Waiuku

Once just a service town for surrounding farms, Waiuku is now a popular and affordable alternative for families disenchanted with life in the fast lane.

Tucked at the lowest reaches of the Manukau Harbour, it is still an easy distance from the CBD - less than an hour's drive via the southern motorway.

Many families have chosen to downsize and free up capital for other lifestyle activities and ventures.

It's a trend which gathered momentum two or three years ago and developers were quick to respond with new homes of all shapes and sizes.

As a result, there's a pleasing mix of housing styles throughout Waiuku with new homes integrated alongside villas and bungalows. Homes for first-home buyers at the $120,000 to $140,000 end of the market include those once built for workers of the nearby Glenbrook Steel Mill.

House prices average $200,000 in town and fetch $300,000 and more further out on bigger blocks of land. On the outskirts of town, lifestyle sections ranging from 3000 sq m to 5000 sq m fetch from $75,000 to $95,000.

Waiuku's strong community spirit is focussed on its historical links including fundraising plans to extend the Glenbrook Vintage Railway into town and restore the old scow, the Jane Gifford, for sightseeing trips of the Manukau Harbour.