Up to one in four property sales in parts of provincial New Zealand are now to Aucklanders, with many buyers forced from the city as prices spiral beyond their means.

An Auckland economist says recent changes to tax and deposit rules didn't dampen the property market - and he expects prices to keep climbing.

Cecile Bourgeois, 39, would like to buy a house in Auckland, but experts agree her most realistic option is leaving the city and setting up somewhere else.

First home hunters squeezed out of entry-level Auckland suburbs are being pushed to the far reaches of the city but face massive daily commutes to work.

Andrew Laxon talks with Cecile Bourgeois after she has been told the feedback from our panel of Herald Experts back in the video studio at NZME.

Andrew Laxon talks with our expert panel and relays their feedback to Bharat and Lovely on their possible housing options.

COMMENT: The concerning thing is that people are so desperate to get into the market, they are borrowing to the hilt to buy overvalued homes, writes Larry Williams.

COMMENT: Last week we found out Auckland's house price boom was back from the dead like the monster in a B-grade horror movie.

Aucklanders are buying at least 20 per cent of properties in nearby regional main centres, as soaring city prices force house hunters to look elsewhere.

NZ Herald hosted a live chat with Andrea Rush of QV.

Andrew Laxon talks with Mike and Gemma about the possibility of even moving out of Auckland. Our panel of experts give advice to them.

How do Auckland property prices compare with the rest of the world? Andrew Laxon finds it all depends on where you look.

The number of highly paid professionals and managers unable to afford to buy a home in Auckland has almost doubled in just over a decade.

COMMENT: It's easy to assess the value of an asset in a liquid and rising market, but the future liabilities are not so easy to see.

First home buying hopefuls Gemma Mann and Mike Alsweiler faced the grim reality of ever-climbing house prices this evening as they attended their first auction.

Auckland house prices are now so expensive that most young first-home buyers cannot afford to buy without help from rich parents, says an expert.

How hard is it to buy your first home in Auckland today? Three house hunters share their stories.

Auckland estate agents were jubilant this week at figures showing house prices and sales volumes in the city had taken off again.

New Zealand's affordable housing crisis explained. Video / NZ Herald

The Herald's Home Truths series examines the causes of our growing housing unaffordability crisis and explores possible solutions.

Truths about home ownership.