Mount Wellington, Ōtāhuhu and Ellerslie: house prices, faster trains and where locals eat

Mount Wellington, Ōtāhuhu and Ellerslie sit side by side on the rail line, and the City Rail Link has just made them quicker to the city. Here's how prices compared over the last six months, and the local picture.

The numbers, suburb by suburb

Homes only, over the six months from 1 April to 30 September 2026. The median is the middle sale. The average includes the bigger sales.

• Ellerslie: median $1,110,000, average $1,100,000, 104 sales, 20% by auction
• Mount Wellington: median $807,000, average $857,000, 240 sales, 12% by auction
• Ōtāhuhu: median $788,000, average $829,000, 88 sales, 9% by auction

Ellerslie has the highest median of the three at $1,110,000. Mount Wellington was the busiest, with 240 sales, and Ōtāhuhu had the lowest median at $788,000. Auctions were more common in Ellerslie, at 20%, than in Ōtāhuhu, at 9%.

A suburb figure can't price a particular home. My guides for Mount Wellington and Ōtāhuhu go street by street, and Ana Tresidder covers Ellerslie.

Where locals eat

Among the best-rated on Google as at 30 September 2026:

• Bianca, Ellerslie. Robert Street. 4.8 from 426 reviews. Map
• Lowbrow, Ellerslie. Main Highway. 4.7 from 333 reviews. Map
• Slowlane Cafe, Ellerslie. Great South Road, and the most-reviewed spot in the area. 4.6 from 2,503 reviews. Map
• Paramount Indian Cuisine, Ōtāhuhu. Great South Road. 4.8 from 334 reviews. Map
• Otahuhu Fisheries. Great South Road. 4.8 from 225 reviews. Map
• Lima Bintang, Ōtāhuhu. Malaysian, on Station Road. 4.7 from 226 reviews. Map
• sorella cafe, Mount Wellington. Vestey Drive. 4.8 from 207 reviews. Map

What's changing

• Faster trains: since the City Rail Link opened on 13 September, Ellerslie to Karangahape Road takes 17 minutes at peak, 19 minutes quicker than before (OurAuckland).
• Racedays at Ellerslie: Everest Raceday on 17 October, Cox Plate Raceday on 24 October, Melbourne Cup Day on 3 November, Cure Kids Raceday on 28 November, Christmas at the Races on 5 December and the Twilight Races on 10 December (Auckland Racing).
• Mount Wellington traffic: Auckland Transport is adding evening T2 and heavy-vehicle lanes on Mount Wellington Highway, with Sylvia Park Road works scheduled for September and October, after traffic grew when IKEA opened (AT Have Your Say).
• Ōtāhuhu: a new volleyball court opened at Fairburn Park near the pool and leisure centre (OurAuckland).

Did you know Ōtāhuhu sits on Te Tō Waka, the traditional waka portage between the Tāmaki River and the Manukau Harbour? The station's design was built around it with mana whenua (OurAuckland).

Source: REINZ. Figures are compiled by Pat Lapalapa Group from REINZ sale records for homes (houses, units, townhouses, apartments and home-and-income properties) with sale dates from 1 April to 30 September 2026, as recorded at 30 September 2026. Sections, lifestyle blocks and bare land are excluded. They describe each suburb as a whole and do not value any individual home. Sales recorded after 30 September 2026 can change the most recent month.