After spending more than nine years on a 47-foot boat, living on land feels absolutely luxurious.
Our new digs are a three-bedroom, two-level townhouse with a spacious single-car garage. Every day, we wake up thrilled to be in our new home. We moved in December 2025 and had to purchase almost everything—furniture, kitchen appliances (except the refrigerator), a washer and dryer, and even the TV. We had a ball picking everything out. Timing was on our side too, with many items discounted during the Black Friday sales.
We spent about two years exploring the Christchurch real estate market before the boat sold and we were finally in a position to buy. At first, we thought we wanted to be near the beach—Waimairi Beach or Parklands were at the top of our list. We even found a couple of places we liked before the boat sold. But over time, our thinking shifted toward living closer to downtown Christchurch.
We looked at several properties within the “Four Avenues”—the central city area bounded by Moorhouse, Fitzgerald, Bealey, and Deans Avenues. It’s a vibrant part of the city, home to Hagley Park, the Avon River, and many commercial precincts. However, we quickly realised that properties there were more expensive than we wanted to pay.
One afternoon, we viewed two apartments on Manchester Street around 4:00 pm. Both were already in the shadow of the buildings to the west, and the balcony outlooks faced a bar—neither of which appealed to us.
Gradually, we shifted our search to city-fringe suburbs like Carlton Mill, Merivale, and St Albans. These areas offered better value while still being within walking distance of the city. We did notice that prices in Carlton Mill and Merivale were higher, largely due to their school zones.
That’s what ultimately led us to focus on St Albans—where we found our townhouse.
The location has turned out to be ideal. We enjoy walking for exercise, and it’s just a 20-minute stroll into the Christchurch CBD.
