Otahuhu

Otahuhu Including Middlemore and Papatoetoe

The staunchly working-class suburb of Otahuhu is an established area with a great mix of cultures living side by side.

Papatoetoe comes in two parts: old Papatoetoe and the newer Hunters Corner. The area's about to get a huge injection of job opportunities with big developments starting in nearby Mt Wellington and Waiouru Peninsula.

Otahuhu and Middlemore are popular with immigrant families.

Otahuhu is particularly popular with Chinese and Indians (there is a Sikh temple there), and Middlemore with Pacific Islanders.

Some of the city's most affordable bungalows and villas are in Otahuhu, but many are showing signs of neglect.

Cheap housing has always been in demand in this area: low-rise blocks of flats pre-date central Auckland's passion for apartments by decades.

In Papatoetoe, there are some 1930s bungalows, but most development occurred during the 60s and 70s when brick-and-tile houses were the norm.

Amenities The fierce rivalry between the first XVs of Otahuhu College and Kings College says it all - geographically, they're divided from each other only by a fence, but in every other way they couldn't be further apart. One is a public school servicing a working class community and the other is a private institution for children of the privileged classes.

Otahuhu's mainstreet rejuvenation has made it a lively, pleasant place to be. Middlemore has no shopping centre, but there are corner dairies and liquor stores aplenty. Old Papatoetoe also offers good mainstreet shopping; Hunter's Corner has a newish mall called Hunter's Plaza, and its mainstreet has also been successfully spruced up.

The Auckland Golf Club and Grange Golf Club attract mostly those from wealthier suburbs; locals are more likely to play rugby, league, netball or kilikiti.

There are plenty of public reserves throughout the neighbourhood, many alongside the picturesque Tamaki River.

Papatoetoe has the Centennial Pools and a roller skating rink. Otahuhu has rowing and badminton clubs, as well as a fantastic range of good, cheap, authentic Asian restaurants.

Trends Otahuhu and Middlemore real estate has mainly been owned by landlords, but with high prices elsewhere, first home buyers are reassessing these suburbs. While prices are reasonable here compared with other parts of the city, an upward trend should continue.

Rental and investment A majority of low-income families make this area popular with investors - a block of four two-bedroom units costs less than $600,000 and they can be rented for about $200 a week each.

Best streets Princes St East, Church St, Hutton St and Avenue Rd in Otahuhu. Omana Rd, Fitzroy St and St George St in Papatoetoe.