Lyttelton – It's a Working Port – And the Best Place to Live in New Zealand

Why Lyttelton is New Zealand's most liveable town.

We are back from our North Island trip, and I'm more convinced than ever: Lyttelton is the best place to live in New Zealand. Here's why:

1. The North Island Weather Was Rubbish While we endured rain, drizzle and temperatures that barely nudged into the 20s, Lyttelton was dry and basking in sunshine. Not great for the garden, but it goes to show that the North Island doesn’t always have better weather.

   

2. Landscape and Views We saw stunning coastlines, waterfalls, rainforests, and thermal landscapes up north. The black sand beaches at places like Mokau were beautiful. I wanted to go to Mokau because of this 1936 painting:

   

   Ida Gertrude Eise, Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1891, d.1978 Fisherman’s Cottage, Mokau

   
   It now looks like this (I wasn’t surprised that the cottage was gone. I was surprised to see that, though there are far more houses, there are also more native plants like the glorious pohutakawa trees that blossom red over Christmas):

   

   Not bad. But the view from most places in Lyttelton are still unbeatable.

   

   (That’s why it was the unanimous choice to be the final cover of my book.)

3. Port Community We’ve heard a lot about Raglan and how similar it is to Lyttelton, but it’s just not as good. The grower’s market is tiny, there are a lot of vacant second homes (probably for Aucklanders) and it didn’t have the buzz of London Street. None of the urban places we went to (New Plymouth, Whanganui and Raglan) had that village feel.

4. Accessibility to the Water Sumner is just over the hill if you want to go for a surf (with less scary waves for me; Taylor’s is great for the big stuff). There’s no need to get into a line-up to wait for your chance to surf, and no fear of taking on too much with no one to call the coastguard if you wipe out. Magazine Bay, Corsair and the other harbour bays are great for swimming if you ignore ECAN. Everything's just... easier here.

5. Dog-Friendliness Here's the real reason Lyttelton trumps every other place in New Zealand for us: Molly. During our North Island travels, we discovered how unwelcoming most towns were to dogs. In countless bars, restaurants, and streets, Molly was persona non grata (canina non grata?). Some places wouldn't even let her walk on a leash down the main street.

   
   Lyttelton? Completely different. It's not just dog-tolerant; it's dog-loving. Molly can accompany us everywhere - into bars, to Magazine Bay, along London Street. We can enjoy a coffee in a cafe, have a pint in a pub, swim out to one of the boats moored in Whakaraupo - all with her by our side. No judgmental looks, no "No Dogs" signs, no hassle.

Sometimes, you have to leave home to appreciate it. This trip confirmed what I already knew: Lyttelton is the best place to live in New Zealand.

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You can read more about why Lyttelton is the best place to live in NZ by picking up a copy of "A New Zealand Diary: Living in Lyttelton". It is now available where all good books are sold and has been ordered by Christchurch Libraries (If you want your library to get a copy, ask them!).

New stock is now at Leslie’s Bookshop in Lyttelton.

Book details, a sample chapter and more information are at alexhallatt.com/nzd

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I’ll put out a post soon for paid subscribers who are curious to see photos of Mokau and other pics from our trip.

Thank you for being one of the good humans.

Alex

P.S. Molly is oblivious to how good she has it here. She had a few days of post holiday blues, moping in her bed. The antidote has been lots of trips to the...

Thank goodness summer is here.