Omaha's beach is one of the nicest within one hour's drive north of Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Omaha's beach is one of the nicest within one hour's drive north of Auckland. Photo / Supplied
One of the last undeveloped beachfront blocks in Omaha is on the market, and selling agents expect buyers to be forced to fork out more than $3.5 million to secure it.
Nestled behind Omaha beach's sand dunes, the land at 5 Matariki St was one of just eight undeveloped beachfront plots left in the town's newer section, Bayleys agent Paul Elsden said.
And for curious locals wondering what sort of development could soon pop up near them - the answer was Elsden didn't know.
That's because the block came with Business - Neighbourhood Centre Use zoning, opening it up to a potential future as a restaurant, cafe or retail outlet.
Yet it also had an approved resource consent for two adjoining residential homes to be built on the site.
"So there are a few different options someone could look at, but certainly a chance to get that close to the beachfront is pretty rare these days," he said.
Known as one of the best beaches within an hour's drive north of Auckland, Omaha has steadily grown into bach-country for the wealthy, now as one of Auckland's most exclusive coastal suburbs.
One of the few undeveloped beachfront sections left in Omaha - bach heartland of the wealthy - has hit the market. Photo / Supplied
While Omaha homes typically sold 20 years ago for just $285,000, the town's median property value hit $1.8m in February, according to the latest OneRoof Property Report data.
Elsden said he had 15 bidders - some from as far as field as Melbourne and Malaysia - competing for another three-bedroom Omaha home at 40 Meiklejohn Way - about 200 metres walk from the beach - earlier this month.
The home and its 562sq m block eventually sold for $2.345m as the bidders pushed the price $515,000 higher than the $1.83m pre-auction offer.
Like elsewhere in Auckland, Elsden said demand was hot in Omaha but there weren't enough homes being put up for sale on the market.
He told OneRoof his records showed just one home had been listed for sale in all of Omaha in January, while only 11 sales were completed in the first two months of the year.
"That's just crazy - the first time I've seen that in 12 years," he said.
He said that also helped paint a picture of how rare the new vacant block on Matariki St was.
The most recent undeveloped beachfront blocks to sell had all fetched prices above $3m.
That included a 554sq m block at 12 Lagoon Way that sold for $3.5m in August last year, and an 817sq m section at 41 Kewai St (classified as beachfront reserve rather than being immediately next to the sands) selling in March 2020 for $3.14m.
A third block a 9 Kutai Pl also sold in February 2020 for $3.8m.
Elsden said the 1815sq m Matariki St block on sale now was larger than those three sections, although a future owner couldn't build across the entire site as some parts were restricted.
Future owners will be able to be on the beach with just a few steps. Photo / Supplied
The vacant block near the surf-patrolled beach at one point had resource consent for the construction of a 120-seat restaurant, while the commercial building behind had four shops renting spaces.
The current owners had also been granted resource consent to build two adjoining residential homes.
The concept plans allowed for one 253sq m home plus decks and another 208sq m house.
"With water views from both levels, the expected upper-level views should be spectacular and will take in Omaha Bay spanning from Tawharanui, Coromandel, Barrier Islands and around to ... the northern end of Omaha," the marketing website stated.
