[Green Light]

Hi, I am moving to Auckland (NZ) with my family from US beginning of next year. I have 2 children aged 9 and 14. Please advice an area to rent (later we may buy) on the following criteria

** I am looking for a good location to live near Macleans College or Auckland Grammer School for my teen child. I am also keen to look for a good academic performing primary/intermediate school (for my 2nd child) around that vicinity or zoned area.

** Since my children are sensitive to air pollutants, I would prefer to live in the least pollution area (away from industries and road side) but not compromising on the above mentioned school zone.

** Good locality with no gangs, noise pollution neighborhood, LOW/NO CRIME would be part of my preference too.

** Also, I am joining to University of Auckland. So my mobility would be secondary. I can give myself 30 min to 45 min travelling.

** I am willing to budget between 300 to 500 per week for a 2 or 3 bedroom house.

KINDLY GUIDE ME. THANKS :focus:

 

[kiwiemma]

I can't comment on Macleans college but to attend Auckland Grammar you basically have to live in their zone, only a very few students outside zone get in. Houses in Grammar zone are sought after and expensive, but they will at least be within your required commuting distance.

Can I suggest you look on the Auckland Grammar website, print out the map of their enrollment zone, highlight the suburb names, then have a look at rental properties on trademe.co.nz. Decent family homes in Grammar zone would usually be in the $700 - $1000 range, but you might get lucky and find something cheaper.

 

[kiwiemma]

Also, sorry to be negative but I'm not sure there is any area in the world with no crime, however in general grammar zone areas are relatively low crime.

 

[topcat83]

I can comment on Macleans College, as many of my friends children go there, and some of them work there!
It has an excellent reputation, and does Cambridge exams. For this reason it has a large expat intake. It also has a lovely location, on the clifftop looking out to sea.

Just be aware - it doesn't suit some children. It can be very strict and limiting. They have a strict school uniform policy, which sometimes supercedes (IMHO) common sense. To give you an example, towards the end of the school year, my cousin's daughter was having difficulties with maths. She booked an appointment with the head of house to discuss it. All the head of house wanted to discuss was the fact that my cousin's daughter's skirt was too short. My cousin pointed out that her daughter had grown substantially during the year, that the skirt was only marginally too short when compared to the 'rules', that there was only 2 weeks to the end of term, and that they would be buying her a new skirt for the new school year. The head of house wouldn't accept this. Now bear in mind that each year wears a different style of skirt. And that year's skirt was pleated (try turning that down - virtually impossible). So they wanted her to buy a new (expensive) skirt that would be used for 2 weeks!

The cachement area for Macleans is mainly the Bucklands Beach area (where we lived when we first came over here. Which is also one of my favourite suburbs in Auckland, and has a fast ferry into CBD. And Bucklands Beach is on a peninsula with only one road on and off. So crime is generally low!