dreamfish

We went to view a house today in a private road of Matui Road in Raumati.
We love it.
And we have checked out the plans for the western link road, and sections to be developed and we are satisfied that this wont affect the section we are on.

So why have we had this property chewed and spat out by a couple of people we know - what is wrong with the area? Granted Matui Road itself looks a little run down - but that doesnt affect us where we would be situated, and we are surrounded by some quite exclusive homes.

i feel even more despondant - thinking we had found the one for us, and had these people piss on our dreams.

Is there a 'them and us' btwn Paraparamau and Raumati - the latter considered to be peasentville? I figured this must be it cos i cant see any reason why this place should be treated with such distaste!

yours feeling quite miserable and still cant hear properly despite being given drugs from the quack and feeling generally down and frustrated and despondent but not enough to want to go back to the Uk, Kate.

Maz

Ooh that's a toughie... not sure about rivalry between Paraparam and Raumati Beach. But you might have a point there, maybe Paraparam looks down its nose at its slightly poorer neighbour.

Is the house on open2view? Would love to see it if you can PM me a link.

We stayed one whole night in Raumati Beach in April. It was supposed to be 4 but they really weren't entirely truthful about the utter lack of heat in the place... but we did love going out the back of the house to the beach in the morning!

It's certainly not one of the richer parts of the area, that's for sure, but not sure why it's been so completely rubbished by your friends. Did you ask them why they felt that way?

Also, do think about hubby's commute. He'll be working in the CBD right? That's a long drive to do twice a day. Here's the train timetable for the Paraparaumu line. As you can see, it takes very nearly an hour each way. Please just be very sure you want to be that far out.

dreamfish

hye there Maz will email you the link. We have been looking at Waikanae and Masterton too. I ruled out Masterton and Greytown as utterly ridiculous - especially up that blinkin mountain and back. took me an hour and half!

yes we have talked about commute - which is nothing compared to what we used to do. And he is fine with it. His colleague (friend number one who i now call .... .....i will PM you on that too) lives further up and they have talked about doing a car share.

He has told me he doesnt want to live on a hill - which just about rules out anywhere between CBD and the Kapiti. I love Petone but cant find anything in our budget

Anyway look out for a PM xx

leedge

We've lived in Raumati South for 12 months now, after renting in Paraparaumu for the first 3 months, and love it.

I think Raumati is more varied housing wise, and with a bit more character. Plenty of properties that will set you back a significant amount!

My only question is - do you mean Matai Rd? I don't know of, and can't find Matui Rd on any maps.

PM me if you want more specific details

Scottish Family

Hi Kate

For what it's worth, I prefer the atmosphere of Raumati and Raumati Beach to the busier hustle & bustle of Paraparaumu. I have a friend who lives in Matui Road and her house is lovely and even has a small orchard at the back. You might even see her selling grapefruits etc. on a table with an honesty box outside her house.

There are a lot of families with kids in Raumati South school who have pools in their gardens and kiddies who go to horse riding etc., so I wasn't aware that it was considered 'poor' as such. I have only been here since October though.

We stayed in Raumati Sands resort in Raumati Beach for a month or so and we really liked the village, cafes and the miniature railway in the park. Everyone was very friendly too. Then we moved to apartments on Paraparam Beach front and it was a bit like living on the Blackpool promenade. By that I mean it gets very very busy at the weekends, especially lately as summer approaches but we did like the views.

We are now in Waikanae, which is a little quieter but still has enough supermarkets, DIY stores, restaurants and cafes to keep us going. We still drive into paraparam for a big food shop. I'm not sure if that is out of habit from living there before. We like it here for the moment and hubby takes the normal train into Welly to get into office by 8.30am but takes the nicer 5.20pm(?) commuter train back at nights. (It has a loo, proper leather seats at tables and a bar so I'm told.)

I haven't heard anything particularly bad about Matui Street so if your 'searches' come back OK then I would trust my gut instinct and go with it.
Do you consider these other people to be good friends? Its you that will be living there and I know at least three people that love it. Its horses for courses really. I think paraparam beach is too commercial / busy but it does have a school with a good reputation.

It really depends what your own criteria are for wanting to live in any particular area. Perhaps your friends will change their minds once they see you settled and enjoying life in Raumati.

If you want to chat etc. then PM me. Also poppets lives up here in Waikanae so you might want to talk to her as well. Good luck with your decision.

poppets

hi kate
i've not been aware of any 'them & us' between raumati & p'ram. as scottish family has said & you probably already know the shops are lovely, as is the marine gardens wirh the pool & the beach.
i think P'ram is just more well known cos everything is there & its the central hub of kapiti, i suppose.
a few of the teachers from my sons school in waikanae live in raumati , some for many years, so it can't be that bad
good luck