Featherston.
 

Hi,
I just wondered if anyone here lives in Featherston? I am looking at the possiblility of moving there as I am hoping to secure a job in Wellington.
We are looking to move somewhere that has a community feel and a slower pace of life, and maybe a local pub where it is easier to meet like minded people.
Anyway, if there is anybody here that can shed some light on living in Featherston please can you post your views, both good and bad.
Thanks.

Re: Featherston.
 

I hear that Greytown is nicer....less shady .....and Masterton bigger.

I colleague commutes from Greytown and he's loves it there.

Re: Featherston.
 

Featherston? Wow.

I second Greytown.

Re: Featherston.
 

Hey ! :)
Funny enough I was wondering about you the other day & how things are . We were on our way down Rocks Road passed the Boatshed place.

Re: Featherston.
 

Both have tumbleweed blowing down the main streets lol When we were in Welly for 6 weeks we did a bit of touring around on the weekends and we went to both, Masterton really made us laugh, we went into the visitors centre as i was raining and asked if there were any places we could get into to kill some time, the lady replied " yes we have 4 coffee shops and they are open " lol lol lol :eek: not a lot to do on all accounts, mind you a lucky family from Masterton one the Lottery, maybe that gave them chance to move :lol:

Featherston was just as wild west feel, but if your into small vilages or wee towns then they were functional and quiet and peaceful.

Re: Featherston.
 

hi there

i have to agree with what others have said, i love greytown its got the best ice cream parlour a few shops and a great pub/hotel/restaurant we go there loads in the summer for some reason it seems to never rain there. featherston is also a nice place. the only down side to going that far out is you will have to go over the Rimutaka hills to go to wellington so could be a long commute.
but good luck wherever you decide to live :)

Re: Featherston.
 

Commute by train! - If you drive every day over that road....you're asking for trouble imho!

Re: Featherston.
 

My understanding is that Feaherston is the domestic violence capital of NZ.

Its not got alot going for it imho. Its certainly got space and rentals/houses are fairly cheap.

The commute (by train) would be tolerable, but it is VERY rural-there are more interesting town in the area that would not add much to the commute and might keep you sane longer!

Hope this helps! :thumbup:

Re: Featherston.
 

Featherston never seems to be 'open' say on a Sunday whereas Greytown and Masterton do. You'd go least mad in Masterton (nice park and swimming complex and cinema) but it's the furthest commute to Wellington. Seriously look at the Hutt Valley before going over the mountain...

You need to know everywhere in NZ has a slower pace of life than UK...even Wellington is not very frenetic and it's supposed to be a metropolis. Would be a seriously bad move to maroon yourself somewhere with less going on than in 'Emmerdale' or 'The Archers'. If you have kids research the decile of the local schools in each area - helps with the decision.

Re: Featherston.
 

Hi,
Bevs, I think about you both too and one day we will meet up again and enjoy a bottle in the boat shed!
To everyone else, thanks for your replys. A bit of background, we have lived in NZ for getting on 5 years so we know what its like, I supose you can say that we have had a bit of a rough time, we first moved to Wellington and stayed in Lower Hutt for the first 9 months of our time here, my job went up the creek and I was lucky (or unlucky) to secure a job in Auckland, so we moved up here and now live in South Auckland. I packed in my job here after 2.5 years as I couldnt stand it any longer and took a job working for the railway with the view of hopefully transfering down to Wellington as time went on. My wife works here and cant wait to get out, (she works for the same company as I used to)
So now I hope I have been selected for a job working for the railway in Wellington (free rail travel) this could be our chance to move back down to where we want to be, but the problem is of course money, we will have spent and lost so much by the time we sell our house here that we wont have that much to play with thats why I was looking at Featherston. We could afford to buy a house there and live in a "nice area" that hopefully will do us in our later years. Being quiet is not a problem as I will be working and hopefully my wife will find some work around about too, oh and we do enjoy our garden! We are not young and a small community does appeal to us.
Sorry for the rabbiting post, but with all this in mind I was just wondering if Featherston is the place for us?
Thanks.

Re: Featherston.
 

Do you absolutely have to sell up when you move? It may be better to rent out your house for a while and rent in Fetherston (or wherever) until you're sure you like it and want to settle there long term. Selling fees are so expensive that you don't want to be paying them more than once.

Once you get down there you're sure to find somewhere, but it may take a while to find it.

Re: Featherston.
 

OK. :)

Where would be good for terrier2 to think to settle if they look to a move to the Wellington area.

Can those of us in the Welly area think about house costs and locations and transport and work and ..... ....pubs and community spirit.

Re: Featherston.
 

Now you have opened Pandoras box again :rofl:

"I once knew a girl called Pandora. Never did get to see her box though" - Notting Hill

Re: Featherston.
 

You've been watching Dr. Who and the Pandorica jobby. :sneaky:

To me . Terrier2 is a mate. I'd like to see this family be advised as to where to settle , if it aint this Feathery place.

Re: Featherston.
 

My main worry about living in Wairarapa would be the commute: there are only 5 trains or so per day on the Wairarapa line. I know people do commute to Welly from there, but if you miss your train for whatever reason, there isn't much you can do except to drive over the Rimutaka hill road, which is a bit of a challenge even on good weather. It's seriously one of the scariest roads I've ever driven on. We've been in Welly for about 2,5 months now, and the Rimutaka hill road has been closed several times due to weather conditions during this time, so occasionally you might get stuck in Wairarapa until the conditions improve. Don't know how the weather affects the trains, though.

Have you considered the Kapiti Coast? The house prices there are a lot lower than in Central Welly, and the climate is better -usually a few degrees warmer and less rainy than in Welly. If you fancy somewhere a bit less crowded than the coast between Welly and Paraparaumu, places like Otaki are still less than half an hour's drive from Paraparaumu (which is the northernmost stop for the local trains as you prob. know). Gardening should be easy too -lots of market gardens there and cheap fruit & veggies in roadside shops.

I love the Wairarapa as a weekend destination, but hate the drive there... If I had to choose between Wairarapa and the Kapiti coast, I'd probably choose Kapiti just for the ease of commuting.