Westmere

Small, compact and sought-after, Westmere and the neighbouring Cox's Bay are something of a hidden gem tucked between Pt Chevalier, Herne Bay and Grey Lynn. It's easy to drive through Westmere with hardly a glance, but it's well worth a closer look.

Real estate agents talk of waiting lists of buyers waiting for good properties to come on to the market. Attention often turns to Westmere whenever prices in neighbouring Herne Bay, Ponsonby and St Mary's Bay start to climb. Just two minutes' drive to the west, Westmere homes on the water's edge can still fetch $1.5 to $2 million - these tend to change hands without formally coming on to the market.

A few streets back, properties are valued at $800,000-plus, although most houses are bungalows on sections that are bigger than the cheek-by-jowl plots in Ponsonby. Such homes fall into the $300,000 to $400,000 price bracket and appeal to families loyal to the local kindergarten and primary school, boating activities at Cox's Bay and the two tennis clubs.

One of Westmere's select areas is the pocket of homes comprising Cox's Bay, which overlooks a large park on the edge of the bay. Cox's Bay centres on just five streets - Livingstone, Edgars, Regina, Webber and Kingsley - where many homeowners have bought, sold and stayed in the area, because of its peacefulness, privacy and handiness to the city.