# Reasonable Cheap NI towns



## repatratkiwi

My partner and I have moved back from Shenzhen and currently live in Dargaville with our new son. We want to get our first house but the move back to NZ and preparations for baby pretty much wiped out meagre savings so we're not exactly cashed up.

Was considering Kawerau until heard from parents it wasn't a good place to bring up kids.

Anybody live in a sleepy little town where the weather is relatively nice for most of the time, the houses are ridiculously cheap - cheap and the schools are...not terrible? Work is not so much of a concern because I have quite a few remote contracts and can do agricultural relief work.

Would love to live in the Bay of Plenty but open to all suggestions.


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## topcat83

repatratkiwi said:


> My partner and I have moved back from Shenzhen and currently live in Dargaville with our new son. We want to get our first house but the move back to NZ and preparations for baby pretty much wiped out meagre savings so we're not exactly cashed up.
> 
> Was considering Kawerau until heard from parents it wasn't a good place to bring up kids.
> 
> Anybody live in a sleepy little town where the weather is relatively nice for most of the time, the houses are ridiculously cheap - cheap and the schools are...not terrible? Work is not so much of a concern because I have quite a few remote contracts and can do agricultural relief work.
> 
> Would love to live in the Bay of Plenty but open to all suggestions.


Here's one that may be a terrible suggestion - look at one of the towns on the new Rail Trails. Ohura & Ongarue come to mind. Dirt cheap, because they have lost their local industry (the prison in the case of Ohura ) but with the rail trails coming through they may be the 'in place to be' soon. Just like Middlemarch when the Otago Rail Trail went through....

The Timber Trail, Pureora - Ongarue: NZ Cycle Trail project


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## Song_Si

this article has SI too, from today's Southland Times (edits below, full article here)

All very well buying cheap house to 'do-up' but the cost of renovations/materials will be the same, possibly more if a long way from a city with Bunnings/Placemakers etc, difficult getting tradesmen. There was a run on properties in Eketahuna about 2000-04, Wellington people snapping up old houses for under $50,000. Friend bought one, now lives there fulltime, but what a nightmare in terms of renovation costs, if ever finished there will be very little of the original house left. Buy carefully!



*Bluff house one of cheapest in NZ*
27/01/2013

*Who says housing isn't affordable? The three cheapest houses sold in New Zealand last year each fetched $20,000.*

The quarter-acre dream comes dirt cheap in Murupara. Number 958 Old SH38, a 1940s weatherboard home on 1012sqm of land, sold last year for the princely sum of $20,000, equal cheapest in the country.

Murupara is a forestry town between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera national Park, 65km southeast of Rotorua. It has about 2000 residents and is known for gang problems.

Why do houses go so cheap? "Bad stuff on TV," says Steve Lawson, who lives a few doors down from number 958. "You never see anything nice on TV about Murupara."

What does he like about it? "It's an hour to Taupo, an hour to Whakatane, three-and-a-quarter hours to Rotorua by pushbike."

****

Overseas investors snapped up a classic -and cheap - beauty in Ohura, 50km west of Taumarunui in the King Country - sight-unseen.

Vaughan and Nadia Wright bought the house and 1300sqm section from their current home in Cairns, Australia.

They won the house in the face of stiff opposition from three other interested parties. The original asking price was $16,500 but Wright offered $20,000.

Originally from South Africa, the Wrights lived in Ohura from 2000 to 2003 when Vaughan worked as a prison guard.

They moved to Cairns before the prison closed in 2005 (it's now a bed and breakfast) but they decided to move back as Vaughan nears retirement.

******

Tania Conner went to the ends of the Earth to find her bargain. Well, Bluff, anyway.

Conner and her partner Robert bought the house in February 2012 for $20,000 to do up and rent out.

. . . .the Bluff housing market was not the most buoyant. It was "a wee bit bleak down there" and there had been only three sales in the town in December, and only about 35 for the whole year last year.

Houses under $100,000 were "quite common" in Bluff.


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## Song_Si

and another one in today's news, Greymouth this time (note, on lease land)

*Greymouth house sells for $2200*

Sunday Jan 27, 2013 









According to Coastal Valuations, the property last sold in 1997 for $28,000. Photo / Supplied

*A Greymouth house sold last year for the bargain basement price of $2200.*

The 1930s bungalow at 19 Thompson Street, located on a 291 sq m leasehold section.

Quotable Value registered valuer David Shaw confirmed the house sold for $2200 in May.

The rating valuation for the house was $70,000, but that was based on the land being freehold. It is on a Mawhera Incorporation lease, the biggest landlord in Greymouth.

"The owners are only buying the improvements on the property and the right to have the interest and lease," Mr Shaw said.

According to Coastal Valuations, the property last sold in 1997 for $28,000.

more


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## repatratkiwi

topcat83 said:


> Here's one that may be a terrible suggestion - look at one of the towns on the new Rail Trails. Ohura & Ongarue come to mind. Dirt cheap, because they have lost their local industry (the prison in the case of Ohura ) but with the rail trails coming through they may be the 'in place to be' soon. Just like Middlemarch when the Otago Rail Trail went through....
> 
> The Timber Trail, Pureora - Ongarue: NZ Cycle Trail project


Ohura looks dead as, Turangi could be an option and is within our price range 'kinda' but the potential of being cut off in winter.... Whakatane prices aren't actually looking too terrible provided you don't try to buy anywhere near the beach.


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## repatratkiwi

Being on lease land would worry me quite a lot. the Taranaki iwi are talking about getting back into farming in the Taranaki now all the long term leases are coming up so the threat of that would be pretty scary.


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## BritsattheBeach

I thought Dargeville met most of your requirements. Warm & cheap


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## repatratkiwi

BritsattheBeach said:


> I thought Dargeville met most of your requirements. Warm & cheap


Comes with too much emotional baggage. plus I'm sick of the south westerlies


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## kiwigser

*Gisborne*

Gizzy?


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## repatratkiwi

kiwigser said:


> Gizzy?



Gizzy is nice but have heart set on Whakatane... plus that road in ....


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## jenswaters

Ohope/Ohope Beach. My DREAM is to live there, and commute over the hill to Whakatane for work. You can't get much more Kiwi than there!!!


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## escapedtonz

Our dream is to live at or very close to Mount Maunganui. We just love it there. 
Would have to commute to Hamilton for work but don't mind driving - had a 45 minute drive to and from work in UK. Understand my commute would be longer - around 1hr 15 mins, but would only have to endure 6 individual trips per 8 days with the shifts and can stay in the company apartment when on nights instead of driving home tired.
Have a colleague who does it and doesn't have any issues.
Longing for a more beach oriented lifestyle than can be had in Wellington. Beaches here are just too windswept and full of driftwood.
Watch this space!

sent by iPhone using Expat Forum


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## mikesurf

Song_Si said:


> this article has SI too, from today's Southland Times (edits below, full article here)
> 
> All very well buying cheap house to 'do-up' but the cost of renovations/materials will be the same, possibly more if a long way from a city with Bunnings/Placemakers etc, difficult getting tradesmen. There was a run on properties in Eketahuna about 2000-04, Wellington people snapping up old houses for under $50,000. Friend bought one, now lives there fulltime, but what a nightmare in terms of renovation costs, if ever finished there will be very little of the original house left. Buy carefully!
> 
> 
> 
> *Bluff house one of cheapest in NZ*
> 27/01/2013
> 
> *Who says housing isn't affordable? The three cheapest houses sold in New Zealand last year each fetched $20,000.*
> 
> The quarter-acre dream comes dirt cheap in Murupara. Number 958 Old SH38, a 1940s weatherboard home on 1012sqm of land, sold last year for the princely sum of $20,000, equal cheapest in the country.
> 
> Murupara is a forestry town between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera national Park, 65km southeast of Rotorua. It has about 2000 residents and is known for gang problems.
> 
> Why do houses go so cheap? "Bad stuff on TV," says Steve Lawson, who lives a few doors down from number 958. "You never see anything nice on TV about Murupara."
> 
> What does he like about it? "It's an hour to Taupo, an hour to Whakatane, three-and-a-quarter hours to Rotorua by pushbike."
> 
> ****
> 
> Overseas investors snapped up a classic -and cheap - beauty in Ohura, 50km west of Taumarunui in the King Country - sight-unseen.
> 
> Vaughan and Nadia Wright bought the house and 1300sqm section from their current home in Cairns, Australia.
> 
> They won the house in the face of stiff opposition from three other interested parties. The original asking price was $16,500 but Wright offered $20,000.
> 
> Originally from South Africa, the Wrights lived in Ohura from 2000 to 2003 when Vaughan worked as a prison guard.
> 
> They moved to Cairns before the prison closed in 2005 (it's now a bed and breakfast) but they decided to move back as Vaughan nears retirement.
> 
> ******
> 
> Tania Conner went to the ends of the Earth to find her bargain. Well, Bluff, anyway.
> 
> Conner and her partner Robert bought the house in February 2012 for $20,000 to do up and rent out.
> 
> . . . .the Bluff housing market was not the most buoyant. It was "a wee bit bleak down there" and there had been only three sales in the town in December, and only about 35 for the whole year last year.
> 
> Houses under $100,000 were "quite common" in Bluff.


Hardly suprising that these places are so cheap, it's the bum hole of the world down in Bluff.

There are 2 huge properties on the market near us in the south of France in the cevenne mountains 1 hour from Montpellier. 1 has 15 rooms and 8 bedrooms, the other has 12 rooms and 7 bedrooms, both for less than kiwi $200,000.


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## escapedtonz

mikesurf said:


> Hardly suprising that these places are so cheap, it's the bum hole of the world down in Bluff.
> 
> There are 2 huge properties on the market near us in the south of France in the cevenne mountains 1 hour from Montpellier. 1 has 15 rooms and 8 bedrooms, the other has 12 rooms and 7 bedrooms, both for less than kiwi $200,000.


Oh I can imagine them being stunning properties. Seen many a gorgeous French chateau on my travels. There's a couple either side of the hamlet (La Gacherie, Dordogne) where my in laws lived up until 2009. Always used to stop and admire the architecture - especially of the towers.
So beautiful.
No surprise at the paltry costs to buy. 
It's a reflection of how difficult they are to keep, not a reflection of where they are sited which I'm sure is French heaven.
Unless you have pots of money the running and maintenance costs for these sizes of properties are just mega Euro's.
Unfortunately I see the same fate for these properties that has happened to many a beautiful manor house in good old England. Left empty and fallen into disrepair and ruin.
Such a shame.


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## mikesurf

escapedtonz said:


> No surprise at the paltry costs to buy.
> It's a reflection of how difficult they are to keep, not a reflection of where they are sited which I'm sure is French heaven.
> Unless you have pots of money the running and maintenance costs for these sizes of properties are just mega Euro's.
> Unfortunately I see the same fate for these properties that has happened to many a beautiful manor house in good old England. Left empty and fallen into disrepair and ruin.
> Such a shame.


Very true


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## kiwigser

*The rules*

The rule is same the world over, in that houses are cheap in sh.tty areas or where employment is poor or often both. This applies to NZ, UK or even France.


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## repatratkiwi

escapedtonz said:


> Our dream is to live at or very close to Mount Maunganui. We just love it there.
> Would have to commute to Hamilton for work but don't mind driving - had a 45 minute drive to and from work in UK. Understand my commute would be longer - around 1hr 15 mins, but would only have to endure 6 individual trips per 8 days with the shifts and can stay in the company apartment when on nights instead of driving home tired.
> Have a colleague who does it and doesn't have any issues.
> Longing for a more beach oriented lifestyle than can be had in Wellington. Beaches here are just too windswept and full of driftwood.
> Watch this space!
> 
> sent by iPhone using Expat Forum


Tauranga is buzzing ATM and Mt Maunganui would be a neat place to live. If you're looking for beaches near Hamilton Raglan is an option although it is west coast so you're more likely to see winds and swells


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## escapedtonz

repatratkiwi said:


> Tauranga is buzzing ATM and Mt Maunganui would be a neat place to live. If you're looking for beaches near Hamilton Raglan is an option although it is west coast so you're more likely to see winds and swells


Yes Tauranga seems to be an excellent place with lots going on & I'm sure it's only going to grow in popularity. The Mt is just a fantastic place. 
Probably unlikely we would actually live in the resort due to high real estate costs and the lack of a big garden but the surrounding sub divisions for sure and also out to Tauranga. 
Bethlehem looking a favourite at the moment.
Thanks but not too keen on Raglan. 
Want to be on the other side of the NI in the BOP 

sent by iPhone using Expat Forum


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