macslass

Hi

We've been to NZ 3 times now and after returning back to Scotland in January this year we've decided that we're serious about moving out in November as my hubby could get a transfer with work to Wellington.

I need some advice from people who live in Wellington about where we should be looking to live. We need somewhere family friendly with good schools as I have a toddler and one on the way.

We currently live in central Edinburgh (Southside) and love the coffee shop cutlure that comes with that and being so close to the centre but we're also now desperately craving space and a garden as we've been stuck in a 2nd floor flat for years which is no longer practical with wee ones.

A friend recommended Karori which we looked at and it seemed nice but I know there are other areas out there. I'm guessing the hutts would not be suitable as we like being central. Any advice would be welcomed........

Ta
Jo

babybella

I lived in Lower Hutt, which is very nice and has plenty to do with kids. Also good schools, Central Hutt, Hutt intermediate and Hutt valley High. All zoned and quite high achieving schools. Also lived in Petone (really wished I had not sold that house) but removed my kids from Petone Central. Don't know if the school has improved since then but considering the high house prices in Petone I would hope that it has. Not too far out of town either I have driven from Petone, parked and been standing on Lambton Quay in 13 mins (non rush hour of course)
If you want more central Haitatai is nice.
Kaz

Avid

Buying a house? Renting? Budget? The whole city is family friendly.....sadly.









must not make jokes about the 'Hutts'....

zoej

I would suggest as your children are pre-school you rent when you come and take time to have a really good look around and at houses. It is easy to move when the kids are not at school, you will need to consider the school zoning - good schools come with a higher housing cost. But wait until you are here and decide on your needs, priority list, find the right bus/train networks for work and where you want to be/happy to be. Many suburbs are very good, i.e Kandallah has a lovely centre with cafe's, Miramar etc all nice.

They all have good areas, and all have bad areas, some only streets next to each other. I would suggest you need to be here for a while - maybe 6 months of renting to make sure you get the right property in the right area that has all your needs. spend some time getting to know the city on an everyday basis and find what suburbs will work for you from there. Houses can vary from damp, cold, dark things to nice and expensive.

We went for Upper Hutt, as we are country folk anyway and Silverstream has a nice community - rail station straight to Wellington, easy access to SH2 and more importantly houses with Bigger flatter sections - so a great sized flat garden, easy for kids to learn to cycle etc and cheaper prices than central Wellington. The school was also a big plus for us and a great kindergarten. But everyone is different, not very helpful on specific areas but I do feel you need to be here and looking first hand to know what you as a family will be happy with.

danny.f

Porirua,of course!

irnbru14

Nice to see some more Edinburgh folks on here

You wont get anything really like Southside, but Wellington is pertty compact, even more so than Edinburgh as a city, but the coffee culture is pretty fantastic here and there are plenty of bays/beaches/parks/open spaces to enjoy.

I'm staying in the CBD just now (convenience when I first got here) but some of the surrounding suburbs are pretty good, and its never far from town to be honest with you, so you can live fairly close to the amenities and still get a house/garden etc, perhaps you should be thinking Kandallah, Karori, Seatoun, Miramar, Haitiati kind of areas, certainly believe there are some really good schools in Seatoun, not sure about the other areas

www.trademe.co.nz is a good place to look to gauge rental/property prices while the Wikipedia entry on Wellington suburbs is very useful...

Good luck and let us know how you guys get on

Ted Logan

Dependent where your hubby works, how much you can spend on a house and if he doesnt mind catching he train or bus to work. If you want to live in the city suburbs or outside of it, near a beach etc etc

Of all the city suburbs, I do like Island Bay (east side), Miramar and Lyall Bay.

newkiwi

We lived in Vogeltown/ Brooklyn which is nice...Island Bay is also a good option. Or Thorndon (if you can afford it). Not sure about the schools though.

Many people live in the Hutt, but the commute is a bit of a pain

Maz

When we were looking at living in the city, we were rather torn between Brooklyn and Island Bay. We might have bought a little prematurely as I sometimes feel like we're a long way out in a Porirua suburb. We're also not zoned for Wellington Girls, d'oh!

newkiwi

dont worry, with the imminent housing crash you can soon snap up a second house in Island bay

Maz

Hurrah! I think...

saritabear

Isn't it noisy from the airport where you live?

luvwelly

No the planes are very small....I live on Eastern side and never notice them. They do not fly overnight either.

Robbo25

What's Khandallah and the area around there like?

Ted Logan

Khandallah is nice. Located to the north of the city in the hills but not to far from city centre. In the right place you have some fantastic views of Wellington but this usually comes with a high price.

Good train and bus links into town. Unsure of school zoning though.