not built until 1934.
You can be assured that Aucklanders make the most of this link to what is one of the country's most beautiful natural areas.
Invercargill
Invercargill likes to make up for its isolation by reminding visitors that encountering a traffic jam is about as rare as seeing a kiwi bird during your Sunday stroll. This is one of the things that Kathryn MacDonnell, migration marketing manager at Venture Southland, likes about life in Invercargill. Here, a ten to 15 minute trip is all it takes to get to work "and that's regarded as serious commuting",explains MacDonnell.
Way down at the bottom of New Zealand, Invercargill sometimes has a hard time making itself heard partly because it's so far down there and partly because it quite likes keeping the stereotypical image of being full of staunch, hardy and quiet southerners: even MacDonnell says the area is often described as the country's "best-kept secret". But this and the small matter of Southland's climate – which has been compared to that of Britain – is no reason to dislike New Zealand's southernmost city. "Southland has a perfect mix of the urban and the natural, and is within easy reach of iconic destinations," says MacDonnell.
Beautiful Stewart Island, she explains, is just 20 minutes away by air while Lake Te Anau and world heritage sites such as Fiordland's Milford and Doubtful Sounds are just a short drive away. Invercargill services the wide Southland Plains and lies on the Oreti River 18 kilometres north of Bluff, home of some famously tasty oysters which are the reason for the region's biggest annual festival. Community spirit is alive and well in Southland. "Many residents [are] involved in community initiatives in the arts, sports, education or health – taking an active role in the development of the community."
But if nature, community togetherness and delectable shellfish aren't enough to please you, then Invercargill's property prices will certainly appeal. The median sale price for November 2005 was just NZ$134,000, up a mere NZ$4 from the same time in 2004. While to some this may suggest Invercargill, one of the south Island's biggest cities with a population of around 50,000, is not a particularly desirable place to live, others will see this as an idyllic opportunity to get away from it all. There's no need to sit in a traffic jam to be as well off as many city slickers, MacDonnell reveals. "A 2003 study of discretionary income found this was considerably higher in Southland (NZ$380) than in Wellington (NZ$275), Canterbury (NZ$255) or Auckland (NZ$179). This is largely attributable to the fact that the median house sale price in Southland was only 33 per cent and 41 per cent of house prices in Auckland and Wellington respectively. Recent data shows that the averages are currently 36 per cent for Wellington and 43 per cent for Auckland." Not only that, but Southland consistently comes in third or fourth in New Zealand's average per capital income rankings, MacDonnell continues. "The region has always been one of New Zealand's major economic 'powerhouses' and, with current near-full employment and high rural sector returns, income levels are strong."
It's fair to say that this, combined with the range of leisure pursuits available in the area, creates a lifestyle advantage over many parts of New Zealand. Although unemployment is at an astonishingly low 1.9 per cent, there are still skills shortages just like in the rest of New Zealand. MacDonnell says people are needed to fill jobs in the trades, healthcare, engineering, education, construction, automotive, agriculture and professional services. Invercargill has already been very innovative to attract new blood to town. The Southern Institute of Technology, which has campuses in Gore, Christchurch and Invercargill, introduced a fees-free scheme. The anticipated spin-off for Invercargill is that all skilled students there really have to do is turn up to class every day and pay for study materials. They will, therefore, remain in the region and contribute to the local economy. Not only that, it will give locals a chance to do the same.
Finally, lets again address the issue of Invercargill's weather. "Being New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill does feel the effect of the coastal weather patterns. However, a showery morning can easily transform into a crisp, clear sunny afternoon," says MacDonnell. A temperate oceanic climate prevails and in winter the daily high is on average around 11.1°C with occasional snow between June and September, while in summer the thermometer can climb to 18.4°C. Invercargill, being at a high latitude, enjoys about 16 hours of daylight in late December. "During the summer months Southland's long hours of daylight make outdoor evening activities a pleasure. In the winter, an easy two-hour drive will have you on the slopes of Queenstown's ski resorts," adds McDonnell.
Definitely an improvement to sitting in a traffic jam on Auckland's motorways, wouldn't you agree?
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