Herne Bay, New Zealand

Herne Bay is an affluent suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located on the southwestern shore of the Waitemata Harbour to the west of the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is known for its extensive harbour views, marine villas and Edwardian age homes. Herne Bay has been a prosperous area since the 1850s due to its outlook over the Waitemata Harbour. It continues to be an exclusive suburb, as it ranked as the most expensive suburb in New Zealand in 2015.
Herne Bay is under the local governance of Auckland Council.
Demographics.
Herne Bay had a population of 3,036 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 96 people (3.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 54 people (1.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 1,233 households. There were 1,488 males and 1,548 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.96 males per female. The median age was 44 years, with 519 people (17.1%) aged under 15 years, 495 (16.3%) aged 15 to 29, 1,542 (50.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 480 (15.8%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 92.4% European/Pākehā, 5.5% Māori, 2.0% Pacific peoples, 6.1% Asian, and 2.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 23.2%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.9% had no religion, 37.4% were Christian, and 3.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 1,278 (50.8%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 159 (6.3%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $62,100. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,434 (57.0%) people were employed full-time, 342 (13.6%) were part-time, and 69 (2.7%) were unemployed.
History.
The suburb is named after Herne Bay, a fashionable but respectable seaside resort in English county of Kent.
From the 1850s onwards it became apparent that Auckland's Herne Bay was quite handy to the centre of town by a short boat trip. Herne Bay developed as an early commuter suburb and was the location of several large houses belonging to members of the professional classes. Most of these houses (termed 'marine villas') were readily accessible from the water, with their own jetties and boathouses - in some cases there was not any land route to them. Some of these early houses still exist, surrounded by later houses which were built as their large properties were subdivided around the turn of the 20th century.
Also located in this area on the shore of Ponsonby (between Argyle Street and the sea) was Kemp's Gardens. This was a popular pleasure resort for Auckland's people during the 1860s. The gardens were "complete with pavilion, gardens and illuminations": "A free hand was given, drinks were sold, music was provided and the least said the better". Later renamed "Cremorne Gardens" after the fashionable pleasure gardens in London, Kemp's gardens boasted a "Dancing Pavilion, ten acres of walks and sports grounds". It is remembered in the name "Cremorne Street".
Twenty-first century.
In late 2008, Herne Bay became New Zealand's first "$2 million suburb", when the median house price surpassed the $2 million mark.
The Sultan of Brunei purchased 11 properties in Herne Bay for his visit to the APEC Summit in Auckland in 1999, these were all extensively renovated, although the Sultan never actually lived in any of them. All 11 properties were sold to low profile businessman Gary Lane in 2005.
Schools.
Bayfield School and Ponsonby Primary School are coeducational contributing primary schools (years 1-6) with rolls of and respectively, as of 
Nearby secondary schools include Auckland Girls Grammar School, Western Springs College (Coed), St Paul's College (Catholic boys) and Saint Mary's College (Catholic girls).