Understand
It includes the suburbs of south to north Mairangi Bay, Murray's Bay, Rothesay Bay, Browns's Bay, Torbay and Long Bay.
Living in the East Coast Bays
The East Coast Bays boasts some of the most expensive real estate in New Zealand. The stretch of coast running North from Takapuna Beach to Milford, is often referred to as "the million dollar mile". Many of these properties have sold for several million dollars NZ$.
The East Coast Bays and surrounding suburbs are generally affluent areas. Proximity to the attractive beaches as well as schools, shopping centres and other facilities maintain the high demand for real estate.
Commuting within the North Shore itself can be done without difficulty. However, those who commute to Auckland City and beyond must do so via the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The bridge offers the only practical route from the North Shore to the city an alternate route is available by detouring through the western suburbs, but the route is some 35km and as such, is prone to congestion and nose to tail traffic at peak traveling hours. The North Shore, as with the greater Auckland area, lacks a viable public transport system and congestion is a major drawback for commuters. There has been much discussion regarding the problem at both national and local government levels. Work is in progress and more is planned. However much of the work is controversial and viewpoints tend to be polarized either in support of more roading for private vehicles or in support of a major public transport system.
The East Coast Bays and surrounding suburbs offer an attractive living environment for children, families and the elderly. Many residents make the most of the mild climate to pursue a variety of outdoor interests. Naturally, the proximity of the many beaches has made water sports a particularly popular pursuit.
The last 5 years has seen tremendous growth in the Albany region of the North Shore. This once quiet rural suburb has become the commercial centre of the North Shore. A number of retailers have built "super stores" in the area, such as New Zealand's largest mall and the Council plans for continued commercial growth and expansion throughout the area. The area has also seen the advent of intense cheaper housing and thousands of acres of farmland has been turned into mini-suburbs comprising hundreds of houses all of a similar design. As such, the Albany area has attracted hundreds of millions of investment dollars.
The North Shore continues to expand Northwards. The township of Orewa, 25km north of Takapuna, was once something of a holiday resort. The town is now linked by the Northern Motorway and will eventually be swallowed up in the North Shore's northward expansion.
The attraction of the East Coast Bays remains, largely because it is an established area with established properties and residents. It is largely immune from the dramatic changes taking place in other parts of the North Shore. For this reason, the East Coast Bays will remain the favoured place to reside on the North Shore.
