GoingIn2011

Hi - more advice needed please!

We are moving from Titirangi up to Rodney way. I know a few of you are up on the Whangaparoa Peninsula. We are aiming to move by Christmas.

Just looking for tips really... ideally we need a 4 bed house (3 kids plus parents / S-i-L coming to stay for a few months early next year). It has got to have a garden big enough for a trampoline. Is it hard to find houses on the flat in Whangaparoa?

Am I right in thinking the the Peninsula is slightly cheaper for what we are looking for than Orewa / Silverdale / Red Beach? And what about these bottlenecks getting off the Peninsula in the morning? What time does it start / finish?

Also, are there any areas up there that are worth avoiding?

Thanks

scrubbedexpat094

Well as you probably know I'm at the far end - Gulf Harbour (Hobbs Bay & Fisherman's Cove). Now I like GH & others think it's the pits. Too far to travel etc., etc. There are some leaky homes, there are some housing association homes & then there are lots of the usual kiwi homes.

I have a good group of friends here, go to our local pub quiz on a wednesday evening & most people comment about how quiet it is where we live. We had a fourteen foot trampoline in our garden up until last week. I've given it to some friends for their boys.

OH either drives to work (leaves around 6am) or catches the ferry to the CBD. When I was working I used to leave at approx 5.50am but then I started work at 6.45am in Parnell.

I have friends who live at Stanmore Bay, Arkles Bay, Army Bay, Manly etc., all happy living on the Peninsula.
Lots of noise complaints in Silverdale from the Northern Arena Gym......thump, thump, thump bass music. It may have been resolved though. Orewa's a good place to live, I have plenty of friends who live there. And of course Orewa has a smashing theatre (Centrestage ).
Red Beach is also pleasant & Red Beach school has an excellent reputation I believe.

Get in the car & come & explore

Justcol

I was in Arkles Bay until 6 months ago when I moved to Devonport, now I want to move back.
Stanmore Bay, Arkles, Manly, Red Beach, G/H all have flat sections mixed in among the sloping ones.
I never really had too much of an issue getting off the peninsular but I tended to leave at 9am ish when most
of the heavy stuff had gone. I was up at G/H myself at the weekend looking at some places to buy.
You definitely get more bang for your buck up there compared to almost anywhere else in Aux

GoingIn2011

Thanks for the swift replies - this forum is great!

We are up that way nearly every weekend - we love it! We love the beach, the park next to the beach, we have already signed our kids up for school up there so we are getting them used to the area. We have driven all around the peninsula and tried to work out if Andy could take the ferry but his working hours just wouldn't allow for that - too much over time

Is the Northern Arena that swimming pool just past Pak 'n' save? Is it a leisure centre too then?

Also, is it a lot of families up there now? Cause apparently it has a reputation for being lots of um... well, the way they described round here sounded like the Eastbourne of the North Shore... I used to live in Eastbourne and think I brought the average age down by about 35 years

simonsi

Stanmore bay has a nice leisure centre, with fun sessions for the kids and a smaller warmer pool for the little ones:

Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre

Plenty of all sorts of ages on Whangaparaoa, couple of retirement villages for sure but it is also ex-bach/holiday territory for Aucklanders which probably colours their views, most view it as the ends of the earth having holidayed there as kids....

scrubbedexpat094

I'd consider Orewa as more like Eastbourne. As Simonsi says, mixed ages on the Peninsula.

We love Shakespear Regional Park & we head to Te Haruhi beach quite a lot. It's where we head on Christmas Day afternoon & have a get together with lots of other people. Some lovely walks around there & fantastic views of the Hauraki gulf.

We are spoiled for beaches, as there are plenty of them. Also, if it's too windy on one side of the Peninsula then head to the other side .

Northern Arena has swimming pools, gym and Les Mills fitness classes but Stanmore Bay Leisure Centre is good too.

I'm biased but I think the Peninsula is a great place to live. Shame about the ferry, it's a great way to travel.

lardyl

haha I always call Orewa "Darby & Jones-by-the-sea"
but there are families and young people living there and if you get really annoyed with the shopping experience go to New World after 9pm when they're in bed
we have everything families need here although the new homes going up at Millwater and possibly in Red Beach will make everyone's commute longer pretty soon.