30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Good morning! We are hoping to get the nod on a SMV soon - interview went well and all other boxes ticked, so we have our fingers crossed. Hamilton is looking like the best place for us to get jobs and to settle IF we come out - so where would people suggest as somewhere to live, up to 30-40 minutes from the city centre please? We have a 5 and 8 year old, so decent schools need to be taken into consideration.

Have been to Cambridge, so aware of what that has to offer...any other suggestions greatly received. Thank you, Rachel :fingerscrossed:

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

I don't know about the schools but if you fancy living by the sea then Raglan is 45kms from Hamilton and takes about 35-40 mins.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Thanks Robbie2010...the sea certainly appeals....looking for advice for anywhere up to 40 minutes from Hamilton.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Looks like there is only one school in Raglan catering for ages 5-19 .... Prospective Parents | Raglan Area School - Te Kura A Rohe O Whaingaroa

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

What sort of place do you wish to live ?
The answer to that question is pretty specific and personal to you.
Seaside, suburban, semi-rural, rural....you can have any around Hamilton, but you need to decide what to look for.

If it's the seaside you are after, then Raglan is your only option around your commute range but is more than 40 mins drive. You'd do it in 40 mins on a bike pushing the speed limit but wouldn't manage in a car unless zero traffic and bending the speed limit. It's a long and windy state highway - single lane with the odd passing lane. With a few cars/trucks and farm vehicles thrown in the mix it'll be 45-50 mins at least.
Being on the West side of the country the sea is colder and rougher. It's a very surf orientated place. If you want warmer and calmer sea but still the option for a bit of surfing then Tauranga or more specifically Mount Maunganui is top class....granted, I'm biased as I live there, but there are places to live that offer a reduced commute to Hamilton (e.g. Bethlehem) but yet still offer the best beach resort in NZ only 15 mins drive away.
My commute from Bethlehem is 99KM and takes 1hr 5 mins. It's fine and a very leisurely drive out of any peak traffic. It would be less if I could maintain 100 kph the whole way but unfortunately there's a few villages to travel through with 50kph and 70kph limits which extends the commute.

If it's small town NZ that you are after then Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Matamata, Morrinsville should fit the bill. You can have semi-rural on the outskirts of all these places and Hamilton, otherwise everywhere else is pretty much rural but with decent access links to the state highways.

We had to be near the beach. That was the whole reason why we moved up to the Bay Of Plenty. I don't mind Hamilton at all and spend a lot of time there due to work but we couldn't live there as it's too far away from the beach in our opinion. The journey time to the beach would make us want to do it less and less. The same goes for Cambridge, TA and the rest of the other towns. They all have their own personal charm, but they are all essentially farming villages that have grown in to towns and all in the middle of the country. I'd say the best of the bunch would be Cambridge simply due to the Waikato river and Lake Karapiro being so close by and still being close to Hamilton.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

The new cambridge bypass means you could probably stretch as far as matamata and still make hams in 40 mins.
You could go north as far as huntly, (but no one in their right mind would choose huntly), south, down to Te Awamutu, which is a nice place, and of course, Cambridge, which, after having lived there on and off for 8 years, I think is the best, but not the cheapest option. House prices in hams, waipa and matamata piano district are going silly at the moment but there are still plenty of good homes at affordable prices around.
I only know about the schools in Cambridge which from what friends tell me are very good.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Thank you escapedtoNz and Justcol...definitely food for thought. More rural definitely - and on the edge of a settlement rather than completely in the sticks would be my choice...my husband might prefer otherwise!! Although as long as he has a large enough area for a decent veggie patch, he will be happy!!

Very interesting that you commute from the Tauranga area escapedtoNZ. Had dismissed it as I just thought it would be too far to consider as an option. My children just love the beach, so being that much nearer to it, would definitely appeal. Looking at house prices, TA and Morrinsville had jumped out at me but will have a look at Matamata too.

My sister actually lives in Cambridge and they love it there, but I thought I would garner other people's opinions too. We would be looking at having as small a mortgage as possible, so have discounted Cambridge as a viable option for the moment.

Have a great weekend.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Thank you very much for that link too, Robbie2010

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Ok, well you can have more rural and still live under the Hamilton umbrella or live out at the limits of any of the other larger towns that have been mentioned and still have easy access for shopping or whatever.
I can point you in the direction of some real pimpin semi-rural and rural areas surrounding Hamilton, Cambridge etc but it'll all depend on budget.
Yes TA, Morrinsville and Matamata will of course have cheaper housing as they are further out and accommodation isn't as in demand plus the services on offer / things to do at those places - choices will be reduced.

I'd highly recommend Tauranga. We absolutely love it. We have the best beach resort in NZ on our doorstep and it's only an hour over the hill to Hamilton for me at work. The climate is great. It's a fantastic lifestyle for sure.

Enjoy the weekend :thumbsup:

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Raglan to Hams is 35-40 mins tops! As for being a windy road its no worse than the Kaimai's that you travel from Tauranga. If you can get from Bethlehem to Hamilton in 1hr 5 then I can get from Raglan in 25 mins. ;) Its 45k Raglan v 99k Bethlehem.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Just my opinion but raglan is a pretty unattractive place compared to tauranga and the mount.

I also have a 1 hour commute of 82km, it is half rural Waikato roads and half motorway
Some days, after a hard day at work its a real killer, the roads are rarely busy but the fatigue
it creates can be overwhelming and even without children to come home to, I feel it
robs me of quality time at home with my wife as it extends my working day to almost 12 hours

I'll be changing jobs and commute soon

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

The Raglan road is worse and much slower on average. The only windy section of my commute is the Waikato side of the Kaimai's approx 6kms out of 99 but I can still travel near the speed limit in the dry just because I know the road, every bump and every turn. I also don't commute to Hamilton city. I'm just past the airport and straight off the state highway. I dont hit any 50 zones or have to mess about trying to find a park or stopping at traffic lights. I'm lucky to see another vehicle going the same way.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Given that the OP was asking for about places within 30-40 mins of the city centre you should have said that at the outset rather than misleading them.

Raglan to Hamilton city centre is 40 mins tops.

Raglan is a very small town and not really fair to judge it against a city like Tauranga.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

Nope I don't agree. It's not misleading. The fact that I don't commute in to the city is irrelevant.
The distance between the point at which I turn off SH1 and my office is the same as if I continued to the city centre, so the travel time is near identical at the time I travel. If I consider commuting in to the city instead the only things that may increase the travel time for me from that point are 3 sets of lights and a 50km zone to go through in to the city centre. Maybe add a couple of mins tops.
Ok so you believe Raglan to Hamilton City is 40 mins tops. You are entitled to your opinion, however, I don't share your expectation as I find it difficult to believe a person can keep up sufficient average speed to travel that distance in that time on that road. Maybe it would be possible 1 in 10 commutes I dunno ?

I didn't compare Raglan to Tauranga. I compared it to it's East coast equivalent Mount Maunganui. They are both beach resorts but on opposing sides of the country. We considered both as a place to live as I'd secured a work transfer to Hamilton and we wanted to live near a great beach. The East coast won hands down as it is a far better place to live than the other for what it has to offer in itself and the surrounding area. The sea is warmer, calmer, the climate is much better, there are options a plenty as it is so close to Tauranga and it offers great access to many other places like Auckland and the Coromandel, Whakatane and the East Cape, Rotorua and Hamilton. Our decision to live near Mt. M was a no brainer irrespective that it is over double the distance of Raglan/Hamilton.

Re: 30-40 mins from Hamilton
 

I guess the OP will take a look and judge for themselves, but Raglan is one of those places that time forgot and is more shabby than chic. It doesn't have a great deal going for it unless you're a surfy type, other than providing some consolation to the folks of Hamilton that there is some sort of a beach nearby.

I would also factor in the effort you need to make to get to other places also besides from the daily commute; being at the extremes of either Raglan or Tauranga does make the journey elsewhere that much more difficult. If you're expecting to travel and need access to the airport or see yourself popping up to Auckland or other cities for shopping, sports events or gigs and such like than you would also need to consider the journey from Tauranga versus Raglan to elsewhere.