KEY POINTS:
Including Muriwai, Bethells, Anawhata, Piha and Karekare.
The West Coast beaches are not for the faint hearted - the drive to Piha alone needs to be undertaken with respect for the terrain, and a good gearbox.
An increasing number of citysiders are relocating and commuting, especially the middle-aged affluent who want to revisit the surfie haunts of their teenage years with their own kids.
Migrants, including many English, add to the rich character of the area. All of the beaches have populations that swell in summer, although the ratio of permanent residents continues to climb.
Rustic baches are tucked into the bush alongside stylish modern homes, with the original houses - board-and batten, 1930s art deco and the post-war bach - mostly getting makeovers. New houses are usually sympathetically designed for the surroundings.
These settlements are small. Piha has 700 titles; Anawhata has only about 30 houses, some relying on solar and wind power. Karekare has comparatively few properties with sea views. Up the coast, Muriwai has everything from baches to mansions.
Amenities
Primary, intermediate and secondary schools are a bus ride away from these communities.
For primary and intermediate schooling, Piha kids go to Oratia, and then to Henderson for secondary school. From Muriwai, children bus to Waimauku. The Lone Kauri Community School at Karekare is officially part of Oratia Primary School.
The general store is what these communities are all about, selling household wares and foodstuffs, and displaying notices about local services. Supermarkets are at the nearest major suburb - for those at Muriwai Beach it's Kumeu, for Piha it's Henderson.
Rolling surf, stunning beaches, rocks to fish from, freshwater lakes, waterfalls, hills to hang glide from and miles of bush walks - if the outdoors is your thing, this is heaven.
Piha and Muriwai have surf clubs and there are golf courses nearby - Waitakere Golf Club and Muriwai Golf Club. Muriwai has an off-road motorcycle track and is popular for horseriding and its famous gannet colony. Piha has a saltwater lagoon and Bethells has freshwater lakes set in the sand dunes.
Piha and Muriwai both have community libraries.
Trends
Piha is probably the most popular of the beaches because of good surf and easy access. It's also a bigger settlement so there are more properties on the market.
Rustic baches have become an endangered species here: one recently sold for $1.5 million but it was the spectacular site the buyers were really after. Views fetch big bucks out here; a great one will add a premium of up to $200,000 on a property's price.
Top dollar at Muriwai is about $800,000. A few sections are available, starting at $220,000 for a bush-clad site without sea views - sea views will set you back twice as much.
The highest sale price so far at Karekare has been $940,000, but many attractive homes have been built in the past couple of years that could easily fetch well over a million.
Best Streets
Oaia Rd and Ngatira Rd at Muriwai Beach; Marine Pde and Garden Rd at Piha; Tasman View Rd at Bethells Beach.
