Small moves around Dunedin, hills and all

A Dunedin small move is usually one of a few things. A room out of a hall of residence into a first flat on Castle Street or Hyde Street. A whole two bedroom flat shifting out of North Dunedin and up to Mornington or North East Valley once study finishes and work starts. Someone leaving an older villa for a newer place in Mosgiel or Green Island. Single items suit the same listing, a fridge, a couch, a dining table bought at the other end of town, along with a few rooms of furniture going from a Māori Hill house into a townhouse in Andersons Bay.

Half of Dunedin is built up the sides of the harbour basin, and that shows up in the loading as much as the driving. Roslyn, Mornington, Māori Hill and Ōpoho sit on streets steep enough that a driver wants to know which way your drive falls and whether a van can turn at the top. Older houses often sit above or below the road behind a long flight of steps. In North Dunedin the streets are narrow and parked out, and the one way pair carrying State Highway 1 turns a short hop into a loop around the block. Ice on shaded hill roads is worth flagging in winter.

Distances across the central suburbs are short, so what a driver is weighing up is mostly the handling rather than the kilometres. They are working out how many trips it takes, how many steps are involved and whether the heavy end needs two people. That is why photos and an honest note about access do more than any adjective. Drivers set their own prices, and one already working this side of town can price a job that fits their day differently from one that does not. You compare what comes in, check ratings where a driver has them, and accept a bid only if one suits.