Shal

What are the best areas to live in Auckland, and is it better to rent first. What are the schools like and is it hard to enroll your kids. I would like to hear from anyone who has moved there and her good and bad points.

ex kiwi

Good areas are: all of the North Shore (Birkenhead / Takapuna / Albany), East Auckland (Howick / Pakuranga / Botany Downs), Eastern suburbs (St Helliers / Mission Bay / St Johns), Central City (Mt Eden / Pt Chev / Greenlane / Remuera), West Auckland (Titirangi )

Avoid: All of South Auckland (Manukau / Mangere / Otara / Papakura), West Auckland (Henderson / Avondale)

NZ has school zoning, so you have to buy / rent within the school zone area. Expensive if you want them to go to a top school.

whitecloud_nz

I take issue with ex Kiwi. There is nothing wrong with West Auckand - especially not Henderson. I have lived in that area for 21 years so I know what I'm talking about. And houses are a damn site cheaper than the North Shore.

Chipster

Just out of curiosity, what is the climate like in Auckland compared to the UK ?

whitecloud_nz

At the moment it is summer and the temps in Auckland are around 22-23 C. Because the air is so clean, you can easily get sun burnt within about 10 mins if you're not careful.

As for winter, we don't get any snow here in Auckland but, being subtropical, we get quite a bit of rain. We only need heating in our homes for June, July and August (and sometimes a bit of September).

Overall, the weather is better than the UK.

Whereabouts in Essex are you? I was born there.

arthurm

compare auckland cliimate with uk

http://www.emigratenz.org/NewZealandClimate.html


north shore has much better schools than west auckland if you need them.

ex kiwi

The orginal poster asked for the "Best" areas in Auckland. Sorry, but Henderson is no way near having that title. Would you walk the streets of Henderson township at night whitecloud_nz ???

I grew up in West Auckland, I went to Avondale College & my sisters went to Henderson High School.

Temp Converter: Just add 10 degrees (C) to the UK Temp and you'll be close.

Chipster

I live in Colchester.
I'm a Lancastrian.

whitecloud_nz

I was born in Maldon. Still have an Aunt in Burnham on Crouch who spends 6 months in NZ (with her daughter and family) and 6 months is UK. Alright if you can afford it!!!!!

Aisling

I agree with ex kiwi up to a point. What constitutes the "best" area for you depends on your lifestyle and the age of your children. Central suburbs in Auckland are great - but not for young children. The Eastern suburbs, Pakuranga, Howick and around that area are a wonderful place to raise children and there are some very good schools there. They are also close to beaches. The North Shore is another good area for families.
The Western suburbs are not generally good areas, although there are certainly pockets of nice places to live, just as there are around Manukau - but I would suggest you avoid both South and West.

If you are unfamiliar with Auckland then don't buy a house until you have become familiar with the city. Be aware though that renting can be expensive and there is a huge demand for good rental properties - if you see something you like don't delay and think you may find something better because good rental properties go fast.

Aisling