[dylan]

Hi all,
Whangarei,or fanguray as the locals pronounce it, didn't we sound stupid at the interview:exit, but it did start it off on a light hearted front:D
Does anyone have any insider knowledge?
We both had interviews last week, hopefully find out by Friday (17/10) and were wondering if anyone lives or has personal experience of the area. We have looked on the web and found various sites from council to tourist but often find there is no advice like personal advice.
Anything from good areas to live, and areas to avoid, schools, anything at all, even a good place for a coffee:nice1
Thanks in advance for any replies:yes

[TheNaylors]

Sorry, can't help I'm afraid but I will be watching this thread eagerly as we are hoping to settle in Whangarei too and would like to get to know a bit more inside information! :D:D:D

Fingers crossed for you too for the 17/10 :nice1

[Andy&Carol]

Ditto above!

[gil]

No rreal insider experience, as we visited last week when staying at a bach in Mangawhai (about 45 mins south of Whangarei). It seemed a pretty place, a couple of degrees warmer/more humid than Auckland. We did the touristy bit and went to the Town Basin area, nice coffee shops and ice creams!

I'm sure someone who lioves there will be able to answer more usefully soon,

Gil

[marybelle]

Hi future Whangarei bods

I have put a request in the "megga NZ picci thread" for some of Whangarei, both town and countryside. Hopefully someone will have some and then we can all get a better idea of where we are hopefully going to end up!

Marybelle

[Flutterby]

My partners family are in Whangarei, and that is where i hope to settle (at least for a while)
I've been there twice in the last 6 years, I have photos of the area from my 1st visit, but they are all packed up and would need scanning (pre digital) so it will take me a while to get them up.
The schools are Whangarei boys, Whangarei girls, Kamo and Tikipunga(High schools), Whangarei intermediate, plenty of primary schools and a Christian school, Pompallier College.
DP has named a few areas to avoid, but i don't want to offend anyone, so PM me for those details.
Pilkingtons cafe (near the warehouse) on Okara Drive was a very nice cafe (but very busy)
If you have more specific questions i can probably give you more info.

[missy+mrmagoo]

The other half commutes to Whangarei every day so I will send the camera with her tomorrow and ask her to take some pics. She only goes as far as Maunu so you won't get any of the centre but there's some nice country side leading in and the hospitals there too.
I keep meaning to get a pic of Whangarei falls. It's the DD's favourite place, she's only 2 but can sit there watching it for hours, but every time we go I forget the camera:roll

[dylan]

The other half commutes to Whangarei every day so I will send the camera with her tomorrow and ask her to take some pics. :roll

That would be great:clap

Thanks all:nice1

[marybelle]

Thanks Missy+Mrmagoo

I will look forward to the pictures:nice1
Which direction do you commute from?

Marybelle

[missy+mrmagoo]

Which direction do you commute from?

We live in Dargaville on the west coast so she comes in on SH 14 through Maungatapere. Like I say she only goes as far as Maunu which is the first part of Whangarei you get to coming in that way, so there wont be that much of the town!
Next time I go over there I will try to remember the camera and get some more but don't know when that will be.

[Andy B]

Hi Dylon,

We moved from Nottingham to Whangarei just over a year ago. I'm not sure exactly what to tell you, so I'll waffle for a bit.

Whangarei is the biggest town in Northland, so you can get just about get anything you might need here.(except a good curry), It can get busy at times, more cars on the road than I thought there would be, having said that rush hour lasts about ten minutes.

It rains a lot here which can be frustrating but it doesn't get cold compared to the UK. We have just gone though one of the worst winters "people can remember" (we had two frosts!!). In winter it can drop cold at night and a lot of the houses here are like going back 30 years in the UK, (like our rental) big single glazed windows, great in summer, not so good in winter, no insulation and only a wood burner to warm the whole house. New houses must have double glazing and insulation its standard regulation brought in in September 08. We have electric blankets on the beds, the kids didn't know what they were before we came here !! It's very humid here so you will need to invest in a dehumidifier to help take the moisture out of the house.

Summer is great with lots of different beaches to choose from, the nearest proper beaches are about 35 minutes drive. If you like fishing you will love it here, if you can't afford a boat, it won't be long before you know someone who has one. Diving is also popular here they do organised trips from Pahia and Tutakaka and you can go on a charter boat and do the fishing and diving and dolphin/whale watching.. so lots to do..

If you would like to know anything else then you can feel free to PM us.

Andy, Michelle, Shannon and Daniel.

[missy+mrmagoo]

Ok as promised here's some pics. Unfortunatly it was a manky day over that side (much nicer here in Dargaville). OH had to drive today but will try again tomorrow when she should be on the bus. Hopefully sun will be out too!

This is the coffee guy with his customized van. He's always parked in this laybay on the way in!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2941216842_14238410e9.jpg
View from the West end "shopping centre"
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3234/2940364461_f26133001f.jpg
Houses on the hill in Maunu
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2941224490_89c9f3ebf6.jpg
The best little pharmacy in Maunu!!! Ok so it's the only one but OH works there!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/2941222608_9fb4bbea45.jpg

To be continued......................................... .

[marybelle]

Thanks for the pics :nice1

Even on a "manky day" it is better than wet and windy Lancashire at the moment!!

Look forward to the view from the bus.

Cheers

Marybelle

[Nick88]

I can't really add to the info already posted, but I have lived near Whg for about 7 years now. I have one or two countryside pictures on my website (accessible via my profile).

It is basically a regional service town, has everything you would need, or can get it easily enough from Akl. It is on an estuary, so there are no beaches really close to town, but they are not far. Employment has improved up here quite a bit in the last few years due to good agricultural commodity prices.

As Flutterby previously posted, if you need more specific questions answered feel free to PM me.

[missy+mrmagoo]

Sorry we haven't posted any more pics yet but the next day the weather was bad again then when it picked up we had taken camera out of OH's work bag:roll

She will try again next week and I should be going over next sat so will get some of the town and the falls!

[marybelle]

Thanks guys:nice1
Will look forward to them.

[missy+mrmagoo]

Maungatapere (about 12km outside Whangarei)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2969974051_250fd7b7fe.jpg
Just coming into Whangarei
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/2969976923_9ce62abc59.jpg
Kids play area at the town basin
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2970834282_041d1a5cb5.jpg
Art gallery. Don't know if it's any good not my thing!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/2970831750_d59902cda7.jpg

[missy+mrmagoo]

Don't you just hate it when trees jump out in front of you when your trying to take a photo
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/2970852876_f8fc500093.jpg
I think the signs say it all
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2970822290_0e5af9af48.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2970012971_4fb47fe54f.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3035/2970020169_2a6df88d86.jpg

[missy+mrmagoo]

Whangarei falls
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2969996793_ac7c3f988a.jpg
Whangarei
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/2970850408_6d139ca615.jpg
Just outside Whangarei
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2971155060_7e8f17a7f7.jpg
and again.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2258/2970883108_d9daa66364.jpg

[Andy&Carol]

Thanks for the pics, it's good to see 'normal' pictures, the falls etc are beautiful, but seeing what you see on your commute to work really gives an insight into everyday life.

How long does it take to travel from Dargeville?

Hope to see you there soon!

[missy+mrmagoo]

Thanks for the pics, it's good to see 'normal' pictures, the falls etc are beautiful, but seeing what you see on your commute to work really gives an insight into everyday life.

How long does it take to travel from Dargeville?

Hope to see you there soon!

It takes about 40-45 mins with much nicer scenery than the old london commute!

Looking forward to it!

[scampi]

Hi all,

Carol here, Scampi's wife.

Have not been on this website for a few months now and only just picked up this thread.
My OH is currently working in Whangarei and has been there since Feb 2008.

Due to the waiting game of sellling our house, I am still in the UK. Scampi is due home in a few days for a holiday, lol and I am returning to Whangarei with him at the beginning of Dec. I will get him to read this post and stick some info on here.

[TheNaylors]

Hi Carol,

that's great, looking forward to reading his input to the thread :nice1

Julie

[senorparco]

Whangarei Boys, Whangarei Girls, Kamo High have the best reputations in town. Pompellier is Catholic but I am not sure if that is required to attend. Town Basin is the place for a coffee, I'd rather take a flask to the white sands of Ocean Beach though. Whangarei has a population of 50,000 and is situated on a small river at the base of a native bush clad mountain. There is a small marina in the Town Basin (city centre) which occassionally floods. Visited Whangarei a lot (I'm from Kataia) and places to avoid are Otangarei I'm told by locals and news from the local paper. Kensington, Vinetown (1st to 5th Avenues) and along Hatea drive are nice areas.

[Andy&Carol]

We live in Kamo, and we're told this is one of the 'nice' areas, which it seems to be. One thing that's really surprised/mildly shocked me is the amount of 'tagging' it's EVERYWHERE on fences of houses, sides of shops, around the falls (on trees!) no area appears to escape the attention of a spray can! I don't know how this compares to other areas, but certainly around Whangarei I'd say it's rife.

I agree about Otangarei, and expanding on that, we were told to avoid any area that begins with an 'O'.

Other than that I think Whangarei is OK, we've been here a week now and it's starting to feel like home.

Oh, and one more thing, a phrase I keep hearing is "In Whangarei it's not WHAT you know it's WHO you know" so my advice would be to search out a support network, but there's lots of immigrants, as well as some really lovely locals here and we've been well looked after.

PM me if you'd like me to expand on anything.

All the best, Carole

[scampi]

hi, been living in Whangarei for the past year if you want to send a list of questions i will try and answer as best I can

[robininman]

We live in Kamo, and we're told this is one of the 'nice' areas, which it seems to be. One thing that's really surprised/mildly shocked me is the amount of 'tagging' it's EVERYWHERE on fences of houses, sides of shops, around the falls (on trees!) no area appears to escape the attention of a spray can! I don't know how this compares to other areas, but certainly around Whangarei I'd say it's rife.

I agree about Otangarei, and expanding on that, we were told to avoid any area that begins with an 'O'.

Other than that I think Whangarei is OK, we've been here a week now and it's starting to feel like home.

Oh, and one more thing, a phrase I keep hearing is "In Whangarei it's not WHAT you know it's WHO you know" so my advice would be to search out a support network, but there's lots of immigrants, as well as some really lovely locals here and we've been well looked after.

PM me if you'd like me to expand on anything.

All the best, Carole

it sound realy nice
we are hoping to move there in about two years my wife is a dr so the hospital looks good , can i ask have you any thoughts on the primery schools like hora hora school, and what are the prople like
please help