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Thread: Palmerston North and surroundings

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Default Palmerston North and surroundings

    Hi there,

    I've noticed there's not much about Palmy being asked/said in these forums.
    My OH has just accepted a position at the hospital there, and we're looking to move in November.

    We're currently up in the bay of plenty, so it's hard to have a look around. Can anyone give us pointers on where to live?

    We are thinking of the obvious city neighbourhoods, but don't really want cramped NZ city-life (we're living on a lifestyle block now and have kind of gotten used to the space).
    Anybody living in Palmy who could give us some hints?

    How is living in Ashhurst? Too far? How about the housing market: Are there a lot more listings in summer than now?

    Cheers,

    Papu

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
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    Cornwall
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    Hi there,

    I'm a doctor too and will be flying to NZ in January to start work in Palmerston North later the same month. I'm looking forward to seeing the replies to your post as my partner and I are in the same position.

    Best wishes!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by DirtBag View Post
    Hi there,

    I'm a doctor too and will be flying to NZ in January to start work in Palmerston North later the same month. I'm looking forward to seeing the replies to your post as my partner and I are in the same position.

    Best wishes!
    Great to hear - where will you be moving from?
    Yeah: No replies to this post: Just goes to show how much focus Palmerston North gets.... To be honest: We went to visit some weeks ago and it wasn't bad at all. A normal NZ town.
    We're heading down in 2 weeks to see some houses, a bit hard over the internet...

    Cheers

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2013
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    New Zealand
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    Hi there Papu

    This is a relatively recent thread on Palmerston North:

    http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40375

    The first reply also has a few links to other threads on the town. From my own reading, the most desirable suburbs are Hokowhitu, Milson, Terrace End, Summerhill (relatively new, slightly out-of-town, with its own shops), and Kelvin. An 'avoid' area is Highbury.

    You didn't mention if you have children, but the most desirable schools seem to be College Street Normal School (public) or Carncot Indepedent School (independent) for primary, followed by Palmerston North Intermediate, and then either Palmerston North Girls' or Boys' High Schools.

    There are likely to be fewer listings in winter than in summer. However, some prefer viewing in winter, as any flaw in the houses are often more apparent. If you're considering another lifestyle property, check out:

    http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Cate...ch_suggested=0

    (http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/lifestyle-property/ then Manawatu / Wanganui, then Palmerston North)

    Even if you aren't planning on moving until November, perusing the lifestyle and urban (for sale and for rent) Trade Me listings will give you a good feel into the houses and suburbs, etc. on offer, and prices. Often Open2View has listings for the same properties, but with larger photographs.
    You can estimate travel time on Google Maps under 'Get Directions' by copy and pasting a Trade Me listing address (e.g. 123 ABC Street, Palmerston North) into 'A', and your destination (e.g. Palmerston North Hospital) into 'B'. It will give you driving, bus, biking and walking times.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Palmerston North
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    Hi.. We recently bought a place in Terrace End, Palmerston North. The areas that we looked at were Hokowhitu, Awapuni, Terrace End and Kelvin Grove. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the other areas. These were the ones recommended to us.

    Try having a look at Feilding it's only a short drive away, not so urban! We looked at a few propertys here, but preferred to be nearer Palmy for city living! Ashhurst is only a place that I've driven past so can't help there.

    Good luck!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by stalbans View Post
    Hi.. We recently bought a place in Terrace End, Palmerston North. The areas that we looked at were Hokowhitu, Awapuni, Terrace End and Kelvin Grove. Not to say that there is anything wrong with the other areas. These were the ones recommended to us.

    Try having a look at Feilding it's only a short drive away, not so urban! We looked at a few propertys here, but preferred to be nearer Palmy for city living! Ashhurst is only a place that I've driven past so can't help there.

    Good luck!
    Hi Stalbans,

    Are you now living in Palmy? Where did you chose to settle?
    We're heading down there this Friday to Monday, to look at 20 houses - .... and maybe even put an offer in there and then. very scary, our first home. I know it might be prudent to rent first and scope out the neighbourhoods carefully, but... we don't want to rent and move and move again. The hassle of making the kids change school, and moving all the stuff....

    Is Hokowhitu a good neighbourhood for kids? Somehow i feel that newer places like Kelvin Grove are more family friendly? Or is it just me?

    Any tips and background info on neighbourhoods?

    Cheers

  7. #7
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    Jul 2013
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    Cornwall
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    Hi Papu,

    We are moving from southwest England. Do post your impressions of Palmy after you go to look at the houses, etc.

    Best wishes

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Palmerston North
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    Hi Papu...

    I don't actually 'live' in Palmy! I'm a weekend visitor! My husband currently lives in our place in Terrace End as his work took him there from Napier.! My daughter is in her last year of High school, so we didn't want to all move. We try and alternate our weekends between Palmy and Napier, but it doesn't always work out and some times he drives back more often than not! Although this weekend I'll be making the trip down!

    Like I mentioned we bought in Terrace End, near the Golf course. We have 2 dogs which we take down with us and they enjoy the riverside walk. We like Terrace End it's close to the shops yet is 'out of town'. Easy access to the main route out / in of Palmy to get back to Napier.

    Hokowhitu seems to be family oriented, good schools for both Primary and High. I guess you'll be looking at schools and then the appropriate catchment. This wasn't a scenario for us. House prices seemed to be higher here I guess due to the schools. Once you start your 20+ open homes you'll soon find the areas that you like. We did a weekend of 'open home' looking and soon decided some homes were in areas not for us! You'll soon get a feel of things. Once we found what we were looking for, offer made on the day!

    Good Luck..!
    Helen

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by DirtBag View Post
    Hi Papu,

    We are moving from southwest England. Do post your impressions of Palmy after you go to look at the houses, etc.

    Best wishes
    Hi Dirtbag,

    We just got back from 4 days in Palmy, and it was... surprisingly nice.
    Palmy gets a lot of bad rep from the rest of NZ, but that is really just because of the location, not the city. The drawback is that it is not on a beach or next to a skifield - but that's pretty much it. The town itself is a lot better than other NZ places. For example Tauranga, where the local council is dictated to by retirees who will not spend any money on livening up the place. So while Tauranga might have a beautiful location, the city itself is pretty much dead.

    In contrast, Palmy seemed vibrant enough (for a NZ city). It had a lot of things that are important to us (we have small kids): Parks, affordable housing, no traffic jams, cycle-lanes, the university and all that that brings with it. There's a nice museum, an art gallery, a cool library, lots of cafes and.... really nice people.
    We were just wandering around town talking to everyone we saw (about the town, neighbourhoods, schools, etc) and we found people really nice. We were invited for tea twice (just off the street). Unlikely to happen to you in Auckland. Also the schools are excellent. It brands itself as an education town, and that's definitively right.
    As for the location: It's not as flat as we feared. You can see the ranges, and there's some good hiking/cycling tracks in the ranges close by

    So we're looking forward to Palmy: I think a family with kids could do a lot worse. Nothing jumps out at you and makes you go WOW!, but the overall feeling is of a pleasant, friendly place.

    Cheers,

    Papu

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