Glen Innes

CHARLOTTE COSSAR visits an area popular with first-time buyers and investors.

Bordered along one side by the Tamaki River and the other by the railway, Glen Innes is a relatively small suburb.

The houses that are on the hill overlooking the estuary enjoy spectacular views across to Blockhouse Bay and Pakuranga. These houses, mainly in an area called Waiotaiki Bay, are sought after and command prices from $220,000.

On the flat in the heart of Glen Innes, the houses are a little cheaper. For a three-bedroom home in reasonable condition, you could expect to pay from $170,000.

Glen Innes is very popular with families and there are at least three primary schools, one intermediate and one secondary school in the area. They are within walking distance of most parts of the suburb. The secondary school, Tamaki College, has just built a new gym and, with a reasonably small roll, is a popular choice of secondary school for people in Glen Innes and the surrounding area.

A handy location, Glen Innes is a 10-minute drive from the bays and a 30-minute drive from the city. Depending on where you live in Glen Innes, you have a choice of two motorway accesses - Greenlane Rd and Mt Wellington - and the railway line runs through to the city. It is also close to Pakuranga and the Botany Downs Town Centre.

Known mostly for its food shopping, Glen Innes is packed with butchers, fruit and vegetable shops and a popular supermarket. Rumour has it that a new shopping complex is in the pipeline for the area.

It is generally hard to find houses for sale in Glen Innes, because they are well priced and attractive to first-time buyers and investors. The ex-State homes, which seem to be much sought after, don't stay on the market for long. Young couples and professionals snap them up and revamp and restore these solid homes with many attractive features. Many of these first-home buyers will move closer to the sea in subsequent moves.

The area has a great sporting complex with a pool. It is bordered by the Merton Rd sports grounds - which cater for rugby, cricket, soccer, tennis and is soon to get new netball courts - and the estuary, which has a walking track from Mt Wellington along the coastline to Glendowie. This track passes a bird sanctuary, which is filled with native birds.

Being home to the Tamaki campus of the University of Auckland, it is a popular area for students, especially on the hill at the St Johns Rd end of the suburb. Again, this makes it a popular choice for investors as there is never a shortage of people looking for rental properties.

Rich in cultural diversity, the area has a strong community feel. There are also a lot of churches in the suburb.

However, the most attractive aspect of Glen Innes is its large sections. With most of the area being zoned Residential 5, it means that few properties can be subdivided. The big back lawn is not a thing of the past in Glen Innes, it is alive and well and very much cherished.