The multi-million-dollar waterside mansion that was the scene of one of New Zealand’s most unforgettable seasons of TV3’s reality show The Bachelor, is on the market.
While the escapades of the 2016 runner-up Naz Khanjani and bachelor Jordan Mauger flipping a coin to choose his winner may have grabbed the headlines, the luxury harbourside house in Mahurangi, got plenty of its own attention.
The six-bedroom two-storey waterside house, known as Solsbury Hill, on 410 Pukapuka Road, in Mahurangi West, north of Auckland, is now being sold by Ray White agents Ross Hawkins and Heather Walton for a price on application.
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Interest is so high, Hawkins said, that the agents had calls for viewings the day the property went on the market over the weekend.
The house lends itself to a multi-generational family estate, he said, or could be turned into a boutique lodge.
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As well as the ground floor master bedroom suite, the main house has three more bedrooms, plus there’s a self-contained cottage and a one-bedroom apartment above the three-car garage. The huge tiled pool is accompanied by a pool house with a full bathroom and wet bar.
Warner Brothers spotted the dramatic potential of the English country-style house for the 2016 series filming, renting it from the owners, who had only bought the property in 2015.
The huge six-bedroom house beside the water at 410 Pukapuka Road, Mahurangi West, is on a 1.94ha estate with a helicopter pad and room for a tennis court. Photo / Supplied
The gated estate provided perfect privacy for the filming, with harbour on one side and bush on the other. Photo / Supplied
The producers made the most of the eye-catching design of the house, with its vast living areas, double-height marble entry staircase and swimming pool area with dramatic views over the Mahurangi Harbour.
It even has a full British-style pub, complete with a pool table and big-screen TV, that is served by a dumb waiter for food to be sent up from the kitchen. True to its heritage, the house has four wood-burning fires (one of them outside) but also comes with underfloor heating, double-glazing, insulation and a slate roof.
Hawkins would not be drawn on the likely price Solsbury Hill, which has a CV of $7.65 million, will sell for.
“The CV is the only guide, as it’s solid insulated masonry concrete so replacement cost would be huge, there’s been no expense spared.
“Because of this size and scale, and it’s on the waterfront, it would definitely be north of $7m. The owners have spent a small fortune upgrading,” he said.
The swimming pool has a pool house with bathroom and wet bar. Photo / Supplied
At the bottom of the property is a jetty for a boat and jet-skis. Photo / Supplied
Hawkins said that the appeal of the property since it was last on the market in 2019 was the ease of getting to Mahurangi West since the new Ara Tūhono Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway opened this spring, shaving the estimated commute to the city to 35 minutes.
The owner told OneRoof that since they’ve lived in the house since 2015, he and his wife have known what they wanted to do.
“It’s our permanent home because it is so close to the city, with the new highway gone through it’s a nice easy run,” he said.
The couple, who are relocating to be closer to family, have just finished upgrading the house. In the kitchen, which features cabinetry by a Waiheke maker, they have put in new benchtops and extended the scullery into the kitchen to serve as a bar for entertaining.
The biggest job, the owner said, was more than doubling the size of the kitchen window – not a trivial job when the house is masonry concrete – to open it up to the light and views of the Mahurangi Harbour.
The owners have also painted inside and out, and re-landscaped.
“We’ve made the grounds very low maintenance,” he said. “The property is 1.9ha so it really is suitable for either permanent or weekend living, it doesn’t need a whole team.”
Hawkins said new owners might eye up the paddock below the house as it is big enough to put in a tennis court. The grounds are edged with a protected reserve of native bush for even more privacy.
The property has a private boardwalk to a floating pontoon where a boat can be moored and there is also a jet-ski dock. The fishing here is good and there’s easy access to Saddle Island and Dairy Bay across the harbour, or boating further north to Kawau Island.
Helicopters can land on the property and the owner earlier told OneRoof that guests often charter one to get them to Waiheke Island for a day trip.
- 410 Pukapuka Road, Mahurangi, Auckland is for sale for price by negotiation
