Beachlands

The typical Kiwi holiday bach on a quarter-acre section is becoming a highly sought-after commodity in this popular seaside suburb. As in other peninsula suburbs, such icons of the leisurely Kiwi lifestyle are becoming much harder to find.

In Beachlands, such baches and small homes priced at less than $200,000 are often top of the inspection list of potential buyers, especially first-home buyers. Many people with memories of a summer holiday at the beach or at nearby Maraetai return with serious intentions of settling here.

Here, they are close to Howick, Manukau City and the airport and about 35 minutes' drive from Auckland during off-peak hours. For $250,000 to $350,000, buyers with young children can source a suitable home near the primary school, which takes children through to Form Two before they travel by bus to Howick for their secondary schooling.

The choice of homes is wide, including renovated baches, new homes built on the site of original baches, and new homes in the subdivisions of Shelly Bay Grove, Toomer Place and Marine Gardens. Tucked between the Formosa Auckland Country Club near the Pine Harbour Marina to the west, and the Omana Regional Park to the east, Beachlands is attracting its share of the current interest from ex-pat Kiwis keen to secure water's edge homes as an investment and for a future home base.

Cliff-top properties include private access down to the little bays that dot the coastline and come with valuations of around $1 million and, in a few cases, closer to $2 million.