Auckland's Waiheke Island is a unique location in New Zealand in that you can splash out on a mansion or bag a bargain and still be within reasonable reach of a great beach and a great winery.
If you have a comfortable pile in the bank - say, tens of millions rather than hundreds of thousands - you could buy Te Rere Cove, a six-bedroom dream home modelled on the Kauri Cliffs resort.
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If don't fancy spending all your lottery winnings, just half of them, you could opt for the 182ha at Awaaroa Bay, with its original 1850s villa. The Simon Carnachan-designed resort-like modern pavilions with Balinese gardens, views over the neighbouring vineyards, native bush, Whakenewha Regional Park and Rocky Bay have an asking price of $8.995 million.
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Or you could start modestly, with this two-bed cottage, at 32D Waiheke Road. The sales agents are asking for offers over $550,000. Add in a monthly ferry pass for $365, figure out the savings from the fact that you’ll never need to go on holiday again (and the rental possibilities are considerable if you vacate for the summer).
The two-bed cottage has the makings of a great holiday home, easily liveable for first home buyers or home sharers. It's six minutes’ walk to Onetangi beach, which you can see from the house, has a smart new kitchen and bathroom and boasts off-street parking.
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Thirty years ago, Waiheke was a mix of lifestyle properties, basic baches, hippy houses and vineyard estates. This one-bedroom board and batten house is certainly of its time, but anyone who has watched HGTV could see some buckets of paint and smart styling could turn this around; the roomy attic bedroom has potential. The 812sq m of bush, with stream, nikau palms and location five minutes from Oneroa or the beaches can’t be beat.
Asking price $575,000.
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Sharing a cross-leased site makes this relocated villa affordable (it’s also in a mixed zone on the edge of village, so future options). There’s a peek of the sea from the back veranda and the pretty porch and high ceilings and character trims of the original are all there, waiting to be decorated to Grey Lynn style. Two bedrooms in 85sq m, but with bonus storage underneath, off street parking for two.
Asking price $575,000.
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Somebody has seen the potential in this original one-bed 1960s bach, polishing the wood floors, adding new lights and drapery. There’s a wood stove, for winter. But the kitchen and bathroom are original, and there’s a bonus storage/play room underneath that you could to more with. The huge 1171sq m section, with bush and sunny lawns, has potential - or just hang about and enjoy heading out to the beach, Surfdale is 10 minute walk away.
Asking price $580,000.
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Also only 10 minutes from Surfdale is a two-year-old one-bed home surrounded by bush, sunny gardens (the veggie beds are already in) on 990sq m. Parking for the boat and car, pretty board walks through the bush and great style - wood floors, island kitchen, smart decks (and, of course, modern insulation and gas hot water). Still needs a CCC.
Asking price $590,000.
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For $599,000 you get one of the increasingly rare finds, an old-school one-bedroom bach on a terraced and sunny 859sq m section. The kitchen and bathroom are new and smart, there’s fresh flooring, but the stand out is the huge covered deck for living outdoors all summer. The value is in the 500-metre stroll to Onetangi beach, you could do heaps to pretty this up.
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And one more for good luck. Its CV maybe over $600,000 but all the renovations on this one-bed cottage, sitting on over 1200sq m on Trig Hill, have been done. New kitchen, bath, deck, landscaping - and resource consent to expand. Add in views of Onetangi, lawn and fruit trees, and an owner heading overseas and you might just get lucky.
Offers over $600,000.
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