hanjan

We are finally on our way to NZ, arriving mid September. We are looking at the Rodney District of Auckland and seriously considering Orewa, Red Beach, Hatfield Beach area.
Is the journey to Auckland City a sensible commuting distance, and what are the journey times likely to be at peak times?
Any information, opinions and words of wisdom would be gratefully accepted.

Littletoe

Orewa - very nice. Possible commute into city on new motorway - not advisable because you will spend three hours a day on the road driving. If you're used to commuting into London from any of the Home Counties, than it's no problem. I live in the Rodney District (its beautiful out here!), and its a bit easier from where I am (Kumeu) NW Motorway straight in. I do counselling along the Hibiscus Coast, and I really like Whangapora (where my head office is based). There are some awesome places there, and its not touristy.

Red Beach into city is easier, its closer on the same motorway. Rush hour is always going to get everyone! Its pretty chockers over here into the city. The WORST traffic comes from the North Shore. Its nice as you branch off the motorway on the way home and leave the queue of the stationary traffic trying to get home on the North Shore!

You can find some real gems out here to buy/rent.

Hope this helps! And good luck!

AnnieNell

We live in Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparoa peninsula. The council are going to be building a toll road (Penlink) to link to the motorway, so that will help. My husband works in the CBD & gets the ferry from GH to Auckland. Takes 50mins. At the moment there are 2 in the morning, 7am & 7.30am & return at 4.40pm & 5.35pm. He has the added bonus of dolphin watching occasionally. That never happened on his commute from Burton to Derby! Hope this helps.

hanjan

Thanks for your replies. I hope to be working at Starship, so starting work earlier may help? Hubby works in Burton and doesn't particularly enjoy the scenery along the A38 .... bring on the dolphins!

Littletoe

Starship is a wonderful hospital, and the staff are amazing. There isn't the bitterness like you find in the UK. It has a wonderful reputation, I've met a lot of parents who's kids have been seriously ill and they can't thank the hospital enough.

Good with the move and the job

lapsed kiwi

We have lived in Orewa for 18 months and love it. It is a fairly quiet place with a mix of family and older people. I understand the schools have quite a good reputation, they've just built a big primary school near us and it looks very nice (my oldest will find out in 18 months time). There is a good selection of shops, a few good restaurants, some bars, cafes etc and an amazing beach. Also, you're already out of the city so if you want to escape to the country or beach at the weekends or evenings you're already there.
I commute daily into Devonport and it takes an average of 40min at rush hour, 30 min at other times. I would not like to commute by car over the bridge leaving home any time between 0630 and 0900 - the northern motorway pretty much grinds to a halt between Albany and the CBD (I usually exit at Albany and use the coast road through North Shore suburbia). There is a very good bus service from Albany with free parking, using this I can get into the CBD in around 50min door to door even at rush hour, and this will get better when the bus expressway is finished next year.
So, depending on whether you're working shifts or anything like a 8-4 day at Starship your commute could be OK or dreadful.
I hope this helps, and good luck with your move

lardyl

I commute from Red Beach into Newmarket, on the south side of Auckland City and leave by car between 0550 & 0605h arriving at about 0630 to 0640h pretty much each day, if I am 10min late you can add another 10min to the journey time and the traffic is bad on the return even as early as 1530 or 1545 out of Auckland. Kids leave school at 1500h so that can really affect some areas traffic wise - some schools I have come across are far worse than the UK for parking up at home time.
As far as schools go our eldest goes to red beach primary - good reputation, the newly built one nearby is at Silverdale, it was moved out of an industrial estate over the main SH1 into what is the beginnings of a residential/service area that will be massive, hundreds of homes, a stadium, shops, etc are planned - that will make the commute from points east and north (eg Whangapaoroa and Orewa) much worse but that is a few years off AFIK!!
The general sentiments are right, HBC is a great place to live with kids, Orewa can be a bit like a retirement village in the week, Gulf Harbour is OK but newly developed and lots of the properties are very similar, albeit with brick/tile and central heating, Stanmore Bay has a great beach, boat ramp and leisure centre, Red Beach has a good beach, less boaty but a little more upmarket than Stanmore and Silverdale is about to expand. Between Gulf Harbour and Stanmore Bay are the Whangapaoroa shops, a bowling alley, cinema and lots of facilities, Manly and the other small bay settlements towards Gulf Harbour are pretty much merged and most are nice upmarket places to live but yet further away from the city and with only one real road out of town.
However, you must be commited to live up here and work in Auckland as the travelling is gruelling, even by public transport, which is patchy in reliability and service (in my limited experience). Good luck!