mani99

Hi all,

My wife and I will be moving to NZ for 12 months in April this year and I wanted to get some advice as to where to live.

My job will be in IT so will most likely get something in Auckland so we will need to find something around there.

I am looking for areas which are about 30/40mins max commute to Auckland and which are located in a nice peaceful surroundings, and we have a budget of around $600 a week.

Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Thanks!

BEVS

Hi and welcome to this wee NZ forum.

You'll see I tweaked the title a bit for you to better reflect your query.
It was rather looking like an Immy thread.

cheers
BEVS

GoingIn2011

There's a thread below - where I get munted for professing my dislike of certain areas of West Auckland. In the interests of balance however I direct you to said thread. I personally would not touch Glen Eden, Henderson, New Lynn with a barge pole. However, I would recommend settlements nearer the Waitakere Ranges such as Titirangi, Laingholm, Woodlands Park.

I am currently living on the NS and love the East Coast Bays: Castor, Campbells, Murrays, Rothesay, Mairaingi, Browns, Torbay, Long Bay, etc. This is where I love to live. Some other people seem to be saying that you should not touch the non-bay parts of the NS. I can't speak for that as I have not been to anywhere on the NS other than the bays.

South Auckland - pass, dunno; ditto East or Central.

jmh

I'd be inclined to go for Remuera, Kohimarama, Mt Eden. Nice areas, fairly central. Don't expect anything too fancy, but if it's only for a year you'll probably be off siteseeing each weekend anyway.

Bo-Jangles

There are dozens to choose from and where you live will largely depend upon what you can afford. People always get offended if you dare mention their place unfavourably but lets face it, why would you move half way around the world to live in some scungy down at heel place or among the riff-raff.

I would avoid anything graded 'Bottom' and probably a lot of the 'Lower Middle':

http://www.auckland-suburb-guide.co.nz/

pricklykina

Man, that list is ooold, BJ...Takapuna middle?????? Freemans Bay Middle????? Wow, I think that page needs a bit of an edit

jmh

I was very surprised to see Redhill labelled 'bottom'

I guess all the people I know live on the north side of the hill.

Source: Wikipedia

mani99

Thanks for the replies so far (and the title edit!).

I will take a look at that list but as somone already mentioned, no point in travelling half way around the world to live in a "dump".

Please feel free to keep more suggestions coming, thanks!

Tranmere Rover

I work in IT in the CBD and we live in Kohimarama. Kohi's a lovely spot, close to the beach, not too busy etc. It's about 9kms from the Sky Tower, so dead easy to get to the CBD for work. Kohi's not cheap, but $600 per week will get you a nice 3 bed.

Mission Bay is next to Kohi, but much busier.

mani99

One other thing I wanted to add was that we would prefer a fully furnished place and when I have looked online there are not that many that come furnished, particularly houses.

And one other thing, Ive read the term 'CBD' in several threads but have no idea what this means :-(

Tranmere Rover

Central Business District

I've obviously been here too long - I didn't know what that meant when I first came either!

mani99

Thanks..

pricklykina

Fully furnished is very uncommon. I remember being surprised at that. Particularly when looking for a flat share and needing your own bed etc.

Bo-Jangles

Yeah maybe but who knows where some of the boundaries are, as always in real estate they are very loose. There's lots of scabby bits of the wider 'Takapuna' that ain't all that and it is very mixed actually extending far beyond the multi-million dollar beachfront properties and has lots of shabby old rental accomodation and old people living in little poky old houses.

mani99

That is a surprise but also means that we will have to buy furniture for a year long move which isnt very ideal