[irishliz]

We land in Wellington on the 26th October at the start of our two year stint. I am a keen walker, with two pre-schoolers and two in school. My question is can we manage without a car if we live somewhere like Karori, or other central area. I have a double buggy and would hope to be walking distance to schools etc. The idea then would be to rent a car at the weekends as the need arose. BTW my OH will be based in CBD.

We cannot wait to get there!

[Anita & Marco]

Hi Irishliz,

We live in Karori and - when the weather is okay - we walk into the CBD and back. However, for shopping and on really bad days we tend to use the car, or hop on a bus. I have to add that I would not walk to the CBD when I would live in the southern area of Karori.

So, I think you should just give it a try and when you still want a car it is very easy to buy one.

Anita

[andreamatt]

I think we could just about manage without a car - but then we only have two children. Like Anita says it's probably much harder if you're in south (ie. non city-end) Karori.

Please get in touch when you arrive - there are at least 4 forumites living in Karori. Hope the flights etc. go well,

Andrea

[tigerlily]

Things like grocery shopping might be much harder without a car. But then again, I guess you could just try to live close by a market. I just have 2 four year olds and what you describe would be daunting to me. I'd love to live without one, personally. I wish they had some sort of car sharing, that is becoming popular in some American cities. What about renting a car to start with, getting yourself set up, and then deciding if you can make it without one?

[Anita & Marco]

Hi,
Like I said: just give it a try to start with.
But I would like to add that I often feel like the exception with 'only' having one car for the two of us. Most kiwis have two cars (or more when they have children over 15), which I think is often just a case of laziness.

See you in Welly,
Anita

[Nathan]

Here's a link to the Wellington bus schedule.
http://www.metlink.org.nz/section10.php?

I think living without a car in Karori would be pretty easy for some people.

We've been here a very short time, and it is clear that you should be aware that it can be cold, wet, and windy all at once. If you're prepared for that it's pretty nice. At the moment, I'm wishing I'd packed my rain pants in the flight luggage instead of in the container, but I'll manage.

It's my impression that biking is a little hazardous here. A woman at the police station mentioned that as well, but said a lot of people bike to work in CBD, and that drivers are becoming more accustomed to bikes on the road as they become increasingly popular.

Hope this helps.

Nathan

[irishliz]

thank you I think we will see how we go. Very emotional time at moment but we cannot wait to get on the plane. Hope to get online when we arrive and let you know how we get on.

Thanks

[wanderingoregonian]

We lived in Karori without a car for 6 monhts. THe first few summer months we lived halfway up Wright Hill. Its was about a 10 minute walk to the shops, but a very steep hill. It took a month before I could walk it without pausing to catch my breath. I also dropped to my ideal weight without doing anything but getting myself to and from work and shops!

We now live in a small flat in the city end of Karori. Much more spendy, so we have a very small flat. Its a 45 minute walk to CBD. I often grab a bus in the morning and then walk home after work.

With kids, I'd say look for an area that is fairly flat between your house and the shops. That makes everyday shopping way easier. YOu'd be going more often as well. We actually go to the butcher and green grocer every 3-4 days. Also, we made friends over time who'd lend us a car for bigger shopping trips and sometimes my boss lent me the work car.

Probably can't live without one forever, but we are VERY glad we waited to buy one. It forced us to learn about our local area and the bus system. I feel that I know Wellington much better now.

feel free to pm me when you get here. I'd be happy to show you some of the secret walking paths in Karori. - shannon