Whangamata

Whangamata is the Coromandel town with a pulse. Where Pauanui is quiet and planned, Whangamata has a real main street with surf shops, good coffee and restaurants that stay open past summer. There's a classic beach break off the bar that surfers cross the country for, and 4 kilometres of swimmable white sand. Think Byron energy, twenty years ago, at a fraction of today's Byron money.

What's the housing like? It runs from original fibrolite baches on big flat sections through to new builds in the streets behind the beach. The town has a permanent population of around 3,500 that triples and more over summer. So there's a real rental market in both directions: holiday lets in peak season, or long-term tenants if you'd rather have boring income.

For Australian buyers, the sums are the story. A house three streets from one of New Zealand's best beaches for under NZ$1m. No stamp duty on the way in. No land tax while you hold it.

The buying process runs remotely through a local agent and a NZ lawyer, and we can point you to both.

New to the rules? Start with can Australians buy property in New Zealand. It's the two-minute version of everything that matters.