Wellington Suburbs

[RoadRunner]

I need help from all of you Wellington locals.

My husband and I are considering several different areas in the Wellington region and would appreciate input on any of the following:
How long is the rush hour (and non rush hour) drives from Upper Hutt to CBD? From Tawa? From Johnsonville? From Paraparaumu?

Do those areas have their own restaurants, pubs, shops? Do you find that you often prefer to go into CBD for dinner or shopping (due to quality or selection)?

As an example, we live outside of Tucson in what is typically considered a suburb. But to go to dinner, we have to drive into Tucson itself, which takes at least 30 minutes each way. Same for shopping (to go to my favorite store, it takes 45 minutes each way - but then, I'm fussy about my grocery stores).

We really enjoy going out for a relaxing dinner but don't want to have to spend so much time driving. Hence, the reason we'd like to live closer. But the houses closer to CBD seem so much smaller, older, and right on top of neighbours.

Appreciate any thoughts. We leave on the 19th of February for our recon...

RoadRunner

[cloudboy99]

I'd be really interested to hear this too. My wife and I in the air whether we live in the suburbs and commute in, or do your 20-something and live in a nice flat in the CBD as we'd be in that category of two-incomes, no kids (yet). I wouldn't mind a nice brisk walk to work instead of a commute (my commute to work now is less than 10 minutes all on backroads).

[sarahw]

Jodie will be able to help you with Johnsonville, Tawa will only be another 5 or so minutes on top (I think Carol might know that). Paraparamu - hmmm I'd say 45-50 mins at the moment - although it may be more because of the roadworks - it gets a bit snarled at Paramata roundabout & personally I wouldn't want to live any further on than Paramata because of that also sunny Sunday afternoons coming back from the Kapati coast are completely snarled through Paramata too. The stretch of road from Plimmerton to Pukerua Bay is quite hazardous & there have been quite a few deaths although they are trying to improve things. Having said that I can understand why people live on the Kapati coast as it is really nice! One of our friends lives in Waikanae and it takes him an hour but he leaves home at some ungodly hour in the morning & returns home 3/4pm in the afternoon to miss the traffic. He's been doing that for a year & is giving it up & moving back to the city next year.

Johnsonville & Tawa are probably as far out as you want to be from the sound of your mail - Ian told me that the Highway 2 which goes to Upper Hutt instead of turning off on the Highway 1 which takes him home past Johnsonville & Tawa is always stacked of an evening & the traffic starts moving again as soon as he gets onto highway 1 - although no personal experience of driving to/From Upper Hutt - all the locals I spoke to told me to avoid living there because of the journey - you do get a lot for your money up there though & there's some nice places to visit around Upper Hutt.

[RoadRunner]

Thanks for that, Sarah

Upper Hutt - all the locals I spoke to told me to avoid living there because of the journey - you do get a lot for your money up there

That's why I was asking. I've been spending a lot of time on the Real Estate Web sites and the houses in Upper Hut seem so much newer, nicer, cheaper... But we are really tired of long commutes!!

Cloudboy - I'll post our impressions when we get back. Do you have a date when you are planning to move to NZ?

[sarahw]

Yep - the places where you get a lot for your money here - there's a good reason for it - usually the commute - Kiwis don't tend to like a commute so much in fact when we say where we live most of them recoil in horror at the 30-40 minute journey Ian has every day! Having lived in Surrey & had a 1 hour - 1.5 hour commute each way we just laugh!

[Jodie]

Yep - any questions about Johnsonville then fire away! We've lived here now for about 6 months and it's got everything you need - a few small bars, 2 or 3 restaurants, 2 supermarkets, patrol stations, doctors, library, a small-ish mall with a few clothes shops, WH Smith sytle shops, a food court, banks, hairdressers, all the take-aways you could want (yay!), post shop, and even a small warehouse. It really is a smart little self-contained suburb, and it all feels relatively new.

There's a train station behind the mall and it takes Daz 20 mins to get home on the train in the evening and costs $3. It's quite handy for going into the city for a few drinks in the evening too, cos the last train is at 1am which gives you a reasonable amount of eating/drinking time! (A taxi from the city would probably cost around $30 but we've never caught one yet.)

The journey into the city in the morning is about 20 mins, 25 mins on a particularly busy morning. I drop Daz off at work and leave at 8:30 and he's at his desk by 9am, or if we leave at 9am he's at his desk by 9:15am. OUtside of rush hour it only takes about 10 mins to drive into the city.

Like Sarah said, SH2 that goes up towards the Hutt does get REALLY busy - it's quite nice driving home from the city in the evening and turning off to the pretty clear SH1 towards Johnsonville. Sometimes it backs up on the off-ramp to Johnsonville a bit, but that's only maybe a 5 min queue so quite bearable!

We had a look at some rentals closer to the city last weekend just out of interest. At the moment, we're paying $230 per week for our 2 bedroomed townhouse which is a reasonable size, with 2 bathrooms, garden and car port, whereas we looked at a few 1 or 2 bedroomed flats a bit closer to the city and they started from about $250 per week and we really crap! You need to spend at least $280 - $300 per week to get a NICE 1 or maybe 2 bedroomed flat (small) nearer the city.

Also, we've been looking at house prices, and we can probably get a decent 2 or 3 bedroomed house with a decent garden in Johnsonville for between $250k - $300k, and we'd seriously consider buying here, so it can't be too bad!

Anyway, I hope this helps. If you've got any other questions about Johnsonville, then just shout.

Cheers,

Jod

[cloudboy99]

Cloudboy - I'll post our impressions when we get back. Do you have a date when you are planning to move to NZ?

No time frame as of yet. Since we are leaving our parents/relatives in the dark until I receive that wonderful PR we haven't set a date. I know it will be at least past July as I have Stock Options that vest then (no sense giving away free money). I did find out some rather interesting news this weekend though. My wife's cousin went on a 12-day cruise around NZ/OZ with his grandparents. Unbeknownst to everyone, he applied for a work permit and was arranging housing two days before the cruise was over. If after 10 days in NZ he was ready to up and leave the US behind, that's saying something.

[RoadRunner]

Cloudboy,

If after 10 days in NZ he was ready to up and leave the US behind, that's saying something.

Wow, that's pretty cool! :cool
RoadRunner

[cloudboy99]

It also probably doesn't hurt that his brother has spent the last 1 1/2 years in the Auckland area on his Mormon (Latter Day Saints) mission. The grandparents and he were able to visit ($50 cab ride each way!) so that might have had something to do with it.

[pleccy2000]

Johnsonville's great!!!!!

If i could choose anywhere it would be Te Aro as it reminds me of Brighton.