East Coast Auckland
 

Hi Chaps and chapesses,
After many turbulent months, I am trying to tie my husband down (not literally):o to make the arrangements final. We are now, after ping ponging between Wellington and Auckland, looking at the East coast of Auckland. North or South I dont mind, just within 40 minutes of the CBD, PLEASE can anyone make some sensible suggestions, we have $850K to spend and would like a couple of acres at least and at least a 4 bed or a 3 bed with a sleepout. I have spent so many hours on trademe and realestate NZ my head hurts:confused:
Must be a reasonable area, got 2 sprogletts aged 4 and 7 to get into a decent school. Feeling abit down with the whole thing at the moment, I am a female of reasonable intelligence (no sarky remarks gentlemen please!) with a degree, but I just cannot get my head around all of the logistics............. is this normal!!!! Have any of you had a holiday on the way? My OH wants to do Disney Florida enroute, I think that this is getting too complicated!!!! Sorry chaps, sometimes typing emotions helps rationalise...................:unsure:

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

You've got your work cut out - I'm not surprised you're struggling. I only really know the Eastern and Southern suburbs. Your biggest problem is the amount of land you are looking for. Have a look at Clevedon - doesn't meet your commuting criteria though. Maybe Waiheke Island? The ferry trip is 40mins to the CBD but you will have to add on the time it takes to get to the ferry. There are options further South, but you won't get to the CBD in 40 mins - let me know if you want to consider a longer journey.

Sorry I'm not being that helpful.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

I'd also suggest the Clevedon area as a good option, there's some really lovely places around there.
It is around a 30-40min commute to the CBD if your not traveling at busy times (more like 90mins if you are though)
I live on the North Shore and travel to Papakura for work, 35mins outside peak times, 60-70mins otherwise.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

Disneyland (LA) is better bet - half-way on the journey so good time for short stopover especially with little ones. Not a fan of LA myself but if you stay near Disneyland and just do that, it is a convenient break

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

Um, I don't mean to be rude but what has this got to do with living on the East Coast of Auckland ?

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

QSSue had mentioned it in the initial post

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

I think you need to widen the net, the East Coast bays on the Shore properties are mostly subdivided within an inch of their lives and would never in any way fulfil your requirements for that amount of space for that amount of money.


If you want rural with land on the North of Auckland you probaly need to be closer to $1million bucks and some. You should to veer towards the west: Albany / Dairy Flat / Coatesville /Riverhead / Kumeu / Waimauku. All doable on a good day within an hour of the CBD depending on where in the 'CBD' you think you need to get to.

Without being here though you can't possibly decide; so save you brain cells.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

Hi

It will probably be hard to find 2 acres within 40mins of CBD east/south Auckland for $850k, places like Whitford are usually around $1.2/$1.5m for a few acres (and that's the cheaper properties), Clevedon would be nearer $1m I think for a couple of acres. You may get something cheaper, but you won't have a couple of acres.

The commute to Auckland varies too, in rush hour it can be 1 hour plus, and if you're out in Clevedon/Whitford you have to negotiate the rural roads before getting onto the 'easier' roads adding time to your journey. You may be in budget in the Ness Valley, Clevedon, but it's a bit of a haul there.

Perhaps a little further south Auckland - Papakura, or into Franklin district, but you'll be adding time onto your journey.

Good luck :)

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

you're going to have to compromise on either your commute or your budget or your land

850 will def get you a nice pad for a family of 4, but you cannot have all that you're looking for.

suggest you arrive in auckland and have a nosey - then see which is more important

personally east coast is the best, but in central auckland crossing a road (and suburb) can add 1 million to your budget, or lower the schools from decile 10 to a 3, and change your land from a full to half a section

if a short commute is your preference then look around mission bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, Glendowie. once you head over the bridge you can instantly add another 30+ minutes to a journey. Having said that there will be folks who will swear to you that you can commute from upper north shore easily in 40 mins (a fact I would argue that is only possible at 3am).

if land is your preference then expect to either up your budget or significantly up your commute.

if you don't mind living in the hills with 2 acres of land then you could look at west auckland and the waitakere mountains... probably less than an hour commute and you'll definately get the land. primary schools are good around titirangi, though colleges are are slightly limited and less desirable - so you may have to think of private if you're into a really good education.

to be honest, Auckland is a city that you can easily drive around and quite quickly get a good feel about whether an area is right or not for you.

a good read is "where to live in auckland" has all sorts of useful hints on demographics and schools as well as prices.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

Yes people do tend to wildly under or exaggerate, don't they? :rofl:

You can actually get all the way from anywhere on the extremities of the North Shore to the Airport in less than 40 minutes at 3am. Off peak 15 to 20 mins to CBD

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

maxx.co.nz is a good guide to commuting times. Rush hour from Albany station to CBD is about 35-40 minutes on the bus. It takes me 15 min to get to the park and ride from Orewa, so the whole trip is doable in an hour, when I occasionally have to go to the CBD for work.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

My sister in law, bless her heart, drives to Albany bus station park and ride from Dairy Flat to enable her to get the bus to Auckland CBD. She used to live in Pinehill/Oteha. She must enjoy commuting !

One of the reasons we moved from UK to NZ was so my husband could get off the hour long public transport commuting treadmill.

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

A lot of people do that - it's generally quicker than getting the bus from Orewa or wherever, that then stops everywhere en route to Auckland. They are building a new park and ride at Silverdale, which should open up some new options

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

I've heard about, 'paper roads' that's planned roads that have yet to be built but have the planning permission for years and never mind who is inconvenienced if they have improvements on their own property that they need planning permission for. So, could this be a, 'paper bus stop ?'

Blimey, they'll be getting mains water and mains sewerage next !

Re: East Coast Auckland
 

Where to buy?
Shopping for a home on the Internet is a bit like Internet dating. Some people need to fall in love with a place, others can decide based on a check list. Somehow, from the frustration you express, you sound like you need to fall in love. That suggests you are better off renting when you get here. Try renting an apartment on the Viaduct in the central city (the most vibrant part of the city - it will feel like a holiday) for four weeks or so, rent a car and drive around and get a feel for the huge range of lifestyle choices.

With your budget, 2 acres in the Auckland region means rural. Schools may or may not be good in that rural district. The only way to know is go there.

Do you want cow-rural, horse-rural or vineyard-rural?

Do you want flat or hilly, wetter (west) or drier (east), island (Waiheke), peninsula (Devonport) or isthmus (south of Auckland, west of Auckland, North Shore or further north)?

For others to help you, it would help if you told us about the kind of life-style you seek, what you value and enjoy, what you look for in a daily routine. Do you want land to not hear the neighbours, to graze ponies, grow a garden or just because it's what you have at home? Do you want trees, native bush or grass you can mow (or graze)?

Holiday on the way?

Yes, I recommend it. It is a major life change you are making, punctuate it with some travel experiences. After Disney, book three days on a tropical South Pacific Island as well.

We shipped our container in northern summer (NZ winter), went to Provence for August, then Paris to Disney EU (our's was six at the time), then Bali (elephant rides were great) for two weeks in September, then a week in Sydney and finally Auckland on the first day of southern hemisphere equinox. Timed it so we arrived two days before our container hit the port. Had a great time, had a bit of money to spend thanks to selling the house, and avoided two winters in one year.