Thorndon
A diverse mix of character cottages and apartments, close to Parliament
Overview
One of Wellington’s oldest suburbs and the seat of Parliament, Thorndon is a popular locality for those keen on enjoying a city lifestyle, but away from the noise of the main downtown area. The suburb contains many character cottages and grand villas, as well as apartments of all shapes and sizes. It’s an easy walk to all the city amenities, the railway station transport hub, and the waterfront. It’s quite possible you’ll walk past politicians or media people, on your walk into the city.
Best Suited To
Parliamentary workers, city dwellers needing outdoor space, character home lovers.
Population Profile
A location on the edge of the central city has wide appeal, particularly to young workers in the 18 to 34 age group – they make up most residents here. However, they are not as dominant as they are in the nearby downtown area of Te Aro. Young workers often reside in one of the many apartment blocks.
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Thorndon contains a significant number of character cottages and villas which appeal to busy middle aged couples, and an above average number of empty nesters and retirees. The demographic group missing in Thorndon are the young families. They tend to head to the suburbs where there’s more space and schooling options.
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Thorndon is largely European in its ethnicity (80%) with Asian’s the next most populous at 13%. Those that live here are well educated – over 50% having bachelor or higher degrees, while students still working towards these degrees make up another significant portion of the population. Households are well off with 43% earning over $100,000 per annum, most of this from wages or salaries, but statistics tell us that there are an above average number who derive income from interest, dividends, and rents. One or two person households make up 72% of the total, reinforcing the fact that the area is not particularly popular with family units.
Typical Homes
Thorndon was one of the first areas settled in Wellington City. It has a large number of character cottages and villas that date from the 1870’s to the 1930’s. Many of these have been preserved and refurbished, giving the area a particular historic quality. Land is valuable here and many of these older dwellings are set on small sites of less than 300 square metres and therefore Thorndon tends to feel intensively developed. Dwellings have less outdoor space than the outer suburbs, but most detached houses still have courtyards to the front or rear.
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Sporadic densification began here from the 1960s, with various low-rise townhouse blocks scattered about the suburb. These developments are generally well maintained. You’ll also find a small number of high-rise apartment blocks. These blocks are occupied by a mixture of owner occupiers and renters, all enjoying the short walk into the central city or to Wellington Railway Station for links to other parts of the city.
Amenities
Thorndon has an attractive central shopping village on Tinakori Road, close to the corner of Bowen Street. Like the housing around it, the village has an emphasis on its historic character, with a gentile air of older money. The actual number of shops is quite small but includes men’s and woman’s hairdressers, gift stores, antique shop, florist, several restaurants/cafes and some upmarket clothing stores. Thorndon Fair is a popular annual event, running the length of the shopping village, attracting people from all over Wellington.
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Thorndon School is the main primary school, catering for about 280 pupils up to year eight. There is also Sacred Heart Cathedral School for catholic children. Thorndon is the base for three large secondary schools for girls. These are St Mary’s College (625 pupils), Wellington Girls College (1300 pupils), and Queen Margaret College (625 pupils). Secondary boys travel to other parts of the city with a couple of the most popular including Wellington College in Mt Victoria, and Wellington High School in Mt Cook.
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The western flank of Thorndon is dominated by the forested hillside of Te Ahumairangi. This area provides a multitude of walking and mountain biking tracks with some great views over Wellington Harbour. Those wanting an easier walk on mostly flat land can spend time wandering the streets, admiring the historic homes. There are several historically important buildings including author Katherine Mansfield’s restored birthplace on Tinakori Road, and the Thistle Inn on Mulgrave Street – one of the oldest pubs in New Zealand.
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Real Estate Trends
Thorndon has a wide variety of property styles, from small studio apartments, up to grand family homes that were built by wealthy merchants in the late 1800’s. All property continues to be popular due to the proximity to Parliament and the central city. The very cheapest apartments are sold in the $170,000 to $250,000 range. There is a myriad of one bedroom apartment options from about $300,000 upwards.
Detached housing here is unobtainable until you have at least $800,000. The majority of well maintained, character homes of two or three bedrooms, will typically sell in the $900,000 to $1.8 million range. Where they fall in this range depends on the size of the home and the size of the site. Two million dollars or more will get you looking at the larger, grander homes in Thorndon. Something exceptional, four or more bedrooms on a large site with gardens and plenty of parking, is likely to cost more than $3 million.
Best Streets
Hobson Street and Hobson Crescent contain the largest concentration of grand homes, over the two million dollar mark.
House Prices
Small bedsit apartment, no parking, from $170,000.
Older one bedroom apartment, handy location, from $300,000.
Newer, compact two bedroom apartment, car park, from $550,000.
Basic early 1900s cottage, needs renovation, small site, from $800,000.
Three bedroom character cottage, modern kitchen and bathroom, courtyard garden, from $1.1 million
Travel Times
Central City – five to 10 minutes walk
Airport – driving 15 minutes non-peak.
Hutt Valley – driving 10 minutes non-peak.
Weather
Thorndon is quite sheltered from prevailing northerly winds due to the presence of Te Ahumairangi along its northern and western flank. However, the same hill creates a significant shading effect on those properties which are located close to the foot of the hill.