Family friendly suburbs in Wellington?

[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!

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