[ljconrad]

My Husband and I are making the move from Canada to New Zealand, after living in Calgary for 6 years. We are trying to figure out where to live in Wellington, and are looking for some advice. I've seen a lot of suggestions for where people should live, but where shouldn't we live?

I know here in Calgary there are areas that have higher rates of crime, drug sellers, prostitutes, ect. and I'm just wondering if Wellington has the same? Process of deduction should help us figure out the areas to avoid :)

Ideally we are looking for a community where we feel safe to walk our dog in the evening, that has parks/green space for the dog, is close to the CBD (20 minute commute is fine), and somewhere with a bit of personality!

Also, we found an apartment in Berhampore that looks really nice, but what is the neighbourhood like? Any personal comments would be greatly appreciated!

I'm looking forward to the move, but am a bit stressed about all the logistics!

Thanks for your help :)

[barryp]

Ideally we are looking for a community where we feel safe to walk our dog in the evening, that has parks/green space for the dog, is close to the CBD (20 minute commute is fine), and somewhere with a bit of personality!

My immediate response to that was 'Anywhere but Berhampore or Rongotai'. Oops. But that reflects my own personal urban filter, rather than actual crime statistics. (Statistics NZ rolls up data in broader geographies rather than by individual neighboorhood.)

My less snarky response is that you might check out those regional stats yourself to see that there really isn't anyplace that horrible in the city itself. There are about 50 dog exercise areas all over town, mostly nice ones. (Mostly... sometimes they're tiny or not all that attractive.) Street prostitution has been greatly reduced by legalisation. Graffiti is unfortunately widespread, but is not accompanied by personal or violent crime. Robberies pop up all over town - the most recent ring is targeting Roseneath, known as a safe and wealthy commmunity.

Outside the city, there's much to say, but I defer to people who have experiences there (I don't).

[kanatakiwi]

Welcome LJConrad

Can't offer any advice on Wellington, but as a Canadian from Victoria I am always interested in people moving from Canada. Are you Canadians or kiwi?
Give a shout if there are other questions I could maybe assist with.
Kanata kiwi

[IanW99]

Twenty minutes from the CBD will get you as far north as Porirua on the coast or upper hutt in the valley and in that range there are a lot of different suburbs with different character.

As everyone is different I would say you really need to be in NZ to check out the areas of interest for yourself.

For Porirua, I have posted on another thread the good and not so good suburbs.

Sure others can advise on other areas.

Ian

[ljconrad]

Welcome LJConrad

Can't offer any advice on Wellington, but as a Canadian from Victoria I am always interested in people moving from Canada. Are you Canadians or kiwi?
Give a shout if there are other questions I could maybe assist with.
Kanata kiwi

I'm Canadian, my husband is a Kiwi. We've been in Calgary for the past 6 years, and now it's time to spend a few years with his friends and family. How did your move to NZ go? From your picture I assume you have dogs? Any advice on the whole process of getting them to NZ? We're bringing our 2 year old dog over with us. It seems like there is a lot to get done at the vet....all part of the process I guess!
ljconrad