Half Moon Bay, in East Auckland, is a boatie’s paradise thanks to the marina and easy access to the Hauraki Gulf.
The area appeals to buyers who want to be away from the hustle and bustle, yet it is just a ferry ride to downtown.
Half Moon Bay took off in the 1970s after the construction of the marina in 1967 . Homes popped up en-masse throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Buyers took to the relaxed lifestyle, access to the harbour, the views over to Rangitoto, and having somewhere to moor or launch the family boat.
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Half Moon Bay is dominated by the marina and adjacent shopping precinct with its hugely popular cafes and restaurants.
The housing stock and section sizes make it especially suitable for families, says Barfoot & Thompson agent Courtney Steven.
“There is a lot of life here at the marina,” says Ray White agent Dave McCartney . “There is access to town by ferry and the new boardwalk to Bucklands Beach, and just some really nice houses.
“The [housing stock] is primarily 1980s. Then we have Compass Point where they are almost all very new builds.” Thanks to the increasing popularity of cliff-top homes, owners have removed the original homes from the sites and built new ones over the past 10 years.
Cliff-top homes with views of the bay are popular and expensive. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Boatie's paradise: the suburb is popular with Auckland's sailing enthusiasts. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Although some of the original homes on Compass Point have been demolished or moved to make way for grander homes, the original housing stock that still makes up the majority is becoming increasingly popular with buyers who have come to appreciate the architecture of those decades.
McCartney says unlike new dormitory suburbs nearer the Southern Motorway in south east Auckland, the homes in Half Moon Bay are all different. It’s very common for residents to renovate their homes on the inside to bring them up to-date, even if the outside still looks traditional 1980s. “They feel nostalgic,” says McCartney. “It’s how I grew up.”
Steven says the lowest sale price in the six months to April 2022, was $920,000 for a unit in Imogen Way, Half Moon Bay.
Half Moon Bay's ferry terminal links the suburb to the rest of the city. Photo / Fiona Goodall
Most starter homes in the suburb are priced from $1.1 to 1.2m, says McCartney. “You’re talking about a two beddy single level brick and tile unit for that”. A standard family three-bedroom, two-bathroom home starts around $1.4m, he says. Buyers looking for a very good family home could pay over $2m.
The highest settled sale in the suburb in the last 12 months was $4.282m for a five-bedroom luxury home on Compass Point Way, while the highest settled sale this year is $3.375m for another five-bedroom home on the same street. Homes overlooking the water can sell for as much as $7m, says McCartney.
This five-bedroom luxury home on Compass Point Way, in Half Moon Bay, sold for $4.282m last year - more than $1m above what it sold for in 2013. Photo / Supplied
Another five-bedroom home on Compass Point Way fetched $3.375m in March - more than $500,000 above CV. Photo / Supplied
At all price levels, Macleans College is a huge drawcard, as is Bucklands Beach Intermediate School. “People would cut off an arm just to get into Macleans,” says McCartney.
The school zone only covers part of Half Moon Bay, which has a notable effect on house prices. “Buyers will pay a little bit more to get into the zone, or use that money to pay for a private education.” says McCartney. The co-educational Saint Kentigern College is nearby.
The Half Moon Bay to Bucklands Beach boardwalk, built in 2010 boosted lifestyle amenity of the suburb. It offers a lovely flat stroll alongside the Tāmaki Estuary to popular swimming, fishing and boating spots. This new accessway to Bucklands and Eastern beaches has proved particularly popular.
Another drawcard for Half Moon Bay, says Courtney, is the car and passenger ferry to Waiheke Island. It has proved popular with local tradespeople who either fill their vehicle with staff members to work on the island, or go over as passengers and are picked up on the other side.
> Find properties for sale in Half Moon Bay here.
