[Jennie & Rob]

Hi - has anyone got any recommendations for family friendly suburbs in Wellington, ie. with kindergartens, good primary schools, playgrounds, Brownies & Cub Scouts, etc. Also with good public transport into Wellington (we are hoping to be a 1 car family for the first time ever).
Many thanks for any replies

[Carol]

We are in Tawa and really like it here for all of the above....

[dave k]

Depends what you mean by suburbs. Immediately around Welly, or further out like J'ville, Khandallah etc?
If nearer, I'd say Hataitai /Kilburnie/Miramar would be a good bet.
But also more expensive too.

Public transport is pretty good all round Wellington, and pretty cheap too. Shouldn't cost more than a coupla $ from the suburbs....& not heaps more from further up the SH2 either.

[Jennie & Rob]

Thanks Carol - Tawa we did not know about and it looks good.

Dave -
As we have never been, it is hard to judge distances. I guess we just want to be within 30-45 minutes commuting at the most from the City centre, preferably less. Rob wants to cycle or use public transport to get to work. Public transport sounds great in Welly compared to the rural part of Wiltshire we are in; it is 30 minutes walk to a bus stop.

All advice appreciated,
thanks
Jennie

[Carol]

Thanks Carol - Tawa we did not know about and it looks good.

Dave -
As we have never been, it is hard to judge distances. I guess we just want to be within 30-45 minutes commuting at the most from the City centre, preferably less. Rob wants to cycle or use public transport to get to work. Public transport sounds great in Welly compared to the rural part of Wiltshire we are in; it is 30 minutes walk to a bus stop.

All advice appreciated,
thanks
Jennie

Jennie - Whitby (where we used to live) is much prettier than Tawa but we came here for the kids' High School which at the moment is our main priority.
Kenny gets the train into Wellington from here - choice of two stations within walking distance - and it is only two stops I think into city.
The nearest train station to Whitby is Paremata which is on the verge of too far to walk. (Awful on a wet day)
Lots of good schools in Tawa (primary level)
look for Greenacres, Redwood and Tawa Primary first.

Carol

[dave k]

Well, I can only offer my personal opinion...and I don't have kids so, take it or leave it...but 30-45 mins commuting (not rush hour tho) would probably get you all the way up to the Hutts. I can't say as I'd recommend it though...
There are some fantastic places just around the city itself...the ones I mentioned above & I would probably throw Wadestown in there as well...with tons more character & vibe than the commuter-belt places. And you can be in the city in 10 minutes or less.
They all seem to cater well for families too....I'm in Hataitai & there's a Community House directly across the road here which seems to host all sorts of events for kids & parents . There's a playschool 2 mins down the road & a primary school 2mins up the road. We have about 5 or 6 restaurants, a pretty cool pub....and it all feels separate and nicely removed from the city , unlike other suburbs.
All depends what you want & what you're used to though...and, of course, everyone's gonna say that where they live is the best :)

[sarahw]

Dave's right - everyone is going to say where they live is best!! Hee hee! :laugh

We live in Whitby, which I'd say is quite family oriented. There are schools within walking distance, there's a walkway around most of Whitby (apart from the new bit) that goes along the back of our house, often see groups of kids out cycling, skateboarding & playing. Plenty of play parks & grassy areas to play on & there's a skateboard park (I've seen these all over the place so I'm guessing most suburbs have these type of facilities).

Shops, Drs & dentist in walking distance (as well as fish & chip shop, blockbuster video & chinese takeaway - important stuff!)

All the local kids came knocking at our door when we moved in to see if we had any kids to play with - how sweet was that? Made me feel bad to say no & see them leave the house looking a bit disappointed! I was amazed at seeing such young kids out playing in the street - something I remember doing in the 1970's myself at that age but something you don't see too often in the UK these days!

[Carol]

I loved Whitby Sarah and would probably be there still if it wasnt for the high school (aka college) issue!

In fact the boys still come through to Whitby on Mondays for scouts becuse that is where their mates are...

[shagen]

I find Kiwis in general dont like to commute, so traveling 7 km out of the city is :eek !

When we were in Wellington and wanted to drive to Tawa from the city to meet Carol, and we asked for direction, people would give us the "why on earth would you want to go there?" look!

We have not lived in Wellington yet but found Tawa and Karori really nice places to bring up kids. We only had a few days, I am sure there are other suburbs just as good if not better.

[baboonworld]

As a Wellingtonian (lived there for first 22 years of my life - mostly in Upper Hutt / Lower Hutt & Whitby) I would recommend the following:

If you want to live of a hill: Whitby, (and anywhere in central Wgtn), Lower Hutt Hills (gorg view of harbour), and North of UH - eg Te Marua, or if you like the country maybe Whitemans Valley.

Remember your money goes a long way - I am constantly looking at www.open2view.com

[Karen and Rich Matthews]

Hi Guys,

We're still thinking the Johnsonville area and surrounding towns, mainly because the open2view site has some gorgeous homes there.

Does anyone know anything about Newlands and Churton Park, seems to come up alot in open2view?

We've also now made the decision to buy a house rather than rent, and try and organise that over here in the UK, madness I know, but rent money is dead money, right? ;)

Rich

[wilson182]

True

But renting also gives you time to have a good look around when you are on the ground, and suss out the areas you really like.

Friends of ours bought their house as soon as their money came through, not long after getting here, and are now seriously regretting it.

[Carol]

We did that too.
Bought too quickly.

Not because of the house - or the area - liked them both.
But the schools were a different thing altogether.

If you are lucky and find the right school straight away that is great.
But if not - you're stuck with it.
The ONLY reason we moved to Tawa was for the secondary school - which we have been proved right in our decision.

That said - I do quite like it here.
Hate the house - but again - only temporary.

We are looking to either extend or move soon.

C

Think very seriously before buying without seeing.

[sarahw]

Really Carol is right - every house is individual & photos aren't going to show you the damp smells in houses!!! leaky building syndrome or what kind of sunlight (very important if there's no heating) there is plus not knowing areas/streets/commutes well - I'd totally advise against buying without seeing.

We set our hearts on Mana when we first moved here - 2 weeks in a motel in Mana told us it was the worst decision ever - the traffic was hurrendous & Ian would have gone crazy if we'd moved there. You can do short term rentals & I'd recommend that completely - rental money is not dead money for a 3-6 month period call it insurance money! - buying a house & then having to pay an estate agent $13,000 to sell it soon after because you've made a mistake is!!!

[miep]

I'm with Sarahw and the others here; Please don't buy before you get here. The rent money is more than worth being able to look around and see for yourself what the houses are like.
Another big issue reason to wait is that you can't use your nose from overseas! Believe me you need it! :mrgreen:
There are loads of houses that smell of fungus which can tell you an awfull lot. For me its enough reason to walk right out the door again.

:cheers Miep

[Chicken Legs]

Have only recently joined the forum and Wellington is our favoured spot to settle. Schools are the BIG issue for us too. I have two boys aged 11 & 7, so I'm looking for an area which offers good primary AND secondary schools. By the time we eventually make the move, it's likely that my elsest will be 13 and ready for secondary school. Carol - Tawa sounds promising.

I appreciate that it's impossible to pick an area without first visting NZ (we are coming over for 4 weeks from 12 December) but would appeciate any advice you can give.

Thanks

[Karen and Rich Matthews]

Karen and I had a rethink and agree with you all, we'll be renting before we buy...a moment of true madness :uhoh

Does anyone know how long short term rental are, 6 months or less?

Cheers :cheers

Rich and Karen

[sarahw]

That really depends on the landlord - we got a 6 month rental (a lot are a year) but speaking to an esatate agent in the city short-term rentals of 3 months or just month-by-month are available - you just have to look a bit harder...

[cotapaxi]

We are in Tawa and really like it here for all of the above....

Carol

Can you post any info about nurseries/kindy/childminders etc. Tawa is looking like a strong possibility for us.

Are there any areas of Tawa that we should avoid?

Thanks

David

[Going2NZ]

I have a friend in Mana (just around the corner from Tawa) that runs a daycare in her home. I don't know if she has any openings right now but I could ask if you're interested. Just PM me.

Susan

[T-R3xx]

Carol - how are the Primary schools in Tawa? I would also be interested in hearing about the Primary schools in Porirua / Whitby areas if anyone know anything about them.

Interesting tidbit - last month, when we were in Welli, we visited a Primary school (Clyde Quay) in Mt. Victoria, and had a very impressive 30-minute meeting with the principal there. We learned alot about how the school system works, etc. Needless to say, my wife wanted to move to Mt. Victoria just to put the kids in that school!

[Carol]

There are quite a lot of schools ion Tawa - a good thing. You can then go for your own personal choice.

For us personally - we lived in Whitby at the time - we chose a local school not a Tawa school.
Now that we have moved to Tawa - I am actually still working at the school we put the kids in so my 6 year old still goes there. My teenagers go to Tawa College though which is really good.

[Karen and Rich Matthews]

There are quite a lot of schools ion Tawa - a good thing. You can then go for your own personal choice.

My teenagers go to Tawa College though which is really good.

Have they met Karen yet I wonder (they'd know if they had :D)