Auckland NZ - Anyone have tips for moving there?

[nickiw]

DH is having 3rd telephone interview tonight, they seem quite keen and may want us out there in 2 months!! Any tips for good areas to live, schools etc??

ok so it's raining now here...planning to book flights this week, been waiting for parents to come back from Spain to sort out dates etc. My brother and his wife have had their Expression of Interest accepted so they are well along the way.

Feel i have been away from here for ages!!
I am actually in the UK at the moment. Mums is really poorly and I needed to come home. She is having 10 hours of neurosurgery on Thursday to remove a tumor from her spine. The cancer is incurable so could come back at anytime. I landed on Saturday and return on Thursday so a very short trip but i am very glad I came. It's very cold here and getting very dark already! It feels like i never left and is very spooky. I am going out for a curry tomorrow night with all of my girlfriends which will be fab, a little bit of me time in the middle of all of this chaos.

Hi, we are moving to Auckland in June (from the U.K.). I am a kiwi and I’m moving with my British partner and two kids.
Can anyone advise me on good schools (especially schools that do lots of sport). One of my children is primary age and the other will be year 7. We want to be in a semi rural area so my daughter can ride (horses) and not too far from an athletic club as both do athletics. My parents work will be west Auckland so perhaps more towards that direction but schools, sport and riding are our huge priority.
I would appreciate any advice.

@NZmummy2, you'd be better to start a new thread of your own than joint at the end of of one 2005. There's a living overseas board under Home and garden.