Like other parts of the North Shore, residential development began in earnest after the harbour bridge was opened in 1959. Before that, the area was dotted with holiday homes.
The land on which they sat used to be owned by Joseph Murray, whose farm spanned Murrays Bay and Mairangi Bay.
In 1880 he had bought the land off local Maori, who knew the area as Waipapa, which means "water over wood" because of the stumps and logs found embedded in the sand in this area, the remnants of an ancient forest.
When Murray took over the land, the two bays were known as Big and Little Murrays bays but after he sold the land to developers in 1912, to avoid confusion Little Murrays Bay was eventually renamed Mairangi Bay.
Paula Morrison, Bayleys Mairangi Bay sales manager, says while the area enjoys its special community feeling, it is still within reasonable commuting distance of Auckland City, and has excellent local primary and intermediate schools and is in zone for Rangitoto College, the area's most sought-after high school.
It is also handy to other institutions such as the Millennium Institute (for high-performance sport) and Massey University's Albany campus.
She adds: "Mairangi Bay has a mixture of housing, from renovated 1950s houses to modern, designer homes, to apartments and stunning cliff-top properties with amazing water views.
"There are also a number of community sports and social clubs including tennis and bowls, and the Mairangi Arts Centre offers a variety of day and evening classes. Nearby Murrays Bay has a yacht club - a hub for boating enthusiasts - where some of New Zealand's finest sailors began their careers."
Emma Donkin adds, "Properties in this suburb generally consist of family homes, with a small scattering of ownership units throughout, although these are rarely available.
"Many homes were built in the 1960s on smaller sites, which, until now, have been too small to subdivide.
"However, with the advent of the new Unitary Plan, more and more adjoining properties have been bought by developers with a view to high-density housing being constructed.
"Many of the older style homes in 'blue ribbon' streets have been rebuilt to provide outstanding family homes."
