Ngaio
Character homes in a leafy, suburban setting
Overview
Ngaio is a well established western suburb, less showy than its neighbour Khandallah, but equally popular due to its collection of character homes and leafy surrounds. There’s plenty of green space to enjoy and a wide variety of housing styles. Property prices tend to be above average. The suburb is handily located between Johnsonville and Wellington and the train service makes it a popular choice for city commuters. The locals are generally well paid professionals, many of whom enjoy coming back to this leafy suburb at the end of their working day.
Best Suited To
Families of all ages, city commuters for the regular train connection
Population Profile
Ngaio residents are likely to be, according to Census statistics, well educated professionals of European descent, aged between 30 and 50 with preschool or primary aged children. Ngaio is set between Khandallah and Crofton Downs, borrowing traits from both these neighbours. It tends to be less affluent than Khandallah, but a bit more buttoned up than Crofton Downs.
The area is popular with young parents with a well-regarded local school, small shopping village (supplemented by the larger Khandallah village nearby) and a good number of parks and recreation reserves on its doorstep. Many locals work in Wellington, either driving or utilising the regular train service. Household incomes reflect success with over 50% of households earning more than $100,000 a year. Home ownership is high at 74%, compared to the Wellington average of 55%.
Typical Homes
Ngaio’s principal growth period occurred during the period 1920 to 1940, so you’ll find a large number of bungalows here. There are older villas from the early 1900s, although these tend to be quite rare. There are even a couple of historic Wellington houses that date back as far as the 1850s. The Tarikaka settlement, on Tarikaka Street, is a group of historically preserved cottages, built circa 1928 for those who worked on the main trunk railway line (now diverted) through the area.
Central Ngaio tends to be mostly bungalows, but if you move into the southern part of the suburb you are likely to find a number of homes built in the 1960s and 1970s. The western hillsides were developed from the 1980s, so here you come across larger, cedar weatherboard homes, together with some monolithic clad homes built in the 1990s. There’s a high level of ownership pride in Ngaio and houses are often set on attractive, garden sites.
Amenities
Ngaio has a small shopping village, set on Ottawa Road. Here you’ll find a pharmacy, café, dentist, medical centre, takeaways and convenience stores. Ngaio library and multi-purpose public hall are situated just south of the shopping area. A wider range of shops are located in Khandallah village, a few minutes’ drive to the north,
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Ngaio School is the local primary. Established in 1906 it is decile 10 and covers years one through to six. Onslow College is the nearest secondary school, about five minutes drive north.
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Ngaio is blessed with a number of small parks and recreation areas. Nairnville Park is on the boundary with Khandallah. This large park hosts a wide range of sporting events on its playing fields or within the modern, indoor stadium. Trelissick Park is set to the south of the suburb, bordering Crofton Downs. This is an attractive park set in a natural gully, featuring bush walks and open picnic areas. There’s also access from Ngaio, into the Mt Kaukau reserve and the Skyline Walkway. It’s a steepish climb to get up there, but the effort is worth it for the fine views over the surrounding suburbs and Wellington Harbour.
Real Estate Trends
Ngaio is always a popular locality for young families and this keeps prices at above average levels. Detached houses start from about the $700,000 mark. For this you shouldn’t expect a character bungalow, but more like a solid 1960s home that needs renovation. Between $850,000 and $1.1 million is where you will find the biggest selection of medium sized family homes that have had some upgrading.
Over $1.1 million you can expect to see larger homes of four bedrooms or more. The best homes in Ngaio generally sit in the $1.3 million to $2 million bracket. For this you should expect at least a four bedroom home, renovated but with original character intact, set on a good sized family site and handy to the local village.
Best Streets
Colway Street is a stone’s throw to the shopping village, containing mostly renovated character homes, with the benefit of Ngaio School just over the back fence. Orari Street is a short, quiet culdesac, close to the village and with a fabulous sunny aspect. Trelissick Crescent contains a number of larger character homes on roomy sections.
House Prices
Basic three bedroom bungalow, needing renovation, from $700,000.
Renovated three bedrooms, character, handy to shopping area, from $1 million.
Large, four bedroom home, various ages, modern fixtures, from $1.3 million.
Travel Times
Central city, driving, eight minutes non-peak, up to 20 minutes peak.
Airport – driving, 20 minutes non-peak.
Hutt Valley – driving, 15 minutes non-peak.
Weather
The northern side of Ngaio is the most sheltered but watch out for shading from Mt Kaukau. The valley floor, around the shopping village, gets excellent direct sunlight and is mostly protected from Wellington’s constant northerlies. The southern hillsides around Quetta Street and Cockayne Road get excellent sun but are exposed to strong northerlies