Henderson

Including Lincoln, Sunnyvale, Western Heights, Henderson Valley and Te Atatu

Henderson is heartland West Auckland and the thriving CBD of Waitakere City. Waitakere Hospital is now a general hospital with expanded facilities.

This is largely solid working-class territory, with some more moneyed folk in the prestigious estates of Henderson Heights and along the eastern coast of Te Atatu Peninsula.

Henderson's houses are synonymous with the famous "Dally palaces", built by Croatian migrants from Dalmatia during the 1970s. They were big with brick cladding, tiled roofs and basement garages. A big plus is their generous 600-700sq m sites, which can't be subdivided. Brick continues to be the material of choice, as the developers create enclaves of prestigious homes in the likes of Burgundy Park, Western Heights and Palm Heights.

Amenities Abundant primary schools serve these areas. Unitec's Waitakere campus is in the heart of Henderson, and the Bible College of New Zealand is near the motorway end of Lincoln Rd. The WestCity Mall in the heart of Henderson has grown in size and sophistication.

At the Corban Estate Arts Centre a Pacific cultural market is held on the first Saturday of every month. Lincoln Rd has several retail centres, boasting just about every big-name store.

At the city end of Henderson Valley Rd, Opanuku Reserve offers a restful playground area and there's the International Walkway of Trees that runs alongside the Henderson Creek off Central Park.

The West Wave Aquatic Centre is in the heart of Henderson. The new Waitakere Trusts Stadium is on Central Park Drive, and a new library is planned as part of the redevelopment of the Trading Place area of Henderson's CBD.

On Te Atatu Peninsula, there are plans to develop water's edge land into a park to link with the peninsula walkway.

For eateries try Moka on Great North Rd, as well as the Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants along the main shopping route.

Trends With rising prices and a shortage of housing, real estate agents report competition across all price ranges.

Te Atatu Peninsula is often touted as the next Pt Chevalier.

Rentals and investment Big variances in rental prices reflect the wide range of housing stock.