A Grand Designs-style trophy home overlooking Parua Bay, in Whangārei Heads, has been snapped up by expats for $4.15 million in one of the fastest high-profile auction sales in Northland this year.
The four-bedroom luxury house on Nook Road sold under the hammer last month after the buyers fought off overseas interest and made an offer that brought forward the auction a week ahead of schedule.
The sale is Northland’s highest on the open market this year and surprised even the listing agent, Ray White’s Daniel Foote.
The property, which has a 2021 RV of $2.15m, was listed at the end of October, just after the election. Foote described it in his listing on OneRoof as “breathtaking”.
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Foote said interest in the property had been high. “I was absolutely swept off my feet with inquiries at one point,” he said.
“I had multiple sight-unseen interested people. I also had people flying in from overseas to look at it as well.”
Foote told the Northern Advocate that some potential buyers had flown in by helicopter and had landed on the beach.
The vendors, Andrew McKissock and Tracey Walsh, had bought the 1.47-hectare plot of land in 2018 for just under $1.3m and set about building their Balinese-inspired dream home.
McKissock, who studied architectural design, said life experience and an amalgamation of different styles the couple liked shaped the build of their home. He spoke of mid-century and Balinese influences.
The property sits on 1.47ha overlooking Parua Bay. Photo / Supplied
The home's design is heavily influenced by Balinese architecture. Photo / Supplied
“I guess little things across of your life stick,” he told the Northern Advocate.
“This house is really long and linear because we have a long and linear bit of dirt and a very linear view.
“I really like some of the 70s quirky, up and down, nook and cranny type of work as well but that would’ve been a bit daft here.”
The couple found their prized piece of paradise – then just “a bit of dirt” – after craving a change having spent 20 years in Auckland. They had almost given up hopes of buying in Northland, when they came across a listing for the section.
Despite it been “way over” their budget, the couple were taken with the property. “It was just, oh my God, we could never dream of something like this,” McKissock said.
They originally stayed in an old semi-converted Skyline garage lived in by the previous owners, as they brought their “forever home” to life.
The property offers sweeping water views. Photo / Supplied
The stone bathtub is a standout feature. Photo / Supplied
Foote said the couple had “really pulled one out of the bag”, with the 35m-long home boasting an impressive stone bath, a carved front door that weighs 170kg, an outdoor pool and separate studio.
McKissock said he had always “been a timber guy” and when he lived in London, he owned a timber bespoke conservatory company which worked with exotic timber sourced from all over the world – African hardwoods, American cherry, and more.
McKissock’s expertise reveals itself in the home’s window liners and door architraves, made from kwila. “People think of kwila just as decking but when it’s dressed it’s actually quite a beautiful timber. You can use it for flooring, we used it for all of our ceilings.”
The richness of the kwila offsets what McKissock said could be the harshness and coolness of the concrete used. There is roughly 24 tonnes of concrete above the floor, in the walls and the benches.
McKissock said they never intended to leave. Walsh had anchored herself in the community with her thriving Bachcare cleaning business that hired locally.
But the pull of family is taking them south. While the move “is tough”, the couple want to be closer to their three adult sons living in Auckland.
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* A version of this article was first published in the Northern Advocate
