avenue

Hi, we are looking to move to Taupo from the UK and wanted to get people's views on the area, schools, crime etc. We know how lovely it is for holidays but we will be taking our kids out of really good state schools in England and want to make sure we're not making a mistake! We have heard that primary schools are good but that the secondary schools are a bit of a mixed bag and there can be violence, sex, drugs etc. I guess you get that all over the place as kids seem to grow up so fast these days but is it something to be overly concerned about in Taupo?? I suppose with Taupo being small I'm a bit worried about the kids. Hoping of course they won't be the ring leaders ;-)

Any advice about living in Taupo would be great.

Thanks

Bo-Jangles

Q1. Have you been to Taupo?


For me Taupo is a sort of stopping off place on the way to somewhere else - the population is very transient, backpackers and such like travelling onwards.

I don't get the attraction and I wouldn't stay there for any longer than necessary. i.e. As long as it takes to park the car, get breakfast and a look at the lake is enough for me

Robbie2010

What jobs are there in Taupo? What would your kids do when they leave school?
Its a very small town (pop 23,000), with a 2 hour drive to Hamilton, Tauranga or Napier.
Not my cup of tea.

escapedtonz

I really like Taupo. Nice place to visit. Good motorsport track, good golfing, decent place for restaurants and touristy shopping. Nice park/playground for the kids. Lots of touristy things to do and see with the lake, Huka Falls etc but as a place to live.....nope!
Unless you are big in to the tourist or recreation industries I couldn't think why you'd be living there ?

avenue

Thanks, we have been to Taupo a few times. We have some friends who live there and love it. We just want to simplify our busy London lives and spend more time as a family, with the kids....and away from all the materialistic pressures over here. I think we'd be ok work wise in Taupo, I just wondered about how safe it is and if it would be a good move for the kids compared to the UK and other places in NZ? Good point about when they would do when they get older but they have kiwi and British passport so would hope they could do whatever they put their minds to.....

LittleGreyCat

I'm afraid this is going to be another fairly negative comment.
We have visited Taupo a few times, and as others have said it is a lovely place to visit on a holiday.
However it isn't very big and it is quite a trek to anywhere else.
I particularly remember the slow twisty SH1 as you head southwards.

A great place to retire, or to wind down for the last few years of your working life.
An enormous (too big) change from London?

If you own your own home in the London area you should be able to afford to move almost anywhere in NZ, including the dreaded Auckland. Auckland can be crowded, especially the roads in rush hour, but nowhere near as bad as London.

I guess I am suggesting that (having lived in London a long time ago, and still visiting on occasions) I understand anyone wanting to get out of London to have a more relaxed life and more family time. However Taupo may be a bit of an extreme reaction. Have you looked at anywhere else?

P.S. Do your friends have kids?

avenue

Thanks, well we have family in Carterton but i could definitely not live there, friends in lower hutt but I don't think I could cope with the horizontal rain. Also have friends in Auckland but we'd be worried we'd be stepping into a similar rat race as London??
I love Nelson but we don't know anyone there at all and think it might be too far from the inlaws in the wairarapa.
Hard decision but we know we need to change things and move somewhere where we have time for the family and are not grumpy and tired all the time!!

avenue

Sorry in answer to your question they do have kids but they are young so can't really get their views on what it's like for older kids there....and it's hard to ask too many things without sounding like we are questioning their choices!