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Looking at Google earth there seems to be a river there and some kind of inlet, but it's not clear if there's a good trail near the river or a good beach/walk near the inlet.
To the west there's a green area. Seems promising for walking, but again not sure about trails.
Anyhoo, does this help with advice about where to live?
From my memories of that area, a lot of it is scrubby, dense bushland like what you might find in some beach areas. I've only been through Henderson once I recall on Great North Road and I remember it as sort of light industry/commercial type area.
Oh my god, I went to Henderson High School! Of course that was 35 years ago but nonetheless....
Henderson is not a rural area at all. And there are some very downtrodden, poor parts. I also suggest you avoid Swanson, Ranui, Massey. They are also poor places with really crappy housing.
If you are looking for a nicer area to live you should be perusing Glen Eden, Titirangi and Oratia. Glen Eden has some slightly more rural places and Titiriangi and Oratia are definitely foresty, hiking trails-types of places. Expensive though unfortunately.
Henderson is not a rural area at all. And there are some very downtrodden, poor parts. I also suggest you avoid Swanson, Ranui, Massey. They are also poor places with really crappy housing.
Well that's a bit depressing...I was told the area would be nice...so much for that...
Thanks for the suggestions about nicer places.
I did look further at Google and saw that the western beaches are about 45 minutes away, meaning doable for a sunset stroll (except in winter) if I can get out at 5PM. I hope this is true and not a figment of Google's imagination.
I also see that Swanson and Ranui which you mention as places to avoid are on the way to the Waitekere range where I thought I'd go hiking. When you say 'avoid', do you just mean lousy rundown housing or is it unsafe to hike in the area?
It's safe to hike in the Waitakere Ranges. Ranui and Swanson are just crappy areas to live in. Henderson is safe to walk around except in the middle of the night, but then again walking by yourself in the middle of the night anywhere isn't very wise.
I love the West Coast beaches. When I was at school we used to be naughty and skip school to go surfing. Black sand, awesome waves...just beautiful. I love Piha and Murawai especially.
How far out do you want to be? Coatesville (northeast of the city), Riverhead and Kumeu are nice and Piha is lovely altho on the other side of the peninsula. Titirangi (south) and Orewa (north) are not bad.
Remember if you put these places in Google maps you will get an estimated travel time NOT based on horrible early morning traffic. Just something to consider.
It's safe to hike in the Waitakere Ranges. Ranui and Swanson are just crappy areas to live in. Henderson is safe to walk around except in the middle of the night, but then again walking by yourself in the middle of the night anywhere isn't very wise.
I love the West Coast beaches. When I was at school we used to be naughty and skip school to go surfing. Black sand, awesome waves...just beautiful. I love Piha and Murawai especially.
OK, this sounds better. I should find somewhere sort of half way I guess between Henderson and nature...though that's exactly where the bad places you mentioned are...
Hi earth99, I am a resident of Northcote on the North Shore of Auckland. If you like hiking, and you will be working (if you haven't already moved) in Henderson, then you are in for a treat. My family hike (also called tramping in NZ) every weekend we can, and the Waitakere Ranges which are directly west of Henderson are fantastic. Excellent trails in forested hills and medium sized 'mountains', right beside beautiful beaches, you can't go wrong. Tramp all day, swim at the end.
As for where to live, the North Shore is a middle-upper middle- top end part of Auckland which is within an easy commute to Henderson with the new Upper Harbour motorway extension that opened about a year ago linking West with North Auckland. If you want a bargain then West Auckland still has some, but Auckland is extremely expensive for purchasing a house in comparison to the States (where I spend half my time for work), ridiculously so and the housing stock in many cases leaves something to be desired. You may need to invest in remodelling to get a current house up to spec as Auckland is very wet over winter and condensation/heating/leaky buildings have been a real issue. If schooling is important, then all schools have been given a decile point to indicate which schools get the most funding from Govt. So, the lower score on the decile scale of 1-10 means more funding needed... in relation to the income level of the parents. Which means a school with a 9 or 10 is deemed a 'good' school as it's in a 'nice' part of Auckland. So, generally, any School with a high decile is in most cases in a good part of Auckland (there are exceptions, Kings College being the most prestigious High School in the Country is in a lower income area, all the kids either Board there or train there from Remuera, an expensive part of Auckland). Hope this helps. BTW NZ is a Hiker's dream, I have hiked all over the North Island in world class hiking areas and never see anyone else. And the South Island is even better apparently!!
I didn't mean to lead you astray! I'm not familiar with any of it and I'm going by the information given to me.
Read up about the Titirangi area and other suburbs on the West Coast, plenty of tramping in the area.
Henderson is about 15-20 minutes by car.
And be careful about the NZ bush, the weather is no worse than other places but it can change in a flash.
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Well that's a bit depressing...I was told the area would be nice...so much for that...
I should find somewhere sort of half way I guess between Henderson and nature...though that's exactly where the bad places you mentioned are...
Where to live in Auckland
I'm not familiar with any of it and I'm going by the information given to me.
