Member
Kapiti Coast?
Yet another job has materialised in Paraparaumu and I was wondering if anyone lives up that part of the country, and what it's like in terms of house prices and amenities etc as we don't want to have to drive into Welly for the basics!!
Anywhere particularly nice?
Member
http://www.tranzmetro.co.nz/maps.aspx#paraOriginally Posted by Questor
http://www.open2view.com/search/?20
We went through there from Wellington, seemed like a good range of shops.
To be honest we would rather live that way as it seems alot more spacious than the other places closer to Welly. The property prices are alot more reasonable, the further you get from Welly, the cheaper it seems to be. Though the daily 49km commute to Welly would eventually turn out to be a drag.
If you can get a job locally there, then sounds like you have got it made.
Last edited by Rabbit; 3rd March 2006 at 09:18 PM.
Senior Member
From what we saw of Parapara on tv,it looks lovely, although you may have to take up bowls with the aged population for entertainment as it is popular for retirement. No bad thing that though...
Senior Member
We've had a day trip up to the Kapiti. A lovely place all the amenities you could wish for. Raumati was nice a bit quiet but as with all the places outside of Wellington improving and getting more popular with commuters. You'll have a fantastic beach on the doorstep.
As Rabbit says have a look at opentoview for housing options. Prices vary enourmously depending on where the house is.
Member
Yeah, we'd noticed that - is there something wrong with Otaki? As prices there seem much lower than everywhere else!
Junior Member
Hi
We're in Paraparaumu Beach and we like it here. Our original idea was to find somewhere to rent in the city but after stopping here on the way to Welly we decided this was the place for us.
There's a good range of shops, Woolworths and a nice Pak n Save for groceries, also the Warehouse, Briscoes, a couple of electrical and furniture shops and the Coastlands shopping centre which has a selection of clothes shops, Farmers store, bookshops, chemists, etc. There's also the usual selection of Pizza Hut, Mcdonalds, Subway, loads of coffee shops, a multi screen cinema, car showrooms, banks, DIY shops and petrol stations.
For an even bigger selection of furniture and electrical shops we go to Porirua which is about 20miles down the road towards Welly. Twice we've gone into the city for shopping and both times we've come away with nothing. Everything we've needed to buy so far we've got in Paraparam.
House prices are cheaper than the city, though you pay top dollar for anything on the sea front, but there's a good choice here and in the surrounding areas. (We're renting a place here that overlooks the golf course and is a 2 minute walk to the beach). The prices do drop abit as you move up the coast towards Otaki. There are some nice places in between, Waikanae, Pekapeka and Te Horo. Prices in Otaki are cheaper because it is that bit further out from Welly, the train service to the city is not very regular and it would be a long drive into the city every day though not too bad if you were working in Paraparaumu. It does have a few shops but no where near the selection at Paraparaumu. (the main street in Otaki seems to have a lot of factory outlet shops for some reason).
For commuting into the city, most of the trains terminate at Paraparaumu. There is one train a day that comes from Palmerston North and stops at Otaki and Waikanae. There are regular trains from Para and alot of people commute by train rather than drive (there's roadworks on the main road that are likely to be ongoing for years). There's a great bus service around Para and Raumati with the buses timed to arrive at the station to meet the departing and arriving trains.
With regards to other amenities, not having children I'm not sure about the schools etc but there seem to be a few. There are alot of retired folk here and a few retirement communities but I wouldn't class it as an old folks place. The beach here is long and flat but you've a choice of about 5 or more other beaches north and south of here and all are nice.
If you managed to find work here and not have to commute, I think you'd find it perfect.
If you want any more info PM me. We've been looking around at houses and keeping an eye on what things are selling for. Many of the estate agents sites don't give prices or as we've discovered they give BBO (buyer budget over) prices and the actual selling price is about 20% more than that.
Hope this helps a bit.
Karen
Member
k-k thank you! that's great info!
I think I am going to go for this job then (as long as they offer it me!) - Parap sounds like it has everything we'll need as we're looking for a reasonably small comunity anyway!
If we need anything else we can just go to Welly.
If it comes off then you'll be able to come see me in the Pharmacy
Member
Yes we would agree with everything K -K says about the Kapiti Coast.We have been living in Raumati Beach for 4 months and it really is a little piece of paradise.The beaches are superb , we can afford a 5 bedroomed house with enormous pool and spa just 8 mins walk from school.The primary school appears excellent and there is a college , day care and kindy on the same site.The best thing though is the people, I have never ever met some wonderful people, without exception all I have met have surpasssed every expectation.There are also loads of Brits! ( can be a plus or minus point depending on your view!)
Good luck with the job , you won't be disappointed with the place!
Denise
Member
Born in Paraparaumu!
Went for holidays every year at Raumati (from UH).
Nice and quiet - but gorgeous place to live (i would love to live there - am moving to Levin).
My dream house would be overlooking the ocean - and there are some massive houses there!
Also - good shopping mall etc as said above
An excellent choice i would say!
Junior Member
I'd echo all that's been said above re Kapiti - love it!
Been in Waikanae for 6 months and it's just perfect. We're just starting to build a house 5 mins north at Peka Peka.
Everything you'd ever need is here. Further North you go the more you get for your money.
Do it
We really should have an expat meet up somewhere - Lime Bar or Waikanae hotel?
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