Dave Guerin, Pauline La Rooy and Fidel at their home in Wellington. Photo / Herald on Sunday
Wellington couple Dave Guerin and Pauline La Rooy think there's no contest when it comes to deciding where to bring up their 11-month-old son, Fidel.
From their Kelburn home, Guerin, executive director of the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics of New Zealand, can walk to work in eight
minutes. Outside their house, they have a nice lawn, native trees and birds and a view of the city.
Guerin describes Wellington as "the best place in New Zealand to live. It's really about a small town within a big city."
Guerin, 35, grew up in Wellington and La Rooy, 37, moved there from Dunedin 13 years ago. La Rooy, a librarian, and Fidel often visit the Wellington Botanic Garden and the National Library on foot.
Sure the city can be windy. "You get used to that," says Guerin - although sometimes plant pots crashing around the garden on wild, windy nights wake Fidel up. And then there are those hills but the couple shrug those off too. La Rooy says the exercise keeps her fit and the spectacular views from the top are worth the effort.
In Kelburn, the family is zoned for three good primary schools and Victoria University is within walking distance.
Getting a place for Fidel at a good childcare centre is La Rooy's main worry but, as she points out, it's a problem in most urban centres. And the couple are not planning to live anywhere else.
Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast says the results of the TopSpots survey is "fantastic" news because it proves the city has invested in the right areas.
Prendergast, who has lived in the city for 45 years and raised three children there, says considerable effort has been made to make the city family friendly as this attracts new business and professionals and their families.
"I always say you can be mountain biking in the morning, wind surfing in the afternoon and go to the opera, theatre or a cafe in the evening, all within 10 minutes access from the CBD."
