Absolute island life  

All eyes are on Kawau Island as a shining destination for that ultimate - and, at this stage, affordable - coastal retreat. By VICKI HOLDER. 

Fresh focus on holiday homes on Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf over the last 12 months has seen capital valuations leap around 150 per cent. Yet, waterfront land on Kawau is still surprisingly affordable. 

The only agent on the island, John Pryor of Kawau Realty, says he has properties for sale from $400,000 to $4 million. Unlike the rest of coastal Auckland, you can still buy a waterfront home on Kawau for less than $500,000. 

He says his own home increased from $82,000 in 2001 to $230,000 this year. He believes the island offers incredible value for money for coastal land that you simply can't find anywhere else so close to Auckland. 

The reason Kawau has been discovered, he says, is because it offers real island, retreat-style living - superb scenery, clean waters and a private paradise for fishing - with no roads or traffic and the convenience of mainland services, a short distance from Auckland city. "There are few places in the world where you can own part of an island like Kawau. To me, a big part of the attraction is the fact there are no roads," he says. 

Bayleys island and waterfront specialist John Greenwood agrees Kawau is unique. "As far as islands go, Waiheke has been leading the edge for a long period. But in the last 12 months, Kawau has had a real focus. The whole retreat thing is starting to work. Waiheke is urban." 

Greenwood says in the past it was difficult to sell Kawau to buyers. "Most of the land was sold to people who grew up having holidays there or who had stayed with friends who had homes there and found it unique. On the open market, it was difficult to find a new person who was prepared to deal with the remoteness. Now we're really finding people are chasing retreats." 

Early this year, he says, a couple of blocks were sold to professional developers, whereas before it was pretty tightly held. "As soon as that starts occurring, Kawau starts popping up in conversation around the dinner table. That has played a big part in its discovery." 

The other thing that Kawau has is jetties. Resource Consents prohibit building jetties on most coastal land. But on Kawau you have to have them otherwise you can't reach your property as there are no roads. "We all know what people pay for properties with jetties on Waiheke and in the Bay of Islands. You pay $500,000 just for the jetty. But you can't simply apply for a jetty and get one," says Greenwood. 

There are lots of factors that have driven Kawau prices up, says Greenwood. There's the growth in other places, such as Bream Tail and the Matakas. "Kawau is very affordable." 

Jenny Georgetti of Bayleys Warkworth is another agent specialising in property on Kawau. She recently launched Pah Farm, "a new subdivision consisting of 37 lots, each over an acre in size". 

"It's going really well," she says. "We've had a very good response even with a limited amount of advertising. Most buyers do already know about Kawau Island though. 

"Properties start at around $500,000. That includes your lot and a pontoon. So you can come and moor the boat, step onto the dock and be picked up by someone and taken up to your property. Prices go up to around $3 million for over an acre of waterfront land. There's nothing to compare. There are no dinghies. You just step onto the dock and you're away."