Living the good life at Omaha

Seaside haven's drawcards are the great beach and proximity to Auckland. Photo / Michelle Hyslop

As one of the best beaches within an hour's drive north of Auckland, Omaha was always destined to become a desirable east coast holiday spot.

These days more and more people are making it a permanent home as, with the improvement of the Northern Motorway, Auckland is within commuting distance if you time the traffic right.

The northern end of Omaha was developed for holiday homes from the 1970s but it wasn't until about 2000 that the population grew significantly when the southern end was developed with "executive-style homes".

The latter, with its gleaming homes and spotless streets, was used as the setting for the dystopian Kiwi thriller This is Not My Life.

Paul Elsden, of Bayleys, says, "Omaha really is a niche market and while it is still primarily a holiday home destination for many, the number of buyers also choosing to make it their permanent home has been increasing steadily since the development of the newer southern end of Omaha and the appearance of the first houses there around 2000.

"There is now a good mix of retired folk, empty-nesters who are still working/commuting to the Shore and city, and a growing population of families with parents in their early 30s to early 40s with young children now living permanently here.

"This is evidenced by the steadily increasing numbers of children getting on the school buses in the mornings."

Elsden, who has lived in Omaha for 12 years, says the area's desirability will only increase once the Northern Motorway is extended past Warkworth, where you turn off for Omaha.

He says: "Many property owners now come up on Saturdays after school sports and some stay Sunday night and head straight to work/school on Monday mornings.

"We are also seeing more and more buyers with holiday homes further afield — particularly around Coromandel and Northland — not wanting to travel as far, so selling up there and wanting to buy closer to Auckland."

As well as its golf course, Omaha has clubs for tennis, bowls, surf lifesaving, paddleboarding, and, for card lovers, 500.

While it has little in the way of shops and cafes, locals head to nearby Matakana for the markets, cinemas, wineries, bars, restaurants and cafes along with sculpture trails, cycleways and walkways. Goat Island Marine Reserve is also close by.