Sally1

Hi

Just in case anyone is interested, there are 2 programmes on TV this week about NZ. The Holiday Programme on Thurs 31st on BBC1, and then over on Channel 4 - A Place in the Sun at 8pm shows some-one looking to relocate. (I've read this off the SKY info.....so don't blame me if this is not accurate info!!)

Cheers Sally

frecka

Thanks Sally
we will be watcing

Voyager970

Watched both of them

Auckland WAY TO EXPENSIVE
Is all of NZ like this for houses, that enough to put you off, well it has put me off

Eddie

Sally1

All relative I suppose. Auckland is one of the most expensive area's to live but the wages are better. We were going to go to Auckland because of better job prospects for me, however, think I'll be renting forever!

baileyalison

didnt think either programme was much good they dont show enough of the areas house prices dont seem that bad for what you get and everything that goes with it what do people want for there money you get twice as much there if not more for your money

Sally1

Bearing in mind that the coverage on one programme was probably only 10 mins, and the other was Auckland (the programme was advertised as "New Zealand") and that one was only half an hour, the info was minimal. However, it wasn't a programme dedicated to all people wanting to relocate to NZ, I just thought that people who hadn't even visited NZ (I did a month in Jan), may find it interesting to watch eve nfrom a holiday point of view.

Also, The Place in the Sun Exhibition is on today and over the weekend in London which covers all aspects of relocating abroad and NZ is covered in a seminar there.....for anyone that is interested!

Batty

Well we were delighted that they showed Titirangi, albeit only briefly, as that's where we want to settle and that last house was just what we're looking for. We thought it was reasonable price wise but then we're living in a country where the average price for a terraced house in a crap area within a 20 mile radius of a city is about $400k

TheArmChairDetective

I thought that the place in the sun prog was a set up.
The views were brilliant though and I thought the out of town prices were cheap.

extrameant

I can vouch for Titirangi as a good area to stay in Auckland. Been here 8 years. When we arrived everyone told us to go to Howick or north shore etc but glad we didn't.
We chose Titirangi because

Don't need to use motorway to get to CBD (go down New north road, 15 mins to top of CBD sat morning, 25~30 mins at 07:30 or maybe 60 mins at 09:00)
If you are on the wrong side of titirangi village, you can add a fair bit to the travel, it gets blocked in rush hour. Howick is probably double that for travel
Didn't like the housing estates in Howick
Good access to the airport down hillsborough road (about 30 mins outside rush hour)
Nice hilly and scenic area. Gong for a walk round the streets at night is like in a park
Only 25~30 mins from the west coast beaches.

I think I have attached a photo which shows the beach just south of kareKare. This beach is about 6miles long and up to 1km wide. We went there on boxing day and walked for four hours and saw no-one. Piha is much busier but is patrolled by lifeguards in summer (as is KareKare itself) It is great to be on the same side of auckland as those beaches, but the sea is dangerous there because of the surf. If you are a good swimmer (you need to be good, maybe with surf fins especially if the surf is 2m+) then the sea is great fun for swimming and boogie boarding. There are a lot of people drown on auckland's west coast beaches though.


http://britishexpats.com/forum/attac...id=13227&stc=1

Batty

You're a pet Thank you for that very helpful information. You mention 'wrong side' of the village as being bad for traffic, can you tell me what that area is called? Just so I know when I'm dreaming on Realenz We too are being told that North Shore/Hibiscus Coast etc is 'better' by my inlaws who live in Browns Bay but no thanks! It's too urban looking for me but when I see the bush in Titirangi, at the risk of sounding like a new age hippy, it seems to feed my soul.

extrameant

Titirangi is a bit new age hippy by reputation. In reality, the village is a bit too trendy for my taste, but everyone likes the atmosphere overall. At all times, the cafes are full of people drinking coffee out on the road edge, even 7 in the morning. Good if you like that sort of thing.
The village itself is a bottleneck in rush hour though, and since most of the traffic goes east in the morning then anywhere west will require an additional 5 or 10 minutes commute (bit if a guess as I don't do it). Someone told me you can cut through the back roads to avoid this but they are very narrow and I would expect them to become clogged too.

Looking at real estate on the internet can give a false impression in some ways. One thing that affect the value that you don't see in the pictures is if the house gets a lot of sun in winter or not. This makes a big difference actually and if the house is on the south side of a hill, it will be cold in winter all day. In fact some never see the sun directly in winter.

I didn't see the program (obviously) but my parents thought it looked like a house on scenic drive. Those houses look like they would cost millions, but in fact don't get so much as you might think. That is because they are not connected to the water or sewerage systems, because the city systems don't stretch that far. They use septic tanks and tank water. (I could be wrong, but that is what I was told). A lot of people in New Zealand use tank water collected off the roof for drinking and showers etc. Mainly out of towns admittedly. In a dry summer, they can get water delivered by tanker (but have to pay of course) You need to consider if you are prepared to always be very careful with water (no long showers etc), and also what you put down the toilet. We decided to stick to mains water and never looked at those houses.

All of Titirangi is pretty nice, and even Langholm which is a bit further out but still is connected to the water services. You generally get more land in Langholm but it is more commuting time again. The traffic seems to be getting worse by 5 minitues every year, so I would be wary of going too far. North Titirangi is only 11km from the top of CBD so if it gets too bad you can always cycle. I would only do that if all the cars are actually gridlocked though, the driving here is definitely freestyle.

When you get here, I am sure you will have a lot of fun just having a look round the area to see what you fancy.

Sally1

Thanks for the replies, this is the kind of informative response people need. Cheers

SAINT

Glad to hear that you are enjoying Titirangi.

What are the high schools like in that area?

Do you know the names of any?

We liked the look of the area.

Hoping to come over in Sept with our 16 year old son (he'll have just completed GCSE's).

Thanks in advance

Sue

extrameant

Look up Titirangi Suburb on this link
http://www.nzmaps.co.nz/
You will see the names of some schools. There are a lot in this area if you expand the map. I don't know anything about them as we don't have kids, but I think they are supposed to be pretty good. You might be able to look them up on the internet or ask someone else about the schools you are interested in.

Batty

Thanks a lot for the info. That's the sort of stuff I need to hear. TBH tank water and septic tanks hold no fear for me as that's what I grew up with and what my family still have - way out in the country and nowhere near town supply. It is a lot easier though being on the town supply - never have to worry about getting septic tanks emptied