garryhg

Hi...Hoping to move soon (if the job offer comes off!) I, along with my wife and 2 children (12 & 6) may be looking for a house. We would not like to stay in the heart of the city. We would like a smaller suburb, friendly and nearer the country.
Does anyone have any ideas???

happynz

The place where your job is located will have some bearing on your decision. For example, if your employment is in Manakau City (South Auckland) and you choose to live in the North Shore your commuting is going to be a chore. If your job is in the CBD and you live in the 'burbs, well, hard to say but likely the commute will still be a drag. That's why I moved to Christchurch. I can walk to work in 15-20 minutes if I choose or a bus takes only several minutes.

But this is about Auckland, huh. I used to live in Henderson and it was fine for many things. Really nice swim-centre there and most of the shopping conveniences are there on the Great North Road. However, the primary school there sucks mightily. At least that was my impression. Perhaps they have improved.

garryhg

Thanks for the info... The employer is situated near Newmarket & Auckland Domain. So somewhere not to far from here....

happynz

Well, Newmarket is on the suburban train line so you could come in from the south or west suburbs perhaps. Or maybe trains aren't your thing and you'd prefer to commute by car. If you don't mind the wee bit wetter side of town you might try some 'burbs out in West Auckland. Westies do have a rep, but I think it's rather overstated.

Best wishes in your new job.

Littletoe

I love Coatesville or really anywhere in the Rodney District, its rural, but you can still commute to the city. If you prefer to have more people around, the North Shore is lovely. Lovely beaches, excellent facilities without having to travel to the city (doctors, supermarkets, etc). Are you going to buy as soon as you arrive or rent? If the latter, have a look at some properties online and see what takes your fancy. Before we arrived I was set on living in the North Shore, but once we arrived, I decided i wanted a lifestyle block, (property with land) so my daughter's had plenty of space. Then of course, with your children you might be restricted by school zoning, so perhaps better to look at schools first.

Good luck! And welcome!

garryhg

Cheers Happynz......... What do you mean by "wetter"??? and what is the reputation? We are a down to earth family (not to forget our dog).. so looking for a similar area...and we'll also need a beach or countryside for the dog..
Anyway I don't mind driving, but then again I don't know what the roads/traffic is like over there.

Cheers.

garryhg

Thanks Littletoe, this is another question I should be asking.....So if anyone has information on good schools, let me know!!!

We will probably rent until we get to know the area, but I would be looking for something with a bit of land (large garden) for the children and the dog.

Cheers

Littletoe

Westies are petrolheads, they wear 70s jeans, have mullets. Not a bad bunch, just not particularly easy on the eye. I live towards the West in Kumeu (well, I will, I live in Coatesville at the moment). Its a farming town, but property prices will sky rocket as the city swallows it up. Traffic into Auckland as everyone will tell is completely bloody awful. Think Paris drivers squashed onto a small motorway!! But there are excellent radio stations over here, so turn up the volume and appreciate the peace (thats how I look at traffic jams - as long as the kids aren't in the car).

Littletoe

Have a look under property on trademe.co.nz, its such a good resource. You can get an idea of what to pay. The prices vary considerably. We were looking for a 4 bed+ house with a garden. Prices ranged from as a little $595 per week to $900 per week. The area will dictate the price, such as school zoning, etc. My husband went to Rangitoto (from 12 up), its supposed the best school in NZ, they get a lot of funding, but its HUGE! The younger one would go to primary, which is again, dictated by zoning, I don't know enough about that to explain it to you, or suggest schools, perhaps someone else can help with that. The North Shore will cover you for those areas though (Mirangi Bay, Murrays Bay, Rothesay Bay, Browns Bay) these used to be some of the zones for Rangitoto school.

Littletoe

I imagine it would be difficult to find a property that allows a dog, although not impossible. Again, someone else might be able to help with that, but certainly when we looked at properties, we were asked about pets and found in most places, they weren't allowed, but you might be able to negotiate, especially if the dog stays outside.

dlmckay

Waitakere City is the friendliest city for dogs IMO. You can still find houses with gardens too! The North Shore, although close to lovely beaches, is predominantly large houses and a 1m strip of garden around the edges.

West Auckland does, indeed, have a rep, but I see burnout marks on the streets all over Auckland.

If you're wanting to live not too far from Newmarket, there's Mission Bay, Remuera, but these might be a little pricey and I'm hazarding a guess that gardens will have been sold off in these areas too. Howick is also a possibility?

The train station at Newmarket will be undergoing a major overhaul soon, so perhaps somewhere along the trainline?

P18PPS

If you have a job in Newmarket - yes it is on a train line, but I'd still be looking far closer than west auckland or north shore (unless you want 1 hour plus as a commute). Firstly Newmarket is right in the heart of the city, most properties don't have large plots - this is something you eventually get used to, as long as kiwis have an outdoor entertaining area then then are happy - there are so many parks everywhere that walking the dog and letting the kids run around becomes something you do in the park or at the beach rather than in your own private back garden. Yes finances will have an impact on where you can live, but if you are lucky enough to have the ability to purchase say around and over $500k - $600k then you can still get property in the following areas which are all upmarket and normal state schools are good:
Parnell - next door to newmarket and full of bars and upmarket restaurants;
Newmarket itself is a big shopping centre with loads of boutiques as well as high street names
Remuera - which is a big suburb and always considered upmarket, schools are good too. Touching the outskirts of Remuera is Meadowbank which is much more affordable with a good primary school (secondary is the same as Kohimarama below though).
Mt Eden
Then further east towards the coastline is:
Orakei - which is a lovely area but there is a large Maori community that impacts the local school
Kohimarama - really good primary school, the secondary school needs a bit of improvement though.
St Heliers - is a village on the beach with a little high street and a few restaurants and cafes with good primary and secondary schools.
Glendowie is next door to St Heliers and also a good area.

I'm biased - so will everyone else be with their own district. OH works in CBD and has a 20 min commute along the waterfront - a bit different to an hours commute through town over motorway bridges etc..

There is also a really good book you can buy "where to live in Auckland" - I'm sure it is quoted on the really useful thread - this was our bible when we first landed and can highly recommend it.

Batty

There are areas like Glen Innes (cheapish) which is next to Glendowie (expensive) and is being pulled up because of its proximity and the fact that the houses are cheaper and have decent sections. Orakei may not have the best school but it is an expensive area. As pressure builds on the 'good' areas, the ones next to them are quickly becoming popular. On the Shore, Birkenhead, Beach Haven and Birkdale used to be the poor relations but now they are the affordable areas for first time buyers and the demographics are changing. There is a bus service to Newmarket from Birkenhead. We lived in Remuera when we got here first and I used to walk down to Newmarket. St Johns/Meadowbank/Glen Innes/Mission Bay/St Heliers are all within easy commute.

P18PPS

I really wouldn't choose Glen Innes, yes it is an area that will eventually improve, if you've got kids at schooling age you'd have to make a lot of compromises with their schooling. I'd be very careful if you choose to look at Glen Innes. If you want the bigger section Meadowbank is a better option as it already has an established good school.

Fireman Al

Hi,
We live in Stanmore Bay up on Hibiscus Coast and i woulodn't move from here, i think it's bloody great, good schools, fantastic beaches, quiet, amazing views, shops are okay and not too far from the city

Big Al