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Thread: Urgent-ish help needed please ...

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    78

    Default Urgent-ish help needed please ...

    Hello All, I'm hoping that you lovely people (I'm basing my 'lovely' people assumption on the amazing advice/words of wisdom I was given on my intro post!) can give us some more help/advice/pros/cons please.

    We're in the immensely fortunate position that my husband has been offered 2job roles in NZ - one in Hawkes Bay (Napier) and one in either Hamilton/Tauranga (there's an office in both). Now, we need to let both companies know by early next week which he'll be taking up. I've researched Hawkes Bay quite a bit (I know that ideally I'd like us to be in Taradale if we do go there) as that offer came in first, but the Hamilton/Tauranga is a curve ball I wasn't expecting so haven't looked in to either in any great depth as yet.

    We're a family of 5 - 2 boys of 6 & 4, a little girl of 1 and myself and my husband (37) and we're looking for a place to settle that can offer lots of things to do as a family i.e. beach/lake, walking, cycling etc I have heard that the beaches in Napier aren't particularly safe for swimming? Which makes the fact that beach is 45 minutes from Hamilton less of an issue - and is the lake swimmable?! Is Tauranga a good place to raise a young family? Sorry these questions probably make me sound like a total idiot but our main focus for going to NZ is that I could take the kids out to the beach/lake after school on my own and I'd need to know that that's a safe option.

    What are the areas that we should be looking at buying property in in Hamilton/Tauranga? We need good schools, access to outdoor areas/swimming and some 'life' (if that makes sense?!) I have read some contradictory reports on Napier - it's idyllic but very quiet etc

    I promise not to base my family's entire future on the answers you give so feel free to be as truthful as you like ..... no pressure!! Any experiences, good or bad, will be most helpful. I'm off to surf the web to try and gather more info as well but I thought it would be worth asking people who are already there/in the process of being there what they thought.

    Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    Don't really know Napier but do know Tauranga. Can you make another post please.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Forgive for being a total plank - by another post, does this count?! *goes off with forum-eejit badge to sit in a corner*

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    Yep, you just need to make 5 or more posts to allow the PM system to work ;-)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Ah, it all becomes clear! Thank you!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    Hmm, still not working, can you send a PM to me? Should be an option if you click on the green button my my name.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    4,393

    Default

    Anyway. I live in Tga and am a Civil Engineer that got a curve ball with Tauranga and work a fair bit in our Hamilton office too....... Don't have kids, but I think I'm one of two people in the office of 200 not to have kids. The other is my wife.... Beach at the mount is great in summer for swimming, and there's safe swimming in Pilot Bay. Used to be a bit of a retirement town, but now it's a summer holiday place for half of NZ and has a real nice feel to it. The cycle club is pretty active, last summer I rode with them Tuesday, Thursday Saturday and Sunday. Mountain biking is OK in the immediate locality, and the best in the world at Rotorua 45 minutes away.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Haha, will try and PM you then - my husband is also a civil engineer and an avid biker!!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    (have you changed your settings to not allow Private messages?)

    Hamilton used to have a reputation as a boring place - think Milton Keyes.

    Really, I don't think it's that bad at all based on my visits, although I'll be honest I've not been there overnight / for weeks on end. People from our office seem to like it though. I actually think the road cycling is slightly better there as there are loads of quieter roads just to the north, but it's horses for courses.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Hawkes Bay
    Posts
    78

    Default

    Nope, just tried and it's not giving me an option to do it! Grrrr! My thought on Tauranga (and this is just from reading about it so obviously based on no real experience of the place) are that it's got a Cornwall feel about it?! Am I translating that right? I'd like the kids to be outdoors as much as possible, they're feral if they're cooped up too long ;-)

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