Homes & Relocation Detail
Where to buy in the Auckland suburbs
For those wanting the best of both worlds a house in the Auckland suburbs within commuting distance of the city could be the answer
Maike van der Heide takes a look at what's on offer and the attractions of the Auckland suburbs.
It's Tuesday morning, 7.30am. It's raining and you're late for work. Ahead, you see the telltale red glow of several cars applying their brakes: great, another traffic jam.
You'd almost think you were back on the M25 in London but no, you are in fact approaching Spaghetti Junction, a notoriously tedious meeting of Auckland's motorways as they mix, mingle and eventually merge into the central city.
Yes, commuting can be a necessary evil for those who have found work in Auckland City but prefer the lifestyle of the outlying Auckland suburbs. But who can blame them. The North Shore, the Hibiscus Coast and Orewa, the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Eastern Suburbs, West Auckland and even parts of the south offer some very attractive lifestyle options, making the daily slog to work a bit easier to bear. Most Aucklanders prefer to commute by car – there are more cars per household than in Los Angeles – which is unfortunate because the city's ageing motorway system is nowhere near withstanding the pressure.
Public transport, while always being improved, is not exactly the Aucklanders' transport of choice and most of Auckland's, and indeed much of the country's, transport funding is still being poured into the city's road system. Louise Matthews of Dorset, who lived in New Zealand for some 15 years before returning to England three years ago, used to commute into Auckland City each day from Torbay on the North Shore. "I was really lucky that the bus stopped right outside my house," says Matthews. "But public transport is pretty crap, let's face it."
Louise found there were only two buses an hour on her route during peak time and just one during the rest of the day so she sometimes found herself driving to intercept the bus and hoping she would find a parking space wherever she had to leave the car. Matthews says that while she found sitting on the bus each day "a bit of a waste of my life," it was a better option than driving as the bus got to zip straight past all the cars down the bus lane. "But it was worth it. Torbay is a lovely scenic part of Auckland, with a strip of white beach, plenty of native bush and a quiet village area." Matthews adds that the lifestyle had to balance out with the distance she had to travel, so living somewhere like Whangaparaoa – an increasingly popular residential area further north – would not be an option for her. "Many people in England are doing stupid commutes, from outer counties into London but the whole point of moving to New Zealand is so that you don't have to do this."
However, many Auckland areas popular with British migrants are up to an hour or more away from the central city during peak times. Not surprisingly, 70 per cent of central Auckland residents actually work there as well. But with property prices as high as NZ$661,500 for the more spacious lifestyle of central eastern suburbs such as Kohimarama, it is understandable that many would look further afield.
North Auckland
Those coming into the city from the North Shore and Rodney will often find the Auckland Harbour Bridge is a vicious traffic bottleneck, producing severe (by New Zealand standards) traffic jams. The alternative motorway route through the western suburbs is also a congested route. However, taking the ferry from quaint Devonport, which sits across the harbour from downtown Auckland, is a quick and relaxing way of getting to work and a new fast bus lane from Albany into the city has cut the journey to just under half an hour.
There is no rail system on the North Shore. Of course, in a perfect world people would both work and live on the North Shore rather than face the bottleneck of the Harbour Bridge, and Albany is fast becoming a place of thriving business and industry. The average income for the North Shore, which has a population of 185,000, is NZ$23,000, compared to NZ$18,000 nationally and is even higher than the NZ$22,300 earned in Auckland City. However, almost half the Hibiscus Coast population still travels outside the area each day for work and an estimated 40 per cent commute outside of the North Shore for work. It is the North Shore's lush green bush and coastal splendour that is attracting the masses, driving the suburban sprawl north as they go. Popular Orewa and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, an area known as the Hibiscus Coast, are around 25 kilometres north of Takapuna and were once a small holiday destination. Now the area has been connected to greater Auckland by the Northern Motorway and looks to become part of the North Shore itself sooner rather than later. Not surprising when you consider the lifestyle benefits: Orewa's three-kilometre beach, safe for swimming and watersports; nearby Waiwera hot pool complex; vineyards, leisure centres and extensive shopping opportunities.
The average property price on the Hibiscus Coast is NZ$425,000. This is considerably cheaper than living in the Devonport area which is very close to Downtown Auckland and has an average property price of NZ$592,500 while upmarket Milford/Takapuna properties cost NZ$557,500 on average. Even in Birkenhead, which is not known for its scenery but rather its proximity to the Harbour Bridge, average prices are NZ$500,000 but this is slightly cheaper than Albany.
South and east Auckland
South Auckland is generally a lower socio-economic part of the city, typified by areas such as Otara and Manurewa which include some of Auckland's poorest suburbs. But don't discount south. Papakura, the southernmost city of Auckland. With a population of 40,000, is a pleasant green area 30 kilometres south of the Auckland CBD.
Manukau City centre, which is 10 kilometres north of Papakura, is at the junction of two major highways which lead into the city, making it a fifteen minute trip into the city when traffic is good. However, the motorways are notoriously congested into the city so catching a bus or train might be a better commuting option. While trains might not be the most reliable form of transport in Auckland, at least they're cheap. One stage costs NZ$1.20 while travelling from Pukekohe to Auckland costs just NZ$7.90 but takes an hour and a half to two hours to complete the journey.
Papakura and surrounding areas consist largely of farmland, market gardens, horticulture and glasshouse properties. There are also plenty of lifestyle blocks which are very popular with British property buyers. Manukau City has a population of 360,000 people and an average income of just NZ$19,000. However, property prices are not that much cheaper than areas of Auckland City. Median property prices are NZ$312,000 in the Papakura area, compared to NZ$350,000 in the City/Point Cheviot area of Auckland.
In another part of Manukau, Howick and Pakuranga are two of the city's fastest-growing areas. It is known for its excellent schools, scenic beaches and good shopping in Botany Downs. Half Moon Bay in Howick and Bucklands Beach in Pakuranga are serviced by ferry to downtown Auckland, which makes for a quick and scenic trip to work. Manukau City is within easy commuting distance and a new motorway has recently been completed linking Pakuranga and Manukau. However, it could still take up to an hour to drive into central Auckland.
West Auckland
Waitakere City has several commuting options into Central Auckland. You can't even call it commuting really: a short zip down the motorway and you're there. If there are no traffic jams, of course. Additionally, a rail link passes through both Henderson and New Lynn while the north-western motorway is both handy for getting to the city and Auckland International Airport.
Waitakere City is now New Zealand's fifth-largest, with a population of 180,000 (May 2005), of which an estimated 60 per cent commute out of the area for work. But this has not taken away from the lifestyle the area offers. The Waitakere Ranges are a backdrop of lush native bush, waterfalls and great views. The hills shelter residential areas from the wild shores of nearby west coast beaches. There are also vineyards, market gardens and plenty of malls in West Auckland, which is positioned between the Waitemata Harbour and the Manukau Harbour.
Property prices in the west vary, but it is the suburbs closer to Auckland City which are often cheaper. Property in scenically desirable areas in the Waitakeres such as Piha and Karekare cost on average NZ$500,000. Closer to Auckland City, suburbs in the Henderson area have properties which cost just NZ$325,000 on average. As the price suggests, however, you cannot expect the same level of natural beauty as in other, more expensive, areas of West Auckland. Down south, NZ$421,375 will buy you, on average, a property in the quiet and leafy suburbs of the Titirangi area overlooking the tidal mudflats of the Manukau Harbour. Once again, while you are farther from the city, you are paying more for the scenic surroundings and larger properties. Driving from the Titirangi area into Auckland in the morning generally takes 45 minutes to an hour.
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