Ask any Kiwi to picture their ideal summer holiday, and nine times out of 10, they’ll mention the Coromandel Peninsula.
From the idyllic beauty of Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach, and Whangamata, to historical towns like Thames and Waihi, the Coromandel has been reeling in crowds of eager, overly-sunblocked tourists for decades.
However, there’s a growing number of people who are investing more into the region than a two-week holiday over Christmas.
Hoards of city-slickers from nearby cities like Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga have realised something: the Coromandel Peninsula is the perfect place to build a home.
Whether it’s a permanent move, or a ‘home away from home’, here’s what the Coromandel has to offer future home-builders.
Closer to nature
‘Good for the soul’ is the official slogan of the Coromandel, and anybody who’s spent time in the peninsula will be able to confirm it.
The region is well-known for it’s awe-inspiring natural beauty, as a wide range of beaches, waterfalls, gorges, springs, forests and parks are available on the doorstep of most of the peninsula.
For the adventurous, or those with high-energy kids, walking trails, bike tracks and kayaking adventures are a favourite past-time. While the more lowkey residents are more than happy to spend their days relaxing in the golden sand of spots like Pauanui or New Chum Beach.
A mere few days amongst the Coromandel scenery is enough to leave people feeling lighter and more relaxed; it’s a far-cry from the traffic jams, exhaust fumes and fast pace of inner-city life.
Work-life balance
Living in the Coromandel, it’s much easier to get your priorities in order.
Without the hustle-and-bustle or distractions of bigger cities, residents find themselves with far more time and energy to devote towards family, community, and play.
As the popularity of remote work increases, many professionals may find the idea of a home office based in the Coromandel hard to say no to. It may have been hard to achieve this in the past, but recent improvements in broadband and telecommunications technology have made it easy to stay digitally connected across the peninsula.
While for weekend visitors and holiday-makers, spending time outdoors, amongst the tight-knit communities of the Coromandel is a perfect antidote to the regular busy-ness of working life in the city.
Building opportunities aplenty
Whether you’re interested in beach-side living, or you’re after a rural experience, the Coromandel offers a wide range of opportunities for home-building.
Only five towns in the peninsula have a population over 1,000, which means that there are heaps of undeveloped areas and plots of land waiting to be turned into beautiful living spaces.