$1m and up for Orewa beachfront apartments - but many are keen

Orewa Beach. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Luxury apartments planned for an old motel site at Orewa Beach are drawing strong interest - despite prices ranging from $1 million to $1.9 million.

In the past fortnight, one of 28 beachfront units had sold off the plans and seven sales contracts were under consideration, said Ian Inglis, of Bayleys Orewa real estate agency.

"We have had more than 200 people through the sales office in the first two weeks and signed up a buyer in the first weekend," he said yesterday.

The price of the proposed Ocean Point Beach Residences was not a barrier to prospective purchasers.

"People can see the value. It's one of the few sites left in the country where there is 6000sq m of absolute beachfront, with no road in front of the view and a reserve on the northern side. In other residential subdivisions in the wider Orewa area, you could pay a million dollars and still be 3km to 4km from the beach."

The proposed development is on the Hibiscus Coast Highway site of the Golden Sands Motel, which evolved from a camping ground established in the 1950s.

Although the motel was operating, Mr Inglis said it was getting "old and tired" and its owners since 2001 had considered various ways to make full use of the site.

The developer behind the new apartment concept is Orewa Beachfront Apartments. Its directors are listed in the Companies Office records as Mr Inglis and Peter Simunovich, who was managing director of Simunovich Fisheries before its sale to the Sanford company.

Both are long-time residents along the 3km beach, which is a 30-minute drive from downtown Auckland.

The Ocean Point development offered a range of two-bedrooms plus study, and three-bedroom plus study apartments. It would have 1000sq m of recreation ground for communal use.

OREWA BEACH UPSIZE

* 1950s camping ground
* 1960s Golden Sands Motel
* 2011 proposed million-dollar plus apartments.