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'm sure we have a least one Westie on the thread. And I'm a bit of a fan of out West. Just too far for OH"s work.

I love the bush out there. Although I don't think that term does justice to the forests of NZ.

I'm the Westie! Live very close to Titirangi actually.

I was actually looking at Titrangi as one of the possible places to move.

It looks lovely. Dp seems to be leaning towards the east though. In an ideal world we'd love to be in Northshore but not sure how possible that would be.

It seems pretty expensive?

Titirangi*

I'm scrolling back and looking for people slagging off the West but I can't find it........

thanks for today Justabout

xMinerva - come East with us (well South East!) Love it.

Hey Justabout if you are warm on account of your new heat pump (am sure it was you who had recently got one) be warned - first power bill in this house $150, last month $650 (pick me up off the floor) - am going to phone and contest it this week was too shocked last week to pick up the phone. Unfortunately it comes straight off my credit card so is paid - but still $500 extra in one month - I don't think so!

Was it me?! I said that people had told me not to go West or South?!
I have never been to either and did acknowledge that.
whatshesaid is in the West and she set me straight on that.
We have considered Titirangi and Te Atutu Pen. but have to visit and check out commute.

justa "did you mean that to sound so rude?

Sibble Sweet Baby Jesus in the manger! $650!!!!!!How is that even possible!!
I hope the warm weather hurries up,I'm sick of having a cold nose! INSIDE the house!Dh doesnt want o buy anymore wood (no heat pump) as he says warmer weather is coming.So every night I'm here with a huge blanket around my shouldes and cuddling a hot water botttle!!kids have thermal jammies and hot water bottles,double blankets/winter sleeping bag and heater on in lo's room! So there ok.Just me freezing me extremeties off!
Hope they give you a reduction sibble

sibble was the first bill an estimate? That can be one reason for a shock horror high bill, if they had underestimated the first time.

AB in planning potential commute times, would dh be travelling by car or by public transport? If the latter, you can check out commuting times on the Maxx website www.maxx.co.nz/home.aspx for buses, trains and ferry times. There's a journey planner thingy. If you're not sure exactly where your dh would be working but think it would be CBD you could put "Britomart Transport Centre" as the destination, it's at rthe bottom of Queen St and is the final stop for many buses going to the city.

We've had a few bills like that in various rentals. This month our electricity of 350 and our gas 200. Partly cos I am working at home so have an electric radiator on downstairs 8 hours 3 days a week. I really struggle with being cold and it makes me miserable. In one rental I was so cold I couldn't hold a pen to write. Luckily in our current house our summer bills are very low. But I am looking forward to the Auckland Electricity dividend cheque we are due soon. Most years people in this area get about $300 back from the privatization. I'm sure it is due in the next few weeks.

Well,we he has a car,so would probably drive.Is there a bus lane,though? I suppose that would make a difference. And he dos like the idea of getting the ferry!

There are bus lanes on the Shore that run parallel to the motorway, they stop just before you get to the bridge.

Various other routes into the city have a bus lane for some of the route but not all of it.

Some further out places have express bus routes which can be as quick as driving (and a monthly bus pass is prob cheaper than equivalent CBD parking costs). But buses not ideal for everyone, especially in rush hour.

Did you come up to have a look round Auckland yesterday AB?

dear me, treadheavily, unclench!

Titirangi is lovely but much of the west is widely perceived as a bit rough, don't take it so personally! And yes, I live west myself.

AB - I really wanted to be able to commute by ferry too, but we were kind of set on the North Shore & Devonport was well beyond our budget!

After a few days of driving into the University I now get the bus. About $5 each way. I walk DD1 to school for 8:30, drop DD2 at crèche before 9, drive to the park & ride at Albany and I'm in the library (diligent mature student me ) before 10. On the way home, I leave around 1:15 and I'm home before 2 - getting 45 minutes of tea drinking and tv housework in before picking DD1 up at 3. Much more relaxing than driving & stressing about parking.

But then I'm generally a public transport fan

Hi vvviola,
How do you find getting a park at Albany at that time of the morning?

There's always a few spots (ssshhh... I don't want it to be common knowledge! ). The last few rows never seem to get full. It's a bit of a walk up the length of the car park, but it's not too bad.

I'd never have got a spot before they put the extension on the car park though.

We didn't come up in the end,no. It was rainy and we had promised the older2 a picnic on the beach and a bit of kite flying etc. We're in no rush as dh hasn't even applied for any jobs yet. But I hate driving on the motorway in bad weather. The last time we had to come up to Auckland () it was terrible weather and visability was poor...I'd rather stay at home the way our luck is going at the moment!
I have decided (without seeing!) that I really fancy Beach Haven.

We really like the look and sound of Titirangi,too (ahem!) but it's too far to the CBD.

DH is still mulling over Taurangi,but I don't get the vibe from there.
He thinks we could get the lifestyle block and still be near the beach.
I totally get where he is coming from,but I just love Aukalnd!
Also,my mum is planninga near 4 month visit in Dec and she got really bored here I think.
She would love to be able to take the older kids to galleries/musuems/theatre/harbour etc.
I know that I can't base the decison of where we live on what my Mum would enjoy,but I think it's a piece of the pie we have to consider.

God,sorry for all the spelling mistakes...I'm a bit tiddly!

Titirangi was cute. I liked it. Not much going on but i went on a Sunday pm. All the houses looked nice and the bit before - green bay? looked OK - school looked nice.