almondm70

Hi,

We are moving to New Zealand in August this year and my girlfriend may be working in Papakura, just south of Auckland. Does anyone know what this area is like? How far is it from the city centre? Is it practical to live in the city centre and possible to commute out on public transport or by car?

We've heard South Auckland is the least desirable area to be in - does this include Papakura, or is it more of a town in its own right?

Thanks, as you can tell, any info would be much appreciated!

bga

Hi , can't comment personally as I'm not familiar with the area - this may or may not help , http://www.pdc.govt.nz/statistics.htm - statistics eh! the latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the world's population.

CindyGirl

Stopped there for coffee on sat whilst son was playing football in Drury .Seemed nice enough to us .

Cheesehead

I work in Takanini (right next to Papakura) and I'm afraid to say I wouldn't want to live there. I spend a bit of time there in my lunch time or shopping after work and it is a bit scruffy and slightly dodgy looking (in my opinion). On the plus side, there is a train station, it is quite leafy in parts, relatively cheap to live and the outskirts are quite pleasant. For example, you could easily live in Clevedon - gorgeous rural village which is only about 15 mins from Papakura and only 15 mins from the beach.
The city is about 40 mins away on a good day but the Auckland traffic is a shocker and you could easily find yourself queuing for well over an hour to get home a few times a week.
Hope this helps.

pricklykina

Actually living in the city suburbs might be good for papakura too

My husband was brought up in Papakura and he is not a fan at all
But you could live in Ellerslie, Onehunga, even Mt Eden and have an easy commute as you'll be going against the main flow of traffic assuming she's working a 9-5

chocolate cake

I wouldn't be rushing to live in the city suburbs, there's plenty of decent places within commute of Papakura without heading back into the city, Clevedon & Drury mentioned Cindygirl & Cheesehead are obvious choices amongest others and both should offer better value.

pricklykina

Just an option depending on what you like

Some people like close access to the city for a cheapish cab ride to town for a night out

If I was young for instance, and childfree I would be in Grey Lynn, Westmere, Kingsland not Clevedon or Drury

If I wanted handy countryside, certainly clevedon etc

almondm70

Thanks very much for all your helpful advice everyone.

We will both we working 9-5 ish so yes, we'll be travelling against the rush hour if we're living closer to Auckland city centre.

We're both 26 and child-free so would people suggest living closer to the city centre than to Papakura itself? We're hoping to be able to access watersports and therefore want easy access to beaches, but I suppose that probably isn't too difficult from anywhere in Auckland, is it?!

Thanks again for your comments, it's giving us lots to think about.

pricklykina

Maybe put put your wish list

Watersports
Anything else ?
What sort of facilities, services, activities might you want nearby?