Hamilton?? live in or out

[jbroughton]

i just wanted peoples opinion on what its like and is it better to live in the heart of hamilton or on outskirts/out of hamilton?
i ave 5 children and OH would be working in hamilton, also would it be easy to travel from say cambridge into hamilton for work??

any thought would be great thanks all

[Duncan74]

Easy. Live in Cambridge. Easy drive in, can cycle if you're keen, although buses aren't that great (not that frequent on a night according to colleagues).
And will be very handy for the new Velodrome ;-)

[Nienke]

I'm with Duncan. Cambridge is beautiful and an easy commute to Hamilton!

[Kanga]

20-30 mins depending on time of day- easy as route in. Cambridge is lovely and quite the place to be with family

[jbroughton]

thanks guys, really appreciate it is there any area in cambridge to avoid? or is it kinda all round nice?

[Duncan74]

Ideally you want to be north of the river. Of course you'll be paying for pleasure of being in Cambridge, and then again for being on the north, but that's no different to anywhere else.

Oh, and no noise on a night, given that your neighbours will be mostly lawyers ;-)

[Kanga]

thanks guys, really appreciate it is there any area in cambridge to avoid? or is it kinda all round nice?

It's kinda all round nice! There are 3 primary schools in town plus a middle (mostly kids just stay for intermediate though and then go to high) and a high.

Cambridge East is currently the only primary zoned- though I believe Cambridge Primary and Leamington are preparing to zone. I think all three schools are good- have a look at websites as a starting points. Generally folk tend to consider Cambridge East as the better school, followed by Cambridge Primary then Leamington. My first choice from those three would be Cambridge Primary, which is a very neat school though the sods have introduced a uniform.

Finding a rental in Cambridge isn't easy- these ladies are lovely as far as agents go: http://www.findahomenz.co.nz/ If they like you nothing is too much trouble and they'll be an advocate for you with the landlord too- rare gems in the letting agent market here.

Duncan's north of the river suggestion is a bit crude but if you're renting without knowing the area at all, it's a good rule of thumb. Make sure you do not rent from a private landlord with the initials BB, an unusual first name and surname that sounds like a first name. AVOID him at all costs. Good luck getting in to Pleasantville

[jbroughton]

thanks guys nice to have the heads up from people already there, i cant wait to get out there although OH will be going on alone as i have to stay here and wait for eldest to finish gcses.
dont suppose anyone knows what happens with doing college or 6th form with only uk gcse and not an nz qual??

[Kanga]

thanks guys nice to have the heads up from people already there, i cant wait to get out there although OH will be going on alone as i have to stay here and wait for eldest to finish gcses.
dont suppose anyone knows what happens with doing college or 6th form with only uk gcse and not an nz qual??

You need to bone up on NCEAs- http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...ications/ncea/

I suggest you contact, for example, Cambridge High School and see what they suggest- waiting until s/he completes GCSEs might not be worth it as the NZ school year starts in February and s/he might be better off getting going with them. On the other hand IGCSEs are common here so should be well recognised. S/he would then probably do NCEA level 2 and 3 before uni. There's isn't a sixth form college- it's just the last two years of high school and will be an adjustment for your teen, I think.

[Sam B]

Bit late to the party but 100% back Cambridge as a great option to live in. I commute to Hamilton for work each day, it is a no-stress journey. I live out in the surrounding countryside, but if I lived in Cambridge, I think I would prefer Cambridge East area over Leamington, as it is more convenient for shops and schools.