When Kiwis think real estate investment, they often gravitate to higher density city locations but data from realestate.co.nz shows some of the sharpest property value increases in the past decade have been holiday spots.

For example, if you bought a property in Albert Town, east of Wanaka in the South Island’s Central Otago 10 years ago, you would have enjoyed a 225% value increase from an average asking price of $553,500 in 2015 to $1,796,828 at the end of 2025. 

In the North island, the Coromandel beach settlement of Hahei now has an average asking price of $2,005,000, $1.3million more than 10 years ago when the average asking price for properties was $623,000. 

The South Island’s Hawea, Wanaka and Rotoiti (east of Rotorua in the North Island) round out the top five Kiwi holiday suburbs with significant increases to their average asking prices over the past decade.  

Russell in the Bay of Islands came in number six with a 162% increase in property value and was the only area to record a price jump of more than $2m, from an average of $1,357,690 10 years ago to a whopping $3,562,579 at the end of 2025.  

Lakeside houses outpoint beachside homes  

Interestingly, inland lakeside houses just outpaced beachside homes for the greatest return, with six of the top 10 holiday destinations being lakeside.  

Coming in at number seven was the renowned, Whangamata beach area with a 152% increase in average asking price to $1,656,449, followed by Wellington’s Otaki Beach (a 137% increase) and Waiheke Island’s Oneroa where average property prices more than doubled to $2,855,522 by the end of 2025.

Realestate.co.nz spokesperson Vanessa Williams said the last decade of data offered a powerful reminder about the long-term value of well-chosen lifestyle locations.  

“It’s easy to focus on the short term, but the gains we’re seeing in places like Albert Town and Hahei show what’s possible when you buy and hold. Whether it’s a dream bach or a strategic investment, the returns speak for themselves.” 

Raine & Horne New Zealand General Manager James Shepherd added that while the adage ‘location, location, location’ held true and often focused on cities, buyers also needed to take into account Kiwis’ love of the outdoors and their willingness to develop less established areas with the right attributes, as shown by the growth around Wanaka and Lake Hawea in the south and around Lake Rotoiti in the north.

Whether you want to buy, sell or rent a property, don’t hesitate to contact your local Raine & Horne office.