Auckland neighbourhoods

Hi. may be moving to Auckland.Any suggestions as to family friendly, neighborhoods,central(within walking distance to downtown conveniences). We'd like to find a character(ie not necessarily fancy or familiar)neighborhood . We're looking for special character schools( like Discovery One in Christchurch).
Help.
Thanks.
Mary

I don't know Aucks that well, so my only advice would be to avoid South Auckland if you can. I'm sure it's not all rough and I'm sure that not everyone who lives there is a gang member or trouble-maker, but it is one area that repeatedly makes the news for all the wrong reasons.

I just moved to Auckland about 1 week and half ago from Montreal and thus far the North shore seems like somewhere you should take a look at.
depends if you plan on commuting or not, the bridge might be congested once in a while.
Good Luck