Moving to Akl sell me your suburb?
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Topic: Moving to Akl sell me your suburb?
Posted By: caliandjack
Subject: Moving to Akl sell me your suburb?
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 12:02pm
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We're relocating to Akl in October, and will be living in Military accommodation in Hobsonville.
We have the option of selling our house and buying in the next 12 months (the airforce pays our legal fees etc). We would be looking for somewhere close to Whenuapai, either West or Nth Shore What do you like / love about where you live? What would you recommend about your suburb to prospective house buyers? For those of you who work, how far do you commute and how do you cope with the traffic? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">   [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Replies:
Posted By: AandCsmum
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 12:32pm
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Bahahahahaha 11 views and no one has anything good to say LMAO
Stay here Fleur! ------------- Kel http://lilypie.com"> 
A = 01.02.04 & C = 16.01.09 & G = 30.03.12 |
Posted By: blondy
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 12:47pm
I love west auckland, and always have  but I don't know that I'd live exactly where we do if we could afford to live somewhere else right now!
BUT, we are in Henderson Heights, which has good facilities - lots of parks and playgrounds, easily walkable (give or take a couple hills!) close to small group of shops, 2 really good primary schools, close to Lincoln Road and Westcity, not too far from the motorway. Lots of houses to choose from.... but at the same time not very large sections, and therefore houses on top of each other! I commute in to Epsom at the moment (until I go on practicum soon), and my commute at peak time takes about 45min-hour....but obviously some days it can be much worse (and some afternoons if I miss the peak time, I'm home within 20mins)! I used to commute to Mangere Bridge, and that could be 3 hours all up per day.... not much fun to say the least! We have a section in Swanson, and are planning to build there long-term..... which is further away from everything, but having almost no neighbours and a breathtaking vista makes up for that! Our suburb is very friendly, and we know all our neighbours, and people say hi to each other on the street - all things which I love! We've had no real issues with crime here, minus some random car chases from time to time, but as i said people are friendly, and would question people they didn't think should be snooping around etc. Lots of school-aged kids/families, and retirees, so not heaps and heaps of young families (probably determined by the price range here), but you still see lots of people out walking with their buggies & pets. It's kind of like the 'wanky' version of Henderson!  still west auckland-ish, but the suburb could be transplanted into another area of auckland without being any different, iygwim?
I grew up in Titirangi, and if I could get over the dampness, I'd live there again! -------------  
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 1:15pm
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Where is Henderson Heights exactly?
I've seen it mentioned in the property adds but can't quite work out its location. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: BeLoved
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 2:12pm
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We are in Swanson, but in the foot hills of the Waitakere ranges. I LOVE it where we are, we have very decent section lots of privacy but also really nice neighbours. The age bracket here would be 30's and up all our neighbours range from 30's to 60's. Everyday I see native birds and all sorts of other birds too, nothing you would see in suburbia. I can go for a walk 5-10 minutes from here and there are farms and peace & quiet.
The train and bus stop are not far, you could walk but most would drive. There are 2 cafes at the local shops, a hairdresser, butcher, 2 dairy's, a fish & chip shop, pharmacy, DVD shop (not a chain), pizza shop (not a chain) liquor store, a pharmacy and the doctors. Its very much a small village feel, there is even a retro inspired antique kind of store. Bethells Beach and tonnes of bush walks and waterfalls are on our door step. In peak hour it could take up to an hour to get to the city, but if no traffic its 25 minutes max. Houses are a little more expensive but there is a wide range of types of homes from brand new to very old. To build up her there is a fair bit of red tape due to it being the Waitakere foot hills, but some of the sections have AMAZING views! I don't what else to say except WE LOVE IT HERE!!! ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: MrsEmma
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 4:16pm
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We are out west too, love it here!
Henderson Heights is also known as Western Heights on the map, it's between Henderson and Swanson. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 4:56pm
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West Auckland rocks !
We're in Henderson and I love it. Close to transport the mall, library and pool etc . And theres a few good playgrounds close. |
Posted By: HuntersMama
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 4:57pm
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I live out South so no help here! I used to commute to Takapuna and believe it or not it only took me 25 mins if I left home before the traffic hit. I would start at 7.30am and often beat colleagues who lived on the Shore. So with traffic if you are going opposite to everyone else you wont really have much trouble.
If I had the choice i prefer the Shore to West Auck. Closer to town, beaches etc. ETA: Live not like ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: kellie
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 5:01pm
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We are out west as well, in Te Atatu south.
My favourite suburb is Titirangi, or Laingholm though :) The people are quitwe relaxed, beautiful scenery etc Oh and I work in the city (Khyber pass road) and it only takes 12 mins by car, and about 25mins by bus. However I work at night and on the weekends so there isn't peak hour traffic. ------------- 
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Posted By: jano1
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 5:38pm
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Hi
I live way out west and work in Henderson so know the area pretty well. Coatesville is pretty nice (maybe quite pricey though) and I know that Hobsonville is undergoing a major redevelopment at the moment and they are anticipating it to be a big growth centre (with new schools etc). The good thing about those areas is they are close to the motorway and it takes hardly anytime to get into town. Swanson is really nice too as is Waiatarua, amazing views. Titirangi is lovely but can be damp but places like Kaurilands are on the flats and get a bit more sun. If I had my way we would move to either Swanson, Titirangi or Green Bay. Just have to convince my other half!------------- http://www.thebump.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=UBB&utm_campaign=tickers"> |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 6:11pm
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Like BeLoved, we live in Swanson although a little closer to the shops, just a small walk to the train station and there are 2 great parks at the end of our street
It does have a small community feel which I love. I use the local butcher and support other local businesses (mainly the pizza and takeaway!  ). We belong to the Playcentre up the road and really enjoy it, have met some great people. Kindy is on the other side of Swanson (5min drive) and I can't say enough about it, it is wonderful and Jack is really doing well there.
I don't think I would live anywhere else
I have lived there and they are lovely places but the commute to Hobsonville would be quite long ------------- Lindsey 
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kellie wrote:Posted By: nathansmummy
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 7:18pm
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I wouldn't give my suburb away let alone sell it! We are in West Harbour but it is OLD West Harbour rather than NEW West Harbour. BUT Whenuapai is lovely. It's very close to where we live so shops, veggie shops, buses etc are all nearby, yet it's rural. Just a bit outside our price range otherwise we'd move in a heartbeat. Nice kindies and schools there too... hopefully we'll find somewhere out there eventually and move before DS is kindy age.
ETA: My parents live in Titirangi - and it's beautiful but not close to any motorways so it takes ages to get anywhere, eg. takes me about 45mins to visit them and we both live in West Auckland! |
Posted By: Kimnthekids
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 7:26pm
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We;re out West - Te Atatu South and love it :) We find theres so much in the local area that you dont normally need to travel further afield. It's a real community sense - theres lots of local things to do, often free or not too badly priced.
We were also surprised when we first moved into the neighbourhood, as again neighbours came over to say hello, exchange phone numbers etc. There's beaches/walks/nature not much further out west, north shore is easy to get to the back way, towns not too bad (unless its rush hour - which is about 30-40minutes - according to hubby) ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 8:34pm
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When dad was based at Whenuapai we lived off base for a few years, then we moved up to Riverhead... Nice and quiet.. no traffic issues as such...not too far from Westgate, and you can go the back way to the Albany Mall etc. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: CarrieMum
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 10:08pm
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We lived in the new part of west harbour which was great. Our house is right by the marina so a 2 minute walk to the ferry terminal which is a 20 minute trip to the city.
It's a short drive to the huge Albany shopping mall & also quick onto the motorway to the city. The westgate shops are fine for the supermarket & having the warehouse so close is great too. We live in Brisbane at the moment so are renting our house out for the time being but plan to go back to it if we ever move back to Auckland. Good luck! |
Posted By: kiwigal
Date Posted: 14 August 2010 at 10:26pm
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Best thing is to drive around different surburbs and see what is best for you and your family and where you feel comfortable and what you can afford. House prices are crazy at the moment we were looking going out east in a new area and you are paying $700 + for a decent size section and house. We are in Wattle Downs which is Sth Auckland and live at the other end surrounded by houses that are just a few years old and a great primary school that has only been running for 4 years and the school roll is very small. Dh has lived in Auckland most of his life and doesn't like out West or over the North Shore as the traffic is dynamite and can take you ages to from one side to the next. |
Posted By: KatzWtgn
Date Posted: 15 August 2010 at 12:35am
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I live in Titirangi, but at the city end, so it only takes about 10 minutes to get to the motorway. It's also much sunnier than right up in the bush, but I can still walk to the village with shops, library, cafes, etc. The schools are great too -- I am a two minute walk away from Kaurilands Primary and Glen Eden Intermediate, which are both great schools.
Downside is that the local high school (Green Bay) doesn't have a great reputation. My DH's parents and two brothers all live in Torbay on the North Shore, and they love it there. It's really close to nice beaches, and has a great family feel. It's probably an easier commute to Hobsonville as well. It's not far from the big shopping centre at Albany, which is a really great mall -- we often drive from Titirangi all the way to Albany to go there. ------------- [IMG]http://lb3f.lilypie.com/rGG7p13.png] |
Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 15 August 2010 at 11:46am
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Thanks for everyones suggestions. I'm from Akl originally have always lived centrally though, Sandringham, St Lukes, OTH.
Living out Hobsonville will be a new experience. My Dad lives at Piha I know the west coast beaches well, never contemplated the Shore as it always seems miles away. Once we're settled at Hobby will hopefully start to get a feel for the different suburbs. Titirangi is a bit of a hike from Whenuapai and not very direct either. We've got an ok budget if we manage to get a good price for this place. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |
Posted By: Luna_Azzura
Date Posted: 15 August 2010 at 5:50pm
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ooh i second Riverhead, it's lovely there. We live on the Shore now (moving to nelson on thurs though!). I think it depends on whether you want small town feel or what you previosuly had in the city? We lived in Hauraki corner (between Takapuna and Devonport) and i LOVED it there (very close to M-way, beaches, access to everywhere). I would go back there in a flash. Titirangi would be my pick if i had to live out west, waitak ranges and around there is beautiful. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">  http://petitesabine.blogspot.com - petite sabine
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Posted By: Nikki
Date Posted: 15 August 2010 at 9:25pm
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I live in west harbour and love it. I grew up in central ak at first and then my intermediate/high school years on the shore. I would recommend looking in hobsonville / west harbour or if you want to go further out then riverhead/kumeu or out that way (not sure of the suburb names - still not really a westie! hehe). As these would be the best for you traffic-wise and are nice areas to live in.
I have found the north western the best motorway if you have to travel in rush hour - the bridge is terrible and the southern jams in both directions from mid-arvo and is a nightmare!! We are only 10mins from central ak off peak too. Its a nice clean safe area with mostly people 30 or older - lots of families, close to westgate, westcity or over to glenfield / albany malls on the shore. Most places have good sized sections and big houses (4bd+ is the norm). And a couple of good primary schools. The shore is really nice, but the bridge can be a pain if you have to go into town near rush hour, and its a bit further for you to travel. You are closer to nice beaches though. Good luck!  ------------- DS (5yrs) and DD (3yrs) |
Posted By: sem
Date Posted: 16 August 2010 at 9:15am
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We are also out West and have been here over 4 years after living on the Shore. As much as I like the fact that it's close to the West Coast beaches & Waitakere ranges I miss nice cafes and restaurants and get really sick of some of the people that you see at the mall, supermarket and on the street.
However we are planning on building on a section a bit more rural but will probably still stay out West but possible somewhere where DH can commute to Albany for work. ------------- Here we go again, another baby on it's way! 
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Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 16 August 2010 at 10:48am
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With the new motorway Fleur, west and north are not so far away anymore!!!!
Depends on how much you have to spend really and whether you want to be suburban or rural... I would love to live out coatesville way on a small block but alas we do not have the money for it! Greenhithe is the closest north suburb to west auckland and close to the motorway... I guess it depends where you will be working and if your Dad will come to you to look after Baby G or if you will take her to him.. cant imagine you wanting to drive all the way to Piha from the shore and then into the city for work 
You can get some nice houses in the new subdivision out west for really good prices.... -------------   
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 16 August 2010 at 11:53am
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If we sell our house down here we'll have around 500k to spend, which doesn't seem to go very far in Akl. I think we'll wait 12 months till I'm heading back to some sort of work and decide then. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> [/url] Angel June 2012 |