Whether it’s wine country or an array of national parks, the top of the South Island has something for everyone.

MARLBOROUGH

Starting with Marlborough, it offers lots of sun, rolling vineyards, stunning coastline and according to Bayleys Marlborough Director Glenn Dick, a strong sense of community and slower pace of life.

“People like moving and retiring here. There’s also no traffic lights. There’s a lot of people moving up from the south, and down from Tauranga and Auckland.”

Dick says it’s also really easy to get more bang for your buck when it comes to purchasing a new property in the region.

“You can sell your house up in Auckland and move down here and buy something similar for half the price. There's a good, healthy investment market down here as well producing more rentals, but mainly people are buying for their own homes.”

Just a few minutes’ drive from the airport and all of the amenities you’ll ever need, it’s easy to get around and despite being removed from some of our major cities connectivity is still high.

“You can get up and down the country easily. There’s direct flights to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and a selection of ferries.”

Dick says while the entire region has lots to offer, there’s two areas in particular that are catching his eye. So what can you expect from each of them, and how much are you likely to pay for a property there?

SPRINGLANDS

Springlands is one of Marlborough’s biggest and most popular areas.

“It’s out in the northwestern part of town. It would have the most listings and sales of any suburb in Blenheim, year on year.”

“It also has all of the stores and amenities you’d ever want. There’s the recent development of Westwood Business Park which is where the big box retailers have established themselves.”

Dick says there’s Kmart, chemists, The Warehouse, Bunnings, Pak n Save, Harvey Norman and about five other major retailers that are about to move in.

“So it's drawing a lot of the town’s economy and shopping out there.”

Summerset Retirement Villages is also building a new lifestyle village in the suburb too.

“Probably half of our subdivisions are popping up out there as well because they can expand out into the green space.”

“Springlands is definitely the most popular suburb and has the most growth potential.”

Being an older suburb Dick says there’s a mix of housing options available, with a combination of new and older homes on offer.

“The new builds are mostly standalone homes, as we don’t really have terraced housing here. Most sit on 800 square metre sections and are a standard size with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a double garage.”

The suburb is also only a three-minute drive from the centre of town.

So what can you mostly expect to pay? Dick says right now the median sale price for a home in Springlands is around $765,000.

OMAKA

Dick says Omaka is where much of the newer subdivisions are located.

“It consists of a main one, which has been built over the last five years meaning that the majority of homes are new. There's also a big industrial park that's just gone to market in the last couple of months with around 50 industrial sections.”

The suburb sits close to the local airfield to service private planes and the region’s airshow. There’s a health centre and the area is just a short eight to ten minute drive into the centre of town.

Dick says most of the new homes on offer are four-bedroom, two bathrooms with a double garage sitting on a near 700 square metre section.

“It’s very family orientated and sits right next to a river reserve which is good for walking, running and biking.”

“It’s a very friendly neighbourhood with a great sense of community.”

The median sale price for a home in Omaka is around $910,000.

NELSON TASMAN

To the west of Marlborough is Nelson Tasman. It’s an area Bayleys Nelson Owner Graeme Vining says offers a brilliant lifestyle.

“We get a lot of people downsizing from Queenstown and Auckland, so that higher-end market, selling in higher value cities and coming here.”

“But it's probably more during their later years. They're coming down to retire. It’s like what Tauranga was 20 or 30 years ago.”

The area is warm and quiet, and despite the slower pace of life, there isn’t a feeling of disconnect.

“It’s still a central location and is only an hour on a plane to Auckland and vice versa.”

Unlike Marlborough, Vining says Nelson Tasman is known for its national parks.

“So you've got the Kahurangi National Park which is the biggest in the country. You've got the Abel Tasman National Park, which is the most popular in the country. It’s all coastal, so you’ve got Kaiteriteri and Golden Bay. It's mainly beaches and coastal atmosphere.”

There’s also a diverse community and economy that services the area.

“Nelson has horticulture, pip fruit, hops, apples and pears, as well as fishing, forestry and tourism.”

So what are the two best up and coming areas, what can you expect from each, and how much do you stand to pay for a property there?

RICHMOND AND MOTUEKA

Vining says one of the biggest growth areas has been the coastal region between Richmond and Motueka.

“There's a suburb called Mapua. There's a Mapua Wharf, and there's new subdivisions and a lot of infill happening in that coastal region.”

“There are lots of cafes and wineries there as well. Coastal beaches and parks and access to all of that from the centre of the bay.”

There’s a range of housing for people looking to buy in the area too.

“There’s actually a lot of new suburbs, emerging suburbs and enrichment, especially some of the old horticulture areas that have been opened up for housing.”

Vining says a lot of aged care facilities are popping up, which has been a major drawcard for many Kiwis looking to make the move.

“I think that's probably quite important, because where there are families here, some of them will bring their older family members to town, knowing that these villages are close by.”

To purchase a home around the Mapua area, Vining says right now the media sale price is $1.29 million.

ATAWHAI

In northern Nelson sits the up and coming area of Atawhai.

“Built on the north-west facing slopes of Nelson north it has spectacular views. It’s sunny, warm and only six minutes to town.”

There’s a range of housing on offer too.

“We’ve got the new suburbs and old suburbs right next door to each other. There’s a mix of pricing, and when it comes to the newer builds, you’re looking at three bedrooms, and three bathrooms.”

“We’ve just managed a big subdivision out there that we're selling. We've sold 70 sections out there over the last 18 months. It really is one of the biggest emerging areas in Nelson.”

Because it’s so close to the city the area benefits from all of the main amenities in the CBD.

“That’s all of your major supermarkets, hardware stores and schools.”

“It’s an area that’s really well suited to people who need to stay connected. Perhaps they’re in business, or run their own business. It means they can live just outside the hustle and bustle, but still have lots of convenience.”

So what can you mostly expect to pay? Vining says right now the median sale price for a home in Atawhai is around $839,000.