Moving from the US - any advice on Tauranga vs Hawkes Bay for family with children?

[TexastoNZ]

Thanks for all the input, everyone. I'm not sure we're any closer to a decision, but I definitely feel I have more information than I had before. The confounding factor now is that it looks like Auckland is a real contender for my husband, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I like cities - big and small (and medium). I probably prefer them since I've never lived in a small town, now that I think of it. But I also wanted to approach this move as a chance to make choices I might not normally, to go outside of our comfort zone (i.e. not being able to get Vietnamese food at 11 pm at night. Hey, everyone's comfort zone is different). I did have my eye on a school in the suburb of Glendowie - Glendowie Primary - which looks pretty great (also has a Montessori option and one of my kids is already in Montessori and thriving) but I wonder exactly how suburban it is out there. Not sure I want to come all the way to another country + hemisphere for a suburb. Is that wrong? Anyway, I probably should start another thread now that this one has taken a tangent from the original topic (though we're still considering the two other areas at this point). My husband would be working on the North Shore, near Lake Pupuke, if we did Auckland - does anyone know what the commute from Glendowie would be like for him every day? is Devonport a better option? Any other suggestions in that area? Also, it goes without saying, Auckland is crazy expensive. And I've lived in NYC

[Oregonkiwi]

But I also wanted to approach this move as a chance to make choices I might not normally, to go outside of our comfort zone

Moving to NZ will be a radical change, wherever you end up living. So don't discount Auckland just for that. Yes it's a city but it's not an American city.

I did have my eye on a school in the suburb of Glendowie - Glendowie Primary - which looks pretty great (also has a Montessori option and one of my kids is already in Montessori and thriving) but I wonder exactly how suburban it is out there.

I think that Daniela (dharder) lives in Glendowie, you could send her a private message (you'll need to get up to 5 posts first) if she doesn't see this.

[TexastoNZ]

Thanks, Oregonkiwi, that's a good point to consider - it's all going to be a bit out of my comfort zone isn't it? I have to admit, the idea of a small homogeneous village makes me a bit nervous, I think, if that's more like what Napier and Tauranga are like - no matter how beautiful the scenery.

And this should be my 5th post, so thanks for that too If Daniela doesn't reply, I might try asking her advice on PM.

[dharder]

And here she is...

We live in Glendowie (technically it is Glen Innes, but school zone wise and for real estate agents, we are in Glendowie ). I had four, then three, now two children at Glendowie Primary school, but in not in the Montessori unit. The school follows the IB programme for primary schools, which among some other things means that everyone starts a foreign language in Year 3. While the school is zoned and if you are in the zone, they have to accept you, the Montessori part has its own admission criteria, so I would check with them what exactly they are.

Having said that, I would not consider the commute from here to the North Shore on a daily basis. Occasionally, work takes me to North Shore Hospital, and although doable (you go against the traffic on the motorway), and a good run would probably be about half an hour, personally I prefer to live closer to work. But I currently cycle and wouldn't go back to commute by car for any distance, so my expectations may be slightly different.

Glendowie is a well off middle class largely white and pretty dull suburb. What it has going for it are the waterfront (both St Heliers and the Tamaki Estuary) and the fact that the CBD is easily reachable by public transport, a bike ride along the waterfront (20min/half an hour) or even car. It has a number of primary schools that are all considered good (and given the demographic and the socio-economic make up of the area, it would be surprising if they were anything else). All primaries are full primaries, there is no intermediate school in the Eastern Bays. There is a reasonably small and good state secondary school (Glendowie College) and a catholic boys' secondary school (Sacred Heart), and some private schools have buses going through here to pick up the children.

Now I am not a suburby type person, this is all far too sleepy and homogenous for me. People always suggest I should move somewhere more interesting (Grey Lynn, Mt Eden, somewhere city-ish). My reasons for not doing that are that nothing in NZ will ever meet my expectations of what 'urban' means to me, what a city is, and what I expect it to provide. So instead of living in a second (if that...) class version of what I used to live in, I will live in an area that enables my children to do things that they wouldn't be able to in a more urban setting: they take their kayaks and the sailing dinghy down the road, they wander around in the local reserve, they cycle to see friends or into town, and they have a garden that is large enough to actually play in.

And then one day, we'll move back to the 'real thing' (at least that's my plan!).

Happy to answer any other questions, if you have them. A lot of people on the forum live on the North Shore, so they will be able to tell you more about that. That area holds even less appeal for me than where I currently am because on top of being suburban and sleepy, it is also too far away for my taste from anything else, so I personally wouldn't consider living there.

And having said all that, I'm afraid you will struggle anywhere in New Zealand to get a Vietnamese take away after 11pm, so wherever you go, it'll be different

Daniela

[Dirk Mostert]

I happen to like Glendowie. It is a very nice “upper middleclass” suburb with lots of greenery and a few recreational parks…..one that boasts a few baseball fields & small community center too. The nearby schools are highly regarded. My kids really enjoyed attending Glendowie primary and Glendowie college. There is also a wonderful church in nearby St Heliers. The Presbyterian Church & Community Centre welcomes new arrivals from all over the world and they go out of their way to help you settle into the community. See www.sthelierscentre.org.nz.

Travel time from Glendowie to Glenfield on the North Shore is about 45 minutes, if you leave at 7:15 in the morning. The trip is 25km/ 15.5 miles and that’s taking the scenic route along the bays. I did this for some time and it wasn’t too bad.

You can get better value for money on the North Shore when purchasing a house. You’ll pay about $800,000+ in Glendowie for a four bedroom place (See www.trademe.co.nz ) but may find cheaper accommodation in Birkenhead/ Glenfield or Browns Bay. Living outside of Auckland means that you will pay a lot less for a 4 bedroom house. I recently moved to Whangarei (2 hours north of Auckland). Here you can buy a 5 hectare lifestyle block for NZ$700,000. A 4 bedroom place will cost +/- $450,000 - $500,000.

But you can live in the city in an apartment. There is nightlife to be had and Auckland host quite a few events…see www.ticketmaster.co.nz . This isn’t NY or London, but then it hasn’t got the high living costs of those cities either.

Good luck.

Dirk

[Alia]

But you can live in the city in an apartment. There is nightlife to be had and Auckland host quite a few events…see www.ticketmaster.co.nz . This isn’t NY or London, but then it hasn’t got the high living costs of those cities either.

Good luck.

Dirk

Actually for the little Auckland offers it is violently expensive. I don't even think it is much cheaper than NYC.

Auckland = suburbia (in my view not a place for city lover that is for sure).

[TexastoNZ]

Thanks, Daniela - I really appreciate the insight, and the candor. I have a feeling there's no easy way to make this decision from over 7000 miles away. I usually go to a place and follow my instincts - without that, it's much trickier (and leads to overanalysis in a vacuum!). I do think there may be a conflict between what might be best for the kids (great school, more family-oriented suburb) and what my husband and I might prefer (a bit more urban, diverse, and walkable). I was hoping Glendowie might serve everyone well enough, but it sounds like it might be too far of a commute, no matter what. No way does 45 minutes each way, every day, sound pleasant - no matter how pretty the drive. He might try to make it work if the kids and I really wanted Glendowie, but I hate to put him in that position. The North Shore sounds pretty quiet - Daniela, is there nothing appealing about Devonport? The schools look pretty nice (though no Montessori option). I've heard it's reminiscent of San Francisco? A very, very tiny San Francisco?

Dirk, thanks very much for the information - hugely helpful to know the commute isn't just 30 mins (barely doable) but 45 (basically untenable, imho). And good thoughts about the North Shore. We'll be renting, so I'm not sure how that affects where we should look. Is there a town or community that's comparable to Glendowie on the North Shore that you'd recommend? I.e. similar school, community feel, etc? I'll admit what's most appealing to me about Glen Innes, et al, is that it sounds easy to get to the city proper without a car. The more walkable/bikable, the better for me - though with 2 kids, I know we don't want to be in an apartment. BTDT - we definitely want some green space (though don't know if we need 5 hectares!). My latest worry, I guess, is that I'll realize moving to Auckland is like moving to Hawaii and choosing to live in Honolulu! Not what we're looking for. Maybe the North Shore is a good middle ground. Or maybe we just go to Tauranga after all . . .Gah!

Cheers to all for pitching in and trying to help sort us out. Worst case scenario we'll be somewhere in NZ, on an adventure as a family, and we'll make the best of wherever we land. I'll keep reminding myself of that!

[JandM]

The trouble is, Auckland isn't truly *like* any other city. There's a huge range of habitats within it, like a mesh of towns, villages, bits of country, bush, parks, volcanoes, etc., patterned together round a TINY bit of CBD, all fringed with harbours and beaches. I hope Daniela won't mind my saying that she really doesn't like any of it, however much other people do find they can make a comfortable life there.

How about starting another thread to gather opinions about the setup you'd like to find somewhere in Auckland? - the title of this one won't necessarily catch the eye of people who can help with that.

[Oregonkiwi]

I'll admit what's most appealing to me about Glen Innes, et al, is that it sounds easy to get to the city proper without a car.

Have a look at the Auckland Transport website http://www.maxx.co.nz/home.aspx for public transport routes (bus, train, ferry)

Worst case scenario we'll be somewhere in NZ, on an adventure as a family, and we'll make the best of wherever we land. I'll keep reminding myself of that!

Exactly! Auckland, Tauranga and Napier are all good places to end up, it will all work out whichever you choose.

I'm not familiar with the North Shore (except for the beaches ) but as JandM suggested, if you start a new thread for North Shore locations you should get some local advice.

[mikeandcaroline]

Worst case scenario we'll be somewhere in NZ, on an adventure as a family, and we'll make the best of wherever we land. I'll keep reminding myself of that!

Tauranga would be our favoured area but the jobs just aren't appearing there for us, so we are now of the same mind as you, as long as we get there we will make the best of wherever we end up - afterall you can always move

All the best with your decision .