In love with the country lifestyle

Joanna and Neal Bennett with their dog Pippa. The couple recently moved to Pyes Pa and opened a childcare centre. Photo / Joel Ford

Moving to Pyes Pa was a no- brainer for Kirsty and Neil Thomas, who say they have fallen in love with the suburb and the country lifestyle it offers.

The Pyes Pa community, including The Lakes development, has almost doubled in size

Mrs Thomas, who moved to Pyes Pa in December, said she was not surprised to hear about the population explosion in her home suburb, saying it was "the best place to live in the Bay".

"We were living in Papamoa but we wanted to give our children a taste of the country lifestyle so we started looking around the outskirts of Tauranga," she said.

"Property is affordable, you get real value and our neighbours are wonderful. "When we moved, we had a barbecue and invited everyone on the road, we all catch up once a month now ... People think it is ages away from anything but I can get to the Greerton shops in less than 10 minutes ..."

Joanna and Neal Bennett opened up Country Kids Pre-school in Pyes Pa in February this year. They already have 77 children on the roll and say the area is fast becoming a hot spot for young families.

"People are really starting to realise just how much it has going for it," Mrs Bennett said.