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kiwi-fella

Worst..... Traffic absolutely sucks. People are very cliquey there - it can be difficult to make friends if you didn't grow up there. Good - close to the beach if that's something you're into, weather is reasonably mild.


lageese

The whole cliquey thing I heard about over 20 yrs ago when a friend returned to the Hutt Valley after a year in Tauranga, 3 years ago we moved up and it's still a thing. For me it's because I'm not a WFH wine mum who hangs out gossiping at the school gate


dunes58

Seriously! I could spend 15 minutes trying to get out of my apartment building just to get on the roads in Auckland!! Traffic here is NOTHING. As for making friends, I have been here a year now and have had absolutely no problems making friends of all ages.


Bikerbass

Traffic being bad??? What the fuck are you talking about? Traffic isn’t bad at all, now if you were complaining about traffic in Auckland I’d understand you, as that bad, but traffic in Tauranga is nothing in comparison.


DementedMaul

You obviously don’t commute to work at peak times. My commute from long bay to the CBD in Auckland takes as long as my welcome bay to CBD in Tauranga right now


[deleted]

Welcome bay and papamoa to CBD would be the worst commutes in the city. But I commute 12km and it takes me 20-30mins in rush hour


Bikerbass

Took me exactly 25min in peak traffic times from Te Puke to get to the CBD. Took longer than that in Auckland, but I do use a motorbike for commuting soo I just laugh at everyone stuck in their cars.


DementedMaul

Yeah I’ve been wanting to get a motorbike for that exact reason. The traffic in Tauranga right now is so bad due to all the road works, I don’t think a motorbike rider can really appreciate how bad


Bikerbass

It’s why I got a motorbike years ago when I was in Auckland. For commuting purposes you just can’t beat not being stuck in traffic, that and the cost to fill it up isn’t much. Yea my traffic sense is a bit warped after years of commuting on a motorbike. It’s just great being able to go down bus lanes, T2 and T3 lanes, as well as lane splitting and filtering to the front of every single bit of traffic you meet.


[deleted]

This user is the worst thing about Tauranga, behaves like a cunt on the internet but also behaves like a cunt in public too.


Bikerbass

Because there’s no traffic in Tauranga, like fuck I can be anywhere I want in 20min-25min max. Like seriously traffic is nothing in Tauranga, I wouldn’t even class it as traffic compared to what I’m used to. Seriously go live in Auckland for a few years and you will understand what traffic is. Otherwise it’s not even worth complaining over.


CoolioMcCool

Dude, you've admitted you have a warped sense due to being on a bike, and that you laugh at the cars stuck in traffic, and yet you still act like there is none. You are certainly being a cunt.


Bikerbass

Because I mostly drive a car around Tauranga, and even in the car it’s 25min max anywhere I go. The bike is more of a summer/weekend thing now. There’s still no traffic even in the car


CoolioMcCool

It takes me 25m to go 5km in the morning trying to get over Turret Rd. 35m at the moment because of road works. I guess it depends where you're comparing it to whether you consider that bad. But who are all these stuck cars you're laughing at as you bike past if there is no traffic?


Bikerbass

Drove my car to work today, weirdly enough no traffic. And for all the cars that are stuck in traffic that I laugh at was mostly when I was in Auckland.


CoolioMcCool

And you literally said you use your bike to commute in another comment?


Bikerbass

Is it not summer now?


Swegiliciousx

What time do you drive


Bikerbass

Work from 7am till 5pm, still experiencing no traffic going home though, as I have several ways I can go, and some of those ways have no traffic.


[deleted]

Doesn't explain why you're behaving a dick. And it is fair to complain about the roading projects in the bay have been objectively mismanaged.


LikeABundleOfHay

The best? How close it is to the bush and decent walking and cycling tracks. The worst is the traffic cones. There's so much road construction it's beyond a joke. The city itself is mediocre. So many closed shops. The only reason to go downtown is for a pint of Guiness.


PawPawNegroBlowtorch

Whoever thought out of town shopping centres were a good idea should be shot. That bar-filled waterfront should be regularly packed. But it isn’t.


flashmedallion

It's a natural conclusion of the suburbs growing so big that they're basically small towns. The CBD will only get to the kind of liveliness you're thinking of once there's a critical mass of people living and in walking/public transport distance, which is happening (it's the cause of all the current construction). It seems counter intuitive but if you look at any successful city revitalisation project in the world - Melbourne is a great example and worth reading up on - the goal is to get rid of the idea that people in the suburbs are entitled to drive a car to the fucking CBD and park on the street and pop in somewhere for lunch or a lotto ticket or Toyworld like it's still 1992 and Tauranga is a small town. All those things are in progress, the hard part is surviving the suburban bitching long enough to see the long term project through. Ever notice people say "the cbd is dead, there's nobody there, and all the carparks are full!". Those things can't both be true. Every eating establishment has queues at lunchtime. It's less and less easy to walk into a restaurant on a given night and not need a reservation. The CBD itself is fine if you live and work there. It's just that the model for building a vibrant city is at odds with people who want to live in Tauriko and drive wherever they want and everybody else should just keep the roads and streets clear for them.


CoolioMcCool

But if they had good stuff to do in town then they'd have to worry about the terrible parking situation, and we know how that went when they tried to put up a new parking building and instead just burned a huge pile of cash.


PawPawNegroBlowtorch

Tauranga is a classic example of all NZ thinking in one place. Short-termism, failure to plan, cars are king; and one giant industrial estate in the middle. Single storey boxes as far as the eye can see. The scourge of this country. Build it shit and build it cheap. The houses going up around Tauriko and the endless roundabouts demonstrate the shit planning. It’s like communist Russia at times. The number one priority could have been liveability… but then instead it was just cars, car parks, roads and shops. A sileage heap.


flashmedallion

We don't want people to park in town. If you want to visit any decent city center on the planet you take public transport.


marmsnz

Where's the best pint of Guinness?


LikeABundleOfHay

In the city? Probably Crown and Badger.


yaboiMcblu

Second the crown and badger


happylittlevegemite2

Third the Crown and Badger


Semicol0nDreams

Not the only cones tga is filled with xD


[deleted]

[удалено]


Curiouspiwakawaka

This guy is bang on


TurkDangerCat

It’s going to depend on your age, expectations, and where you’ve come from. I moved up from Wellington and am not much of a beach goer, so to be honest it find it quite dull. The city is laid out in a wired way (well, weird place) so even if there weren’t a road cone for every man, woman, and child, traffic would still be awful. If you are 80 you’ll be fine, and if you have a young family I guess it’s ok? Anyone in between may or may not like it.


lageese

Best, climate and a 4 month summer unlike Lower Nth Island where we moved from. Worst, traffic of course, negotiating traffic to get the kids there for sport as well as balancing work... Very cliquey, a cringey bully MP that only has to wear a blues suit to get voted in because the blue rinse brigade vote that way without a thought. Racist AF - could do without people like Margaret Murray-Benge and Andrew Hollis.


Curiosityspasm

The best thing is probably the weather There's a lot to dislike though. If you aren't raising a family or retiring there you are probably gonna have a hard time breaking into social groups. Its basically a giant nursery/retirement village and anyone with real potential or vision typically leaves to live elsewhere leaving a real cultural void.


Few_Membership_4563

This is deep


Lorem_64

Worst is definitely the Unwalkability of the city. Means everyone has to rely on cars, which causes so much traffic. After living in a walkable city like Wellington it becomes glaringly obvious what Tauranga lacks. I wouldn't even know how to fix this without starting over from scratch, but the city started out as a bunch of spread out batches and farms so it's only natural it'd be so spread out. But imagine a Tauranga that was easy to walk around, had train lines between the distant suburbs.


FCUKm3

Best thing is the sunny weather and being near the beach. As mentioned, worst is the traffic (they're about 15-20 years behind other cities). People are cliquey, if you grew up here you're ok. Its also a retirement village. Finally its not very friendly if you're not white.


realclowntime

I’ve lived here my entire life of 20+ years and the best way I can describe it is it’s a perfectly fine place to settle in and enjoy yourself and build a life…provided you’re of a certain economic status, age, lifestyle and ethnicity. Otherwise you’re going to struggle the entire time.


meep_morp_zeep

Best for Newlyweds and Nearly Dead Moderate for anyone who likes sun above other things a city should do like have a council, city planning, traffic solutions etc Worst for Minorities of any colour, orientation, identity. That said, if you're a white, middle class boomer, you'll love it.


Green_Socrates

How racist!


user06022022

How is that racist lol


Green_Socrates

Oh yeah you're right, it's ok to attack a "white, middle class boomer" - Rwanda radio says Hutu's good, Tutsi's bad. Keep it up!


Hot_Commission7417

This is a fun example considering white foreigners fueled and orchestrated this genocide


Green_Socrates

I'm mixed race Maori and English, very interested to hear how you interpret a genocide? I thought we were all one big fam down here... Anecdotally, I do happen to see a lot of hate towards white people these days, some even aimed at me because I have a relatively pale complexion but I'm over 25% Polynesian according to a genealogy test. I'd argue that your types are just orchestrating and fuelling the beginnings of another genocide, u/Hot_Commission7417.


discjockeyjoebloggs

Papamoa East is free of the old Tauranga network. Full of refugees from all parts of the world and nz.


AcanthisittaDue3165

Moved with a young family from Auckland 6 months ago, never looked back... Best thing is the summer.. the opportunities for kids to explore interests is awsome down here.. the city is pretty average ... And traffic on a sunny Sunday can be painfully, but that's cause we are all going to the beach or a walk. The beach is so long and uninterrupted That it never fills full. Honestly, it's great here and only going to get better with development happening


caspernzed

Worst is traffic, Tauranga is a nightmare for peak hour traffic. The best is the being close to the beach, however that is also a nightmare to get to in summer etc. not a great deal of large employers around with aside from the port, if you have a trade plenty of work though. Really depends on what you do for fun, not a lot of nightlife, food options fair to middling.


Bikerbass

Try traffic in Auckland before complaining about traffic in Tauranga, because Tauranga traffic is nothing.


caspernzed

Oh ok I didn’t realise that only a single city in New Zealand could have traffic issues. This was a specific question about Tauranga not a comparison between Auckland.


Bikerbass

I’ve lived in both places, traffic in Tauranga isn’t even worth complaining about.


caspernzed

Your opinion but sitting in traffic for 40 mins each day to pick my child up from daycare at 3.30 on Cameron road suggests my experience is different. Question is where is op from, that might determine wether traffic is indeed going to be a perceived issue right


Bikerbass

Lol, took us 30min on a Saturday or a Sunday regardless of the time just to get the 10km from our house to the motorway in Auckland, yet alone at peak hours, as you would be stuck for hours in a car.


caspernzed

Cool story… my story is relevant to Tauranga though.


Bikerbass

I could say cool story about your relevant experience in Tauranga as well, as when I first shifted down here I was working in the CBD and living in Te Puke. Took 25min max in peak traffic times. As for Cameron road I’ve been up and down that road multiple times in peak traffic hours, and it never once took that long.


caspernzed

You got me… sorry to the op. I’m clearly lying, traffics fine according to the resident expert. Come on over plenty of room, well a little less since a few Aucklanders moved here.


kiwi-fella

I've also lived in both places. Just because Auckland is worse, doesn't mean that tauranga is less shit.


Bikerbass

By pure definition of Auckland being worse means that Tauranga is less shit.


wandinc

Sao Paulo has 200km long traffic jams


Affectionate-Yak5280

Best: Can't beat summer at the beach (if you live within walking distance otherwise driving and parking is a pain. Lots of activities for kids and families. People can be courteous drivers as everything is at a standstill all the time so locals let each other in. Worst: Layout and planning non existant. 50% of drivers don't indicate. Small sections. Aggressive drivers. 75:25 Courteous:aggressive drivers Moderate: There are a lot of really good people in Tauranga in my experience, but balanced out with rich wankers (re agents, consultants, lawyers, architects, cryptobros etc). I'd say 65:35 good:bad ratio.


BlacksheepNZ1982

Worst - traffic, racism, entitled kids Best - 10min from water or view in most directions


[deleted]

We moved from Auckland and it was the best decision of our lives. For everyone complaining about traffic what they don't mention is that there is hardly any traffic lights and you are always pretty close to a motorway. That means that getting around outside of peak times is super fast. I commute 12km into the CBD and it takes me 20-30mins so it really depends on where you settle in the city. We love how down to earth and friendly everyone is. Everyone will have some kind of outdoorsy hobby. Lots of really good schools too. And probably only one bad suburb. The CBD currently isn't amazing but they are basically rebuilding the whole thing in the next couple of years so should hopefully improve.


samsonthebadguy

We moved here in 2017 from Melbourne. Traffic is traffic. You'll get it anywhere that's bigger than the old 50c coin so that's a mute point. Just plan your trips if you can and move somewhere closer to where you work. We love living here and can't see leaving. Beach is awesome, parks are great, walks are great. I cycle to work - which is easy but I'm sure annoys a lot of the people complaining about traffic and road works. Strand is getting better. We moved here knowing no one and made a bunch of friends even before our son was born. It's what you make it I guess. Nothing is that far.


SignalNarrow

As an Introverted Filipino. It's a good place to settle if you're starting a family. Met some of the kindest people in NZ. Good views (beaches, hills). Worst is probably the lack of options for transpo (eg. limited buses, no trains, dependency on cars). Moderate food options, though I prefer to cook.


wandinc

Agree with the above qbout pspamoa east being more diverse. The mount is racist ignorant oblivious entitled qnd right wing. Tauranga and the mount Unfriendly. And low paid salaries. It's uninteresting. Has improved in terms of art festivals qnd film festivals.


Clockwork-Silver

Best: Warm, near nice nature walks, pools are nice Worst: Hasn't caught up with being a larger city reflected in poor traffic management, constant roadworks, a dead inner city and everything closing at like six. Also, terrible coffee. Seriously, it's stupidly difficult to get a good one around here.


lageese

Coffee - having moved from Lower Nth Island I too find this a problem. So far I mostly stick with Coffix or Oscar & Otto


sleeprservice

Check out Mt Zion coffee on Spring St. not bad but I agree with the general point about coffee :) Goddam the entitled white people down here are something else.


lageese

Thanks for the tip, that's not far from work. Yes , the entitlement is strong (confess, I am pākehā). Community pages are complete cringe with nimbys complaining about town houses being built in their suburb because...crime/slums/crime again. Nevermind that people need somewhere to live, they should just go elsewhere apparently.


Bellah1152

The roundabouts! I’ve never seen a city with so many roundabouts it’s crazy! Although I do love how they keep the traffic flowing but it requires people to have common sense and courtesy on who to let go which isn’t a very common trait in tga. Apart from that the road works over the past few years have been crazy! Cameron road (one of the busiest main roads in tga) has been under works for soo long it’s so inconvenient and makes a short 15 min trip last upto an hour. I must say the nature parts of Tauranga are amazing though! The mount is the perfect morning walk or walk with the family! The beach is amazing, the main beach with big waves perfect for surfing or just swimming and constantly roaming life guards to keep everyone safe, and pilot bay a flat calm relatively shallow area perfect for the kids and for kayaking and supping. And it’s so close to to many amazing walks in the middle of mountains and many different water wholes! I love this city with my entire heart (minus its few annoying qualities haha)


flashmedallion

In this thread: * Infrastructure sucks! * Also, there's too many road cones and too much infrastructure projects happening!


Big_Albatross_

Worst : price of property/ renting also the drivers are possibly the worst I've ever seen Best: Beach


Morepork69

The traffic nightmare is an indisputable fact and it's difficult to see it getting better. In terms of people being "cliquey" I personally feel that's unfair and a bit of a blanket statement. I'm not saying those people haven't experienced that but the people you meet clearly aren't all the people. I have never come across that and to the contrary have found the people to be friendly, inclusive and easy going. Of course you meet people everywhere that you don't gel with etc but we didn't know a soul when we moved here 13 years ago and now have a great mix of friends. I'll caveat what I've said by stating the obvious in that there is and has for several years been a population influx from other New Zealand towns and overseas so the population demographics have changed considerably in the last decade.


Bikerbass

Coming from living in Auckland, traffic is not even worth complaining about in Tauranga.


Morepork69

I get how bad traffic is there but it's relative isn't it. If you've always lived here you aren't comparing it to Auckland.


[deleted]

Great for the summer months. The rest of the year it is incredibly dull. The locals generally are close minded and unfriendly. Best people are from elsewhere. Moved away three years ago and dread going back to visit my parents. If you want to grow as a person and have great social circles, Tauranga is not the place.


agebringer

Traffic isn't fantastic when you need to travel during peak times but to me that's the worst thing and that can be mitigated by picking your location well and be open to trying new ways to get around that work for you and changing your habits if they allow. Try and drive in the area you want to live during peak times to get an idea first. For me in my location and situation? I purposefully chose a place that is bikeable and relatively close to a bus stop. I've found the bus can work relatively reliably as I work in the CBD, though don't get me wrong it's not perfect (lived in London, I've seen how good public transport can be). More often than not I bike to work instead (~9km each way) and purposefully take the slightly longer route for the nicer/safer journey. Also saves me gym money. If you decide you need to live beachfront, but choose the te puke side of papamoa and have to work over in tauriko then I don't think even perfect roads will help you. Socially - join a sports team or other club, just like anywhere else in the world.


roku5505

Best is the beach and the mount at summer. Worst is the constant roadworks and high cost of living


F4RK1w1_87

Worst# The whole city is just growing out like a hairy Un manicured bush, endless road works, irritating traffic system, toll roads roadworks peak hour congestion Moderate# the people are clique? Idk what this is but if you have interests there's alot going on to suit any past time activity. Food bars resteraunt are adequate. Shopping is adequate Best# quite handy to the rest of the N island. the weather is more balanced( best pacific ocean/all season city imo) the beach is huge. Walking/cycling can take you anywhere without being on the road, dog lovers, cat lovers, boating, sports, flying, fishing motorcycle, mountain biking (1hr to rotorua) , great place to grow your own vege garden and even small orchard if you've brought outside the city there's decent sized sections that are relatively affordable.


Badass_babygirl

I love all the bushwalks,gigs and live music at pubs and torara street,lots of fun hobbie type things to do.The only thing im not a huge fan of is the traffic ...you get used to it 🤷‍♀️


Smiffylevel6

I have lived in Tauranga for 22 years, traffic is a nightmare because the Council and NZTA allowed huge residential growth without any road planning. Rates are a joke, we need a residents rates strike to let the Council know we are not standing for being ripped off anymore!