Hamilton: Better suburbs

[slofox]

We are out on the Hillcrest side of Hammy. Just a bit out of town. Good schools near by. Not too far from shops and the like. Out where we are, broadband is patchy to say the least. Even by NZ standards.

Hillcrest is also cool, older but graceful - great wine shop by the cycle track...run by a biker!! (Not mentioning any names y'know...nudgenudgewinkwink.......)

[wysper]

Hillcrest is also cool, older but graceful - great wine shop by the cycle track...run by a biker!! (Not mentioning any names y'know...nudgenudgewinkwink.......)

Does s/he do any top shelf? Or is it only wine?

[wysper]

(Not mentioning any names y'know...nudgenudgewinkwink.......)

Sorry - bit slow on the uptake there LOL

[slofox]

Does s/he do any top shelf? Or is it only wine?

Yes...single malts a speciality - also imported and local boutique beers - belgian and UK - lots of good stuff......

[vifferman]

Yes...single malts a speciality - also imported and local boutique beers - belgian and UK - lots of good stuff......

Please tell me about the Belgian beers - do you have any?

[freddy72]

I would recomend rototuna, its close to the shops the school is supposed to be good as well. I would avoid enderley and the start of the chartwell where it joins with enderly, I lived their for 18 months and had a lot of teenage gang fights happening ended up with little fuckers bleeding on our door step one night. One plus is the cops did turn up armed a couple of times.

In terms of traffic take your bike to work and its not a problem

[slofox]

Please tell me about the Belgian beers - do you have any?

Yes - several top fermented golden ales - Brigand Piraat and Augustijn, Rochefort 6 and Rochefort 8, Westmalle, Chimay range and Leffe Range, Gouden Carolus, Grimbergen Optimo Bruno, Duvel, Corsondonk and Timmermann's lambics....they come in about six times a year - currently stocks are lowish but more on order...they arrive irregularly (at best!!)....labels change from time to time....hope this helps!

[bungbung]

Best 'burb in Hamilton?

Simple - Cambridge!

If you're a horse botherer

[vifferman]

...hope this helps!

Yes.
I'm struggling to find places in D'Auckland that stock decent beers. I've been ruined by my time in Yurp, especially wandering into the equivalent of a corner dairy in some town near Brussels, and buying some very nice beers (including Duvel) for about 1.30 to 1.70 Euro each. My wife also developed a taste for fruit-flavoured Belgian beers (gurrrrlie drinks).
Our local supermarket did sell La Trappe for a while but now it's only in those 500ml ceramic crocks, for $9.95 each. The they had Leffe for a while, but not anymore. The local liquor store has a pretty pathetic stock of imported beers, and they're rather expensive (and stored too cold, so it means waiting to drink them...)

[Lias]

What an area is called varies quite alot depending on what map your looking at I've found. The part of Hamilton I live in in is variously called Dinsdale, Frankton, or Livingstone depending on the map! For clarity I'm using http://www.smaps.co.nz/nz/hamilton/ for this post.

St Andrew's/Pukete/Flagstaff/Rototuna are generally more upmarket, as has been mentioned Rototuna is the "boom" part of town, lots of new houses, lots of new subdivisions etc. Western Heights (not on map, but basically the western edge of town near dinsdale/nawton is also reasonably new and flash.

Areas to probably avoid are: Peachgrove, Bader, Enderly & fairly large chunks of Fairfield.

The rest of the city is pretty much alright, but as always there are pockets of less than desireable areas etc.

[mmm]

Thanks for all the info,will start our search around the Rototuna/Flagstaff area since sounds ok and as will have to do about a weekly trip to Auckland these areas are on the northern side of town.A good place to buy some ales though could definitely impact on the final area of choice to live.To those who offered some assistance in the search thanks will take you up on that when the time comes...

[vinnieh]

If you are going to work on the western side of the river, I'd suggest living on the western side. Maybe Western Heights?

If you insist on living on the nicer side of the river (Eastern) I would definitly suggest Queenwood (Close to Chartwell Square shopping centre and you have two bridges close by) or yeah Pukete is nice, close to Te Rapa and The Base as well. DON'T live in Enderley, Nawton, Fairfield or Hamilton East - Ham East is nice and old but has one of the highest burglary rates out of all the suburbs. Chartwell is OK though.

I personally think Rototuna is a shite hole, all the houses look the same... just looks nasty in my opinion. Not enough trees or something. Looks like something out of The Stanford Wives

[Timber020]

H town has a unique grading system for its suburbs, so to decide how good or bad this easy to apply system should be used to decide if the part of hamilton your traveling through is on the 1 (great) or 10 (bad) suburb scale/

1) Grandamas tend there rose gardens happily, students walk about dressed tidily, your neighbour has 2 nice kids and a mint 996 ducati that the are able to park infront of there house. All cars on the street are clean, new and the corner dairy carrys flowers and fresh fruit. Cops smile and wave as they slowly cruise the quiet streets.

2) Grandma trys to keep her clematis well cut on a trellis fence, Some students skate or cycle to uni. your neighbour has 3 good kids and a great Busa that he keeps out front in view from his house. Nice modern cars on street. Corner dairy sells nice veges. Cops patrol comfortably

3) Grandma is fighting back the aliagnus,Students randomly wander past.
Neighbour has 4 boisterous kids and a nice fireblade that he keeps parked in his driveway. Cars are well kept. Corner dairy sells biscuit assortments. Cops keep windows up and try not to stop

4) Grandma has lost the garden to blackberry and gorse. Neighbour has 5 spirited kids and an R6 that he has dynabolted to his driveway. Students stumble around.Cars on street are in average condition. Corner dairy sells some beer and wine. Cops do drive through

5) Grandma clears broken beer bottles from her front yard, Students often wander around drunk. Neighbour has 6 noisey kids and a average VFR400 that he keeps in a garage, cars are rough. Corner dairy sells RTDs and spirits. Cops only occationally visit

6) Grandma breaks up more bottles to keep the fuckin kids out. Students out of there tree all the time. Neighbour has 7 brats that tag everything including grandma and a rough RG150 which is chained inside his garage. Cars very rough and in various stages of disrepair. Corner dairy sells alot of spray cans. Cops avoid area

7) Grandma stays on porch screaming "get off my land" and waves a pitchfork around. Students beg for coins, cigs and food and are refered to by cops as non combatants. The neighbour has 8 out of control rats that have nicked half the cars on the street and a rough GN250 that is kept in whats left of the house. Cars all wrecked and used as housing by some. Corner dairy sells meths and raro by the case. Cops drive through by armoured car to keep quota up

8) Grandma only seen inside poking shotgun from barred windows. students prostitute themselves for drugs. Neighbour thinks he had 9 violent deliquents but would have to ask the parole officer for an accurate count. His honda stepthrough is kept chained to him. All cars burned out. Sandbagged Corner Dairy sells alot of glue and needles through shuttered windows. Students everywhere with needles in arms, some dead.And the cops only come through to count bodies and get street fighting experience.

9) Grandma isnt seen but sells smack from out the back while exchanging shots with the 10 gang bangers that recently gunned down your neighbour and flogged his vespa that was kept in a concrete encampment. Nothing left to burn. Razor wire covered Corner dairy takes kidneys and blood as payment for molotovs,guns and P. Students are dead and dying. Cops hire blackwater to work the area.

10) Your in auckland, sucker.

[Timber020]

I lived in fairfield for a while, wasnt bad.

[Lias]

I lived in fairfield for a while, wasnt bad.

So you'd be a black gang member then? :-P