Coast adds up for home buyers

Enjoy a great lifestyle, low property prices and a friendly community on the coast. Photo / Getty Images.

You don't need to be a maths wizard to see the advantages of moving from Auckland to the South Island's West Coast. Auckland's median house price is $850,000 compared to the Coast's $200,000 — but those sums don't touch on the other advantages the region has to offer.

No traffic or parking problems, plenty of space (around 23,000sq km with awe-inspiring landscapes and outdoor adventure activities), a record low unemployment rate (3.8 per cent), and a thriving tourism sector.

Best of all those features don't come at the expense of Big City must-haves such as fast broadband, an innovative business community (regional organisation Development West Coast is on-hand to support new businesses), a thriving cafe culture, and Les Mills RPM classes.

Westport even has an innovation hub, EPIC Westport, which opened in 2016 and supports new business ventures as well as space for those who need a base to work from when in town.

Hokitika, Westport and Greymouth have excellent high schools and Greymouth-based Tai Poutini Polytech offers a wide range of technical study options.

And if you're worried about being isolated from international hubs, think again. These days it's just as easy to get to Australia via Westport or Hokitika as it is from Hamilton.

"We're getting a lot of interest from Aucklanders to move to the West Coast," says Kevin O'Donnell of Harcourts West Coast.

"You can sell a house worth millions in Auckland, and buy a better quality home here for a fraction of that price, with the added bonus of the superior quality lifestyle the coast offers.

Cindy and Gavin Hopper left Auckland and moved to Hokitika in 2001 and haven't looked back. Photo / Supplied

"At the moment we have a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home nestled among native bush on a 2049sq m property overlooking the Tasman Sea.

"I can't imagine how much a similar property would cost in Auckland. In Greymouth we have it listed for $399,000."

He says that Harcourts West Coast has been selling a lot of houses to Aucklanders who moved to the Nelson/Marlborough region 10 years ago, but have found it too crowded there and are opting for the more relaxed coast lifestyle instead.

Relocation pays off

Enterprising couple Cindy and Gavin Hopper left Auckland and moved to Hokitika in 2001 and haven't looked back.

"Adventure brought us to the coast, and it hasn't disappointed," says Cindy. "We left a textile design and electrical career in Auckland to explore New Zealand. A roast meal and job offer in Hokitika kept us in the South Island for good."

They now run a thriving tourism business, West Coast Scenic Waterways, which offers paddle boat cruises, and freedom kayaking along the historic Mahinapua waterways.

While property prices weren't the spur for the couple, the relocation proved profitable.

"The relocation put us well on our feet as property prices in Hokitika were depressed and took a steep rise after we purchased our first house here," says Cindy.

Was it much of a culture shock after busy Auckland? "Not really. We tend to be a fairly flexible couple and just flowed with the changes and enjoyed the differences.

"One thing that does stand out though was a comment a local coaster made while we were looking at a property 40 minutes out of town.

"They claimed it was way too far to live out of town ... obviously they hadn't experienced travelling to work in Auckland!"

Fave things

"We have an awesome backyard with everything from natural hot springs, ski fields, lakes, back country huts, and the Southern Alps ... to mention a few," says Cindy.

"Hokitika's a cool little tourist town with great artisans and coffee, restaurants, and right on a beach famous for sunsets. Great community and passionate people."

Quarter acre dream

Chris Mackenzie, Development West Coast chief executive, says more and more people are moving to the West Coast from Auckland.

"On the West Coast the Kiwi dream of a quarter-acre section is alive and well with median prices closer to $200,000.

"Not to mention the majestic scenery from almost every window. You can live by the sea and still have views of the snow-covered alps — with great cafes just a walk away."

He says it's also a good place to do business, with advances in digital technologies having removed geographic constraints and allowing coasters to do business with the world.

"People are no longer beholden to big cities, instead they're choosing to live in the most beautiful corner of the world — with an untamed natural wilderness as their backyard.

"We're experiencing a bit of a technology boom, which is fitting given the coast's pioneering past — but now gold mining is shifting to blockchain mining.

"IT businesses love it here. We have software developers creating games for international companies like Disney.

"Tech start-ups are relocating from the big cities, and thriving with the lower overheads and superior work-life balance.

"Home ownership is achievable for staff and they no longer waste hours stuck in traffic." Instead they can spend that time with their family."

TOP COAST SPOTS

• Greymouth
• Hokitika
• Westport
• Reefton

Get in quick
There was strong annual growth of 25.7 per cent in the West Coast last year, with the region experiencing the second largest increase in year-on-year sales in New Zealand (up 20.9 per cent) behind Nelson.