Whitford

Including Brookby and Clevedon

Whitford, Brookby and Clevedon are to Auckland as Surrey is to London: a rural escape for the well-heeled that is reasonably close to the city. With the endless stretches of post-and-rail fencing, mature trees and rolling fields, it's a very English-feeling place.

The only downside to the sparseness of population is a lack of local amenities - there is no school in Whitford and there are no shops at Brookby.

The majority of locals are white, some recent immigrants. An increase in the number of Asian buyers is possibly due to the advent of subdivisions.

Lifestyle blocks and equestrian properties are very popular. In Brookby, a group of 1970s houses makes it obvious when that farm was carved up for housing. Clevedon has some century-old villas and cottages. Apart from having a certain graciousness and spaciousness in common, the style of houses is diverse.

Amenities: Whitford children have to go elsewhere for their schooling: many of primary age go to Point View School in Howick. Brookby and Clevedon both have full primaries, which include the intermediate years.

Whitford retailers provide the basics for locals and the non-essentials for tourists. At Clevedon, there are more horsey and touristy stores, but also a wider range of shops.

For many people out this way, life revolves around horses. Polo at Clevedon is a major event.

There's also a pony club at Whitford, and an equestrian centre in Brookby. And whether you're on horse, foot or mountain bike, the numerous trails through the Whitford Forest are a great place to burn off some calories. Other sports are catered for, too, with Clevedon having clubs for bowls, lawn tennis and cruising yachts. The Whitford Park Country Club will be undergoing a major renovation soon. It has 56ha of native trees and hosts many national and international golf tournaments.

Duders Regional Park is an historic and beautiful seaside farm, with numerous tracks for walking and riding. There are cafes and restaurants at Whitford, Clevedon, Pine Harbour Marina and the Formosa Country Club.

Trends Subdivision is continuing, but at a much slower rate than in other areas. Locals are resisting change by contesting resource consents. It's still possible, but not easy, to buy a home for $600,000. And you can pay as much as $5 million for small or large places.

Many of the bigger, better-equipped properties are being marketed on the internet to those with US dollars or British pounds in their pockets, and this is undoubtedly driving prices up.

Best streets: Here they do things differently - you're looking at best peninsulas rather than best streets. Clifton or Broomfields peninsulas are the places to be, no contest.