A beachfront property in Southshore, Christchurch, has sold for $1.6 million, a record price for the coastal neighbourhood.

Ray White agent Charlotte Mason, who works for Team Holly Jones, told OneRoof.co.nz more than 100 groups came through the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home on Rocking Horse Rd in Southshore before it sold earlier this month.

“We actually had a few buyers fly over to look at it. We had one from Australia and one from Napier,” she told OneRoof.

But it ended up being bought by a Southshore local who had been hunting for a beachfront home.

“When they saw this, they knew they had to have it.”

The purchase price was $500,000 over the RV and more than the area’s record of $1.5m paid in 2024 for a large family home on Baker St in New Brighton.

The Rocking Horse Rd home faces the ocean. Photo: Supplied

Mason told OneRoof the previous owner bought the property in 2008 and only decided to sell after a change in circumstances.

Over the years, they transformed the home into a Balinese-inspired retreat with extensive upgrades. It also has sweeping ocean views, along with glimpses of the Port Hills to the south.

She said the suburb’s towering dunes obscured sea views from most properties in the area, making homes with uninterrupted water outlooks particularly rare.

“Looking out over the ocean. You don’t really get that property in Christchurch,” she told OneRoof.

“Some have a tiny glimpse of the ocean, but nothing like this.”

Mason said buyers looking for homes in the area felt it was still extremely good value for money.

OneRoof reported that entry-level two-bedroom units in Christchurch’s eastern seaside suburbs were still available from about $400,000. A standalone two-bedroom property at 97 Baker St in New Brighton was currently inviting inquiries of over $499,000.