laticsbird

Hello again all you lovely people - it's been absolutely ages since I was last on here. What with one thing and another, I've just been sooooo busy!!
Anyway, when I first joined the site, me and my hubby were in the 'discussion and deciding' phase. Well, now we've decided 110% that we're gonna go for it!
Over the last couple of months I've been looking at different places on the North Island that we've considered relocating to. I think, eventually, it will also more than likely depend on where I can get a job (I'm an English teacher in a Secondary School). However, I do seem rather taken with Tauranga and so, here's my questions - and I apologise hugely, in advance!
Right, first off, which is the best area/district to settle - we're a family of four including 2 kids, girl 10 and boy 7. We also will be bringing our lovely pets - 2 cats, and a daft golden retriever. Ideally, we'd like a small, community type place to live. Probably in a cul-de-sac so it's safe for the kids and the cats (!). I'd love a few facilities on hand - shops, library, parks, fields and hopefully near to a gorgeously gorgeous beach
I know this seems I'm asking for a lot - indeed, please tell me if my expectations are too high! Could anyone also tell me what sort of cost I'd be paying to rent a 3-4 bedroomed house in this type of area. We would buy a house later, I just think it's safer if we rent first to ensure the area's right for us and that we are right for the area!
Anyway, luvvies, thanks ever so much for any replies, help, advice etc. It really is much appreciated.

laticsbird

Me again - sorry, I've just been reading some of the threads on here about Tauranga being really expensive.
Is this true? And, when you say expensive can you give me a few examples of what you mean? Food, transport costs, tax, housing etc....
Is it the same over all the North Island? Or is the cost of living cheaper elsewhere??
Sorry for all the questions and thanks once again.

pestman

hi

I would say that once the house is bought and you are settled I would say one NZ large town would be no more expensive to live than another.
they all have large supermarkets and all the usual shops so really apart fro rent costs/house prices I would say it's hair splitting as to where costs more (large town wise).

I'd be more concerned about racism,schools,crime,weather and alike (none of which I have a clue about for the area you like)

good luck and keep on asking as you need as much info as possible.

george

laticsbird

Hi George,
Thanks for the swift reply. I'm in the process of researching all the other stuff (schools, crime, etc) and I'm still open to choosing othere areas to live - just hoping I get a few responses on here from some good people who can give me inside info on the best districts in which to settle (see my first post re: this thread). As I said, I'm looking for a real sense of community - I'm very sociable and neighbourly!! But the fact is, we are going to have to watch our pennies initially, as well, to put it bluntly, we have none to spare! And so, the more we can save, the better off we'll be in the long term. Sorry - I'm waffling now. Can you recommend any nice areas on the North Island that fits my 'wish-list'?

Cheers, hun

concretepump

hi think you would be better haveing a look on trade me that will give you a good idea what prices are www.trademe.co.nz

aalls73

I personally would say look around New Plymouth but then i'm bias because we live here but we wouldn't of chosen anywhere else. It is a bit far from everywhere else but thats nice as you can explore in the holidays, we have the best of both worlds nice community feel, great beaches, and the all important mountain.
The big saying here in NP is that "you can go sking in the morning and surfing in the afternoon"
which we have done (well not the surfing bit but picnic at the beach after a morning of sking makes you realise why we picked it here!!
Good luck in making your choice it's a hard one i know!

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-me-property/index.htm
is a good place to start looking at what you can get for your money renting/buying
also try. http://www.nz.open2view.com/ for property prices which you can also convert into UK pounds on the website so it gives you a better indication at what you'd pay in GBP

laticsbird

Thanky ou to all who replied
You are all so wonderful!
I agree - I have considered New Plymouth - mainly because at one of the Expo's here we met a guy who was 'selling' it to us. He must have done a good job! Ha! Ha! Which district / street names should we be looking at - bearing in mind we don't want a busy stretch of road?
Anyway, I'll keep researching everywhere and carry on making my lists!! Got tons of 'em!
Thanks once again
xx

aalls73

Funny that! meeting "Peter Tennent" the mayor of New Plymouth was what actually made us make the decision to come here, after getting home from the expo we went onto trade me and found a job applied, came over and visited (which in my opinion was a complete waste of money) and fell in love with the place.. It's awesome!!
The only areas i would tell you to avoid are Waitara (which is a little town just out of NP) and Marfell which is in town. We live in a little suberb just out of town called Bell Block it's lovely got shops, library, swimming pool beaches and a real community feel but still only 5 mins into town.

The good thing about trade me is they show you where it is on a map so you can see if its in a cul de sac or not. If you need anymore help or info on certain places just PM me and i'll do all i can, ive helped quite a few people who have moved here now and i don't charge lol.....

Genesis

I think you need the help of the learned Am Loolah in relation to this area....

laticsbird

Hi again everyone,
well, in between working hard all day today I've had a look at some properties advertised in New Plymouth - they all seem pretty reasonable (I think!). The only trouble is, there aren't that many, if we were renting, that accept pets - we're taking our 2 cats and 1 dog with us. Is this usually normal for rental accommodation?
Has anyone any recommended estate agents that are really good?
Cheers honeys,
Lorraine

Am Loolah

Hello and welcome, sorry I missed your post.

Right then ... Tauranga ...

Tauranga is the city and within the city are many suburbs, some beach, some town, some rural. From what you say, wanting a beach setting, you would be looking at Papamoa or Mount Maunganui, of the two Papamoa is marginally cheaper in terms of housing.

Both your children would be at Primary School level, and all the schools, except for Mount Primary are zoned. If you have a look at the Wiki here you will find links to some of the schools.

When properties are advertised for rent it is customary to say "No Pets" this is sometimes simply because there is no tick box for "Cats OK" or "1 dog" etc. You have to scroll down and see if it's been added or you have to ask the agent. We recently placed some tenants in to a property who had 3 dogs - it's a matter of the agent negotiating with the landlord on the tenants' behalf ... it can be done!

We live in a cul de sac, one street back from the beach which has been fantastic for the kids. At one stage there were soemthing like 40 kids in the street ... We can walk, maybe 10 minutes to shops, library, park, school etc. It's only if you get out to Papamoa East that it's currently further away from the shops, but that's all coming.

Average rent for a 3 bedroom house would be about $350-$370 in Papamoa, 4 bedroom maybe $380 - $425. Slightly more in the Mount, slightly less in Tauranga.

HTH.

Kate Rayner

Hello,
Welcome!
Having lived in Tauranga for 7 months and moving back there in July, it is a great place!
As Am Loolah said, if it's beach you want then it's definitely Papamoa or The Mount that you want. We're up in the rural bit of Welcome Bay, but have views of the ocean, Kaimai Range and lots of fields!!! We don't mind the short drive to the beach (but we have no kids or pets to round up so much easier!!)

Good luck with wherever you decide and on the job hunting - are you registered with http://www.edgazette.govt.nz ? You can subscribe to them and they'll send you relevant job updates. I'm a science teacher but have since found out I can't teach in NZ as I did a GTP!! So will be looking for a change in career path until I decide whether to do the retraining!!!!

Take care

Kate

bolton1

Hello there
We live about 10 - 15 mins drive from Tauranga city centre , 15 mins from Mount Manganui & 30 from Papamoa. Its also only 20 min drive from beautiful national parks.
I would suggest renting initially, until you get a feel for a place. We wanted to live by the coast when we arrived, but since being here have changed our minds about a million times

The suburb we live in is Bethlehem and we have decided to settle here as it has everything we want within easy reach. I did dream of having chickens but then remembered how disorganised I am and the rural life ...well maybe later.

Tauranga also has THE BEST (im)mature ladies netball team than any other region ! what more could you want ??

Hope all works out - but remember its not called the Bay of Plenty for nothing