What life would be like if you got a Block house, All things property, under OneRoof

What life would be like if you got a Block house

In your neighbourhood: For a suburb that’s less than a decade old, the sense of community and belonging in Hobsonville Point is fierce.

Catalina Bay Farmers Market champions fresh local produce. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Hobsonville Point, one of Auckland’s first master-planned communities, turned a blank slate of 167 hectares of former New Zealand Defence Force land on the edge of the upper Waitematā harbour into a home for what will eventually be 11,000 people. At a time when space and housing in Auckland was at a premium, great urban design inserted thousands of houses, 13 parks over 24 hectares, walkable and bikeable streets, public transport links, two schools, clean waterways – and a connected sense community. Design started in 2007, and the first residents moved in five years later.

Who lives there?

A range of multi-storey apartment blocks (with shops and cafes at street level), low-rise terraces and town houses, as well as some 30 renovated 1940s heritage villas, house young families, singles and retirees of a multicultural mix. In a month or so, four new sets of residents may be moving in to join them in the houses decorated by the eight amateur renovators battling it out to win the seventh season of The Block

Property prices start at $525,000 for one-bedroom apartments, with houses ranging from sub-$1 million to over $2 million.

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What do they do?

Community Trust youth worker Gavin Gunston, one of the first people to move to the area, reckons people in Hobsonville Point are joiners. The suburb is home to walking groups, men’s groups, biking groups, yoga classes, composting courses, whiskey and poker nights, and art and photo clubs for both kids and grown-ups. The free te Reo classes are all booked out and Diwali celebrations are in planning. A green-fingered group has re-established a community garden with help-yourself herbs and plans for sharing fruit from their trees when they mature.

Folks here are walkers too. You’ll frequently see families out on the streets, taking in the fresh air or grabbing an easy meal at one of the many sausage sizzles that seem to pop up. People sit in their front yards in nice weather, just for a chance to catch up with neighbours. And there are a lot of dogs (and, naturally, a dog walking group).

The sense of belonging is fierce. An incredible 98.5 percent of residents say Hobsonville Point is a great place to live and that they’re there for the community.

What’s to love?

The Farmers Market, opened in early 2011, has finally moved into its permanent spot in the former seaplane hanger down by the wharf at Catalina Bay. It’s open three days a week (and at night during the summer) for essentials like bread and bao, gelato and local artisan food. Whatever the weather, it’s always packed. New cafe-bistro Fabric is already exciting the senses of foodies and food critics and shows sophistication isn't the preserve of the inner-city.

Original stalwart Catalina Cafe is close to the coolest kids’ playground-meets-sculpture in Auckland (by John Reynolds). Public art is a thing here: dotted around are great sculptures by artists such as Virginia King and Louise Purvis – many designed for climbing and touching. Casual street-side playgrounds (the water fountain one is particularly fun) draw kids out of their houses, while creature comfort shops situated on the ground floor of the suburb’s apartment blocks draw out the adults.

The new community centre – a renovated Art Deco beauty – is booking up for classes and parties, while the Rifle Range amphitheatre is perfect spot for summer concerts. The final section of board walk around the coast from the market to the village just opened, but there are plenty of un-polished walking tracks too (with close-up views of Beachhaven across the harbour).

Architecture buffs can admire the mixture of styles from big-name design firms (Stevens Lawson, Bossley, Sils van Bohemen) and pick up sustainable design ideas, while gardeners can admire the clever way the planting has minimised pressure on storm water. There’s even an annual sustainability audit (along with Facebook pages, newsletters and a glossy magazine).

Mustn’t grumble

There’s not much to moan about, but locals are hammering Auckland Transport to increase the frequency of ferries to the city beyond a meagre five weekday commuter trips each way – not cheap at $10 a pop especially when there’s no weekend service.

Next month: In Your Neighbourhood visits Grey Lynn