WilliamsNZ

Hi there!

Me and my soon-to-be wife have been offered a possible job at a church in central wellington. We are really excited about the prospects and should the budget be approved and everything finalized we will be moving in August/September.

We are looking at possible places to rent and are finding it to be very expensive. We would preferably like to live as close to the church as possible but obviously if it is going to work out a lot better/cheaper would be happier to live just outside.

Does anybody have any particular advice, or help, that they can offer?

Thanks a lot!

MrsFychan

I think it really depends on what you want from the area?

luvwelly

This is not really something you can decide definitively until you have arrived. You can only rent what is available at the time - you may get lucky and find something centrally or you may want to go out a bit to keep costs down.

What I mean to say is you could research suburbs and say I really want to live in blah and then find there are no suitable rental properties when you arrive.
Since the quality of properties varies so much (particularly when going cheaper) it really should be the property which guides the decision rather than a preferred location.

Where will you be working? If centrally, you can live in pretty much any central suburb and get in by bus. Some central areas are very studenty and scruffy e.g. Mount Cook and some parts of surprisingly expensive Mount Victoria.

Also depends how big a property you want, whether you want a garden etc etc.

WilliamsNZ

The main reason that we want to live in central is because that is where the church is and we want to be as close to that as possible.

We would obviously like to live somewhere nice, and would be looking for a 2 bed house/apartment/flat.

escapedtonz

Hi,

Ok so you want to be within walking distance of the church which is in Wellington city.....
If you let me know where the church is I can guide you as to the nice areas around.

Cheers

WilliamsNZ

Thanks so much!

This is next door to where the church will meet...

13 Dufferin Street
Wellington 6021, New Zealand

luvwelly

St Mark's Church then next to the school? Lots of Brits work there, sure they could advise you.
Nearby suburbs are Mount Victoria/Oriental Bay, Mount Cook, Newtown, through the tunnel Hataitai, Kilbirnie and Miramar. Up a very steep hill Brooklyn.

With that location you can live in any central suburb really if you don't mind a 10-15 min commute.
If you want a flat section you need to look mainly at Eastern suburbs (airport side of town) Kilbirnie, Miramar or the town centre/CBD. The rest of it is rather hilly.

I would look at Island Bay which is a bit further out beyond Newtown but a nice coastal location and only a 10 min drive into town through a grotty area.

escapedtonz

Hi,

Yes so this is across from the Basin Reserve (cricket ground), Mt. Victoria and near to the Mt. Victoria tunnel entrance.

In all honesty, I'd say your only choice of a really nice place to live within walking distance is going to be Oriental Bay especially if you can find somewhere with a view out over the bay and the sea.
This will give you a walk of just under 2km each way, but a walk that is on one direct route which is fairly flat - oh and a bonus, you get to walk past the motorbike shop on Kent Terrace!!!

Oriental Bay is a beautiful area of Wellington with an excellent clean and tidy feel to it, a couple of really nice cafe's and with many modern buildings. I expect many are "holiday" homes so I guess there should be a fairly high chance of getting a rental, but it isn't going to be cheap.
There's many apartments and due to one side of the road being the promenade and the other side being a hillside you won't find too many houses there or anything with much of a garden......your garden is across and up the road being Wellington.
Oriental Bay is one of the most sought after places in Wellington for property - especially for young professionals as it allows an easy walk in to the city and is an ideal place to go for a run/bike ride from at lunch time.

Have a look on http://www.trademe.co.uk and http://www.realestate.co.nz

luvwelly

http://www.trademe.co.nz/browse/cate...ath=0350-5748-


Wow rents have come down since I left almost a year ago. Good for the OP. Would be very easy walk up to Basin Reserve from Oriental Bay. Think it will be easier to find a 2 bed centrally than a large family home.

WilliamsNZ

Thanks guys for the great help. Looks like we'll start by focusing on Oriental Bay then. Seems like it has amazing views.

Any general advice on life in Wellington?

luvwelly

Avoid damp houses. Views and wind is better than damp and sheltered.
Parking is expensive. The coffee is fantastic but a Costa Flat White in UK comes close.

Don't be put off by the 'busy' area around the Basin Reserve...it's where the car dealerships are. The rest of the CBD is much nicer. The good news is that one of my favourite cafes in Hataitai which suddenly closed down a couple of years ago re-opened just before I left in the grotty area round the corner from the Church. It's called Salvation Coffee but only because its original premises were a former Salvation Army Charity Shop.
http://salvationcoffee.co.nz/about.html
It's an example of a strong type Wellington coffee but never bitter.

escapedtonz

No worries. Glad to help. Oriental Bay is beautiful and does have amazing views. It's an excellent place to live, close to Waitangi Park where there's loads of free stuff on all summer, close to Te Papa museum and the harbour which is all walking distance.
I especially like Beach Babylon on Oriental Parade for breakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee which is directly across the street from the beach area further out of the city limits but still only a short walk.
There's also a decent cafe at the children's playground at Waitangi Park that serves good coffee.

Have to give me something else to go on for advice on life in Wellington. To much info comes to mind with such a sweeping statement
Anything specific ?

WilliamsNZ

Lol, that's understandable! Any particular areas to avoid? Is it a general nice place to live?

luvwelly

Avoid: Not really. Generally nice: Yes as good as NZ gets imho.
I wouldn't want to live in Newtown, Mount Cook or Berhampore but there aren't any unsafe areas as such. Because most houses are detached, it can be difficult to spot the less desirable areas but just play it by ear.

WilliamsNZ

Thanks a lot! Very helpful.

Hoping that we will love it there!