So you’ve missed out on one of Auckland’s most expensive properties – the Te Rere Cove mansion on Church Bay Road with vineyard and winemaking facilities on 8.8 hectares that sold last week.
The price wasn’t revealed – something above the $10 million mark. A second 5 hectare vineyard wasn’t included in the sale, but last year the pair were passed in at auction last year when bidding reached $18.5m, with council valuing the titles at $24m.
But if you’ve got some spare change for a holiday home, Nick Horton and Terry Spice of Luxury Real Estate have a gorgeous five bed, five bath 750 sq m lodge on the rise at Wyuna Preserve, just out of Queenstown. The 6.6 hectare property in two titles has view over Lake Wakatipu to the Humbolt Mountains and the Greenstone, Dart and Rees rivers. There are Glenorchy and Mt Earnslaw views from the master bedroom, stunning kitchen and living spaces, outdoor fireplaces and a spa pool with more of those views.
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Pick up your Queenstown lodge here.
The pair also have a bigger property – this one 1075 sq m on 5.7 hectares – is more stunning architecture by South Island masters Mason and Wales Architects: contemporary meets mountain lodge, all hardwood beams, oak floors, natural stone underpinned by reinforced concrete and steel. This could truly be the off-the-grid bolt hole, complete with four suites, natural landscaping and parking for five cars. If you have to ask the price, you probably can’t afford it.
If big city life is more you, Michael Boulgaris has an astounding Arts and Crafts house on 6 Garden Ave, just off Remuera Road. The classic interior of oak panelling, stained glass and generous proportions belies the extensive modernisation. Naturally there’s a pool and tennis court on the 5100 sq m of land, as well as room for the four-car garage, wine cellar and a self-contained tennis pavilion, extra storage and more. The kids can walk to Kings College or the village; there are views of Waitemata Harbour and separate legal access from Te Kowhai Place that could be developed. Price is by negotiation, the current valuation is mere $24.5 million.
Advertising and beauty moguls Kevin and Rowena Roberts’s spread just around the corner on Portland Road is being marketed by Richard Hart and Colleen Strachan of Unlimited Potential for price by negotiation (the current Cv is $12.5 million). Tucked into the bush valley, the house has tons of different living spaces (including plenty of room for the art collection), a swimming pool and tennis court, games room and more. If the walls could talk, you’d know of famous sports people, media celebrities and more.
Find out more about the Portland Rd home here.
On the posh western side of the city, New Zealand Sotheby’s International Pene Milne has a couple of beaut waterfront houses on the tightly held enclave of Rawene Ave, Westmere. Overlooking the water, a super modern concrete and cedar house on a roomy property of just under 2000 sq m has everything you’d expect on a country spread – the infinity edge pool and spa, the outdoor barbecue terraces, home theatre, even a music or yoga room. Its price by negotiation, the council CV is $12.5 million.
Milne has another property, right on the tip of Rawene, looking back across Cox’s Bay to Herne Bay, one a stunning modern design, and there’s the chance to buy the adjacent home, also by architect Pete Bossley, for family or friends. Council records show the two properties have CVs of $5.4 million and $14 million. Naturally there’s a boat shed for the kayaks, a theatre and pool.
Find out more about this Herne Bay property here.
New Zealand prices are chump change for the world’s mega rich house buyers.
A Beverly Hills house on six acres of land around the corner from Sunset Boulevard was on the market for US $135 million last year. As well as houses for the staff, there are two projection rooms (this is Hollywood, after all), a night club and spa. The terrace seats 400 people for those intimate dinner parties.
Uber co-founder Garrett Camp just plunked down US$72.5 mill for most expensive house in Beverly Hills on an acre of land, to add to his collection of houses in other parts of Los Angeles, plus San Francisco and an $8 mill penthouse in Soho, Manhattan.
He obviously wasn’t in the market for the development opportunity of The Mountain, 157 acres gated with private road that hovers over the city that is asking $1 bill. Oh, and then you have to build the house (there’s land enough for 1.5 mill sq ft of zoned build lots) but at least the 5000 plants, 500 trees and landscaped sculpture garden (and back-up generators) are all in place.
Late last year, billionaire hedge funder Ken Griffen acquired a mansion in London for US $122 million and then broke US records buying the penthouse of 220 Central Park South in Manhattan for $238 million a staggering 24,000 sq ft. There should be room to house his art collection that includes a $300 million work by Willem de Kooning.
A luxury villa on Hong Kong’s Peak district went for US$178.4 million, while in Sydney, tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes paid AU$100 mill for Fairwater, Piper Point sold by Fairfax family in September 2018. That beats their other property, Elaine, which went the year before for $71 million to another tech billionaire.
And the world’s most expensive house? The Antilia Tower in Mumbai, said to be worth between US$1 and 2 billion. To be fair, it’s a 27 storey tower of 400,000 sq ft, housing billionaire’s Mukesh Ambani’s extended family (and six floors of car storage, a temple and 50-set cinema).
