While a seven-figure budget is likely to land you a house in Auckland, most buyers in the city’s housing market know that $1 million is no guarantee of a large home in a desirable suburb.
But outside of Auckland, $1m can buy something special, with some locations offering the level of luxury that would command eight figures in the likes of Herne Bay and Remuera.
Here’s what $1m now looks like around the country.
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Nobel Prize winner
In Christchurch, a budget of just over $1m could get you a brick and cedar home originally built for Lady Rutherford, the wife of Lord Ernest Rutherford, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who is widely regarded as the father of nuclear physics.
The three-bedroom home for sale at 116 Dyers Pass Road, in Cashmere, was designed by renowned Kiwi architect Richard Strachan De Renzy Harman, who is perhaps better known for his church work, including the picture postcard Church of the Good Shepherd, in Lake Tekapo.
Harman worked with Lady Rutherford, then a widow of some 15 years, to craft a private home that captured some of the best views of the city. The house, which sits on 1536sqm, has been modernised but still retains its mid-century charm and breath-taking vistas.
Inside the brick and cedar home built for Lady Rutherford at 116 Dyers Pass Road. Photo / Supplied
The view from the house is stunning. Photo / Supplied
“It’s a hidden haven,” says the listing agent, Mark Lambie, from Ray White. “The views, the terraced gardens and the modern kitchen and bathrooms make it desirable.”
The property, which has an RV of $1.13m, has a deadline sale date of April 26.
Prehistoric Whangārei
In Whangārei, buyers can get a smart home whose historic credentials stretch even further back. The four-bedroom home at 107A Hospital Road, in Horahora, was designed in 1966 by a local architect, Robert A Finch, to nestle neatly against the prehistoric limestone rock formations that dominate the 1950sqm section.
Indie Real Estate agent Shari Pickering says of Finch’s design: “I'm old enough to remember 1966, and this was definitely ahead of its time. There are a lot of windows and doors, and from every single one there are views – views of the limestone rocks, views out to the harbour and views of the city.”
A four-bedroom gem nestled among prehistoric limestone rocks at 107A Hospital Road, in Horahora, Whangārei. Photo / Supplied
The house was designed by a local architect, Robert A Finch, in 1966 and is big on light. Photo / Supplied
Pickering says the house offers buyers a lot of privacy. “Most of the neighbouring houses are hidden by bush, and only the roof of the home below is visible. If you’re coming home from a stressful job, [the limestone] makes you feel grounded. It makes you feel like the world has been here millions of years before you and it will be here millions of years after you.”
Pickering adds: “A lot of architecturally designed homes don’t seem to fit into the environment. This one is nestled in amongst the rocks and the paths are little boardwalks cut around the shape of the rock.”
The house, which has an RV of just under $1m, is for sale by way of negotiation.
Winton grandeur
One million dollars can secure a lot of real estate in many parts of the South Island. Priced at $950,000 is 62 Grange Street, a five-bedroom historic homestead on 1879sqm in Winton, Southland.
Lovingly restored after a house fire in the 1990s, and modernised again since then, Grange Manor still has many original 1920s features, including extensive wood panelling.
Priced at $950,000 is the upgraded manor at 62 Grange Street, in Winton, Southland. Photo / Supplied
The inside of the manor has been upgraded but it still retains many of its original features. Photo / Supplied
The listing agent, Property Brokers’ Brenda Caldwell, says the park-like grounds would appeal to families, as would the house’s updated finish.
“When you walk in [you’re hit by] the character features and the warmth of the wood. Yet the contemporary features make it feel so modern,” she says.
Change from $1m in Invercargill
Also coming in at just under $1m is an ultra-modern four-bedroom home on 3.02ha of land at 99 Blondell Road, in Waimatua, 15 minutes out of Invercargill.
Bayleys agents Graeme Ridder and Leanne Sutherland are selling the 2017-built home for $999,999.
This four-bedroom home on 3.02ha at 99 Blondell Road, in Waimatua, Invercargill, is going for $999,999. Photo / Supplied
The house, built in 2017, is stylish and modern. Photo / Supplied
“The space hits you when you walk in,” says Ridder of the house, which has the appearance of a futuristic barn. “There is glass all around and everywhere you look you have a view. It’s not your traditional build.”
The garden has its own playground, and a chicken enclosure, and there is a 135sqm workshed with two automatic roller doors. “We’ve had a huge amount of interest,” says Ridder.
A container home to write home about in Katikati
Stylish homes aren't cheap in the Bay of Plenty, but one modern home with a twist in Katikati falls into the $1m price bracket. For $990,000 buyers can get a super trendy tiny home on a 3370sqm patch of land at 115 Matahui Road.
The huge section offers plenty of room for expansion, while the flexibility of the one-bedroom container home has piqued buyer interest, says EVES listing agent Durrelle Green.
“The fact that you can add to it so easily is wicked,” says Green. “One young couple were going to do weddings there, but they couldn't get the money.”
A tiny but trendy container home on 3370sqm section at 115 Matahui Road, in Katikati, has an asking price of $990,000. Photo / Supplied
The house is flexible and can be extended. Photo / Supplied
