Half Moon Bay - An exclusive extract

Including Farm Cove and Sunnyhills

People who appreciate the sea and the beach feel right at home here. It's considered a great place to raise children; the schools are good and the house prices not astronomical.

Hence it's filled with many families with school-age and teenage kids. Residents are comfortable financially and own their own homes. Once the kids have grown up, people tend to stay, so there is a good mix of generations.

Although there is a huge range of styles from the past four decades of development, those that really stand out are the palatial waterfront residences, many of them with a nod to Mediterranean style. There are 1970s and 1980s houses on generous sections, many updated and refurbished.

But if you're into retro style, you can easily find a 1970s three-bedroom home in fairly original condition.

The only apartments are in a small low-rise block on the corner of Sunderlands Dr above the Half Moon Bay marina. If you want new, there's the Compass Pt development.

Amenities
Schooling is limited in Half Moon Bay but there are plenty of quality schools in the surrounding area, Pakuranga and Bucklands Beach. Wakaaranga Primary School is highly rated and caters for years one to six. Other nearby primary schools include Pigeon Mountain and Sunnyhills.

There are two intermediates - Farm Cove and Pakuranga. At secondary level, the area is in zone for Pakuranga College, and the co-ed private school St Kentigern College is close by.

There's no huge mall here, but you're never far from a shop in these suburbs. Nearby are shopping meccas such as Westfield at Pakuranga, The Hub or Botany Town Centre. The marina offers a surprising range of goods and services.

Residents have access to the beautiful 500-berth marina, and there are reserves and parks in every direction, and public boat ramps at Bramley Dr Reserve in Farm Cove and at the Ara Tai Reserve in Half Moon Bay.

Sunnyhills has its own tennis club, and there's another nearby in Pakuranga. Lloyd Elsmore Park is an asset to all the eastern suburbs.

Half Moon Bay residents wanting to dine out can catch the ferry to the CBD or enjoy the international cuisine at neighbouring suburbs.

Trends
While the look of these suburbs seems unchanging, prices keep creeping upwards in a generally flat Auckland market. There are few subdividable sections left and homeowners continue to quietly modernise their 30-year-old houses.

One noticeable and recent change on the landscape was Compass Pt where about half of the 64 sections have homes on them. Most of the sections initially sold for between $400,000 and $500,000; one larger one with extremely good views fetched $1.5 million.

Subsequent on-sales have been high; one palatial home sold for $2.8 million. Some fairly luxurious properties are tucked out of sight by the water and on the clifftops.

Best streets
Takutai Ave residences have an impressive view over Half Moon Bay and the Hauraki Gulf. In Farm Cove and Sunnyhills, desirable streets include Sanctuary Pt, Bramley Dr and Fisher Pde.