Janiac

Views wanted please on.........

Napier/Hastings area
Bay of Plenty (Tauranga/Te Puke/Rotorua etc)
Bay of Islands (Doubtless Bay/Manganui/Russell Town)
Banks Peninsula (Pigeon Bay etc)

All contributions gratefully received.

Akaubear

Bay of Plenty

If you do a search on this forum for Tauranga you'll see loads of info about it. I live in Papamoa and love it here. Especially as Spring has finally arrived!!

Te Puke - I think is a great place. It's quite rural, but has a fab little town centre.

Rotorua - I don't know much about here, apart from that it smells!!

If there's anything specific you'd like to know, feel free to ask!

Nicola.

Janiac

Thanks Nicola....we're just soo undecided!! Have to consider my two kids too.
Want somewhere pretty rural if poss (we like the country and have dogs who need some nice walks/bigger garden)...don't want anything too rowdy or busy, (my kids aren't particularly into clubbing or anything) but somewhere with perhaps a pretty little town that has some amenities to keep teenagers (and me)amused, ie: pubs, cinema, cafe's..general meeting places and some nice little shops...oh and preferably a bookshop for my son!!

My eldest might go to Uni/might not, so Im not going to worry too much about him, but daughter needs a good secondary school for 6th form/Yr 12 & 13 so could be governed by that. oh...the complications!!!

Don

Just personal now...

Napier - fun place with all the art deco and tourism, agriculture important, living on Napier or Hospital Hills would be lovely but on the flat maybe just another small town suburb unless you get something close to the sea. Hastings a bit dead and not too much going for it (virtually all agriculture? - certainly no tourism)despite 50000 people (must all go to bed early), the nobs live up the rd at Havelock North (8000). Affordable. Remote.

Bay of Plenty - not keen on deepest Tauranga but outer Tauranga some great spots, must be a super spot to live with the Med climate and sheltered sailing etc and so many beaches. Up and coming, 2 hours from AKL airport.

Roger

Hawkes Bay does it for us. Agree with Don on Napier which is nice, Hastings which isn't special but has all the out of town shops you need.

Being a snob I like Havelock. Good selection of small shops/cafes, best pubs we've found in NZ, attractive hilly roads, loads of local vineyards. Oh and 10 minutes from the sea.

Lots of Kiwi towns remind me of 'frontier towns'. Havelock feels like the sort of British residential towns you would like to bring to NZ but add the prices/cafes/views.

Roturua region is very scenic. It does smell, even the local otice it occasionally. Very touristy.
Roger

Gill and Rob

We have lived in Rotorua for 3 months and were very dissapointed when we first arrived that it DIDN'T smell as pungently as we had been made out to believe. We expected the full gas masks on treatment, but there are very few places that the whiff is that noticable,{ namely around the gift shops on Fenton St I notice it most.} We have been stunned by the beauty of this region and the multitude of facilities available.

Gill and Rob

Akaubear

I agree about the 'frontier towns' comment. Te Puke is very much like that. And of course it has the biggest kiwifruit in the world! It has a few cafes, and a cinema (I think! – if not there are a couple in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga, which aren't too far away). I believe the High School in Te Puke has a good reputation, as have the schools in Tauranga (although I can't comment from personal experience). This seems like quite a good website about the place… http://www.tepuke.co.nz/

My other half is soon to be a teacher at a High School in Rotorua, so I’ll be able to comment on that in January!!

Have you seen the Education Review Office website? (http://www.ero.govt.nz/index.htm) If you click on the word “search� under “Reports�, you can search for the reports per individual school.

Nicola.

Gill and Rob

Oh, just thought I'd add that Rotorua is really central to everywhere too.

Gill

auxwuff

dear nicola,

we're just about to move to Tauranga, i'm going to be working at the hospital and i'd like to know where you recommend as a good place to live for a year?

what are rental prices like in Papamoa? and is it far to commute to the hospital?

anna.

Janiac

Thanks for the views all !!

Gill and Rob

Not to mention the inexpensive housing.

Rob

auxwuff

i'm gonna put this to everyone...

we're just about to move to Tauranga, i'm going to be working at the hospital and i'd like to know where you recommend as a good place to live for a year?

what are rental prices like in Papamoa? and is it far to commute to the hospital?

cheers

anna.

Akaubear

Hello Anna,

I don't really know much about the different areas in Tauranga. From what I can gather they all have good bits, and bad bits! Greerton seems quite nice. It has quite a buzzing small town feel to it, and it's just down the road from the hospital.

Papamoa is about 10km from Tauranga, and at the busy times you're probably looking at a 30 minute "commute" (this is a bit of a guess, as I've never done it....)

I shall try & find out about the rental prices in Papamoa - more later!

Nicola.

DaisyNZ

I live in Napier. I agree with Don, Hastings is a 'nothing' place, but Napier is on the 'up'. Napier Hill and Taradale are the places to live here, but with kids I've never liked the idea of living on the hill, no parking and no flat gardens. Climate great, coastal, wineries, art deco, lots of cafes, cinemas, bars etc. Great mix of things going on without any rat race. Havelock North is exactly how Roger describes it. My fav pub is out there. It is close to wonderful beaches similar to those in the South West of France (spent the last 3 days out there, summer has arrived). I'd certainly recommend this area to you. Not only is it close to the beach, it is midway between Akl and Wgn for visiting either, 1.5 hours to Taupo and 2.5 hours to the ski field. Mountain ranges right beside us for a hikers paradise and plenty of schools to choose from. I love Rotorua to visit but not sure it would be somewhere I'd want to live, a bit touristy. All the best with your choosing.

auxwuff

Hi Nicola,

Thankyou for getting back to me- any information is greatly appreciated.

i look forward to hearing about the rental prices in Papamoa- ideally we would love to live here as to be by the beach would be fantastic- although i would preferably like a shorter commute.

thanks again!

Anna.