- More homes were sold in Pauanui Waterways last year than in the previous two years combined.
- Harcourts agent Alyce Rowe noted a market surge in late 2025, with six sales between $2.2m and $3.95m.
- Bayleys agent Kate Fielding highlighted canal-front properties as good value, offering waterfront living without beachfront prices.
More homes in Pauanui’s exclusive Waterways enclave were sold last year than in the previous two years combined, data shows.
Start your property search
Harcourts Pauanui agent Alyce Rowe said the market for luxury properties on the canals jolted back to life at the end of 2025.
“It was pretty stagnant for a while there, but around September-October it just took off. High-end properties that would have previously sat unsold for ages were snaffled up.”
A boat shed-style home at 121 Motu Hei, in Pauanui, is heading to auction. It comes with a private jetty, boat ramp and its own mooring. Photo / Supplied
The plywood-lined interior and hardwood floors of 121 Motu Hei give the home a very relaxed beach vibe. Photo / Supplied
In the last three months of 2025, there were six sales in Pauanui Waterways for between $2.2m and $3.95m. In comparison, there were only three sales during the same period in 2024, with prices between $2.5m and $3m. And in the last quarter of 2023 there were no sales in the suburb.
Rowe could not explain why buyer demand had suddenly spiked, adding that Pauanui Waterways sat at the higher end of the beach town’s property market, only trailing behind the much more niche and premium beachfront market.
Property prices had fallen dramatically from the post-Covid peak of 2021, when buyers were frequently paying over $4m for houses in Pauanui Waterways.
Discover more:
- Coromandel mystery: Why beachfront properties in this town are selling for half the price
- Whitianga’s fanciest ‘shed’ sells for $571,000 for the second time in three months
- TV star agent Jayne Kiely selling her holiday home - 'there will be tears'
Rowe said: “Pauanui Waterways is interesting because it appeals to boaties. But two [of the top sales last year] were to people who didn’t even have boats.”
The first stage of Pauanui Waterways opened in the early 1990s, and there are now three stages. Rowe said a lot of the properties in the first stage were older but closer to the shops and beaches. Stage two boasts newer homes, while some of the properties in stage three are still under construction.
Rowe said this gave buyers a wide range of options. She has on her books an empty section at 104 Motu Hei, a four-bedroom, four-bathroom boat shed-style home at 121 Motu Hei and a five-bedroom Lockwood at 527 Waterways Parade.
A five-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 527 Waterways Parade is for sale with an RV of $3.25m. Photo / Supplied
Pauanui Waterways is a popular choice with boaties. Photo / Supplied
Rowe said the waterways attracted a wide range of buyers, including families and empty-nesters from Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland.
Bayleys Pauanui agent Kate Fielding noted an uptick in the number of canal-front properties for sale, adding that they were good value for money because they were newer homes in absolute waterfront positions without the beachfront price tag.
“A property on the beachfront would be $4m plus, whereas you can buy on the waterways from $2m-plus, and you are still on the waterfront.”
Fielding said that many of her waterways buyers already had holiday homes in Pauanui and were upgrading.
“Homes in the waterways all come with a pontoon. Owners don’t have to wait in line at the boat ramp.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Pauanui
