Helensville

New homes in Helensville's two residential developments are changing the skyline of this rural town and offering local and out-of-town buyers a wider choice of design styles.

Amberly Heights and Park View developments near the town centre are the first cluster of new homes in this historic town, which is well-known for its many old villas and bungalows.

In the past, new homes have generally been sprinkled among the old, where private buyers have demolished and rebuilt, or subdivided a larger property to yield two homes.

Helensville continues to attract villa lovers who can't stretch their dollars as far as Epsom or Remuera and who seek a rural component to their lifestyle.

There's also the chance of buying a home with history too, as many original public buildings have been converted to homes, such as the town's first maternity hospital.

Other links to the past include streets named after captains of boats who once plied trade on the Kaipara River, which now carries popular tourist cruise boats.

The nearby Parakai thermal resort is just one of many tourist focal points in this area whose flourishing horticultural ventures now include macadamia nuts and kiwifruit.