[libra81]

Hi everyone

Just wondered if anyone has opinions on good areas and areas to avoid in northland. i'm a nurse but busy doing my midwifery degree before we come out (me, hubby and 4 year old son)

:confused:

[missy+mrmagoo]

You will find more opportunities for work over on the east coast (Whangarei etc.) but property prices over Dargaville way are far cheaper. My wife commutes coast to coast every day (about 45 mins) and her colleagues couldn't believe how cheap our property was for what we got.

[libra81]

Hi thanks for the reply, ideally we would like to be on the coast but don't want a huge commute. I don't mind a bit of a one but not as much as i do now (1 1/2 hours) each way :)

[Nick88]

I'm trying to think of areas to avoid.......there aren't any really....

There are suburbs of the bigger towns like Whangarei that are pretty rough, but even then they are not as intimidating as some estates in some of the UK cities. The Hokianga is called the Wild West, and has the reputation of being a bit lawless (and is certainly poor), but that doesn't necessarily mean it is entirely unsafe. The same can be said of Kaitaia and Kaikohe.

As a midwife you are likely to travel quite a bit, and will get the whole spectrum of areas on your round.

[Carey]

I'm trying to think of areas to avoid.......there aren't any really....

There are suburbs of the bigger towns like Whangarei that are pretty rough, but even then they are not as intimidating as some estates in some of the UK cities. The Hokianga is called the Wild West, and has the reputation of being a bit lawless (and is certainly poor), but that doesn't necessarily mean it is entirely unsafe. The same can be said of Kaitaia and Kaikohe.

As a midwife you are likely to travel quite a bit, and will get the whole spectrum of areas on your round.

Yet one of our favourite areas is near Kaikohe; it is just glorious and the people amazing but then we are biased coz we spent many happy months there on friends farm.

[libra81]

thanks for the replies, we are undecided between northland and hawkes bay I think were going to have to go off and do a lot more research
:confused:

[Nick88]

Kaikohe is alright, but it is a very depressed area. There has been alot of development there in recent years, with the geothermal plant and the prison. The council based its offices there, and it used to have the only Warehouse north of Whangarei (I think) and that dragged in people from other areas to spend money.

Hawkes Bay or Northland? Tough choice.....

Northland is closer to Akl (can be more important than you might think), warmer in winter, wetter all year round.

Hawkes Bay is slightly cheaper (property), sunnier, drier, and seems to have better facilities (I'm thinking mostly of entertainment).

Personally I think Hawkes Bay might just get it by a nose in our household. We live in Northland, though.

[libra81]

I think if it's Northland it will have to be around the whangarei area, not sure about Hawkes Bay so will have to look further into it. I suppose ultimately it will all depend on the job offer

[missy+mrmagoo]

In the Whangarei area Maunu is a very nice suburb and that is where the hospital is.

[libra81]

thanks for that going to have a look on net now :)

[Nick88]

I'm not a million miles from that area myself, so if you want more detailed info just drop me a line (pm).

[pieeater]

I always think of Northland as kind of the Cornwall of N.Z.The holiday season lasts longer due to the milder climate.We have different vegitation up here too,more semi sub tropical plants,ferns etc.There is also some expansion going on in the area as the deepwater port at Marsden Point is continuing to grow and offer more employment in the area.Also as this part of the country is so narrow we have easy access to both the Wild West Tasman coast and more sheltered East coasts.Whangarei somtimes nicknamed the city of 100 beaches.Great Library too.Check it out online.In my almost seven years here we haven't found anywhere else I would move to in N.Z.Hawke's Bay is nice enough but we decided it is a little too isolated for us.We're only a couple of hours beautiful coastal drive to Auckland when we need a City-Fix.