gazmac

Hi all,

My family and I are moving from the Auckland areas to live in Nelson.

We will be arriving on the 18th. I will be working at the hospital.

We are looking for a place to rent initially and would appreciate any help or advice. this can be in regard to location - we have heard Toi Toi and Victory are places to avoid.

Main requirements that we are close to (within walking distance) local amenities and a playcentre

I would appreciate any information on :-

Any private rentals you may know off that accept dogs - we have a 4 month old Ladrador pup.

Any regular groups for young kids (18 months) it is vital to me that my partner and I settle in quickly and build up a social circle.

Are the sandflies as bad as people say?

Any recommendation on a social football team, Im not as fit as i once was

I would prefer to live initially within a 15 minute drive to the hospital but this is dependent on finding a place suitable for a dog.

Any other advice, hints or tips will be greatly received.

Please keep it positive, We are moving and would rather not hear any nasty scary stories about why we should choose Wanganui instead. (Insert humorous comment here)

BEVS

From what you write the Richmond area would suit your family best. Very easy to get to all available amenities. Many families live in this area.

Yes. There are local football clubs here. Take your pick !

No idea on toddler group but given this is a families area there will be several. My suggestion would be to ask at the local toy library once you know which part of Richmond your rental will be.

Stoke is considered to be an older age group.

Yes. Sandflies can be a nuisance but I doubt they'll bother you too much in Richmond or your place of work.

Yes. Please don't rent in the Toi Toi . Victory area of Nelson. If you are set on Nelson , then look to The Wood or Brook. For these areas you may well encounter the dreaded sandflies. Also these areas can be very shady.

Can't help with the rentals though. I don't live in the Nelson/Richmond area. However, would be happy to look at a property for you and give feedback.

gazmac

Thanks for the reply.

Were finding the house hunting from afar to be rather difficult, we arrive on the 18th and will start looking seriously then. We have a dog which is proving to be more of an obstacle than we would have liked.

Hopefully things will just fall into place.

kitti

Hi, I used to live in Nelson and also agree that Richmond is lovely. Stoke's also quite nice, but the sections are a bit smaller there on general. There are lots of families there now, so it's not really too oldseville any more, good local shopping area & schools.

Don't be tempted by Tahunanui, it's lovely but jam-packed with tourists in summer. Everywhere is a maximum of 15 mins drive in Nelson.

The locals will tell you that the traffic is dreadful on Waimea Road where the hospital is, but don't worry. Compared to the UK, it's really nothing. It can add up to ten minutes (gasp!) on your journey at proper peak times, but really, living a little further out is worth it.

All the schools are great, you can't really go wrong. Henley has a great reputation, and Waimea college. (College is Kiwi for high school.) Really though, all great schools. If you have the cash, Monaco (pronounced Manarco) is beautiful, with stunning views.

You're right about Toi Toi and Victory. You'll see why when you arrive! Also be careful if you go the The Brook or The Wood. Lovely, but pick the wrong spot and you'll NEVER see the sun in winter!

We lived in Richmond and loved it there. It can be a bit tough to crack the social scene, but a job and a positive outlook will see you right.

If you want any more help, just pm me, happy to help. Oh - and sandflies are a bitch everywhere near water / sand in NZ!

gazmac

Thanks for the info. Sandflies are a pain, My partner gets hounded by the bugs more than I do so avoiding them as much as we can is a must - I dont know how realistic that is but we can only try.

Would you know of any local property managers than might not appear easily online? Summit have not bee the most helpful of companies.

So far Glens Vacancies and Ray White have been the most helpful but I was curious if there might be another local one that Im not aware off?

BEVS

I had a bit of a look out today on my way into Nelson and didn't see anything.
I've bought the Nelson Mail. If there is anything there, I'll post it here.

kitti

We used Haven Rentals when we first arrived, but I will admit nobody was that helpful until we actually got there. The problem you've got is that as summer is starting a lot of people take rentals for the season. Demand has also risen sharply due to the earthquakes, a lot of people have gone there.

I guess as you're already here, you're already looking on Trade Me and all that? The people at Ray White are lovely.

kitti

http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/re...-656148762.htm

Snap Shot

We visited Nelson once on holiday about ten years ago. We were refused entry to an empty restaurant just because we were wearing jandals. (Other than that we were fully clothed I might add) I accept there are rules but for the waitress to tell me that the empty restaurant was fully booked at 7pm on a Saturday was such a blatant lie that I gladly walked out without further comment.

Other than that, I have no experience of Nelson.

I have lots of experience of Wanganui though.

Nelson2303

Hi gazmac welcome to Nelson, some good info posted on here regarding the area. We have been here close on 5 years, rented in Stoke then Mapua to get an idea of the area before buying a home in Wakefield. Travel time to Nelson is around 20-30 mins depending on traffic in Richmond, the wife works at the hospital. Have you tried QUINOVIC for rentals? You will find your main problem is finding a rental that will accept a dog. Non seem to be dog friendly that we could find so didn't bother getting our dogs until we bought our own place. (that doesn't help i know sorry) You might consider asking at the hospital for a hospital rental as a temporary measure, that could buy you time to find something more permanent.

gazmac

Hi guys,

Thanks for the help.

Snapshot - Thanks for the input, I will consider my foorwear when looking to dine in empty restaurants

No direspect was meant to those who live in Wanganui in my initial post
- I have never been but when I told a few people we were thinking of stopping off there on the way to Nelson the response I got mainly was tongue in cheek comments about staying in a P-House or if I was looking to patch into a gang. Coming from people who live in South Auckland I thought this was less than a glowing reference for the place. So I hope my attempt at humour was not lost on those who have been here/there a few years.

As it turns out we may have found a place in the Brook which ticks all the boxes, we are just negotiating when to pay the bond which I want to do once we arrive as having not actually seen the place making a commitment is a little daunting.

Yes we have been using Trade Me and Realestate, Ray White have been helpful as has Glen at GLens Vacancies. Summit appear hopeless and rather uninterested as do a few others.

I have not tried QUINVIC - I have never heard of this but will have a look - thanks.

I had considered the PSA Holoday house as a short term measure but there mostly booked up. Hopefully all will go well with the property we are considering now.

On another note, Im excited about moving down and actually cant wait to get there, Summer is approaching and all is looking good.

gazmac

Tahuna vs The Brook

Seems to be the choice

Any ideas - have about 2 days to decide....

No pressure

BEVS

Where in Tahuna ? There are good bits and not so good bits.

Tahuna , you may be close to the sea.

Brook, you will be close to town ( Nelson) .

Initial reaction to this is choose The Brook.

pornopants

Hi,

I am in Nelson and would say that both the Brook and Tahuna would suit your needs. The Brook will be colder in the winter, but I have lots of friends that live there and they enjoy being close to town. I also have friends who live in Tahuna and are very happy there. If you want more relevant advice, send me a PM with the address and I could advise further. Tahuna does have a playgroup next to the kindy as my wife works there and she thinks it is great.

In regards to football there are lots of teams, if you do fancy a game let me know by PM as we are in the middle of the summer football and I could get you into a social team. This is a great way to get a feel for the real stuff in the winter and to meet people.

Toi Toi and Victory are not nearly as bad as some would have you think and is close to the hospital. They have had a reputation for a long time and people seem to churn out the same old same old about it. I always say that it just looks like some one has changed the contrast on the TV as the houses are not quite as well looked after. The community centre and the people who run/attend are great, with lots of fantastic community events, but the reputation sticks. I have mates who say they would live nowhere else because of the people and others who wouldn't go near it with a bargepole because of the people............and in general the ones who live there are the ones that I enjoy spending time with. Not sure if that says more about me or the area though :-/

gazmac

Thanks.

We did choose The Brook, mainly due to time constraints and the lease is only for 5 months.

The advice was all appreciated.