Amanda

Hi Everyone,

Just need some advice on Wellington. Am Currently living in Howick,Auckland and have been here for 3 and a half years. We are contemplating moving down to Wellington.

1) Where are the best areas to live?

2) Are there any good schools?

3) Are there any benefits/differences to living in Wellington as opposed to
Auckland?


It would be great to hear your views.

Thanks Mandy.

brackley

hi mandy, we are not living inwellington yet, but, have made 2trips there. the schools are rated 1 - 10 and perhaps you could get a list of the ratings from the ministry of education. karori normal school is rated 10. it is a lovely primary school, kids stay until year 9. swimming pool next door as well. all academic stuff done in morning, afternoons art music sport. teachers lovely when we turned uup at school

wellington high school, nooooooooooooo mixed school didnot give a good impression. wellington girls college, apparently one of the best in the country, very helpful you could email them and they will send you info, my daughter wants to go there despite the uniform!!!!!!!!!!!! hope she doesnt spend all her days gazing out of the wondows at the beautiful harbour in wellington

hope it works out for you. all schools are zoned according to where you live

Joshlin

Just remember that the ratings of 1-10 for schools are based on their socio-economic status and not necessarily a performance rating. A school with a score of 10 has a high proportion of students from a high socio-economic area / background!!
you can view a copy of their ero report on the web - can't remember site but put in ero to web search and it should come up. This will give you a better guide as to how the school has been performing - its strengths and weaknesses.
Vicki

Winnie

Hiya Mandy

Don't know the differences between Auckland and Wellington but do live in Welly. I find it a great place. We live about 15 mins drive away from the city, and 20 minutes from Kapiti Coast. Both are fantastic and totally different. The city is very cultural and has a lot to offer with lots of events going off for the whole family. From what I've heard of Aukland its much quieter and not as built up. Kapiti Coast has beautiful long beaches which are nearly always empty (its always puzzled me as to why?). There's also lots of other fantastic places around and about, I can never get bored of it. The suberb I live in is handy for both these places plus the shops and all amenities you need. Though I don't have kids here the local school is supposed to be very good, but best to do some research into this. There's lots of good suberbs going out of Wellington, the nearer the more expensive. Personally I find the ones further out not as built up and better, but I like the quiet life!
Hope this helps!

kiwichild

Wellington can get cold and windy, and it's quite hilly. Locals are probably friendlier than in Auckland. Avoid Naenae, Porrirua, and the Hutts I would think. Anywhere near the coast should be nice eg, oriental bay.

My rule of thumb is never go for the areas with the cheapest rentals or
properties to buy. ALWAYS go for the ones you can most realistically afford. This tends to ensure you get into a decent area.

The other thing is to check all this out more fully once you have arrived and have your bearings a bit.

Auckland has about 1.2 million people so it is where the greatses proportion of job opportunites are. Avoid sth Aucks suburbs like otara, otahuhu, etc
North shore is good but getting a tad crowded now I hear. Mission bay, kohimaramara, pt chevalier, ponsonby, howick, parnell,ellerslie all ok I think. if you want a bit more space check out rodney council areas like helensville etc. Orewa and whangaparoa nice too.

Am sure others living in greater auckland area can fill you in better than me as I haven't been there for a while but I do keep an eye on what's happening in my hometown.

MattH

Think you'd be surprised by "the Hutt" to be honest - it has alot going for it IMO, and includes some really nice areas around Petone, Eastbourne as well further up around Upper Hutt. Commute times aren't bad and you get alot more for your money!

Matt