[walshy]

Wife has a job offer in Tauranga cbd, we will have a budget of around $525,000, where should we be looking to buy?

Welcome bay?
papamoa?
Bethlehem?
Matua?

We have 2 young kids who will need nursery care initially, then a good primary school, wife will need to get to cbd in decent time by car 1/2 hour max, would like to be 5 min drive from a decent beach, i will most likeley be able to work anywhere in tauranga as buying a gardening franchise.

Want a 4 bed nice house, seen a couple of beauts in welcome bay and bethlehem but not sure how they are for travelling time to beach, cbd, schools etc, i know these actual houses will be gone by the time we get there but at least i have an idea.

Any help greatly appreciated.

[Red Devil]

... not a Tauranga resident, but can comment based on face value of what we saw whilst passing through the area in April. If you wish to be 5 mins. from a decent beach, then Mount Maunganui should appeal or a little further down the coast there's Omanu (nice golf club) or anywhere along the Papamoa beach front.

Exciting times for you... best of luck with your search and enjoy :nice1

[mgf]

Matua is a great neighbourhood. May be biased there however. Bethlem is a bit further out but well within the driving distance to CBD. It is longer to get to the beach there. Papamoa has some really nice houses and the beach there is not as built up as it is at the Mount. Having said that you are further from the CBD and fighting the traffic over the bridge can be a bit of a hassle. Welcome Bay. coming in with that amount you should have no problems snatching something up anywhere.

[walshy]

Matua is a great neighbourhood. May be biased there however. Bethlem is a bit further out but well within the driving distance to CBD. It is longer to get to the beach there. Papamoa has some really nice houses and the beach there is not as built up as it is at the Mount. Having said that you are further from the CBD and fighting the traffic over the bridge can be a bit of a hassle. Welcome Bay. coming in with that amount you should have no problems snatching something up anywhere.Sorry, what were you saying traffic from welcome bay is a problem?

[Nathan]

It can be about a half hour drive from Papamoa to Tauranga CBD if you hit the peak traffic in the morning. That's caused by a two lane bridge which is currently improved to 4 lanes (I think 4, maybe wider). The main road narrows from 6 lanes to two right now, but it shouldn't be much of an issue for long.

There are lots of houses within 5 minutes of the beach at Papamoa within your budget.

There are beautiful places for sale all over the area. I don't have persoal experience with the commute times from the other areas.

[Mickstim]

We are renting in Welcome Bay and theare are some great houses around here for that price but there is apparently a traffic problem in rush hour (we don't work so don't have to experience it). They are now talking about putting traffic lights at the roundabout coming out of the area and that may improve things - but at the moment it's a value for money area!

When we buy we hope to buy in Bethlehem though as we love that area and it has more local facilities.

If the beach is the most important thing I would definitely go for Papmoa though.

Bx

[walshy]

Its pretty frustrating looking from here knowing we are months away yet and they wont be available when we arrive, saw 2 great houses, one in bethlehem and one in welcome bay.

Am i right in thinking welcome bay is more rural and bethlehem more up market?

Does welcome bay have a decent beach?

Bit put off by papamoa as it looks like one big estate of identical houses.

[Red Devil]

... have you tried using 'Google Earth' for viewing close-ups of areas? We find it very useful :nice1

[Mickstim]

Its pretty frustrating looking from here knowing we are months away yet and they wont be available when we arrive, saw 2 great houses, one in bethlehem and one in welcome bay.

Am i right in thinking welcome bay is more rural and bethlehem more up market?

Does welcome bay have a decent beach?

Bit put off by papamoa as it looks like one big estate of identical houses.

I wouldn't say Welcome Bay was a lot more rural than Bethlehem as they both have loads of green spaces. My perception is that Bethlehem is slightly more up market but both areas have expensive, reasonable and fairly cheap houses so both are accessible. WB is extremely hilly and despite its name doesn't actually have a beach - I think the nearest is Papamoa, but wherever you live the sea is not really that far from you!

Papamoa is very flat and is quite new so at the moment doesn't have as much in the way of greenery - but there are loads of different types of houses there. Some of the sections are quite small, but that is the case anywhere.

Houses are really not selling well here at the moment (as in the UK) so your houses may well still be on the market. Our neighbours have just withdrawn their house from the market after a year and 2 price reductions - and I think that is fairly common.

Bx

[Bunstar]

Hi,
We're currently renting in Welcome Bay but are moving to Papamoa in a couple of weeks. The traffic from Welcome Bay into town can be a problem - but it's all relative!! The locals always comment on the bad traffic when I say I live in Welcome Bay, but as it used to take me 1 hour to drive 6 miles to work in Manchester I don't think it's that bad! In the morning I leave the house about 7.25 and am at my desk in the CBD by 7:50. That includes a 10 min stroll from 4th Ave to Elizabeth Street (so that I don't have to pay for parking!! Could probably walk it quicker but I've only got short legs!!!) Traffic seems to be slightly worse coming home around 5pm-ish, and sometimes I'll be queueing for a while to get on the roundabout. But it doesn't bother me too much. Apparently, work is soon to commence on a traffic light control system for the Welcome Bay roundabout in the hopes of easing the congestion. (oh and it takes us 15-20 mins to get to the beach from here)

The reason we are moving to Papamoa is to be nearer the beach. We're going to be renting in Papamoa east, which is a bit out in the sticks but am hoping it'll take 40 mins max to get into work. On a friday night at 8pm it took me 25 mins to get from papamoa east to elizabeth street, of course there was hardly any traffic on the road at that time. If you lived the other side of Papamoa it should be 30 mins max into town. We also looked at renting in Matua and really like the area but house prices reflect the fact it's a good area and being so close to the beach swung it for Papamoa. Our new house is a 5 min walk from the beach :D Can't really comment on Bethlehem I'm afraid.

If I can help with any other questions let me know :yes

Clare

[walshy]

Thanks Claire

i dont know why exactly but we seem to be veering to welcome bay, her potential new boss lives there which is a good sign and we have seen some stonking houses on the web, whereas the papamoa ones have tiny back yards etc.

does welcome bay have decent facilitys?

Heard a few things and seen on the web last vew days about gangs around tauranga, have you experienced this? Is it all relative compared to uk?

[Bunstar]

does welcome bay have decent facilitys?

Heard a few things and seen on the web last vew days about gangs around tauranga, have you experienced this? Is it all relative compared to uk?

Hello,
Welcome Bay doesn't really have many facilities...there is a small shopping parade on Welcome bay road that has a four square, video shop, chinese chippy, small bakery, and a pub. It's handy if you've run out of something but it's not really within walking distance for us so as we have to use the car anyway we tend to go up to the supermarkets on Cameron Road for a bit more choice.

I know a fair few people from work who live in this area and houses are competitively priced.

Gangs around Tauranga. I have to say have not personally experienced this at all. A colleague of mine at work told me about one time he was v drunk and walking home on his own in the early hours along Cameron road to Pyes Pa. As he was passing the hospital in Gate Pa he was approached by a couple of teenage lads wearing gang colours, who started giving him some hassle. He told them where to go, started walking down the centre of the road (they didn't follow him) and managed to catch a taxi the rest of the way. Now in my experience if that had have been at home in the UK he would have been set upon, beaten up and mugged. In fact I doubt he would have tried walking home alone in the first place.

:)

[jandk]

When we arrived a little under a year ago we spent time looking around Matua,Otomotai etc.I personally didnt fancy welcome bay so alone i rented in Bethlehem but it was far to quiet for me and a little away from the beach so i took up rental in "the mount" family loved it here when we arrived near the beach and nice shops facilities etc but expensive to buy and over xmas lots of noise. Glad we rented for such a long time as it gave us a good insight into all the areas and damn we saw a lot of houses. In the end we have opted for Papamoa (initially my last choice) but its near nice beaches , good sports facilities , and a nice plaza to shop. very happy here and planning a very long stay but i will say rent for a good while and dont jump into a house sale theres absolutely loads and the more you see (but it does get boring) the better you will understand.
john

[lwphysio]

Hi all
I have been reading the forum for a while but this is my first post...
My wife, baby (poppy) and I are planning on moving to NZ in 18months ish and have narrowed down where we want to live to a few key places and would like your expert opinions.....

We are both keen surfers (not very good but keen) and love dinghy sailing and mountain biking. We are also keen on the warm climate NI has to offer.

We have narrowed living areas down to Maunganui, papamoa area...

I am a physio and my wife is a nurse so work should not be an issue probably working in Tauranga/ Whakatane/ Maunganui.

we want to live walking distance from the beach and to commute no more than 30mins for work.

I would love to know your thoughts on what it is like to live in Tauranga, Maunganui Papamoa, Whakatane. I have heard that Maunganui is like Aussies gold coast (which is not massively appealing).

Are any of these dodgy areas??

Thanks for your thoughts in advance!!!

regards

lwphysio

[JandM]

No information on this to share, but welcome.:)

[jandk]

As i said in my last post papamoa is where i plumped for as im at the back end if you like but only a 15 min walk from the beach but the houses go all along the coastline if you want closer. Mt Maunganui is a lot quiter than the gold coast but busier than most areas in the region certainly around the christmas period. I take 20 mins to travel to work and i work in Tauriko which is right across the other side of town. Rotorua has some great tracks for the biking which is about an hours drive , Whakatane is much quiter again 45 mins from Tauranga but a very nice place . The area is surrounded by the kaimais so great hills around and gives Tauranga its own eco-climate so barring weather coming from the north can miss most bad weather as it breaks up over the hills .None of ther areas are dodgy in my opinion , then again im a Mancunian so unless i hear gunfire i feel safe :)

[lwphysio]

Ha ha nice on JandK!! thats really good to hear (especially the gunfire bit!) so I take it you are happy in papamoa? What are the schools like? Any tips when searching for houses to rent? Questions questions questions give a physio an inch they take a mile!
Thanks for your replies

[jandk]

Dont worry too much about rentals as its very easy to change if an agent wants you out its 42 days notice , if you wish to leave its 21days so if your unhappy somewhere you are not too tied. schools are quite good mine are both in mt maunganui schools which are good and the tahaitai primary in papamoa is supposed to be quite good so getting in the right school zone can be important but as your little one is young you have plenty of time to figure that out.As in my previous post i will always say you dont have to rush or worry too much sit back enjoy the kiwi style of life for a while before you make the bigger decisions , the beach is always nearby and nothing is really more than a 30 min drive away even when the traffics bad. Laughing as i post as my kids are suffering cabin fever with the recent rains as they are now so used to the outdoor life but winters about 10weeks and just wet so no real problems there. My rental in the mount was 2 floor house with balcony which was not ideal for my 1 yr old ,now weve bought single story so he has freedom of house and garden which is a weight off our minds:)
hope this helps and good luck

[IanW99]

Dont worry too much about rentals as its very easy to change if an agent wants you out its 42 days notice , if you wish to leave its 21days so if your unhappy somewhere you are not too tied....


The rules quoted are for periodic tenancies, many people are likely to start on a fixed term tenancy which lasts for the length of the term so maybe not as simple.

The full rules for periodic tenancies is:-
Tenants wanting to leave must give 21 days' signed notice in writing and provide their tenancy address and leaving date. If notice is sent by mail, four working days must be added to the notice period. A landlord must give a tenant written notice of at least 90 days, or 42 days if the property is needed for family or employees, or has been sold.

If a landlord gives a tenant notice, the tenant can live in the property until the tenancy ends. Tenants can, however, move out sooner if they give 21 days' written notice to the landlord.

Ian

[Radders]

Welcome Bay traffic is a huge issue for people here, as they are still allowing huge sub divisions in the area with a solution for the jams at the maungatapu/welcome bay roundabout some 10 years away. It might not be a problem for you in the beginning, but you soon get used to no queing in your daily life. (I used to spend hours in london post office's, but if I see more than three people queing these days I walk out and come back later). No where is that far away in Tauranga, and as other people have said it is all relative, but I can beat the traffic home on my bike some days.

[lwphysio]

thats good to know- rush hour here is totally stressful!! We are definitely edging towards living in papamoa! commuting on a bike sounds brilliant!