[Wahlet]

Hi y'all! It is exciting to "meet" all of you who are on the same journey!

My wife and I hope to be in Wellington toward late May. Looking forward to living in this great city. As for the notorious wind - we grew up in the windy Plains of the US and have experienced 100mph (160kph) winds. So I think we can handle Welly. :nice1

Fortunately when we arrive we have the option of 1 month accomodation paid for by my new employer, at the Quest Wellington on Lambton. But it would be nice to arrange a rental beforehand to avoid moving twice... After some research on neighborhoods, here's what we're looking for.

friendly neighborhood
space for young professional couple and dog
<$450pw (will commit to 1-2 yrs or more at the right place)
<20min walking distance to work in the Old Bank Building in CBD
<20min walking distance to grocery/market (we go organic)
<15min walking distance to harbor
relatively sunny

We have no car and intend on keeping it that way for a while.

My wife stays at home and would love to live within a couple blocks of a park where she could walk the dog...and also within moderate walking distance of my work place so she can join me for lunch. :)

We love what we know of Oriental Bay. Mt. Vic is a good location too, but are open to Thorndon, Lambton, and Te Aro - any place close to central Welly.

Can be a small place - we intentionally live with a small footprint - but must be tidy. Can be a unit in a complex, but no highrise apartments. Outdoor access (lawn or deck) is a near-requirement.

Are we asking too much? Any leads out there? Meanwhile, we are checking Trademe and Open2View... :exit

Thanks,
David

[IanW99]

...
My wife and I hope to be in Wellington toward late May. Looking forward to living in this great city. As for the notorious wind - we grew up in the windy Plains of the US and have experienced 100mph (160kph) winds. So I think we can handle Welly. :nice1
...
Are we asking too much? Any leads out there? Meanwhile, we are checking Trademe and Open2View... :exit

Thanks,
David

The windy plains of the US are a mere breeze compared to Wellington!!!

Expect wind speeds of upto 200kph :exit

You may also want to check out Wellington Rentals (http://www.realestate.co.nz/rental/all/wellington-city). When you arrive, if you are still looking for a rental then check out the Dominion Post, but be quick as rentals can go very quickly.

Ian

[Wahlet]

Thanks for the link Ian. Will add it to my artillery.

200 kph... are you serious? No wonder NZ has no smog problem. It disappears as fast as you can make it...

[sizzlingbadger]

I would take the 4 weeks paid accommodation as it'll give you time to check out suburbs and find something suitable rather than coming over having signed something and it not being up to standard or the area you want to be in.

We were lucky with our rental, we found it online before getting over and paid the deposit the second day we arrived, luckily for us it was really nice, all modernised inside and large section. It was also where we wanted to be for the first few months.

You may find CBD unfriendly to dogs and also nice rentals are hard to find with a pet in tow, not to say you won't find anything though. Have a look at Mount Victoria area, Haitaitai, they seem to be your closest options. Mount Victoria has the park on the hillside which will be great for dog walking, no idea though on rental prices in those areas.

[IanW99]

Thanks for the link Ian. Will add it to my artillery.

200 kph... are you serious? No wonder NZ has no smog problem. It disappears as fast as you can make it...

Afraid I am serious see Windy Wellington (http://www.gw.govt.nz/section74.cfm) for details. It's not normally as bad as that though.

I agree with sizzlingbadger about being in NZ before committing to the rental.

When you are looking, make sure you find a rental that get's some sun, many rentals don't and they remain cold and damp and expensive to heat.

Also, just because a rental says no dogs, doesn't mean that they won't take the dog, so it always pays to check.

Ian

[sunkist]

Yes, you're asking too much - no such place in Wellington Central :D If you're looking for a "moderate walking distance" to your workplace in Lambton, you don't have any choice but to rent in highrise apartments in Wellington Central. But I don't know what's "highrise" for you because apartments/buildings here are not that tall. Mt. Vic, Oriental Bay, Thorndon, Te Aro - you have to take the bus to get to Lambton. You can walk but it's very very very far.

Oriental Bay is a nice area. There are apartments just across the beach and the apartments on that area looks new.

Mt. Vic - don't know if you like to live in hills but the area there has a lot of hills.. might be tiring to walk up and down the hill :D

Thorndon is a nice area too. You can also check out Kelburn.

But I suggest you try it out in Wellington Central first then move to the suburb later on.... we lived in Wellington Central before in Courtenay place area, had no car and everything is walking distance. Walking to work in Lambton takes me 30 mins, by bus $1 just 10-15 mins. grocery is also 10-15 min walk. there's also an organic market 20 mins away. also 15 min walk away to harbor. everything is near if you live in central wellington, elsewhere, you will need a car. just my 2 cents. :) How big is your dog too by the way? Because small dogs are allowed in most buildings.

[gpbenton]

I live without a car in Thorndon, and I think it meets most of your needs - but it is against a hill and gets dark very early in Winter.

<$450pw (will commit to 1-2 yrs or more at the right place)
Just about. I pay a little more but I have a view of the harbour.
<20min walking distance to work in the Old Bank Building in CBD
No Problem.
<20min walking distance to grocery/market (we go organic)
Don't know. New World on Mulgrave is 10-15mins walk and it has organic sections.
<15min walking distance to harbor
No problem.

You can walk the dog on the Town Belt at the top of the hill (but it is steep getting up there).

It doesn't get that windy often. In the year I've been here it was only seriously windy in the Spring, and then it didn't match the hurricanes that I lived through in Florida. Although it may feel different if you live up in the hills rather than Thorndon.