Bang for your buck at Bay's priciest rental

For renters looking for a slice of "Kiwi tranquillity" look no further than Hawke's Bay's priciest rental, with views to Te Mata Peak and Craggy Range.

The $780-a-week semi-rural "beautiful, new, warm and sunny home" in Havelock North's Craggy Range Rd has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a double garage and two acres of optional grazing land.

The property, currently listed on Trade Me as Hawke's Bay's priciest rental, features a home theatre system, two living areas and two offices, a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom, heatpumps, reticulated underfloor heating, and double-glazed windows.

Owner Sandra Duthie said it was "not an especially easy" property to rent, because of the high price.

"However, I haven't actually had a problem so far."

The tenants who are moving out are a professional couple.

She usually received inquiries from professionals, British doctors or families with farm animals who could not rent a town property.

"Some of the ones from the [United Kingdom] are keen on finding that little bit of Kiwi tranquillity."

Ms Duthie said many properties of that scale did not allow animals but any pet was okay as long as they did not destroy the property.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, Hawke's Bay's cheapest rental listing in Takapau's Charlotte St is advertised for a mere $150 a week.

The three-bedroom home features a north-facing sunny lounge with a woodburner, single garage, fresh neutral paintwork, and "large flat section with loads of fruit trees".

Earlier this month, Hawke's Bay Today revealed Trade Me property figures which showed the average asking rent in Hawke's Bay in the three months to December rose to $308 a week, up 4 per cent from the same period in 2012.

The average rent nationwide was $422, up 6 per cent from 2012.

Meanwhile, the country's cheapest Trade Me rental is a one-bedroom property in Woodville for just $65 a week. The semi-detached unit features a carport, lawn and shared laundry facilities.

Unsurprisingly, the nation's most expensive rental is a sprawling four-bedroom, four-bathroom house in Auckland's Takapuna, listed for $6875 a week.

It features three reception areas, wine cellar and bar, park-like grounds, a swimming pool and barbecue/outdoor dining area looking north over Takapuna Beach and out to Rangitoto Island through pohutukawa trees.