Which Hotel to stay at on the North Shore?

[eyky]

Hello I am coming in to Auckland to explore living in the North Shore area. So we are booking a hotel for a few nights to just use it as a base to see if we prefer living on the North Shore or the Bays.

Was thinking of booking Takapuna Oaks hotel as our 3 day base. Would that be a good choice of hotel for a positive North Shore experience. I was tempted to do a home stay or the Holiday Houses on Trade Me but most want a minimum week's stay at least. So I am good with the Hotels.

I was originally going to book a hotel in Devonport but Devonport seems more touristy and fairly near Auckland's CBD rather than a neutral base thats in between like Takapuna where I can get a feel of driving into areas like Forrest Hill, Belmont etc where I might potentially live. Are my assumptions right?

Any quick advice would be most appreciated.

ELaine

[fury147]

If you're in Takapuna then there's plenty of buses that go to other places on the North Shore as well as into the city. If you look on a map, you can see it's not smack bang in the middle of the North Shore but I'd say it's a good choice as it's a bit of a hub for the North Shore and you'll have the beach and restaurants near by. If you have a car then it's easy to get to other places either via the motorway or main roads.

Not quite sure what you mean by "the North Shore or the Bays". Isn't the Bays short for East Coast Bays or are there some other bays I've forgotten about? :-)

EDIT: Just looked up where the Takapuna Oaks Hotel is. It's not really in Takapuna, more like Bayswater.

[eyky]

Hi there fury147 - thanks for that reply. I was thinking of living in either Mission Bay area or the North Shore area - and because I have a 10 year old I was going to get her into Belmont Primary or St Heliers Primary - either or.

Ive sorted out my accommodation in the Mission Bay area so am looking for a base where I can stay for a few days to get a feel of what living in the North Shore area feels like. I realise that particular hotel - the Takapuna seems a bit remote and not in a village hub but it seems to be in the middle of the North Shore area as I will have a car and can probably drive out to explore Forrest Hill, Milford, Takapuna Beach, Belmont which are all fairly near my daughter's potential future school - would you or anyone know a better located hotel or is there any downside to this hotel choice that I may not be aware of as a non-local? Thanks so much for reading and responding to this ...

[My New Zealand]

Hello!

My thoughts on North Shore is as Fury147 mentioned, Car is the best way to get around though it is connected to the city through buses and ferries, it is time consuming. The Lake Road gets really busy with vehicle traffic as it's the main Road for Takapuna, Devonport and surrounding areas. Apart, It's one of the beautiful places to live in Auckland for families.But if you like more of city benefits then I would say the other side of the bridge is ideal as sometimes crossing the bridge would be a big task with heavy traffic ha ha

[batgirl1001]

If there is no traffic, Devonport is 10 mins drive from Takapuna but I would like to say that Takapuna Oaks is not exactly situated in Takapuna. Rather it is in the residential suburb of Bayswater which is sort of like in the middle and about 5 mins to Devonport. If you want a place more centralized to Takapuna, then I would suggest Spencer or Parklane Motor. It is near the residential and commercial district of Takapuna and Milford and just a few minutes to the highway. This is, if connectivity is the main reason for your location choice.

The North Shore tends to be rather residential and hence there are not that many bus services, most people drive to commute or take the ferry. If you live on the Shore, it is best to be within walking or biking distance to school, for your child. Some parents drive their kids to school but this usually adds to the traffic congestion. So in terms of that, I would have to say that living in the city would be better. There are better bus connections, amenities and services in the city. But this is a matter of choice of course.

[eyky]

Thats great advice batgirl1001- really appreciate the additional comments - I will take into consideration and I will also look at Spencer and Parkland Motor . Thanks for the great tips and for taking the time!

[bulu]

North Shore has one of the better bus services around. They also have Park & Ride stations and special bus lanes in the crowded highway to the city.

When I first landed, I stayed at the city for a week, then for the experience, I moved to the North Shore for a week. I loved North Shore and ended up buying a home there.

I used https://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/Nort...e-Auckland.asp. They do rent out on daily basis.