Horokiwi
Rural living, a short drive to Wellington City
Overview
Rural seclusion less than 10 minutes from a capital city? Yes it’s true! Even better, prices are no more than what you would pay for a reasonable villa on a postage stamp sized site in central Wellington. If you hanker for a horse, have a out-of-control gardening habit, or just love privacy and lots of space, then Horokiwi could be for you. Oh, and did I mention that you can drive into the capital city of New Zealand in less than 10 minutes.
Best Suited To
Rural folk whose jobs have forced them into the city. City folk who need an escape from the office.
Population Profile
The first thing to note here is that, based on census statistics, Horokiwi has only 180 people residents. That’s a meagre 0.2 people per hectare. So we can probably start making some fairly broad assumptions that Horokiwi is not for the urbanite who loves the buzz of the city.
The median age here is 45 years. That’s well above the Wellington average of 34 years. However, the number of people over 65 is actually well less than the Wellington average. This seems to point to a fairly tight grouping of 35 to 55 year olds living here.
A whopping 93% of residents are of European decent. Over 50% indicated they are married. Based on all this we can make some further broad assumptions that the typical resident here is European, married, and between 40 and 50 years of age
Typical Homes
If the residents in Horokiwi are not particularly diverse, housing styles certainly are. Many homes are hard to see, hidden up driveways and away from the road. Residents enjoy their privacy. Those that can be seen range from relocated or replica villas, through to large modern homes. It’s all about space, so most homes are generously proportioned.
Public transport is non-existent and households own multiple vehicles (you’re three times more likely to live in a three vehicle household here). To store all those vehicles, homes will often incorporate large garages, implement/tractor sheds, barns and other farm paraphernalia.
Amenities
It’s unsurprising that there are no shops in Horokiwi. There simply isn’t the population base to support them. The nearest are relatively handy though (so long as you drive), located in Petone, only a few minutes drive to the northeast. Returning to Horokiwi, from the north, involves a rather peculiar trip south to the Ngauranga Gorge interchange, to then loop back and into the suburb (this came about after a series on nasty accidents as cars tried to turn into Horokiwi, across oncoming fast-flowing traffic).
There are no local schools in Horokiwi. Children are likely to attend schools in Lower Hutt, including Petone Central School, Korokoro School or Normandale School. The nearest high schools are also located in the Hutt Valley. These include Hutt Valley High School, St Oran’s College, St Bernard’s College and the private girls college, Chilton St James.
Belmont Regional Park is located on the northern boundary of Horokiwi. This large park includes areas of native bush and rolling grass hillsides. There are numerous walking tracks through the park. Of course if you live here, you’ve probably got a few acres of your own to ramble about on!
Real Estate Trends
With so few houses, there are always a limited number of sales in Horokiwi. The highest recorded sale since May 2021 was $1.925 million for a renovated 1920s home with harbour views, on a 2 hectare block. Horokiwi is going through some uncertainty at present with a proposed link road between Petone and Grenada. If it goes ahead this road will have a major effect on access in and out of Horokiwi (improving it), but will likely negatively impact on the overall rural nature of the environment here.
Best Streets
Many homes at the south end of Horokiwi Road enjoy harbour views.
House Prices
Rural residential homes from $1 million. Most sell in the $1.2 million to $1.6 million range.
Travel Times
Central city – 15 minutes non-peak, up to 45 minutes peak (via Petone roundabout).
Airport – 25 minutes non-peak.
Hutt Valley – 5-10 minutes non-peak.
Weather
Homes on the ridgetops get the best views, but they also get the worst weather. Exposed on all sides they will experience a regular northerly wind, and the occasional blast from a cold southerly. Homes below a ridge, facing west, will get great afternoon sun and some shelter from the wind.