Manukau

By LUCY RICHMOND.

Manukau has gone from being green fields to the commercial and industrial hub of South Auckland recently and quickly.

"In the 1960s there was nothing there - maybe a village and about a dozen houses!" says Robert Davies, of Barfoot & Thompson, Papatoetoe. "Now Manukau as a region covers a vast area, with Manukau City being a bustling place in its own right and home to a huge diversity of cultures."

Home to Manukau City Council, Rainbow's End - New Zealand's largest theme park opened in 1982 - office blocks, the vast Manukau shopping centre and a sprawling sea of bargain-type retail and wholesale outlets, the area's affordable property prices and stone's-throw proximity to the southern motorway continue to attract young families and first-home buyers (particularly those who have grown up in the area), Asian immigrants and investors.

Central Manukau takes in Totara Heights, a more established subdivision that attracts a lot of younger families, Silkwood, Flat Bush, Chapel Downs, Clover Park, Wiri and Puhinui.

"Major new subdivisions in Silkwood are certainly influencing the area's popularity," says Davies, who highlights Redoubt Rd, Santa Monica Pl and Silkwood as being among the more attractive areas.

"Basically, anywhere around there that is elevated and has a decent view will be more expensive," he says, "with some places going for more than $1 million."

To give you an idea of what your money will get you today, a three-bedroom, bunglow-style, weatherboard home in Te Irirangi Dr - with a single garage on a level, rear, fully fenced section - can be picked up for $149,000. For singles and businesspeople, a one-bedroom apartment in the Renaissance Centre - at Ronwood Ave in the heart of Manukau City - can be bought for $168,000.

Family-type properties with views to Manukau Heads - like 4 Caley Ct, Totara Heights - carry a price-tag of $255,000, while a two-level, three-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse apartment in central Manukau's Freemans Way (zoned residential and commercial) is on the market at $269,000.

SCHOOLS

The wide choice of primary schools in the area includes Everglade and Redoubt Rd. High school kids are catered for at Papatoetoe, Otara or Manurewa.

AMENITIES INCLUDE:

Totara Park and the Regional Botanic Gardens.

Manukau CBD and Westfield Shoppingtown Manukau. Shopping centres at The Hub and Botany Downs are a short drive away.

Manukau Sports Bowl.

Cycling Velodrome.

Telstra Clear Stadium (under construction).

A host of restaurants, cafes and takeaways.

Cinema complex.

Close to airport.