Moving to Wellington!...Help What part????

[west indies]

Hello again guys and thanks so much for all the help you all have given me up to this journey...We are moving to wellington end of year and need to find somewhere to live based on these criterias..

1. Lots of parks
2. Family oriented (mothers walking kids with strollers environment etc)
3. Modern homes
4. Easy access to cafes, restaurants, supermarkets etc..
5. Good transportation system
6. Green spaces, golf courses etc
7. Great Schools(2 boys - 10 yr and 6mnth old)
8. Preferable Suburbia and a maximum of 20 mins drive into CBD

SEND ME ALL YOUR SUGGESTIONS.....

Thanks!

[JaniceW]

We had virtually the same list of criteria, but ended up compromising on the travel time/distance and have settled on the Kapiti Coast which is a 48km commute to the CBD. The three main "suburbs" are Waikanae, Raumati and Paraparaumu, the latter has most of the major shops and supermarkets. Well worth it for us plus we have beautiful, safe beaches and it's a bit warmer. Been here since December and loving it - lots of modern houses and you do get more value for money whether renting or buying. And it's home to the world renowned Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club - one of the greatest links courses in the southern hemisphere - Tiger Woods even played there. Plenty other great courses too. Transportation also no problem - trains into the CBD every half an hour and a good bus system servicing the suburbs. VERY family orientated and I've never seen so many parks, playgrounds and reserves in one area. Our kids are 4 and 16 and this area suits both their needs (son is a keen golfer). PM me if you want any specifics - happy to help.

[west indies]

Can you tell us about quality schools and their defile ratings

[Manks]

I think it will be hard to satisfy all your criteria so you'll have to figure out your priorities and work out what you're willing to compromise on.

E.g. Churton Park is probably one of the most modern suburbs close to the city but has less in the way of cafes/restaurants etc (which will mostly be in Johnsonville).

Schools are pretty good everywhere (from what I've heard) and there are lots of parks all over the city.

Miramar and Karori have golf courses, as does Petone. Karori is probably the "greener" of the three and has easy access to Makara for walks/mountain biking.

Lots of options. Best bet is to wait until you're out here, rent a short-term place for the first month (or so) and explore from there. On here you will get lots of personal opinions that may differ from your own in terms of "feeling" when you get here. And some of your location decision may be driven by a job location.

For instance, we had no idea where we wanted to live. I had a job in the CBD but hubby didn't have a job at first. He got a job at the airport so we decided to live that side of town. We had a dog to consider so wanted easy access to dog friendly areas. We started looking around Miramar but there were no dog parks and all the green areas seemed to ban dogs. We were lucky to find a place in Island Bay, which was interesting as when we'd first driven round, hubby described it as like an out-of-season seaside town. But in actual fact it's a fantastic suburb to live in.

Nothing beats going and seeing and feeling the place to see if it's right for you.

[JaniceW]

Can you tell us about quality schools and their defile ratings

In the areas I've mentioned, all the schools are decile 8 and 9, except for 2 which are Paraparaumu Primary (decile 6) and Kapiti Primary (decile 5). Neither schools would be my personal choice. For our DD who starts school middle of next year, we're looking at Paraparaumu Beach School (decile 9) or Kenakena (decile 8). Our son is at Paraparaumu College which is a decile 8. He's very happy there. I would stick with a decile range of 8 plus if this is important to you.