This entire coastal town could be bought for under $500k — here’s why no one’s doing it

Tucked away on a windswept stretch of the North Island’s west coast, there’s a cluster of empty shops, weathered baches, and wide gravel roads that once buzzed with weekenders.

Today, the only regular visitors are seabirds, rust, and the occasional curious tramper.

And yet — according to recent council estimates — the entire core of this forgotten coastal town could be bought for less than $500,000.

So why isn’t anyone doing it?

“People ask us if the price is real,” says Mike, a longtime local who runs a part-time fish and chip caravan nearby.
“It is. But there’s a reason it’s still empty.”

Once busy, now abandoned

The town — which we’ve agreed not to name at the council’s request — was originally built in the 1950s as a fishing settlement and seaside holiday escape for nearby farming families.

It had:

• A general store
• A post office
• A community hall
• Around 30 homes — most now vacant or derelict

But over the decades, as erosion worsened, the fishing quota shrank, and younger generations left, the town slowly emptied out.

By the early 2000s, the last full-time resident had moved inland. Today, a handful of properties are still privately owned, but most are up for sale — for a fraction of Auckland garage prices.

So what’s the catch?

It’s not just isolation.

Locals and council staff list several reasons why buyers are hesitant:

• Coastal erosion: Some streets have lost entire front yards to the sea
• No sewer or mains power: Properties rely on tanks, generators, and septic
• Council won’t issue new building consents: Due to flood risk and climate projections
• Land ownership confusion: Some plots are leasehold or tied up in historic titles
• No services: The nearest petrol, groceries or healthcare are over 40 minutes’ drive

“You’d be buying a ghost town,” says one council planner.
“And you can’t really build on it. That’s the problem.”

The price? Tempting.

Several whole sections — house, land, and outbuildings — are listed at $40,000 or less.
A buyer with vision could, in theory, acquire half the town’s footprint for under $500k.

There’s even talk of turning the area into an off-grid art colony, an eco-retreat, or a rewilded sanctuary — but so far, no serious plans have stuck.

“We’ve had interest from crypto people, permaculture groups, even a YouTuber,” says Mike.
“But once they see the paperwork — or the sea creeping in — they walk.”

Still, the idea won’t go away

With New Zealand’s property crisis showing no sign of slowing down, some buyers are still watching towns like this, wondering if they’ll be the ones to finally make something out of it.

“It’s a risk,” says Mike.
“But someone’s going to do it eventually. All it takes is one person with the money and the madness.”

Until then, the town remains in limbo — stuck between the past and the Pacific.

Quiet, crumbling… and technically for sale.