Originally Posted by
Kiwi Mum
Hi all,
Hope itīs ok to post here, I am a kiwi living abroad and we are looking to return to NZ to Auckland. However Iīve never lived there and would love some help! I havenīt spent much time in NZ in the past 8 years.
We have two girls, ages 8 and 11 (will be 9 and 12 by the end of the year when we plan on moving).
Devonport looks like a great place to settle and I have had a look online at Stanley Bay Primary and Belmont Intermediate. Does anyone have children at these schools? I would love to hear of your experiences.
My 11 year old would be at Belmont, however she isnīt the sporty type (sheīs had two foot surgeries), do non sporty types get a hard time? Are the schools accomodating to childrenīs different needs? I appreciate your help and advice, I know my youngest should be fine settling in, I am just worried it may be a little more difficult for the eldest. We live in Spain so it will be quite a change for her. I would love to hear your experiences.
Location wise. Is getting to two different schools on time in the morning difficult with traffic?
Many, many thanks!
Stanley Bay, Devonport Primary and Vauxhall, (St Leos if you are Catholic) are all on the lower part of the paninsula and all good schools and you really won't go far wrong with any of them...all with zones, so check first. There are also several streets where the zones overlap with schools giving you options if one doesn't work out. Vauxhall is the only school that is slightly different as it is open plan which some families love and others hate. It is popular with navy families so has a good sailing rep.
Buying in this part is super tricky at the moment, although the market does improve in Spring (October to early Dec) and Summer (Late Jan till early March) as these are traditional times to put a house on the market. If you have a big budget $1.5 - 2.5 million you will find properties, if you are looking in the $1 million to 1.5million you will have some competition and in the $750 to $1million you will have a lot of competition - so do your research.
The rental market is a tricky one, as mentioned you can rent a rather expensive house for a lot less than it's worth, however these still represent pretty high rents compared to the rest of Auckland. There are lots of damp villa rentals around and the good rentals exchange hands quickly and often by word of mouth. Once again this is something you need to be proactive about, don't just register your name with an agent, meet them, ring them, pop in and then have a great 'selling yourself' email that the agent can pass on to the landlord. This could include a little bit about yourself, work, previous rentals, good references, compliments about the home and reassurances about how you'll look after it.
Getting the right Kiwi home can often be the difference between successfully settling or hating NZ, as anybody who has dealt with a damp, cold villa will tell you. If it doesn't come with heating and insulation plan how you will deal with this and trust me moving into an expensive area doesn't mean the housing stock is great too. Another thing to be aware of is it is not uncommon for people to sell rentals when house prices get high and they think they can make a profit, so always have a plan for moving again.
As you move to the middle part of the Penisula you have Bayswater and Belmont Primary School, they also have good reputations. The areas aren't as upper middle class as Devonport and are a bit more multicultural. The prices are more reasonable (take a couple of $100,000 off...sometimes more) and there is a wider range of styles of property and rentals as it's not a heritage zone like Devonport. People who have lived in the Devonport area often move up this way as thier kids get older (11 years and up), partly because they hate doing the Lake Road school run/commute/after-school-activity-dash and partly because they can get more house for their money. You can live within walking/cycling distance of Belmont Primary, Blemont Int and Takapuna Grammar. There is also a ferry at Bayswater Marina which I believe has free parking if you have a monthly pass.
All the primary schools mentioned feed into Belmont Int School, including Hauraki, which I don't know much about....so everyone pretty much ends up in the same place anyway, unless you go religious or private, in which case Auckland is your oyster and they go all over. There is a school bus that goes to Belmont Int which many children catch (you pay) and there is also a school bus to other intermediate options further up like Rosmini and Takapuna Normal, (this bus leaves earlier and places at these schools rely on you getting an OOZ place or accepted).
http://www.maxx.co.nz/school-timetab...ermediate.aspx
Many children cycle to Belmont Intermediate from the Devonport area - in fact it has one of the highest cycle rates of any school on the North Shore and it is heavily promoted. However, if you want to drive your child it will be busy but plenty of parents do it. Some of the primary schools allow you to drop off a bit early or have before-school clubs. After School can also be a bit of a pain if kids are involved in after-school activities/playdates. Parents often get round this by lift sharing, it all works out in the end.
In terms of it being a sporty school, it can be either. Much of the kids sport in the area is run by sports clubs outside of schools and the sport done in schools is more of a taster than super organised. That's not to say there isn't organised school sports for those who want it but it relies on parent help a lot and you sign up if interested. So it would be unlikely a child would feel left out for not being sporty at Belmont Intermediate, although sometimes you might get a super sporty class of kids. When you get to High School some have the reputation for being sporty schools, although I suspect this is more the case for boys.
As your child will be 12, it is essential you look at High School zones as that will probably be more important than the Intermediate years.
Hope that helps
Advice on schools in devonport area
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