kad

Husband going out next week - he has to find us somewhere to rent before we join him 5 weeks later. Can anyone help? We have 2 daughters aged 6 and 4, and need to make sure that there is enough for them from now until teenage-dom. It's not really easy to choose where to live without having been anywhere. I was thinking Browns Bay, Torbay, Red Beach, or Orewa as my Hubby will be working in Albany.

Debbie2NZ

Browns Bay is ok. My sister in law lives there. There is 2 good shopping centres there. There's an Albany Mega Centre and a Westfield shopping centre. Her kids go to Pinehill School and Northcross. Browns Bay can be known as Benidorm Bay as there's so many English people there. If so, I didn't notice. The town of Browns Bay is right by the sea. It's a nice town, not like a British sea side town. North Harbour Stadium is a popular sports stadium. You can easily see it at Albany but it's been put at one side of the town so the area is not mobbed when sports fixtures are in place. There are excellent bus links to central Auckland from Browns Bay park and ride.

lardyl

We live in Red Beach.

Good place IMO, less overcrowded than parts of the North Shore, more laid back, older demographic in Orewa, more younger families per head in Red Beach.

Not great to get to the south side of aukland every morning but doable. Buses are OK now the northern busway is open. Gulf Harbour has a ferry to CBD.Easy enough to get to Westfield Albany if you need a retail fix, but the best shops are in the City.

Lots of development going on here. Literally thousands of homes, a new sports complex, shops, new pool complex, probably a university, etc, etc all in Silverdale which is on the west side of RB and S of Orewa. Google Millwater Development.

Rental here is probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the cost of the Shore.

Red Beach Primary School is good as are all the others around now Stanmore Bay has picked itself up off the floor. Colleges are not that flash, best selection is in Albany. Although distance from the bays to Albany is far shorter, at the moment it is not a great difference in travel times to many parts, especially if you want to live next to the beach in Browns Bay, etc. We live about 2 minute walk from beach and can be in Albany in about 20 mins by car.

Justcol

Did know you were in red beach lardyl, you ever go to Cootas?
I meet up with a few people in there occassionally.

anywhoo...I like the Speakers Corner english pub in browns bay but not much else.
Orewa is full of old folk but has a great beach so i would go for red beach as it younger and still nearby

Expat Kiwi

Try Albany, Rosedale and Unsworth Heights three newer areas with a bit more space that are worth looking at.

lardyl

If speaker's corner is good enough for Miles Davis then it should be OK, but I've never liked the whole bays area, too much keeping up with the Jones's, being overlooked and too much like the UK for me. Each to their own though I know two couples who have property up here and down there and there is friction between them as to where they should be living as one prefers it there and the other up here.

stagger past Couttas when I can't be bothered to go to Oceanz for the fish and chips. never been in there but is seems pretty lively at times.

do all my drinking in the Football Club bar on Brightside, on our deck or at the odd restaurant - Thai'd Up, Masala, etc

On the wagon at the moment so not happy! Even ended up giving whiskey away to plastic-Jock-cum-Kiwis on Saturday night after the game. They were happy at least! The only person who knew what Islay was were a Pomm, who was also supporting the ald enemy - probably as his auntie had lived on the island....

know quite a few lads up in Arkles and that part of the world - along Wade River Road. seem like there is a bit of a brit ghetto there but a nice spot nonetheless as many of them have been here for years. we do our fishing with the kids off the wharf before the boat club. seems that the shakespear poison drop has frightened off the snapper though, last couple of times we caught some small stuff but others had very little indeed.

lardyl

just be careful of where you are in relation to the Rosedale treatment works - the classic "what a lovely view of the lake we have" springs to mind.....

Expat Kiwi

Yeah it's strange how many people think it's a picturesque lake try the north western corner around the scenic reserve and the wharf.

kad

Thanks lardyl. All helpful. Looking around red beach - may also try more to the west. I fly out this Tues with our girls - can't wait to see my hubby again!