The Wests moved to Waihi Beach to be a part of the community they had holidayed in for more than a decade. "There is a real community feel," he said.
Long-time resident Don Fraser moved to Waihi Beach 18 years ago for the atmosphere and had noticed its growing popularity, with houses selling fast.
There were many attractions to living at Waihi Beach, Fraser said.
"Waihi Beach has still got that village atmosphere, it is a community," he said. "There isn't a whole lot of traffic ... and everybody says hello. There is 9km of white sandy beach and the fishing is still pretty good."