Tauranga Suburbs

[heisenberg]

Hi all

The family are I are relocating to Tauranga in 2016 due to work reasons. At some point down the line when the market cools off a bit I'll hope to build a rental portfolio there. Until then I figure I can spend time getting acquainted with various Tauranga suburbs. Could those of you out there living or investing in Tauranga give their opinions on ideal suburbs for investment? I've listed three areas below which sound like potentials, and would be eager to see if you agree or disagree and for what reasons. Cheers.

1. Brookfield / Bellevue / Judea - moderate price, close to schools and shops incl city, family vibes
2. Welcome Bay - range of prices, possibly good capital gain, some poorer areas, ?some areas to avoid
3. Papamoa Beach - popular with UK expats, flood risk

[lissie]

Curious to know why you think there is a flood risk at Papamoa - I've not heard that and its an area I've researched in the past.

[Viking]

Tsunami risk. Papamoa is a swamp above water. Full of patches of peat and rubbish covered by volcanic soil which liquefies in an earthquake.

Son is building some of the new infrastructure and they haven't been able to dewater some of the deeper holes that the pumping stations for the sewerage require. Just too much water.

I think you will find that the council has now plastered all the area with warnings.

[Corleone]

I'm from that way, but haven't lived there for over 15 years, Papamoa used to flood along Domain, Beach, Partons and Dickson roads. Talking to friends and relatives there at xmas and apparently it still floods, however I don't think it would damage a house, it's just a pain driving at times. A tsunami would total the place but I think you could say that for any coastal area in NZ given the right circumstances.

I'm hesitant to invest there as simply there are few jobs that are sustainable, low wages, quality of tenants etc. The agents and locals think its about to boom again.

Yes before the frenzied development it was a swamp, now they call the swamp areas 'Nature reserves'

[lissie]

LOL 1/2 of Wellington has pretty blue Tsunami risk signs now - it's a classic case of stating the blooming obvious! It's a beach yes there is a Tsunami risk unless there is cliff between the house and the beach!

[Corleone]

LOL 1/2 of Wellington has pretty blue Tsunami risk signs now - it's a classic case of stating the blooming obvious! It's a beach yes there is a Tsunami risk unless there is cliff between the house and the beach!

Yes Lissie it is a bit silly, the reason i raised it was it was a topical conversation there last month. There was a plan to put in an early warning system due to the proximity of White Island, however it was canned as the powers that be deemed it wouldn't be effective and people were instead encouraged to use 'common sense' in the event of tsunami. Not all beaches in NZ have a massive active volcano offshore.

[revdev]

....however it was canned as the powers that be deemed it wouldn't be effective and people were instead encouraged to use 'common sense' in the event of tsunami.

That's irony for you, authorities espousing the use of common sense.

[heisenberg]

Good to know re: flood and tsunami risk. Tauranga City Council are in the process of mapping flood risk areas and this is available online, however Papamoa hasn't been added into it yet. If it's anything like the Mount (based on the maps) then there is a reasonable flood risk. I suppose most of that is just going to be more nuisance factor than anything. Otherwise it looks like a nicely developing area.

[lissie]

Yes Lissie it is a bit silly, the reason i raised it was it was a topical conversation there last month. There was a plan to put in an early warning system due to the proximity of White Island, however it was canned as the powers that be deemed it wouldn't be effective and people were instead encouraged to use 'common sense' in the event of tsunami. Not all beaches in NZ have a massive active volcano offshore.

The fact that there is an active volcanoe nearby doens't really correlate with Tsunami risk. You do get earthquakes associated with volcanoes - but they tend to me small and localized. Tsunamis are caused when big shakes (7+ ) causse an underwater landslide which in turn causes the displacement of water which is a tsunami.

I'm an (ex) geologist and am fussy about my coastal property -but I wouldn't discount Papamoa on this criteria.

[heisenberg]

I'm an (ex) geologist and am fussy about my coastal property -but I wouldn't discount Papamoa on this criteria.

Thanks Lissie, appreciate your (educated) input.

[Lindsay Richards]

Having lived in Tauranga for 35 years and as a property investor and a property buyer professionally, Papamoa is no more at risk of flooding than a number of parts of the region. The council have a good documentation of flood risk areas, which were much learnt from the 2005 horrendous floods that destroyed nearly twenty homes.

[heisenberg]

Having lived in Tauranga for 35 years and as a property investor and a property buyer professionally.

Thanks Lindsay. What are your thoughts on the other areas I mentioned for residential investment? I have heard there are some streets to avoid in Welcome Bay, are you aware of which ones these are?

[Maccachic]

Thanks Lindsay. What are your thoughts on the other areas I mentioned for residential investment? I have heard there are some streets to avoid in Welcome Bay, are you aware of which ones these are?

A quick drive around and they should be glaringly obvious

[heisenberg]

A quick drive around and they should be glaringly obvious

I am not moving there until 2016, so although I could trawl the streets on Google Maps, it would be nice to have a heads up.