Great waves for surfing and body boarding at Amberley. The beach is mainly pebble, but turns to sand just below the high water line. There's a petrol station and a sports domain with tennis courts, pitches for rugby and cricket and a play area for the kids. It's a great place for day on the beach or more relaxed lifestyle. And it's north of the Pegasus Town development, so you'd have to brave SH1 into town....
There are some nice 'One Horse Towns' along that stretch of Canterbury Coast though. Place like Leithfield and Hurunui. I really like Cheviot, which is a bit further north. The main street has got a scattering of shops, boutiques and cafes. As a town, it's got most of the amenities and the school let me use their fax machine when we were passing through during our travels in the campervan. And houses are cheap.
Have you looked a bit further inland? North of the Waimak will take you to places like Oxford. The south bank gives you Kirwee, Darfield and Sheffield. Prices tend to be a bit cheaper the further in you go, especially for lifestyle blocks. And there tends to be less traffic heading into Chch compared to SH1 north.