Whitford

By ROBYN WELSH

Rural lifestylers living in Whitford have the enviable choice of two peninsular locations, each with a rural outlook and close to the water.

Rarely does an Auckland suburb offer such a choice. There's usually only one defined coastline that becomes the focus for buyers wanting to trade up to prestigious waterfront properties.

In Whitford, east of Howick, the pattern is familiar, with the affordable homes close to the village and the more prestigious and expensive properties further down the Broomfield and Clifton peninsulas.

This is rural, rather than semi-rural, living. It holds huge appeal for city dwellers and sharp-eyed expatriates from as far away as the UK who are keen on investing in a quieter lifestyle.

People talk acres here rather than fractions of a hectare, or the square metreage statistics that define city properties. On both peninsulas, the most common lifestyle blocks are the 1.8ha lifestyle blocks, which have been progressively carved out of much larger holdings following the changes to the district scheme.

These properties range in price from $500,000 to $2 million, with those in the $500,000 to $800,000 bracket being the most sought after and in the shortest supply. Whitford's most prestigious homes, on larger blocks and with better outlooks, only come onto the market occasionally, with their valuations as high as $6 million.

On the Broomfields Peninsula, which is close to Howick in the west, properties look to the north-east towards Waiheke Island.

The Clifton peninsula, to the east, is near the coastal township of Beachlands and looks out to Rangitoto Island. It's splendid horse country where children can join their pony club friends and ride the bridle tracks to the beaches.

Whitford village, with its cafes, shops and services, sits between the two peninsulas at the head of the estuary known as the Turanga Creek. Here, a typical three-bedroom house on a little over 0.4ha starts in the low $400,000s.

Typical Auckland buyers moving to Whitford come from suburbs with the same outlook to the east, including Remuera, St Heliers and Mission Bay.

Keen interest is coming from astute, well-informed New Zealanders returning from overseas who, according to real estate agents, arrive having already checked out the good secondary schooling (in Howick), which is a top priority for them.

Buyers among existing Whitford residents are those likely to invest in the larger blocks known as residual blocks, which are, as yet, unable to be subdivided under the district scheme.

These can vary in size from 4 to 12ha out of an original block of 20ha, for example, and they're considered a long-term investment should future scheme changes allow further subdivision.

Whitford's grandest homes have almost certainly been relocated from established inner-city suburbs, and they're a character addition to most of Whitford's housing stock, which dates back little more than 30 years.

The first European settlers arrived to farm in Clifton Rd in 1843, with Whitford's association with horses dating back well beyond last century. The land has served the community well with everything from gold, metal, firewood and ostrich feathers. Until proper roads were built in the 1920s, transportation of goods out of Whitford was by ferry.