ceri75

howdo... can any of you give me advice or point me in the right direction with this??
i've already been offered a job ..phew... & the company are sorting out work visa's etc but they have left the final location choice up to me!!! have decided eventually on Auckland but they have 5 clinics !!! these are in Parnell, Takapuna, Henderson, Papakura & Papatoetoe.. i'll be going over in Aug/Sept on my own with 2 dogs, so ideally need both social life & fantastic dog walks etc.. unfortunately i wont be able to do a reccie trip so any experiences you guys have would be much appreciated....
cheers
ceri

lapsed kiwi

I'm biased but I would go for the Takapuna option and live either on the upper North Shore or Hibiscus Coast. Great access to some nice country and beaches for your dogs, and an easy commute (Orewa to Takapuna no more than 30 min even in the worst rush hour). Also some quite good bars, restaurants etc in Takapuna. Good luck!

dazal

I'm with lapsed kiwi here. Go for Takapuna. I am biased as well but there are some great areas to live on the North Shore that have easy access to Takapuna (either by car or by bus). In fact I agree totally, with the above. Takapuna is by far the nicer of the areas you mentioned with a really nice beach right in Takapuna. Although Parnell is really lovely but would be expensive to live there and there are no beaches near by. Papakura & Papatoetoe I would avoid at all costs. Also being in Takapuna or most areas of the North Shore you will have very easy access to the city as well. Good luck with your choice

P18PPS

ditto - out of your options I'd go for Takapuna, it is still a good striking distance of the city if you want the nightlife and city restaurants, yet Takapuna itself is a lovely area with loads of cafes and restaurants and a lovely beach for walking on (though not sure what the dog restrictions are??). Once based on "the shore" your housing options are good too with loads to choose from and generally much better value for money than the city itself.
Parnell is lovely too and is adjacent to the city centre, though you'll pay through the nose (and beyond) to live there.
Personally the other 2 options would'nt be on my shortlist.

Littletoe

Yes I agree with everyone else! Henderson is a shitehole, unless you're into the 70s, mullets and all!

Anyway, good luck with the move, how exciting! Keep us updated!

lardyl

.....although you could live in titirangi and work in either Henderson or Takapuna, but dont get set on living in either as one is not the best place in the world (unless you want a used car - Henderson - or your passport stamped - as the local NZIS office is quite helpful) and the other is abit "pricey" - check out the sea front pads there.....xpensive.
Takapuna also is nice as from many spots you can walk to the beach.....MrsL was to be based there but we are up on the Hi...Biscus Coast, where the living is easy but the commute (even to Takapuna) can be a real dog...woof woof...
Good luck and happy area/house hunting, LL

ceri75

cheers for this, much appreciated.... they have now thrown me a curve ball & want me to think about rotorua & tauranga!!! lots of tinternet searches later & i have ruled out rotorua... seems very touristy & i want beach, concerts, walks, bars etc... tauranga lifestyle looks cool, seems quite a young vibrant place, so now torn between takapuna & tauranga!!!!
was ready to land in papatoetoe ,simply cos it has a cracking name !! but thank god you all agree its a no, no.
no house buying imminently, going to rent for first 2 years as have the option to travel to different locations throughout this time (very lucky lass i am!). looking very much forward to immersing myself into the Kiwi lifestyle.
New boss is giving me a call tonight to discuss location & following this will recieve final contract!!!!
off to tinternet until fingers bleed & eyes turn square.......

Jack The Lad

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..................... dont tell everyone

Thats were we are going

Leighlou

Hi Ceri 75' - noticed that you are in Good old Edinburgh! We are in Merchiston and hoping to be replacing this with NZ in about October. What is your job in NZ? Sounds fab that you have so many options you lucky thing! We've been to NZ and visisted both Auckland and Tauranga and I have to say that as lovely as Tauranga is, Auckland is possibly going to have more of what you are used to here in Edinburgh facility wise. Anyway, good luck with it all, and if you are local and fancy a meet up to talk Kiwi, give me a PM. Leighlou.

ceri75

Hi there... I used to live in Tollcross but since the family expanded ( dogs)! moved out to Penicuik! regretted it ever since, great for walks but too remote, so spend most of time commuting to & from Edinburgh for work & life!
Great to hear your making the move, what do you both do?
I,m with the good olde NHS!!! Audiologist & its because of the former i'm leaving looks like its Takapuna for me .........fingers crossed. looking to go about mid september, just in time for summer.... I love my life

jueinnz

might have a bit of trouble with the two dogs too, somebody correct me if I'm wrong but don't you need a special licence from the council to have two dogs on a property and a certain size section?

lapsed kiwi

You need a special permit for more than two dogs, but nothing different between one and two. Except, you've got to find a rental that will accept them.
http://www.northshorecity.govt.nz/

ceri75

lapsed kiwi.... thanks for this site, most useful.

Campbells

Yes Tauranga is nice but depends or what you are looking for.

I would say Tauranga is more a retirement area and is quite expensive.

My money would be on Takapuna which offers a great allocation right there but again rather pricey Milford and Devonport are very close by which are really nice but again expensive in terms of real estate.

It terms of a commute to, Takapuna is really easy (as mentioned earlier) and you would have a whole variety of options, all within easy reach of the city as & when you want that.

Parnell is one of the upmarket areas of the city (Auckland) and is very nice too and there are some areas close by that are quite continental in their feel. The water front running from Oraki out to ST Helliers is at most times a hive of activity and there are lots of dogs going for walks but that on the sidewalk.

In NZ there is a whole thing with trying to find open spaces you can take your dog/s.

If it were me:-
Could you not negotiate that you would like to have the opportunity to actually see the areas in question? It sounds like your skills are in demand and NZ is really about lifestyle. In terms of Geography you could get to see all these areas over a weekend but it would be better to spend at least four days checking out the place for YOU.

It is hugely important decision for you and your furry friends where you settle and that to me would be the win/win.

Good luck ………

ceri75

thanks for this, Campbells yep, that would be an ideal way to do it...have decided to work in Takapuna (HR are finalising this) but rent furthur north of this initially, from what everyone has said i can get the best of both worlds & having dogs seems to be more of a restriction the nearer Auckland.
very lucky as far as work goes, i have the option to travel to different locations both North & South island if i choose but thought Auckland would be a good starting point!
cheers
ceri