WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ AND WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW:PART 3!!!!(HOLY SHIT!)

[AngryBeaver]

Can you believe we've finished finished off another thread? Jeez we can talk!!
Just an update..we've found a nice double glazed,4 bed house,with nice garden. So that's one stress off the last.
Hilongwhitecloud

I will let you know justabout,although we've got quite a few places to see...would be very nice to have a nice cuppa (ordered an English Breakfst tea the other day,it was some pale ass dishwater. Peelywally, some might say,eh lolly?)
Are you having a lunch break lolly I am out of Cambridge for the afternoon,but maybe we could schedule a coffee.

whatshesaid The ferry is appealing,but obv Devonport,Bayswater etc is unrealistic.
I will look up the other areas you mentiones (no idea where they are)
Thanks for the input x

Have an important question to ask regarding Te Atatu Pen...what coulour is the sand?!

Just had exciting news.

Dp has his visa. Woo hoo.

I can't stop smiling. Now he just needs to bugger off and get himself sorted so the dc and I can join him. not that I'm wishing him gone or anything

Can't believe it, really thought he was going to have problems with his medical but no, all is good.

Tetley tea you say? I'm there. In a month or 2

AB when I was talking about Te Atatu it was answering lolly's questions about it, sorry, didn't make that clear, not especially recommending the area to you. I dont think it has much sand...more mud.

Birkenhead and Northcote Point have ferries too, not sure how affordable it is to rent round there. Whangaparoa/Gulf Harbour has a ferry and is a nice area with good schools and lovely beaches but is a fair way out of the city -45 mins on ferry so an hour commute each way really once you factor in getting to ferry.

Good news Minerva!

Great news Minerva!

AB- is Howick/Bucklands Beach on your list? It has a ferry and good schools from what I hear.

DD has another sodding cold and I've been up all night. Have a work deadline on Friday too. They were brilliantly flexible the last time but I feel awful that I may have to delay again. They have already offered me more work though!

Sorry lolly...completely missed your 2 posts earlier on. Belated happy anniversary!
Hope you've got a bit more than $15 now (soooo know that feeling!)
It is my anniversary today,8 years. Dh forgot! He says he just left the card at work,but when he woke up this am I said "Happy anniversary" and he said..."ah fuck!" So call me Agatha, but I don't believe him!!

I looked at Te Atutu and it looks quite nice. But the pic did look like the beach was mud whatshesaid.
We will try and get over that way on Sat,but I don't know if it's realistic. We've got a lot of areas on our list to see in one day!!
Dh's colleague said Beach Haven is"a dump"...but I'm getting the feeling he isgoing to say that about everywhere other than Devonport!
I would like to be 45 -1hr awway from the city tbh, but would be too far for dh to commute...

littlest Is Howick South? I'm scared of South and West!! Although, I'm thinking West has some lovely places. If you mention it in rl people go "oh God,stay well away from West and even futher away from South!!!"

I feel your pain re The Cold...ds2 has it AGAIN and is waking up oghing and spluttering and in our bed last night,which meant I got no sleep. No deadline for me though,so harder for you

minerva great news,I can feel your excitement

South and West are big areas, They both have crap bits and nice bits and some "blah" bits. It's a bit like saying "is Manchester all horrible" or "Is Cardiff all horrible" or "Is Newcastle all horrible". They are both diverse areas. I have lived out west for 6 years and have managed to survive so far , I've even met some lovely friends :)

If you want a safe bet go for the North Shore as virtually all areas are ok afaik. The more affordable areas tend to be further away from the city making for a longer commute. The inland areas are cheaper too but you're still only ever 10 mins drive (ish) from a beach.

I agree with justabout. I've been to a lot of different parts of Auckland and some are scruffier than others but I can't think of anywhere I think of as rough. Certainly not on the burnt out car scale that I apply in the UK.

Howick is technically the old South Auckland but it's only 10 mins drive from St Heliers and McCleans college has a great reputation.

xMinerva - congratulations

AB - Howick and Bucklands Beach are more East than South. As somebody said there are pockets of great and very dodgy. Howick and surrounds are very white with a recent high South African and Chinese population. All primary schools are great MacLeans College sit Cambridge exams and is listed as one of the top schools in Auckland (including private) consequently in zone house prices are high - probably $800,000+ for a decent house. We looked recently and struggled to find anything we liked for under $900,000, if you want a sea view you'll be looking at over $1m. Howick College is OK - at the better end of average but not outstanding. This is Howick - www.howickvillage.co.nz/.

It's not far from us, I'm quite often there. Botany shopping centre is very close and Sylvia Park a short drive away. Beaches great etc....

To get something in the $500, 000 mark you probably would need to look at Beachlands, there is a ferry into town, by car it's further as you need to get to the motorway. Has it's own primary school but school bus ferries kids to Howick College, Sancta Maria (Catholic) and private schools.

whatshesaid I get you,it must piss you off to hear people making sweeping statements about areas. I am from the Liverpool area, say no more

How long would it take you to get to the CBD from say,Titirangi or somewhere like that?

I have been looking on the net for any reviews of Beach Haven. There was a funny argument on an expat forum where someone had asked about it.
A lady replied, "oh, it has a bad reputation lots of gangs."
Another woman replied saying, "What rubbish where do you get your iformation. Gangs of what? Slighly effiminate males? "

But it does put you off when ypou hear about Gangs.The seed is sown! But then,another person said The Mongrals/Black power or whatever one,has only recently lost it's position in Ponsonby (apparantly that used to be well rough and is now vay posh...wouldn't know) So,it's hard to make a dceision based on that.
I did see one post that referred to "random acts of violence on the streets of Beach Haven".
I would hate to buy somewhere in a "lovely" beach town, and then find this out!

AB Titirangi - CBD by car is about 25 mins off-peak. Peak times - could be anywhere from 40-60 mins. Buses take about 45-50 mins, so not that short a trip.

All this information is really helpful.

Dp will be staying in serviced apartments when he gets there, then he'll be looking for a short term rental so we have somewhere to go to when we join him. When I'm there, we'll look around the different areas together to find a long term rental.

Is there any places to definitely avoid?

We're out in Beachlands, which is very little Britain in accents around here. We're a 35 minute ferry ride into the central city. We love it here. Almost as east as Auckland gets. Very pretty, great for kids.

I've only been out to Beachlands once - it did seem really nice -almost villagey/rural but still easy to get to Auckland centre by ferry. Mind you, I just had a quick look on Trade Me and 3 bedroom places to buy seem to start at about $700K.

xMinerva - do you know where you/dh would be based for work? That affects where you should look to live.

So I'm standing at a sodding bus stop waiting in an Auckland bus (random is the word), tired and hungry and want to go home. Have to present to 150 people tomorrow on shit I know little about. Work is not fun just now

lolly

His offices are in the CBD. We were looking at North Shore but Beachlands sounds nice.

No to kids in serviced apartments, that's why Dp is going out first and finding a house for us before we get there.

At home eating cake...

Have a read here.

www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=876255&topic=21

Nice to -see- you around AB xx

I grew up in Tauranga and moved to Auckland when I was in my very early 20's, lived around the Epsom / Newmarket area then and when I met / moved in with my now DH he was a Howick lad from waaaaaaaaaaay back. We lived with his parents in Bucklands Beach for a while, some really really nice parts some a little tired looking but all of it pretty pricey, I'd love our kids to go to Mcleans College when we move back but we'll see about that. We then built a house in Dannemora which is around the Botany area, heading a little more South than East but still in the nice area, just a little bit more built up than the older / established suburbs around Howick. We liked living around there very much, I wouldnt go any further South, although Manurewa is ooooookay. My In Laws moved to Beachlands about 3yrs ago, Ive stayed there twice now on holidays and it really is awesome! Its got a 'small town' feel but accessible to central Auckland / malls etc, I'd say its about an hour on average / heavy traffic to CBD, my FIL drives to the North Shore from there every single day he likes the flexibility as the ferry service is good but not massively flexible and he wines and dines in the evenings a lot. The first time we drove out to beachlands from the airport I felt like it was MILES and MILES away but after driving it myself a few times it wasnt so bad, best time to CBD was 30mins on a Friday night at 7pm, Botany Town Centre is about 15 mins, no real need to go to the actual city unless you work there IMO. The views on the drive are amazing and both the beaches in Beachlands and Maraetia (v v close) are FANTASTIC for small people, so safe with lovely white sand and grass area, large Pohutukawa's at one end of the beach. It would be a wonderful place to grow up. But the commute is significant especially when kids are small.