Commuting from Kapiti coast to Wellington

[Kensington]

What is the commute (train and by car) like from the Kapiti Coast to Wellington?

We arrived in Wellington around 3 weeks ago and have just signed a 7 month lease on a house in Karori. We really struggled to find a decent rental based on our requirements and are seriously considering a move further out of the city when the lease on the new place runs out. We lived in Welly for around 7 months back in 2007/8 and really loved being within walking distance of the city - mostly because of work and the fact we were young(ish!) and were partial to a night out or three.

However, 4 years down the line and now with a toddler in tow being close to the city doesn't quite have the same appeal. Pity we didn't think about that before we arrived, but hey ho !

Anyhoo, for those of you who commute - how bad/good is it?? Bearing in mind that the NZ definition of a bad commute is probably good compared to a Brit's! My OH used to have the M62 to contend with each day so use that as a comparison.

Do you really get a lot more for your money renting/buying out of the city and is the commute worth it? e.g. better climate, space and sense of community? If we were to buy our budget would be around the $450k mark, with ideally 4 beds and decent outside space.

Any thoughts/experiences welcomed, plus recommendations for particular suburbs bearing in mind schooling needs in a few years too.

Ta.

[Lauralocks]

What were you looking for that you struggled to find in Wellington, if you don't mind me asking? I'm just curious as we'll be looking in a couple of months and I want to make sure I'm realistic with what we want/can afford.

I like the idea of the Kapiti coast, I've heard good things about it but OH thinks it's too far out of Wellington and doesn't want the commute - although we live in London currently he has a 20 minute walk to work down back streets and through parks so not your typical London commute!

[Kensington]

Our main requirements were 3 beds, a bit of grassed area and some heating within walking distance of the CBD (30mins max) There are plenty of those types of houses around, but with a toddler we had to be sure the outside area was safe and secure. A lot of houses have decking (aka `low maintenance` or `inside/outside flow`!) and amazing views but just totally impractical for us.

We started off with a budget of $450p/week but have ended up increasing that a bit to get the right house.

If you can, try to make sure you get a house with HRV (ventilation) and a heat pump. A wood burner is a nice addition too. Lucikly we have managed to find a house where the landlord is asthmatic (not so lucky for him) so the house is in great condition and well ventilated/heated. We saw some dumps though, so be prepared!

[victoria24]

the commute varies wildly by car depending what time you leave/what day it is/ school hols or not etc.
in peak commuter traffic it can take an hour and a half.
the coast does have a good family feel, a micro climate and sufficient shops to not need the city.
I love it but if I had to commute every day I'm not so sure.. there are the trains of course and at some time in the future, the new road will be up and running.
I recommend doing a dry run of the commute (being a sadist lol) and see what you think

[Lauralocks]

We are going to be wanting 2 beds, ideally up to $400 a week, some outdoor space - ideally enough to grow veggies either in a garden or pots. And a house not a flat, I'm sick of hearing people thundering around above my head the whole time. Either views of city, sea or bush. Some form of heating would be nice. Sounds like we should be ok based on your experiences I hope - I'm used to seeing dumps and I'm good at sniffing out hidden mould!

[Manks]

You might want to try PMing milkybarkid. He lives in Waikanae and catches the train into Wellington most days.

[Kensington]

Okay, ta. Will do.

[tigerlily]

My OH does the daily commute from Waikanae too. He gets a lot done on the train, has lovely views (just about the most spectacular train ride I can imagine) and has made some good friends from the train ride. He wouldn't ever consider driving, there just isn't a need if you work in the CBD.

It sounds like you have several issues going on. One is you are looking for a rental with heating for $450 a week? That's hard in any case. You also want to be within a 30 minute walk of the CBD? AND have a fenced safe garden?? If you were willing to pay more, you could have the heating and the short walk to work. The problem with the grassy garden is that Wellington is a VERY hilly place, so most sections are steep in the area close to the CBD. I see why you ended up in Karori, it is a relatively flat suburb. Other areas you might consider are the Hutt (if you like the train, but want a shorter ride), since your budget goes further there as well. The Kapiti coast does have a less windy, slightly warmer climate. The main difference is we have summer, and Wellington doesn't. I haven't rented up here, so I'm not sure what you get. But for us it was an affordable place to buy, and we then put in some insulation and heat pump and have been happy. This is a good arrangement for us since I don't have to commute at the moment, but when I finish school and we both work in the CBD I suspect we will move back to the city. I just don't want to be so far from my kids. But I know lots of people who do. There are also a lot of families who have one parent home up here, which was not something I saw as often in Wellington (Wadestown, Khandallah where we lived). I think this is a more affordable area, so people are better able to have one worker and one person home.

I don't think you made a bad choice at all. This will give you time to get settled, have a good look around, and make an informed decision when the time comes. In the mean time, get some nice heating blankets and get ready for winter!

[Manks]

The quality of rental housing in this country is immensely variable, with landlords demanding ridiculous rents for substandard buildings. So sometimes it's not even the area you're looking at, it's down to the individual house.

We started out with a set of criteria and we compromised on a couple in order to get our house. We lost close to a dairy and sea views. Both on the "nice to have" list compared to access to dog walking (we didn't want to have to drive), a garage, 3 beds, heated and insulated, fenced garden for the dog, which were more important things to us. Having seen other rentals and also houses for sale, we feel very lucky to have found a great house in a fantastic area. We'd probably buy our house if our landlords wanted to sell it! I know others who aren't so lucky.

[Adams Girl]

Another option is to move slightly up the coast but not all the way up to Kapiti ... we're right near Pauatahanui, on the eastern end of the Pauatahanui Inlet: http://www.wises.co.nz/l/Porirua+City/Pauatahanui/ and the eastern end of Whitby is really lovely to live in and often has nice rentals.

It takes 15 mins to drive to Porirua station (more trains and a cheaper fare zone than the slightly closer Paremata station) and the express trains take, according to the train timetable anyway (!) 17 minutes. The great thing about where we are is that we're practically smack-bang in the middle, geographically-speaking, of the Wellington area, equidistant to most places, plus Transmission Gully is apparently going to intersect with the Pauatahanui roundabout, just down the road. SH58 takes you to the Hutt Valley and there's a choice of SH1 or the old SH1 - Paekakariki Hill Road - to take you up the coast.

The weather here is more in tune with Paraparaumu weather as we're sheltered from those nasty southerlies by Wellington.