BigKiwi

21 hours ago, richwwtk said:

If it’s not a daft question, you seemingly aren't moving for work and have little previous knowledge of the area, so why choose Bristol?

No that's a totally valid question. In NZ and Australia it's rite of passage to spend a couple years in the UK/**** off somewhere in the northern hemisphere for a bit. Easy to move there, and an ideal launch pad for extensive travel in Europe. I love NZ but god it's far away from everything. But why Bristol specifically? Most people go to London, but we're not that keen on it. We've talked to a lot of people and invariably everyone speaks glowingly about Bristol. As another poster said, there's comparisons to Melbourne with the art/music/food scene which we really like (Wellington is similar in that regard also). My partner also has family in Somerset, so Bristol is relatively close by. We looked at a bunch of different cities - Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Brighton, etc - Bristol had by far the best balance of things we were looking for in a city. 

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all the posts, they've been helpful. If you see a lanky New Zealander at Ashton Gate looking confused in six months, it's probably me. Looking forward to meeting some of ya!

Cheers! Coming from Wellington, you'd be surprised what we consider affordable - the rental market here is diabolical. Lots of the rent prices for small flats in nicer areas that I'm seeing in Bristol are pretty comparable to terrible Wellington properties to be honest. Sounds like Bishopston, Montpelier, St Andrews could be a good shout. Steering clear of places like Knowle I reckon. I suppose it all depends on where we can find work too, but those areas look really promising.

Kia Ora everyone, I posted on the footy chat regarding City related stuff, but was encouraged to post on here too. My partner and I are moving to Bristol in 6 months time - were mid twenties, from New Zealand. Basically I'm looking for local advice, on anything really! Good areas to live, things to do, things I should know that perhaps I can't really Google about Bristol, etc. Would appreciate any help!

4 hours ago, ralphindevon said:

Try and plan an away game, they really are the best games for atmosphere and a togetherness amongst our fans and surprisingly little moaning compared to home games. I think this is similar to most clubs to be fair.

That's something I'm really keen to do. Away trips for me so far would mean booking return flights to a country 3 and a half hours away, so needless to say I haven't been on one yet. Sounds mean as though, would love an away day.

3 hours ago, Bazooka Joe said:

Don't worry BK, even littl'uns like you are warmly welcomed.

If we should ever have a floodlight failure, would you mind standing in one of the corners with a headtorch?

 

Can be arranged, mate. Gotta prove I'm in it for the long haul

4 hours ago, Erithacus said:

Hi BigKiwi,

Welcome! Wear red and you will have friends.

Will this be your first visit to Bristol? And come to that, do you know where you will be living once you arrive? Forgive me probing but it would be useful to know in terms of overall understanding. Although you're right to make football the centre of the universe, Bristol has a lot of other things to offer.

Yes, my first visit. My partner and I were looking to live in the UK for a couple years and we heard a lot of great things about Bristol. We currently have no clue what area of Bristol we want to live in though, so would appreciate any advice anyone can give. We're in our mid twenties, and definitely keen to hear about things in bristol aside from football - the misso only comes to footy games occasionally for the overpriced mini donuts at Wellington stadium, so the love of football isn't unanimous for us!

3 minutes ago, Homer Simpson said:

Welcome. Looking at your user name, you may find the legroom a bit tight in parts of the Dolman Stand.

This is invaluable intel, no joke. I'm 6"7, so leg room is pretty important. That said, I'd love to be in a standing area if there is more of an active stand

9 minutes ago, WWred said:

This is ace

I really hope you're strong enough internally to settle for absolute footballing mediocrity.

I absolutely love this club, I hope you do too. Welcome aboard, mate.

You have no idea. I'm a long suffering fan of my local team - level of the league is probably somewhere between league one and lower end championship teams. Bristol will be a step up in quality for sure