[Tia Maria]

There are many things I like about Devonport, probably the best thing is the friends I have made, but I just looked at our local website and this is what they have on offer for February (note many of the events are free):

7-9th Feb - Outdoor Cinema at Fort Takapuna - Deep Blue, King Kong, & Shrek 3. Films start at 8.40pm. Free!

Sat 9th Feb - Folk Music in the Park - Band Rotunda, Windsor Reserve. This is a folk music concert which will showcase some of the best folk acts in Auckland, who will play bluegrass, Celtic, Scandinavian, and contemporary folk music. Some of the bands are: Wires and Wood, Forbidden Joe, Kirsty and Claire Robertson. This is a great family event.

Athletics for Kids - Weds February 13, 20, 27, March 5, 4-6pm
Rugby Grounds, Devonport Domain

4-11 year olds have fun with athletic challenges such as high jumps, long jumps, competitive and novelty races. Just come on the day and have a go. We will hold competitive events on the final night (March 5). A sausage sizzle will take care of dinner plans.

12th & 14th Feb - Pre-schoolers Morning at Windsor Reserve. 9.30-11am Toys provided!

16-17th Feb - Devonport Food & Wine and Music Festival

Sat 11am - 7pm, Sun 11am - 6pm. Tickets available from iTicket. $35 in advance, $40 on the gate. Bands including: Hello Sailor, Hollie Smith, Greg Johnson, Midge Marsden etc See the website for details: www.devonportwinefestival.co.nz
Sponsored by Devonport Rotary. $5 discount on entry voucher available for Devonport Residents in the Flagstaff

19th & 21st Feb - Pre-schoolers Morning at Windsor Reserve. 9.30-11am Toys provided!

Sun 24th Feb - Cheltenham Sea Swim - Bath Street Reserve, 8.30am. Organised by Devonport Swim Club www.devoswim.co.nz

26th & 28th Feb - Pre-schoolers Morning at Windsor Reserve. 9.30-11am Toys provided!

Fri 29th Feb - Depot Artspace Showcase at Windsor Reserve 6.30pm

Why do you like where you live?

Cheers

Tia

[Milliemoo]

I love summer, there's always something to do :)

I'm in a complete huff about the price they're charging for the Food & Wine festival. :( It was only $20 on the door last year and now it's $40! Just to get through the gate! humpf

Milliemoo

[mgbridges]

Seems to be tons of things to do around here also, its difficult to make up our minds which we want to definitely go to and which we simply don't have time to fit in!

Also not amused at entry fee for Devonport food & wine festival especially as the sprogs endurance of these sort of events isn't very long so we probably won't be able to fully enjoy it before having to beat a hasty retreat.

BTW Milliemoo good to see you posting again, have been thinking about you and wondering how you were. I'll get in touch soon to meet up now sprog is back at school.

Anneliese

[Sam B]

This may sound like a really naff reason to like where you live, but one of my favourite things about Cambridge is it's so handy to everywhere I want to visit at w/es! Within a 2 hour radius I've got Auckland, Raglan and Kawhia, Waitomo, Taupo, Rotorua, East coast/Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel, and only just over 2 hours to ski-ing. So there's loads to do. Cambridge itself may not be hugely exciting, but it's pretty, well-planned (Except for the SH1 through the middle), very green, lots of trees, excellent schools, great cafes, shops, 2 gyms and generally people are very nice. A nice place to bring up the family. The weather is fab, although too hot at the moment.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Seems to be tons of things to do around here also, its difficult to make up our minds which we want to definitely go to and which we simply don't have time to fit in!

Snap!


the sprogs endurance of these sort of events isn't very long so we probably won't be able to fully enjoy it before having to beat a hasty retreat.


This is our biggest problem too....there are alot of things we would like to do, but often don't, as chances are we won't get our moneys worth with tiny sprogs who can't stand still for more than 30 seconds :roll

[Milliemoo]

Seems to be tons of things to do around here also, its difficult to make up our minds which we want to definitely go to and which we simply don't have time to fit in!

Also not amused at entry fee for Devonport food & wine festival especially as the sprogs endurance of these sort of events isn't very long so we probably won't be able to fully enjoy it before having to beat a hasty retreat.

BTW Milliemoo good to see you posting again, have been thinking about you and wondering how you were. I'll get in touch soon to meet up now sprog is back at school.

Anneliese

Thanks love x I feel the urge for a shopping trip lunch combo ;)

I really am quite annoyed about the food and wine festival. It wouldn't be so bad if there were freebies to be had, but there's not! You're looking at at least $200 for a couple to make the most of the day there. I'd rather spend $200 at The French Cafe or Antoine's !

Milliemoo

[Carey]

One of the first things that got me thinking about emigrating was because I would like to be able to say " I LOVE where I live" and right now I can't, despite being in a tiny village. Here's hoping NZ will live up to expectations! How much it is the people who make you like where you live and how much is the opportunities to do fun things and have beautiful scenery around, I've yet to find out.

[5kings]

I would like to be able to say " I LOVE where I live" and right now I can't, .

That's exactly how we feel! I want to love the place I live in not just put up with it!

Helen

[Alan]

Didn't realise that there were so many of us wandering around trying to find our true "home"

[CJ22]

Tia, we're looking at Devonport too. We're still trying to get a feel for the various options from afar though. Is Birkenhead more downmarket than Devonport? My only beef with Devonport is it looks kind of cramped. Also, Birkenhead also has a ferry, and as I'll be working on the waterfront, the ferry is the ideal commuting option for me.

I guess it'll all look different when we get there though, so I'm not about to get too fixed in my ideas. Google Earth only tells you so much :)

[Tia Maria]

CJ22 - I don't really know much about Birkenhead and I'm not sure if there are any posters on this forum who live there. I don't think its considered downmarket though and I think its got some exclusive areas.

Devonport is more expensive though due to a combination of its 'village on a peninsula', very good schools, lovely beaches and heritage properties (its all a heritage zone). So you will get more for your money almost anywhere else on the North Shore apart from central Takapuna.

I'm afraid most of the North Shore is cramped due to heavy subdivision. To a certain extent Devonport suffers less from this due to the recent heritage rules but I still think its plot sizes are small. If you use this GIS viewer you can actually compare the plot sizes in various areas of the North Shore:

www.nscc.govt.nz/your_neigbourhood/property_information/gis.htm

If you need any extra info - just ask, also if you do a search for 'Devonport' you should get quite a lot of threads.

Cheers

Tia

[Smiler]

Just a few reasons I like Wanganui............

I can walk into a shop and the owner will recognise me and chat. I'm never obliged to buy anything.

There's always lots to do, most of it free. A museum, art gallery, river walks parks etc. Wanganui has the best kids park EVER!

There's a very good Saturday market, lots of choice of home grown or organic meat, veg and other produce.

The dairy on the hill makes their own sushi and it's $5 for a large box.

The High Street looks pretty with the NZ in bloom flowers out. It has everything we need really for day to day living.

The most recent example of how 'easy' it is to live here for us. We were in town and half listening to the radio when I heard something about a concert and tickets were selling at the opera house. We parked up, I popped into the ticket counter and 2 mins later came out with tickets to Brooke Fraser, Anika Moa and Golden Horse appearing in Wanganui because they couldn't do another date in the wineries tour at NP. Tickets were $45 each! We'd planned on going to see them at NP or Napier but I hadn't got around to booking. I like it when fate takes a hand. :D

Sorry for the ramble.

[LesleyS]

Even in my current state of 'Homesickness' I have to say that the area that I like the area that we live in for the following reasons:


The Beach at the Mount and Papamoa - stunning! And never really overcrowded!

Cafe Culture - Lot's of great cafe's and bars offering great coffee and lots of meal options from Italian to Hot Stone to Thai!

I've never been in a 'traffic jam' ok so there are always a few cars travelling over the Harbour Bridge , but the time stopped means you can enjoy the amazing views!

The weather - Glorious at the moment and even on the cloudiest of days the sun has never been far away.

Close proximity to Rotorua and Taupo (love Taupo)

My child is in walking distance of school, compared to the 7.30 am bus stop shenanigans back home.

Palm Trees! - They're everywhere and never cease to make my day

Yatton Park and Tauranga Racecourse - both dog friendly (the latter is a great day out and Free Entrance for families too on Race Days!

[Tia Maria]

Bump :)

Cheers

Tia

[Georgebulldog]

I like where I live because I have a great park just a short walk away, I have quite nice views from my house, may be green boring hills to some but I like them :D I have a nice garden which was a hard find it's private & I get the sun all day long streaming through & lots going only a short drive away 15 mins to beach soft play Wellington
I could go on & on but I wont I just love it :raebanana

[peebles16]

For us it's the outdoor options so close to the beach, river gorges, mountains, fantastic parks all of which is good for my two 'boisterous' boys :) Also kid-friendly indoor stuff too - the thought of taking my boys to a museum or art gallery back in Scotland would have filled me with dread but Canterbury Museum and the Arts Centre in CHC are both fabulous! And even though everyone has been talking about how bad this winter has been, me included, I'd take an NZ winter over a Scottish one any time :yes

Yet again another great thread Tia
Karenx

[Moorf]

After a particularly crap few weeks I've got to say it's our location and surroundings that do it for me every time. I felt sooo bad the other day and drove around for a while - turned a corner and just stopped in my tracks and burst into tears :o The alps looked soooo fantastic it blew me away and I remembered why I was here... I sound like a broken record but, views might not pay the bills or make life easier but they sure as hell keep my spirits up and you can't buy that.

There's sooo much stuff to do round here, as in free, get out in the country and see/do it stuff. Of course, we're not out every weekend but it's there when we want it, it's accessible, it's uncrowded, it's beautiful and almost four years down the line where we live is still pushing all the right buttons.

Man, I've only had one glass! :cheers

[benandclare]

It's views like this that does it for us...........Oh and every thing we enjoy doing is so accessable :nice1:nice1

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh65/bendylegsben/MountOxford.jpg

[Mickstim]

I'm so with you on the views Moorf! We moved into our new house almost 3 weeks ago now and every evening that it isn't raining we are absolutely gobsmacked by the sunsets over the Kaimais. Every time the clouds are a different colour and shape - and this is just my view from the kitchen. I love it!!!


Bx

[gil]

Why I love where we live:


We are 30 seconds down the cliff to Little Bucklands Beach
Rangitoto looks so close you can almost touch it
Howick village is a lovely village with a shops where you can buy a banjo, a fabulous butcher and baker (no candlestick maker that we know of :D) and some lovely shops and cafes
Excellent schools
Friendly people
Lovely walks along the Pacific ocean (blows my mind every time after a lifetime on the Bristol Channel/Irish Sea!)
Santa's Parade at Christmas
A ferry to work
Easy access to loads of wonderful areas/walks
No ice in the winter, but an Olympic ice-rink if we want it

Ooooh, we LOVE it here :clap

Gil