Swanson: An exclusive extract

Including Ranui, Waitakere and Massey

Swanson's vibrant community reflects the alternative lifestylers who live there - both the hippie types and those seeking a less crowded alternative to the city. Ranui has a solid mix of Maori and Pacific Islanders, and first-home buyers and renters.

Waitakere is popular with larger families and their gaggle of farm animals and pets for the down-to-earth lifestyle it offers. They are very community spirited.

An example is The Swanson Railway Cafe, established by energetic locals who bought the land and moved the old Avondale rail station building to the site.

Swanson has a mix of older weatherboard homes and some newer development of brick and tile houses.

Ranui's Pooks Rd and Coroglen Garden developments have settled happily into the landscape. They're a stylish complement to Ranui's original weatherboard homes and the flush of group homes built during the 1960s.

In Waitakere, section sizes range from residential on 1012sq m, semi-rural on 1350sq m and rural on large acreages. Massey's upmarket homes include those in Royal Heights which have views across the Waitemata Harbour.

Amenities
The area is well served by primary schools. Secondary school-age children travel by train to high schools in Henderson, Massey and Avondale.

There's retailing for every lifestyle here. Swanson has its car boot sales, and plant, produce and craft market. Waitakere township has its dairy. Royal Heights Mall in Royal Rd includes the well-known Swiss Butchery. The Westgate shopping centre is the retail focal point for Massey.

The Massey Leisure Centre is a fine example of the Waitakere City Council's artistic input into community facilities. The Signal Gallery in Swanson showcases the work of local artists and artisans.

Golf courses include the Waitakere Golf Club, the Massey Golf Club and the Redwood Park Golf Club in Swanson. There are pony clubs in Massey and Waitakere township.

Massey also has archery and athletics clubs. At the foot of the Waitakere Ranges is Crystal Mountain gallery which houses the country's largest selection of crystals and minerals from around the world.

Trends
As the rural areas of Kumeu and Taupaki are now priced beyond the reach of many, interest has turned to Swanson and Waitakere. Which means prices are holding strong here.

Recent sales include $1 million for a 4ha Waitakere property and $735,000 for a six-bedroom house with a two-bedroom secondary dwelling. During the busiest days of the recent property boom, Ranui saw many a tussle between first-home buyers and rental investors.

Many large sections have been either subdivided or a minor rental unit added.

Massey is attracting a lot of second-home buyers in the middle income bracket.

Rental and investment
The rental stock is almost exclusively three-bedroom homes. Waitakere township rarely has rental properties available.

Best streets
Christian Rd, Swanson; White Heron Dr and Petrel Pl in Royal Heights