MarkMcKeown

Hi everyone,


I moved to NZ from the UK three years ago and met my partner here. Since my move, we spent short periods of time living in Mt Eden and Mt Roskill, before finally settling for the past two years in Mission Bay/Orakei.


We've been living with friends for these years, and have decided it's time to get our own space. I work out west in Henderson and my partner works in the city so we're looking for somewhere in between. Te Atatu Peninsula immediately stuck out as it's close to my work, my partner can easily cycle to the city on the SH16 cycleway, and we both like to live close to the water.


My only concern is despite me thinking that Te Atatu Peninsula would be a nice place to live, I've been warned by a colleague that it is in fact very old, worn down and an all round dodgy place to live, which I was really surprised to here. He called it the 'Onehunga' of West Auckland and said Te Atatu South is much nicer.


Another option would be Point Chev although it's probably too close to the city for us and anything further west would be too far for my partner to cycle to work.


It would be good to hear from anyone who lives or has lived in Te Atatu South. Any thoughts? It is.....safe, clean, friendly?


Thanks!

sr71

Just take a drive and go and look for yourself. I'd be wary of people's opinions these days, especially Aucklanders, who will have misconceptions about suburbs. The house prices have turned all that sort of stuff around. I've heard Pt Chev is a bit trendy.

In all honesty the only parts of Auckland I would hesitate to live in are some parts of South Auckland.

Clappy

I have come to realise that whole areas of Auckland can change beyond recognition in the space of a short amount of time that is unimaginable with my British hat on so I would be cautious about other people's opinions of an area.

I haven't lived on the Te Atatu peninsula but Mrs Clappy's Aunt and Uncle have lived there for years and aren't in a desperate hurry to leave.

My suggestion would be to take a look around, look at how well maintained (or not) the houses are, look at the people moving about, look around the supermarket and assess your impression of the area. From what I have heard it is an area that is popular with younger people because it is cheaper than the other suburbs that are slightly closer to the city centre.

The fact that there is only one road on to the peninsula and the whole thing is not very high above sea-level would concern me more than what the neighbours are like but realistically whole lifetimes could go past without those two things ever being an issue.

Stuck in Auckland

Point Chev is worth a look, yes its close to the city but its also far away enough

A Rush And A Push

I've lived out west for 10 years. Pt Chev is the nicest of those 3 areas but also the most expensive. Te Atatu Peninsula has come up a lot in the last few years.

My impression is that 20-30 years ago Te Atatu South was the "posher" of the two Te Atatus and Te Atatu Peninsula (or "Tat North" as it was known then) was the rougher part. This has now changed a lot. I think some of the western side of the Peninsula is a bit scruffy still but much of it is much smarter now. The eastern side has some roads (like Spinnaker Drive) near the water with views of the Auckland CBD and houses there cost in the millions.

Drive around and check out all the areas. You can always check out school deciles to give you an indication of the affluence (or not) of an area. Te Atatu Peninsula has 2 primaries which are decile 5 and 6. Pt Chev's primary is decile 8. Te Atatu South's are 4 and 5.

Peninsula is easier to get on the motorway than south as a new lane starts when you join the motorway, you're not having to join another lane.

A Rush And A Push

Oh and also, Tat South, you're not really near the water. Tat Peninsula you are and there are nice walking paths along the shoreline. Pt Chev has a nice park and beach at the end of the Peninsula. Depending on budget, I personally would choose Pt Chev, Tat Peninsula, Tat South ( if it were me deciding where to live). But yeah, drive round them all, go to a cafe or two, get a feel for them.