# Papamoa newby



## oyster365 (Nov 11, 2013)

Hi,

My husband and I and our 2 children (one preschooler and one aged 6) are moving to NZ next week (!) after years of planning and saving not to mention a few weeks of chaos sorting everything out for the move. 

My husband is a Kiwi and I am from the UK. We have been living in Cornwall for the last 8 years and have a good lifestyle there. We are moving primarily to be closer to his family and for better weather and are looking forward to more of the beach living that we enjoy in Cornwall - hence the hope to settle in Papamoa.

Are there any other expats living in the area who can offer any advice re finding houses, schools and jobs in the Tauranga area. I am a teacher and my husband is a boat builder, neither of us has a job at present. I am hoping to do relieving work while he will be looking for a full time job. I am also concerned about making new friends and settling in, again any advice would be great.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

oyster365 said:


> Hi,
> 
> My husband and I and our 2 children (one preschooler and one aged 6) are moving to NZ next week (!) after years of planning and saving not to mention a few weeks of chaos sorting everything out for the move.
> 
> ...


Hi,
We're going living in Tauranga next week after a move up from Wellington. Papamoa was on our very short short-list , but in the end we chose Bethlehem a tad further inland.
Papamoa seems really nice if not a bit older looking and feel than where we've chosen. There are some really nice streets with cabbage trees and posh tiles road signs makes it all look very Mediterranean!
So, the area is actually called Papamoa Beach on the map, but there seems to be a distinct Papamoa and Papamoa Beach although we aren't sure where one starts/finishes and the other starts/finishes ?
Papamoa Beach centre is at the Northern end of Domain Rd close to Papamoa Plaza shopping centre.
Houses wise there are lots for sale and quite a few for rent but the rentals don't last long and to secure one it's gonna be really difficult unless you are here in person. Agent's don't tend to consider anyone that doesn't present themselves in person. Have a look on Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me for rentals that are available. If you are trying to land one from the UK then all you can do is ask to see what response you get. Mostly the agents run an open home on the property and decided after that day from the many tenancy applications who they want to offer it to.
You'll need to decide on schools for your eldest as they are all strictly zoned.
There are 4 primary schools in the area, starting at the Western end.....
Tahatai Coast School
Te Akau Ki Papamoa Primary School
Papamoa Primary School
Golden Sands School
Please check them out for decile rating and you can have a look at the individual ERO reports on their performance but beware they are only carried out every 5 years so may be a bit outdated. It is difficult to see school zoning on maps. The school's usually just give you the street names where they operate up to but we've found if you look at houses for sale in the area on TradeMe then scroll down the advert to the house map, you can click on "schools nearby" and using the drop down menu's you can click on individual schools and the map will show you the area where the school operates 
Golden Sands to the extreme East is the newest. The whole area there is a new subdivision.
We know the headmaster at Papamoa Primary School through a mutual friend and have asked his advice a couple of times relating to schools.......his school is the best in the area obviously!!!
No idea about boat building. Prolly have to go to Tauranga docks for that. Have a look at the Facebook groups for the social side as there's Tauranga mums and specific Papamoa pages.


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