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Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Old Apr 30th 2010, 3:52 am
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Post Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=579500
Anyone Live in Tauranga

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=400181
Tauranga Suburbs


Hello everyone, sorry i aint been around much lately, i was wondering if anyone had any further things to add to either of these posts specifically to the Welcome Bay area.

We have put in an offer on a piece of land just off Waitaha Road and as part of our due diligence before we go unconditional in a couple of weeks i thought i would ask you guys what you thought.

So far i can see that Am Loolah isnt to 'overwelmed' by the area but i wondered if things had changed since these posts were originally done. I know that only a small % of you guys will be familiar with the area and its a bit of a long shot but its worth a try if you have any thoughts you wouldnt mind sharing with me x

My thoughts on Welcome Bay..... It has a fair mix of housing some clearly social housing areas, other more affluent areas that we couldnt afford - all on the same street. High Maori population. Welcome Bay primary doesnt have a particularly good rep but i have been in and met with the deputy head and for the most part it seems 'ok'. But i had hoped for better thatn ok I like the fact that you can see the water from most parts of it. I like the hills and valley features. It is certainly less 'bland' than some other areas i have seen. The traffic problems at the top of the hill for the most part (not having been there at peak times - if i am wrong please correct me if you know better) seem to have been solved with the traffic light system in place - i can see why this junction would have been a twat without them . I can see some places where clearly people have been doing skids etc on the roads (black wheel marks etc) so i know that it has hoon issues in places but from what i have seen most area of Tauranga seem to have this same issue. I started reading a piece from the NZ Herald a month or 2 back about a drugs raid in 'Welcome Bay' but when i googled the streets mentioned as being raided they weren't even in Welcome Bay.

I dont want to put any other areas of Tauranga down. We looked all over trying to find our little bit of NZ in Tauranga but this bit we found ticks all our boxes. We could just as easy have ended up in Ohauiti, Bethlehem or any place else. This process is very daunting and i would welcome any brain waves xx

Any thoughts... good and bad... welcome - but if you could back them up with links or experiences that would be most helpful x

Psycho x
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Old Apr 30th 2010, 4:22 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by Psychopandy
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=579500
Anyone Live in Tauranga

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=400181
Tauranga Suburbs


Hello everyone, sorry i aint been around much lately, i was wondering if anyone had any further things to add to either of these posts specifically to the Welcome Bay area.

We have put in an offer on a piece of land just off Waitaha Road and as part of our due diligence before we go unconditional in a couple of weeks i thought i would ask you guys what you thought.

So far i can see that Am Loolah isnt to 'overwelmed' by the area but i wondered if things had changed since these posts were originally done. I know that only a small % of you guys will be familiar with the area and its a bit of a long shot but its worth a try if you have any thoughts you wouldnt mind sharing with me x

My thoughts on Welcome Bay..... It has a fair mix of housing some clearly social housing areas, other more affluent areas that we couldnt afford - all on the same street. High Maori population. Welcome Bay primary doesnt have a particularly good rep but i have been in and met with the deputy head and for the most part it seems 'ok'. But i had hoped for better thatn ok I like the fact that you can see the water from most parts of it. I like the hills and valley features. It is certainly less 'bland' than some other areas i have seen. The traffic problems at the top of the hill for the most part (not having been there at peak times - if i am wrong please correct me if you know better) seem to have been solved with the traffic light system in place - i can see why this junction would have been a twat without them . I can see some places where clearly people have been doing skids etc on the roads (black wheel marks etc) so i know that it has hoon issues in places but from what i have seen most area of Tauranga seem to have this same issue. I started reading a piece from the NZ Herald a month or 2 back about a drugs raid in 'Welcome Bay' but when i googled the streets mentioned as being raided they weren't even in Welcome Bay.

I dont want to put any other areas of Tauranga down. We looked all over trying to find our little bit of NZ in Tauranga but this bit we found ticks all our boxes. We could just as easy have ended up in Ohauiti, Bethlehem or any place else. This process is very daunting and i would welcome any brain waves xx

Any thoughts... good and bad... welcome - but if you could back them up with links or experiences that would be most helpful x

Psycho x
hi i find its much the same as any where, like you say its a nice area traffic is realy nothing just remember to use the right lanes, we are hope fully coming back to tauranga about oct will live along ohauiti road some where, we used to live in greerton just along pyes pa road and thats quite good
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Old Apr 30th 2010, 4:34 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

When we were looking at living in Tauranga we trailed around most areas and asked realators and locals and our work rep what they'd recommend. Welcome Bay wasn't one of the favoured areas - were told to steer clear, same goes for lower half of Ohauiti but top half of Ohauiti we were told was ok. Bethlehem was nice was very expensive (for us anyway) and houses so close together. That was in 2007 though and things change so it could all be different now.
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Old Apr 30th 2010, 6:13 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Hiya Psycho

We are currently living just outside Tauranga at Te Puna, we also thought Welcome Bay looked a good area for the reasons you've mentioned, however when we mentioned it to longer term expats and local's both groups advised that the area should be avoided or at least carefully considered as an area for house purchase.

Bethlehem is a good area, as are Omokoroa, just a bit further up state highway 2 or Te Puna. Might be worth you looking out here before you sign up.

HTH
B x
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Old Apr 30th 2010, 4:29 pm
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Hi,
were heading for Tauranga hopefully in december, can i ask you where would you suggest we head for? Also are their any bad schools either primary or secondard that should be avoided (i am a teacher and my children are school age)?
How long have you been living out there?
Cheers
Helen
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Old Apr 30th 2010, 9:56 pm
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by marbles
Hi,
were heading for Tauranga hopefully in december, can i ask you where would you suggest we head for? Also are their any bad schools either primary or secondard that should be avoided (i am a teacher and my children are school age)?
How long have you been living out there?
Cheers
Helen
Hi Helen
As mentioned in previous post I would def look around Bethlehem, Te Puna & Omokoroa. We don't have school age children so can't really advise but hopefully someone who can will be along to help.
This is our third visit to this area, this time we've been in NZ since Feb 1st and in Te Puna about 8 weeks.....so not long in the scheme of things!! we will be heading back to UK 15th May but if we were going to buy here these are the areas we would look.
HTH
B x
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Old May 1st 2010, 12:27 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by marbles
Hi,
were heading for Tauranga hopefully in december, can i ask you where would you suggest we head for? Also are their any bad schools either primary or secondard that should be avoided (i am a teacher and my children are school age)?
How long have you been living out there?
Cheers
Helen
Tauranga is bigger than people, including myself before I came, think. Have a look on the Wiki for some information.

You'll basically be able to choose from city, beach or rural as a starting point. The schools are almost all zoned so will depend on where you choose to settle. What age are your children? I have a child at Mount Maunganui College, one at Tauranga Girls and two at Tahatai Coast School, links on the Wiki. They all settled pretty well, but teenagers are teenagers the world over.
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Old May 2nd 2010, 11:27 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Hi Shelly, I was over at the mount at a trade show on saturday and passed
through the welcome bay area on my way.
It looks really nice. close enough to town and i'm guessing you wouldnt have
to look to hard to find a place with great sea views either.
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Old May 2nd 2010, 8:55 pm
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Thank you for all your comments. I was hoping that someone would be able to'back up' some of the negativity surrounding this area. I am a bit lost on the whole thing to be honest.

As MnB and Col said its a nice area when you drive through it. I can see some of the problems - social housing etc. but the rest of it ..... where is it? The traffic isnt that bad. theres certainly less grafity there than i have seen in areas such as the streets around the mount and the fences along manganui road - that looks awful. but i wouldnt judge an area by things like that alone.... or should i? Should i look at the social housing and decide on that basis alone that all the people who live in that 'sort' of housing must be low lifes and trouble? what sort of a person would that make me? My mother lives in a 'social housing' area in the UK - should i judge her on her house alone?

I do understand that areas can get 'reputations' and i am not for a second saying that everyone is wrong about what they say about Welcome Bay - only ..... can anyone tell me why ? what's the reputation based on? or is it all down to he said, she said, they said.... without anyone questioning why?

Maybe i am feeling a bit down, maybe i am completely dissilusioned hoping that someone might have something good to say about anything.

Concretepump:- i like Greerton also, it has a considerably better shopping area than welcome bay has, but my OH has been told its 'not so good' probably based on the same stuff that i read on welcome bay. I thought it looked on face value at least - nice.

Teamembo and MnB:- we looked around bethlehem and Omokkoroa but they didnt do anything for me at all. Not sure why... apart from the prices in Bethlehem.... what are they thinking - it aint that nice! and Omokoroa doesnt appear to have much there except the sea and other 'new' houses. We did look at both houses and sections, aswell as in Pyes Pa and Oropi Rd and the Lakes. All we kept seeing was square, flat sections with lots of other square flat sections next to them which will eventually all look exactly the same. Or houses that are 2/3 years old and already look knackered either from owner abuse or poor construction in the first place - or maybe a bit of both.

Well, thanks again, i appreciate all your comments.

Psycho x
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Old May 3rd 2010, 7:33 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Hi Phsyco
Id just like to say before people who havent even been here put you off. I live in Welcome Bay and have been here since last August. We are in a rental at the mo but have just bought a section around the corner on the Longridge Estate.

I live in a quiet cul-de-sac with the best neighbours you could ask for, there are plenty of kids for my 2 to play with and no busy roads for them to get squashed on. All the roads have speed bumps on them. We live near Selwyn Ridge school which has been voted one of the best schools in NZ.

The town centre is accessible in 10 mins and Fraser Cove about 7. The local shops are ok with a dairy, bakery, post office, newsagent etc, it would do for that pint of milk you realise you need late at night.

There are bush walks, parks and hot pools. If you go down Welcome Bay road towards Papamoa you come out near Domain Rd and straight to the beach - 15 mins max.

Yes there are un-desirables and state houses but you get them all over ..... even in Pomamoa - oops, i mean Papamoa. Id say the majority of houses are privately owned and quite a lot are traditional NZ houses, not the one level type that are very common.

To top it all off for us is once we have a house built on our section ( single storey ) is that from most rooms as the plan dictates we will have views of the Mount, the Estuary and the Kaimies with a sunset that takes your breath away.

We looked all over Tauranga for a suburb that suited us and Welcome Bay ticked all the boxes but its a personal choice and what doesnt do for one will do for another.
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Old May 3rd 2010, 8:08 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Thanks Mac

thats what i was hoping for - someone who is actually 'living' the area or who knows it well enough to comment warts and all - but actually aware of what its really like.

OH and I really like it - the views to the water are fab from most of the surrounds and like you have found sometimes you can see sea and mountains and sometimes one or the other. we can peak the sea - till the tide goes out - but what the hell - it comes back in again

When are you going to start building? who are you using?

We are still in Cambridge at the mo but the OH works in Tauranga and 'hears' stuff. But contrary to what he 'heard' he likes welcome bay - and so do i x we are hoping to ger underway with the building by the winter - better get our finger out eh.

Thanks again to all who posted - it is appreciated x

Psycho

What may help with anyone like marbles who is looking to move here in the near future is that from talking to people today while i was over there - is that most of the 'welcome bay reputation' was earned some years ago due to the social housing that dominated at that time - i think this is no longer the case as there has been significant subdivision building in recent times. And also the problems that commuters had getting out of Welcome Bay at the top of the hill. This has been addressed with a traffic light controlled junction which unanimously seems to get a resounding from people who live there. (havent spoken to the whole popluation obviously!! )

And MnB - sorry you are headed back to the UK - we never did get to share a beer. Take care and i hope all goes well for you x
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Old May 3rd 2010, 8:19 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by Psychopandy
Thanks Mac

thats what i was hoping for - someone who is actually 'living' the area or who knows it well enough to comment warts and all - but actually aware of what its really like.

OH and I really like it - the views to the water are fab from most of the surrounds and like you have found sometimes you can see sea and mountains and sometimes one or the other. we can peak the sea - till the tide goes out - but what the hell - it comes back in again

When are you going to start building? who are you using?

We are still in Cambridge at the mo but the OH works in Tauranga and 'hears' stuff. But contrary to what he 'heard' he likes welcome bay - and so do i x we are hoping to ger underway with the building by the winter - better get our finger out eh.

Thanks again to all who posted - it is appreciated x

Psycho

What may help with anyone like marbles who is looking to move here in the near future is that from talking to people today while i was over there - is that most of the 'welcome bay reputation' was earned some years ago due to the social housing that dominated at that time - i think this is no longer the case as there has been significant subdivision building in recent times. And also the problems that commuters had getting out of Welcome Bay at the top of the hill. This has been addressed with a traffic light controlled junction which unanimously seems to get a resounding from people who live there. (havent spoken to the whole popluation obviously!! )

And MnB - sorry you are headed back to the UK - we never did get to share a beer. Take care and i hope all goes well for you x
We''ll be back ...so keep a bottle in the fridge!! Good luck with your house build, we'll look forward to checking it out one day
B x
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Old May 3rd 2010, 8:22 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by MnB
We''ll be back ...so keep a bottle in the fridge!! Good luck with your house build, we'll look forward to checking it out one day
B x
That would be nice i had heard that you plan to keep coming back haha
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Old May 3rd 2010, 8:37 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Originally Posted by Psychopandy
That would be nice i had heard that you plan to keep coming back haha
ping pong snowbird pom!!(me not OH, he's just a ping pong kiwi pom) ....one day
B x
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Old May 3rd 2010, 9:12 am
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Default Re: Thoughts on Welcome Bay, Tauranga

Hey phsyco
We have decided to go with Signature homes after lots of deliberation. We spoke to G.J, Keyhomes, Ultimateand Harwood and they all had very much the same to offer for our budget but we got a better feel with Signature.

There was a drugs raid here a month or so ago but no arrests were made, not saying nothing dodgy doesnt go on - a friend of mine is having problems with undesirable neighbours but look at the Uk problems. ( you only had to watch Homes from hell last night )the problems there are on a much grander scale - here they are in small pockets. Luckily WB is big enough to avoid these areas.

I may be biased but would recommend it with no doubt - only thing i will complain of though is i cant get up these ruddy hills on my bike ???
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