These two should be on the Cromwell and Districts Promotions Group payroll. Ask Jo and Jonny Price their views on their new hometown and the accolades just keep coming.
The couple are among the area's newest residents. They shifted from Auckland, taking possession of the keys to their Pisa Moorings home near Cromwell on January 19.
It only took one look before they were smitten with the place and their views have not changed after being residents for about a month.
‘‘Everyone's been treating us like family and we've been made so welcome that we really feel at ease here,'' Mrs Price said. ‘‘We consider ourselves the lucky ones to be living here and to be able to afford our first home here.''
Her husband is a training adviser with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation and she began work as a teacher at Goldfields Primary School at the start of the first term.
The couple lived in London for 10 years before moving to Auckland at the end of 2010. Mrs Price is originally from Sydney and Mr Price was raised in Auckland.
After a stint back in his home city, they were planning to move south and Mr Price was offered a transfer through work. From then on, everything fell into place.
‘‘I'd never been here before, until we came house-hunting for three days,'' she said.
Real estate agents went above and beyond the call of duty, treating them to a tour of the area, outlining its history and giving them good advice, they said.
‘‘In fact everyone we've received offers of help from are just so genuine,'' Mrs Price said.
As well as the southern hospitality, they have been drawn south by the outdoors lifestyle, lured by having mountains and a lake in their ‘‘backyard''. Keen skiers and snowboarders, boat users, anglers and mountain bikers, the couple said the lifestyle was a big drawcard for them.
‘‘On our first drive around here I was saying ‘wow' as we saw the views around every corner,'' Mrs Price said.
They have nothing but praise for their home and are impressed by the sense of community in the area. The couple plan to raise a family at some stage and say Cromwell is ideal.
They have discovered the best places to buy fruit and say they are introducing visitors from the north to delicacies such as cheese rolls.
‘‘We've found the place we're going to settle and it's nice to finally put down some roots,'' Mr Price said.
