[janmommy]

Anyone live in/near Island Bay?
What is the area like?
I used metlink and found that Island Bay is only 40 mins from CBD by bus.

edit:
Should we rent for a year when we get there or buy a house straight away?

[Wonderbob]

I live in a neighbouring suburb (Brooklyn) and I'm a big fan of Island Bay. It has a large flat area, a hilly area that overlooks the sea, and it borders the South Coast. Strong bus routes into the city, and a fairly decent shopping centre. I'm expecting the NZ property market to crap out somewhat this year, so maybe renting for a year would be a good idea - you'll probably save yourself at least 50K - but who knows, property is fickle, there are no guarantees out there. But yes, I think Island Bay is very nice, I'd happily live there.

cheers, Bob

[Smiler]

We lived in Miramar for a year and went to island Bay regularly. We were pipped to the post for a rental there.

They have a small cinema, cafes, shops, a regular size new World, not huge but ok. There's an award winning butchers shop too!

I used to go to Pilates and Yoga in the community hall and there seemed to be lots other classes/clubs going on too.

There's some bigger stores like Briscoes (homewares) Warehouse (general stuff) Dick Smuff's (electrical) just down the road in Lyall Bay and the airport is just past Lyall Bay too.

The beach is lovely :raebanana

I'd suggest renting til you get your NZ bearings and a feel of the housing market. You'll need to check out the positioning of the houses, not just in Island Bay, but everywhere, some can be cold and damp if they're on the 'wrong' side of a hill.

Good luck !! :cheers