We came to the conclusion that we could possibily live in Christchurch (at least for a year anyway). It is pretty, cooler, friendly, small. it has lots of parks and open spaces which would be ideal for the boys especially when they are older. There seems to be plenty to explore in the surrounding area. There are deciduous trees! there is art and culture on what seems to be a regular basis. nice shops. We didn't find anything negative!
We stayed 2 nights at the Quest serviced apartments right in the heart of the city and then 2 nights at Pepper's resort at Clearwater golf resort which was stunning (so good we stayed put and decided not to bother to go exploring)...
