- Rising demand for homes in NZ’s most remote township, Haast, in West Coast.
- Getting to open homes in remote locations can be challenging for buyers and agents.
- Remote working has benefitted house prices in far-flung locations.
In the middle of nowhere, the real estate market is picking up. But buyers will struggle to get open homes – properties here are the country’s most far-flung, with the nearest neighbours some 143km away.
Start your property search
LJ Hooker Alexandra’s Peter Richards holds viewings in Haast by appointment only – specifically because of the “distance to travel” to the tiny West Coast town.
“It’s not like a big city where you can drive around every weekend going into open homes.”
The State Highway 6 settlement boasts a general store, police station, and estimated population of up to 250. It’s viewed as a West Coast holiday spot ripe for hunting and fishing, Richards said.
Haast’s isolation typically slowed its property market but earlier this year Richards sold a section for $165,000 within a week after multiple offers, he said.
A 519sqm section with a sleepout on Nyhon Place, in Haast, sold at the start of 2024 for $165,000. Photo / Supplied
Looking for offers over $550,000 is a three-bedroom home at 24 Nyhon Place, in Haast. Photo / Supplied
Richards now has another Haast listing with vendors based in Christchurch.
Its listing describes the modern three-bedroom house as a “rare chance to secure the ideal getaway holiday home”. It’s available for offers above $550,000.
“Most of the people buying there seem to be Central Otago-based, often builders and those types of [DIY] people.”
Haast’s median sales price is $454,500, with the majority of its housing stock built between 2000 and 2009.
The township was originally formed as a Ministry of Works road construction camp but the opening of the Haast Pass in 1962 made the region more accessible and people moved to set up homes and businesses.
Discover more:
- Vendor in tears, crowds gasping in disbelief - the auction that just went on and on
- The two Kiwi suburbs gunning to be NZ's most expensive - ‘the money is pouring in’
- Indiana Jones and the Remuera mystery house - 70s 'ruins' hidden on rich-lister street
In another far-flung housing market, Far North Coastal Real Estate’s Michael Healy is also offering viewings by appointment, despite noting an increase in people moving to the area and working from home.
“People used to question ‘where is the industry?’ Yes, there’s things like farming, fishing and tourism but it’s changed – remoteness is becoming less of an issue because the landscape has changed so much in the last 20 years.”
It came at a cost, however.
A home worth $600,000 on the Karikari Peninsula could likely sell for $725,000 in the Coopers Beach area due to closer proximity to greater infrastructure, Healey said.
At the top of the North Island is Cape Reinga. The Far North has seen a lift in house prices in recent months. Photo / Getty Images
Far North’s average property value has jumped 3.4% in the last three months to $770,000, while Northland’s has gone up 1.5% to $823,000 over the same period.
“The key thing I can say is a lot more people are moving to the regions. But we tend to attract some people who want some infrastructure but also want nice beaches and peace and quiet.”
From Doubtless Bay to Kerikeri it takes about 25 minutes but it takes about two hours to reach the nearest city, Whangārei.
In Southland, Te Anau Ray White director Stephanie Jones said the local upsurge in people relocating was “100%” because of the ability to work remotely.
Te Anau borders Fiordland National Park, and is about 155km from its nearest city Invercargill and 170km from Queenstown. About 3000 people live locally and about 13% of its housing stock are holiday homes.
Looking for a buyer on Pitt Island is Flowerpot Bay Lodge. Photo / Supplied
“We’ve had a lot of business post-Covid from the North Island. We had one guy who had a one-bedroom apartment in Auckland, he worked in IT, he came down here and bought a 10-acre block for the same money.”
Jones said she’d noticed “lots of people from Hawke’s Bay” and some from Central Otago looking for a similar lifestyle but for less cost in Te Anau. The town’s remote location did not appear to hamper property sales, she said.
Te Anau’s median house price is $687,500 and as of August there were 87 properties for sale.
The market was such, she held open home viewings because people tended make the time for them, “even if they are from out of town”, she said.
Meanwhile, about 800km from the mainland the Flowerpot Bay Lodge on Pitt Island, about 23km and a 45-minute boat-ride from Chatham Island, has been on the market for at least two years.
The 500sqm solar-powered beachfront lodge has six bedrooms and sits on a heritage site. It is for sale by negotiation.
- Click here to find properties for sale
