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Thread: Birkenhead, Chatswood, Belmont or Bayswater

  1. #1
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    Default Birkenhead, Chatswood, Belmont or Bayswater

    Just wondered if anyone is or has lived in these areas with or without kids and wondered what they thought of them. To me I really like the look and feel of Birkenhead plus the accessibility of the CBD via the ferry, but the other areas possibly have some of the same pluses.

    If you have kids I would also like to know you thought of the schooling etc which on the surface appears good in the area.

    Cheers

    Alan

  2. #2
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    Auckland's suburbs can be very interesting in a way that one side of a street is OK and the other is not. Chatswood is an area of expensive housing surrounded by, generally speaking, poorer areas. Birkenhead & Northcote (commonly grouped) have a large asian & maori population. I think the bus & ferry take about 30 minutes each into the city. Buses are very regular although old. You don't have the beaches of the East Coast Bays but the houses are $100k cheaper. The majority of the Rates money finds it's way to the East Coast Bays and Birkenhead/Northcote seems to be the poor cousin. All in all it's not bad place, you could do a lot worse.

    PM me if you have specific questions.

  3. #3
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    [QUOTE=diforsyth;228381] You don't have the beaches of the East Coast Bays but the houses are $100k cheaper. The majority of the Rates money finds it's way to the East Coast Bays and Birkenhead/Northcote seems to be the poor cousin. All in all it's not bad place, you could do a lot worse.
    QUOTE]

    Thanks for the info, from what I have seen the true Birkenhead properties (not the ones that the agents say are Birkenhead) are somewhat more expensive than East Coast Bays.

    I am trying to find areas to live that are not filled by first generation immigrants of whatever nation (yes I know we'll be one!), as I know of many Brits that go and then look for areas full of Brits and that is not us I'm afraid.

    Comments appreciated

  4. #4
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    Birkenhead is a place thats top of my list currently. I want to feel slighly outside the city and will be heading north quite a lot, so northern shore seems like the best bet. Being in IT close to the centre will be the place for most of the jobs and as I don't want a 2nd car the ferry seems like such a fantastic way of getting to work!

    I don't mind further north, but will have 2 kids for nursery as well, so more things to think of. Later on schools etc etc. 30 mins from CBD or pray I can find a job on northern shore . I watch this thread with interest!

  5. #5
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    I am keen on Northshore - eyeing the regions of Birkenhead, Beachhaven & Devonport, and the more northern areas of Forrest Hill and Milford. Been looking at houses on real estate sites for months and I have to say there aren't alot of good choices! I understand there's a property slump in NZ too.

    Which real estate sites have you been eyeing?

  6. #6
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    Alan - what age schooling do you need?

    Cheers

    Tia

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    My sons are 8 and 11 so junior and high school/intermediate.

  8. #8
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    I can tell you a bit about Belmont/Bayswater/Hauraki (BBH)area...

    They are between two of the most expensive areas on the shore - Devonport & Takapuna. Devonport having a small village feel and ferry access, and Takapuna has shops/cinema/bars, more of a lively feel, (for the Shore anyway!).

    BBH, is a perfectly nice area but does suffer in comparison to Devonport & Takapuna, which is why they are much cheaper and not as popular. They also have some council houses, which gives them a different look.

    Bayswater ferry, is down a surprisingly long road, surrounded by houses. There are some very nice properties down there, with some decent sized gardens, (rare in many parts of the North Shore). But it is purely a commuter ferry, in that it doesn't have the shops and facilities you find at the Devonport ferry terminal.

    Belmont has what I would call a traditional strip of NZ shops - a dairy, chemist, hells pizza, doctor - not particularly attractive but practical. Narrow Neck beach is nearby and very nice and actively used by the whole community as it has a boat club there. (Search for Narrow Neck on the forum and you should bring up a photo I posted). Once again there are some very nice properties overlooking the sea.

    Hauraki, has another strip of traditional NZ shops, and like the other two has a few very expensive roads and other not so nice ones. Hauraki is between Belmont and Takapuna.

    I would probably term all 3 'up and coming' areas, all very nice, good schools but not quite there yet....

    The primary schools are:

    Belmont Primary:

    www.belmont.school.nz/main.asp

    Hauraki School:

    www.hauraki.school.nz/

    Vauxhall School:

    www.vauxhall.school.nz/

    All of them are considered good schools but all have a slightly different feel, so you would want to visit before choosing a place to live, so that you can make sure you are 'in zone' for the one you want.

    For instance, Vauxhall has more of an open plan feel, which some people like, other don't. It also has a very good reputation for boating, here is a link from their Waterwise course taken at Narrow Neck Beach, just down the road from the school:

    http://www.vauxhall.school.nz/intera...04&group_key=0

    Then most of the schools in the area feed into Belmont Intermediate:

    www.belmontint.school.nz/

    And later, many attend Takapuna Grammar:

    www.takapuna.school.nz/files/home.asp

    I've never been to Chatswood, although I met someone who had moved from there and didn't like it, saying it lacked facilities and you hardly ever saw other people. But thats just one person - hardly enough to form a meaningful opinion!

    With Birkenhead, most people talk very positively about the Point near the ferry, but it can be a bit rough around the edges more inland. Once again though, I'm not sure whether the North Shore's definition of rough, is the same as mine, coming from London.

    We've had a few questions about Birkenhead/Northcote, but I don't think anyone form this forum has settled there yet.

    Hope this helps!

    Cheers

    Tia

  9. #9
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    Cheers Tia, I have noticed that real estate agents stretch Birkenhead almost as far as Glenfield, however I would want to be in walking distance of the Birkenhead ferry so the point would be the only area.

  10. #10
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    My ex lived in Birkenhead, and the street he was in was lovely. Beautiful villas and a view across the harbour from one side of the street. Together with Northcote it's definitely a desireable area.
    There are some good local shops, and a couple of really good neighbourhood restaurants.

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