The seek0 is pretty cool (a bit blingy for my taste), with http://www.swobo.com/catalog/product...cPath=201_1473 being an equivalent choice (swap for a drop bar +brifter/bar-end or flat bar for longer distances).
The 8 speed IGH is not an issue for any distance, even in somewhat hilly terrain. The tradeoff is that you will not have the fine-tuning of gear choices that you would have with, say, a cross bike.
Stock alfine gearing should get you up most hills in 1st or 2nd without much of a problem. I rarely use 1st on my 8sp nexus, and I encounter brief (100 yds or less) segments of 18% grade in my area (ymmv depending on legs and gearing setup).
I think a CX (cyclocross) bike is also a prudent choice, as others have mentioned. Surly Crosscheck or one of the BD Fantom Cross bikes would fit the bill there.

My current fave for all around utillity and flexibility is: http://www.civiacycles.com/civiacomplete_bryant.php with the alfine build and belt drive. For my needs (not too different than yours, generally) this bike hits the sweet spot.
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Plus, you could always -later- add a schlumpf up front (and tweak the cog setup) to have and incredibly wide gear range in a nearly zero-maintenance bike. http://www.schlumpf.ch/md_engl.htm