Masterton (don't laugh)

[ozkiwi]

Hi guys,

I'm an Aussie who has been living in Hamilton for two years and love it, but work will soon pull us south and Masterton is one of the options. Does anyone have any views about living there? (aside from 'don't' What sort of amenities are there?

[ralf-nz]

What can be so bad after Hamilton? Just do it!


(apologies! - I just couldn't resist)

[IanW99]

Hi guys,

I'm an Aussie who has been living in Hamilton for two years and love it, but work will soon pull us south and Masterton is one of the options. Does anyone have any views about living there? (aside from 'don't' What sort of amenities are there?

What are you looking for and what options do you have?

Ian

[Wooly_Cow]

It's VERY quiet but if you are looking for a rural life from the sounds of a few mates of mine who live there, it's really nice. The weather is of course warm during summer and colder in winter than the coast.....

...and of course there's all that WINE just down the road!

and seriously if you need the bigger shops, night life etc. Wellington (or in fact the Hutt) is easy to get to by train (three of my mates commute to work EVERY day). I am also told that driving the Rimutaka Hill gets eaiser after the first few times (not that I would want to do it every day)

[ozkiwi]

Thanks guys. I knew SOMEONE had to like the place!

It's not a definite thing.. there is a business opportunity there that may present itself in the New Year. But the more likely scenario is we will relocate to Wellington (which brings me to my next post).

However, we really do like the rural life. We lived in Australian cities for a decade, but grew up in the country so maybe Masterton wouldn't be so bad after all.

[tigerlily]

I really like visiting Masterton. It has a Moore Wilson (really excellent market for top end foods), a beautiful park with a lovely cafe in the centre, a huge playground for kids. The downtown is fairly busy and nicely kept up (flowers, etc). There is an old movie theatre there too. Also so many wineries nearby and great fishing. Properties are inexpensive and you can take the train into Wellington for the day for an adventure. Nice lifestyle if you enjoy the quiet countryside. They have more in the way of seasons than much of NZ. Summer can be hot and winter is actually cold. But the mountains are spectacular with snow on them around your beautiful valley. If you have kids there are some very good private schools. Also check out Greytown nearby, which is a very posh boutique little village with some excellent cafes, shops etc. If I had a choice I'd live there and take the super short commute into Masterton for work/supermarket shopping.

Best of luck!