My fav things to do in Wellington’s Northern Suburbs

1) Visit the lookout platform on the top of Mount Kaukau.

Mt Kaukau with its radio tower stands above the Northern Suburbs like a geological epiphany. It influences the suburbs’ weather and provides a sense of drama to the landscape in which the housing suburbs nestle.

There are a number of tracks working their way up Kaukau (Two Cows or Double Cow as some call it – kau means cow in Maori). For those wanting to really strain their lungs, you can also access the summit on bike by starting at Old Coach Rd in Johnsonville or for the truly adventurous, you can ride the Skyline trail from Makara Peak affording magnificent views of both Wellington and Makara Valley along the way. Make sure you take a jumper, even on the warmest and stillest days there is often a cool breeze blowing on the summit.

2) Swim at Khandallah pool in the height of summer.

After a lusty climb to the top of Kaukau, there is nothing better than refreshing yourself with a dip in the brisk waters of Khandallah Pool (an alternate Maori meaning of kaukau is to bathe). This pool was free to use until recently and is one of the only public unheated outdoor pools in Wellington. It is open from late November till the end of March every year and costs a gold coin to enter. You have to be very brave to enter the water before 10am as the sun hasn’t had the opportunity to take the chill off the pool for the day. Khandallah park is a real hit with the younger children and is one of the most sheltered outdoor spots to go in a Norwesterly. If you are needing caffeine, Cafe du Parc will serve you up something adequate in a takeaway cup, though it isn’t the place to go if you are a coffee snob.

3) Take the Train. For those who don’t use public transport, the Johnsonville Line offers a fun outing and a unique view of the suburb with seven tunnels and eight stations. My five and seven year old love this 20 minute train journey and look forward to it as a regular school and kindy holiday activity. Once you reach the end of the line in town, a short walk to Astoria for a well earned coffee and a bowl of fries for the kids gives you the energy for a browse and play at Toyworld in Ballance St before hopping on the train again to return to Johnsonville.

4) Enjoy Coffee at Rosa’s – Rosa Cafe in the Khandallah Village is a coffee lovers delight. Victor really knows how to press a great espresso. Rosa also twilights as a deli, catering company, and wood fired pizza place so the food selection is always fresh, homemade, and delicious. In recent times, Rosa’s has expanded into the shop next door and now features a small outdoor courtyard that catches the sun late morning to early arvo.

5) Spice your life with a Beef Madras and garlic naan from Currytogo in Newlands. If you like your food spicy, then a friday night takeaway curry from Curry2go cannot be overlooked. I have been a regular here since I discovered them. Having worked my way through the whole menu and back again, I can truly say that I have never had a meal that I haven’t enjoyed. My favs include the beef madras, chicken tikka masala, lamb saag, and lamb rogan josh. The hard working owners make their food fresh and cook the breads to order in their tandoor oven. They also deliver for a nominal charge to anywhere in North Wellington.

6) Picnic in Seton Nossiter Park. Located in a valley between Paparangi and Grenada Village, this park offers a picturesque spot for a picnic, to ride your segway, or walk the dog. A stream meanders through the valley, and stands of native bush are complemented by the landscaping work and plantings undertaken by the Council and the local community. My kids love to play in the stream and build a dam.

7) Quench your thirst at Monteiths Ale House. On summer Sunday afternoons, Monteiths (formerly the Posties Whistle) in the Khandallah Village has live music and cheap Summer Ale. It is a great destination when the weather lets you sit in their outside bar area in the sunshine. If you sign up for a loyalty card, you can also get a free pint on thursdays and fridays just by walking in the door. $10 curry night is also well patronised, as are the regular quiz nights.

8 ) Gorge yourself on Easter buns from Nada Bakery. Around Easter each year, the smells that begin to waft from Nada (can I have a nada one please…) on the main road of Johnsonville take on heavenly qualities. The locals working in the area, know to put their order in for two or three dozen of the fruitiest, tastiest buns available in the city. The previous owner, a local personality who has since passed away, added to the scents wafting from the ovens at the back of the shop by liberally sprinkling cinnamon onto the red carpet that was rolled out of the shop door and onto the footpath to catch passersby in his honeytrap.

9) Take the kids for a runaround at a play park. Nairnville, Churton Park, and Khandallah Park are all highlights. The majority of the play parks in the area have been revamped in the last few years. The slide at Nairnville, the flying fox at Khandallah, and the climbing net and swings at Churton are my kids top picks.

10) Ride a horse in Ohariu Valley. As an adventure off the beaten track, horse tracking with the Country Club Riding Academy in Ohariu Valley is a fun activity. Horse trekking gives you a bit of an appetite, so fill your tummy afterwards at the Saddleback cafe

11) Taste in Khandallah – David and Gary have created a fine dining experience in the heart of the burbs after time spent running a deli cafe in the boutique vineyard town of Martinborough. You must try the lambs fry and bacon and the chicken liver pate is fantastic.

12) Watch the Johnsonville Christmas Parade - once a year the suburb comes to a standstill with the parade running a loop around the CBD of Johnsonville. A highlight in the annual Northern Festival that also includes a fair and live entertainment.

13) Get your hair cut in a caravan – for the men in the household only. The $15 haircut Darrel and the team at “The Caravan” offer is value for money in temporary premises that have stood the test of time.

14) Explore Kaiwharawhara stream – The Kaiwharawhara stream that begins its life in the Otari Native Plant Reserve flows its way quietly North East and eventually empties itself into the harbour at the bottom of Ngaio gorge. There are plenty of walks in and around the valley that holds the stream but my favourite walk is the journey following the stream bed itself from the carpark at the north end of Otari. Tunnels, waterfalls, glowworms, swimming holes, and juicy black berries are all covered in this fun off trail adventure. An old pair of shoes is imperative as much of the journey is in the stream itself starting with the tunnel under Black Bridge road at the very start of the walk. A towel, a small packed lunch, a water bottle, some sunscreen, and a small torch are a good idea too (though the tunnels are much more fun negotiating in the dark – don’t worry, there aren’t any large pools to fall into in the blackness, though there may be some wetas!). This is a journey only handfuls of people have undertaken, and most inhabitants of the surrounding suburbs have no idea of the natural delights that are hidden in the valleys in their own neighbourhood. Small trout can also be caught in this stream if you have the skill.

15) Fly a kite at Alex Moore park – every year the Lions Club puts on a kite day as part of the Northern Wellington Festival. This is usually some time in early December. The spectacle of myriads of kites all shaking and shuddering in the wind is something to behold. Everyone is encouraged to participate with prizes given out during the day. The biggest kites have to be anchored to the ground or tied to car bumpers in case

January 07 2010 | Local events, news and views | No Comments »

Latest Wellington City Council Rating Values show falls

Yep, they’re out and the predicted drops in GV (Rating Valuation) have eventuated in many areas of Wellington. The Wellington City Council has been reviewing the Rating Valuations of the homes under its jurisdiction using Quotable Value and these new values were released online in the last day or so.

Having just done an audit of the homes the my company has on the market, most of the properties are showing a slight drop in RV (Rating Value) of around 5%. There have been some rises but this seems to have been limited to areas of new housing like Churton Park. It appears to me that the drops have come about as an adjustment to the Land Values not the Improvements Value. I am hearing through the grapevine that there has been a general drop of around 3.5% across the city, but this is unsubstantiated.

The biggest drop that I have seen so far involves a large parcel of rural land that has had a third of its value wiped from the Council books.

What do these changes in RV mean if anything?

There will be an adjustment period as owners and potential buyers come to grips with the new RV’s and how they compare with selling prices.

Some owners will pay less rates and some will pay more depending on how their Rating Value moved compared to other homes in the Council catchment.

Interestingly, prices in my area of influence in North Wellington are on the firm march upwards and these new RVs are already out of step with actual market value at the coalface (I compared the sale prices in the last month in our office with the new RV’s and most were at least $20k out with a couple more than $60k out). Now that the Council is moving to three yearly reviews to save themselves money, one can only wonder how out of kilter these values will be by the time they get redone again in 2012.

You can dispute your RV if you feel that it doesn’t do your property justice, but the only reason you would do this is if you were currently on the market or you were going to sell soon. Don’t let your ego get in the way of common sense. Why would you inform the Council that you want to pay MORE rates?

The timing on the disputes process will be longer than usual this year as there have been drops, so expect it to take at least a month or so for the powers that be to get into contact with you.

For more of my thoughts on the subject, have a read of a related post I made regarding RV’s here.

You can find out what your new RV is along with anyone other property in the WCC catchment for free until the end of November. Go to www.qv.co.nz and enter the address you want to check in the search bar. You’ll have to register so that QV can harvest your details for future emails, but it is free to d so. ONce you have registered, choose “Rating Valuation Report”. This is usually about $3 but is free for a limited time.

November 02 2009 | General Real Estate and North Wgtn House Market Trends | No Comments »

Are there good buying opportunities in North Wellington??

Quotable Value has just released their latest monthly sales data.

And I quote….

“Property values in the Wellington region decreased by 6.0% over the past year (calculated over the three months ending November 2008 in comparison to the same period last year), a very slight improvement on the 6.1% decline reported in October. The average sale price for the region decreased slightly to $411,922.

Mr. Max Meyers of QV Valuations said; “Early signs that the Wellington market may be beginning to steady are slowly emerging, possibly as a result of changing interest rates. Generally, buyers are starting to show more curiosity.  The indications are; steadier prices in the last two months, and shorter selling times over the past four months”.

“The highest average sale price is in the Western Suburbs at $540,000, a level last seen in June 2007. The area with the lowest average sales price was Upper Hutt at $317,000, back to the February 2007 level. Overall, the average sale price in the region has declined $13,507 compared to the same period last for the year” said Mr. Meyers.

“A further reduction in interest rates will help the market to steady itself, and will provide good buying opportunities over the next few months.”

I can’t help but echo Mr Myers sentiment!

Currently their seems to be about a $50k difference between buyers and sellers in my market place but the info above from QV suggests that there has only been an average $13k softening in prices over the market peak a year ago, hence, an impasse between buyers and sellers leading to low turnover.

Motivated buyers are hard to find, but opportunistic investor types are plentiful. Running on the back of overly hyped and very negative media reports that house prices have tumbled through the floor and that all owners are crying out for an offer at any level, our office has been infiltrated by some naive and bolshy amateur “investors” in the last few months. The “make a million in real estate in a year at everyone else’s expense” crowd are actively out and looking but very few are actually purchasing. The reason?

Simply, prices have softened but not by that much, and the reported plentiful pile of vendors panicking with the bank at the door is simply rare to nonexistent. And with interest rates, petrol, and food prices falling, the financial pressure is easing not growing for any vendors that are stressed.

It is interesting to see the average time on the market falling and prices steadying.

Certainly, in the last month there has been good enquiry and open home attendance at levels I haven’t seen since last year some time, and with the mortgage rate chalk boards been altered outside bank branches at the mo, buying must be starting to look very attractive to many young purchasers who have put the effort in to save a reasonable deposit or have mum and dad guaranteeing the loan.

There are some great opportunities in my market at the moment especially in the three plus study/rumpus sized home around the $390k – $440k mark.

Interestingly ,there is some fustration beginning to be expressed by young buyers who have been looking for a month regarding the lack of fresh stock. This tells me that these buyers have seen all the stock on the market in an area and this takes dedication and a willingness to give up weekends and time after work to view homes. This sentiment and a focus on their market of choice is very positive as it demonstrates high motivation to buy. This fustration now simply needs the added ingrediants of a touch of urgency and a pinch of stability in the financial markets, and the buying will begin. Any agent in the area will tell you that there are plenty of people looking, converting the lookers into buyers as another thing!

Do I think their are good buying opportunities?

Yes! Especially in areas where amenities are being upgraded.

The recently started upgrade to the Johnsonville train line, the massive planned upgrade to Johnsonville Mall, the upgrade of Newlands Mall starting with the new community centre just opened, a shopping strip and new school planned for Churton park, the release of new sections at the North end of Churton Park and the opening up of the land to the north of Grenada Village with the road now connecting directly to the motorway, makes the Wellington suburbs of Johnsonville, Newlands, Paparangi, Churton Park, and Grenada Village all worth keeping an eye on. When amenities rise, buyers see greater value in the surrounding areas and property values follow.

December 08 2008 | Local events, news and views and North Wgtn House Market Trends | No Comments »