KEY POINTS:
Including Oratia, Konini, Waiatarua, Huia and Laingholm.
Trees are to Titirangi as coffee is to Ponsonby. Mention the place and most people think bush, and the 1970s vintage timber houses tucked out of sight, and often out of sun.
Many of Titirangi's homes sit high above the Manukau Harbour with glorious sea views and distant city vistas. The suburb's little village emphasises the feeling that you're far from the madding crowd.
Just five minutes up the road, Oratia, with its big flat sections and views back towards the city, is one of the best-kept secrets of these parts.
Titirangi represents green city living without the cheek-by-jowl housing of other suburbs. Green Bay is one of Auckland's most affordable family suburbs and has a core of elderly residents who can move to Pinesong Retirement Village later on.
The typical Titirangi house is all about timber. Homes perched on poles, clad in weatherboard and finished with cathedral-style beamed ceilings and tongue-and-groove paneling.
In Oratia, cottages and weatherboard bungalows grace the large sections. Several small enclaves of new housing give a broader choice. Baches, cottages and weatherboard family homes in Laingholm make it popular for first-home owners.
Green Bay has a mix of units, group housing stock and larger, well-appointed houses.
Amenities
There at least eight primary schools in this high-decile area, including a Rudolf Steiner School. Green Bay High School is the local co-ed secondary although children also travel to Kelston's two single-sex high schools.
Titirangi's quaint shopping village has cafes spilling outdoors, stone walls and cobbles. For a real sense of community, rub shoulders with the early birds to peruse the 100 stalls that make up the Titirangi Village market on the last Sunday of every month. There is art, craft and collectibles, but precious little parking because of its popularity.
Aside from the stunning Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, there are numerous small neighbourhood green areas. There's also the coastline within the Manukau Harbour, although this tends to be tidal.
Titirangi's links with art were strengthened recently with the opening of the renovated Colin McCahon cottage in French Bay. A feasibility study is underway on extending the Lopdell House gallery.
Trends
With Titirangi prices out of reach for many, Laingholm has become more attractive, pushing its prices close to those of Titirangi. Well-appointed waterfront homes in Huia and Cornwallis, a little further out than Laingholm, are regularly selling for close to $1 million.
Also in the million-dollar-plus bracket are some of the designer homes in Titirangi's more prestigious sites, with double views of city and sea. With no more subdividable properties in Titirangi, those wanting to build have gravitated towards Oratia. Now that area is almost out of sections, prices are starting to rise there, too.
Green Bay remains popular with families for its excellent schools, reputation for safety, and proximity to beaches and to Titirangi village.
Best Streets
South Titirangi Rd and Kohu Rd in Titirangi; Cliff View Dr in Green Bay; Carter Rd in Oratia.
