Alana Hiddink tells Catherine Smith why she and her husband Geoff love living in one of Auckland's newest suburbs with their boys Ashton (8) and Harry (3 and a very important half).
We bought a property here after three years in Cockle Bay, and before that in Tauranga and Titirangi. It's called Mission Heights. We loved that it was brand new, we saw it as a chance to start something new, be in the hub of a new community. I like new housing. When we first arrived we could see up Whitford Rd to the farms, but now the development has moved in - though there are still the lifestyle blocks. There is farmland for sale all around, but people are still friendly and wave and chat over the fence.
We love the Fo Guang Shan Temple, it is a favourite of ours for lunch, with its massive buddha and a great vegetarian food. I've never been to Asia, but this is good food, fresh ingredients and really family friendly.
We don't have any local shops yet - we've been told there'll be eight shops and a cafe on the Jeffs and Murphys Rd corner soon. But in the meantime, there's a cafe based inside Ormiston Hospital - I have found my new local until one is built in Mission Heights. Excellent coffee and service.
The school is the hub of the community, that and our Gateway faith-based community. The school runs from primary to junior college, it's a massive complex and now that the native plantings are all up, it's looking good. Harry goes to the newly opened kindergarten, we love it.
