Mary Lamb

Ah the wind.... now I hadn't factored that in at all. Is it really bad? I have just seen the movie Separation City and couldn't help but notice how windy it was in all the beach scenes! I presume it is liveable with as you folks haven't made an issue of it. Thanks for the school info - I am definitely looking for the long term even though my girls are still little, so an area with good schools at all levels would be very appealing. It has struck me how many Decile 10 schools there seem to be - Wellingtonians must be both very educated and affluent! I have also been looking at the real estate site and notice that there seem to be very few rentals in some areas. Is it hard to find a reasonable house in a good area? I understand that zoning is crucial to getting into your school of choice.... Hey, and one final question - are property prices there going up or down??? Thanks in advance......

Mgee

I don't have kids so I haven't really done any research on the schools in Wellington. I can't advice on any individual schools, but on an overall level, for example the PISA study indicates that the schooling system in NZ is fairly good. The study http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Program...ent_Assessment compares the student performance of 15 year -olds in 57 OECD countries. NZ seems to be fairly high up the list in all of the areas.

Mary Lamb

Well good old NZ! Any doubts about bringing my daughters up in the NZ system over Blighty have now been dispelled....

MOSO

We've also been looking at rentals as we fly in a couple of weeks, there seem to be more on trademe.co.nz. We're arriving on Wed 23rd (taking the kids to Disneyland first), seeing 4 schools on the Thursday and have to find a rental in the right zone in the 2 week school holiday after that.

www.schoolzones.co.nz have the maps you'll need for zoning. You have to live in the zone, but then if you do the school has to find you a place so it works differently to the UK.

When we took the kids on our reccie last year, we were hoping to live in Karori, but that's too expensive for us now as our house price dropped £100,000 in 18 months The schools in Karori were really helpful and the kids even went to try one out for a morning which has really helped them not be so scared about going.

We found that my 5 year old at that point was miles ahead than his NZ classmates in reading and writing but only because he'd started full-time school at 4 and 1month as he's born in the summer holidays. Karori Normal school were great and said they might have put him up to year 2 but then keep him in year 2 for longer as of course the NZ children would catch up quickly. The Deputy head had taught in the UK so knew our system but they were very understanding and more importantly flexible and adaptable.

Watching the websites, houses in NZ have not dropped much in comparison to the UK, but then they didn't have so far to fall I suppose. There do seem to be lots of houses that have been on the market for ages, so I'm hoping there's a deal to be done!

We noticed how windy it was on our reccie, but it wasn't anything unbearable and I suppose you get used to it. Certainly when I commented about doors banging, and wind blowing to the relatives we were staying with they hadn't even noticed it was windy in their view.

Happy researching!

Harps

Ok so the wind is liveable with, but if you're coming further out it's not an issue. It's really around Wellington that it's very windy - by the coast and houses high up on the hills. I haven't had a look at rentals for years, but no they weren't great and the good ones go quickly. Houses here are terrible (no central heating, no insulation, no double glazing and very damp). Sorry to be so negative, but it's the reality of NZ housing. Photos online can be very deceiving, so it would be worth calling to ask questions about the property if you are unsure. Definitely rent first though to get a feel for the areas. Prices here have been falling for quite a while - they seem to be stabilising, but houses are on the market for a long time before they sell (unless it's a good one - which is rare!), so you could get a good deal. Yes there are a lot of decile 10 schools and definitely go for one of those - it's a good indicator of the type of families in the area.

Wooly_Cow

So Separation City was filmed in Eastbourne (the house where the party was), Miramar Peninsula (the Cellists house) and Seatoun beach (the final beach scene). As they are all on the water you do pick up the wind. All are in the category of ‘expensive areas’ but accordingly very pleasant. Eastbourne seems to me to be always sunny and has great evening sun BUT is only linked to the city by a ferry which is sort of infrequent and sometimes doesn’t sail on rough days…check out Metlink.org.nz for timetables of buses, trains and the ferries. There is also a bus but it takes quite a long time. I believe the secondary schools would be in Lower Hutt too.

Rentals and houses for sale will become more available as we get towards summer. There is a slight ‘pause’ over Christmas with peak activity in the weeks coming up to Christmas and between mid Jan. and early March.

Zoning is important for schools. If you have lived in the zone for 6 months to a year usually you can relocate and your children can stay at that school, especially if you rent to start with and then can’t find a suitable place to buy in zone.

House prices…now there’s a question. Most commentators reckon that there will be a slight rise in the next months during summer, but the overall picture is pretty flat. There are an increasing number of ‘mortgagee’ or bankruptcy sales, so if you are flexible to buy quickly there are bargains to be had.

Spawny67

Hi,
My family and I moved over from the uk last nov 08. We have found Whitby to be ideal for us. I have two girls that are 4 & 7 that attend Adventure kindy and School. They have absolutely blossomed since we arrived here. Whitby has a lovely inlet, that looks different every time we drive by it. Try looking on " trademe" at houses, jobs and the like (it's like NZ version of ebay). OH works in CBD Wellington and it usually takes him 20 mins to drive in. You couldn't imagine such a lovely place just outside of Welly. It also seemed ideal if we wanted to travel to the south island. Sat here today looking at blue skies over the inlet. We thought about the secondary schools and decided that Whitby is a great place for families with young children, and hopefully in the future there will be a secondary school. There is one but it is private " Samuel Marsden Collegiate". Hope this helps.
Dawn

Kiwiprincess

There's been talk of a secondary school on the cards for years in Whitby and every once in a while a polly brings it up as something to grandstand (or at least, make a stand) on . It's one of the reasons Samuel Marsden finally started a school there....it wasn't happening otherwise and there were enough people to justify it. Sets a strange precedent though - having a private school in an established area before the state schools...after all even most private schools would say that they have special purposes and directions. You would think a state school should be the first option and then to pick up the need for a private school. But I guess the purpose of SMC is because there isn't a state school. Interesting at the very least.

Personally I think there should be because the closest high school is Aotea. And say what you like about Aotea, it's not particularly close to the majority of Whitby (other than the postgate end). Whitby's nice though...nice little community feel. Just a pity about the lack of a high school.

Charismatic

Agreed, not so sure about the "community feel" bit and the local supermarket is a total scam. Lots of the Britons live there .

Mary Lamb

Great info guys - really appreciate all the opinions. Please keep them coming! MOSO, will follow your landing there with extreme interest and wish you all the best for the journey.

simonmarkellis

Makes an interesting read...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post...ays-councillor

Kiwiprincess

I dunno. As a kid I spent a bit of time playing there cos my bestest friend in the whole wide world lived there (even though I lived in Tawa). We used to go play on the golf course. For Guy Fawkes night we would watch the fireworks at the Whitby Club (although, to be fair it was often the Friday afterwards so we could go to the main ones in Wellington). Mums would take their kids for walks. Mums and Dads would play a round at the club or even make the trip to Judgeford. It was nice. Quiet, near the water, nice. We played interclub tennis there too. You're right about the supermarket. But the loss of the golf course for housing was a change. Hmmm...normally it's a golf course being put in that annoys me. This time, it's a golf course taken out. I can see why they did but still...little bit of childhood gone.

Paved paradise, put up a housing lot.

Mary Lamb

Update..... Hubby, alas, was unsuccessful with job.... Feel very very disappointed as I've already moved to Wellington in my head. We will not give up, however, and hope to be joining you all in the near future. Thanks for all your input.