The iconic White House homestead in a coveted bay in Lake Rotoiti which has a history of $3 million and $4m sales has hit the market for sale after the owner made the heart-wrenching decision to sell it.
Aucklander Richard Leary, 88, was only a baby when his father bought the 7.2-hectare block in TeTi Bay in 1936.
He was only the second owner after Judge Alexander Herdman had purchased it about 10 years earlier from the Ngati Pikaio tribe when they needed money to pay off creditors to bury a chief. A homestead was then built on it.
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But when it became clear that Herdman’s second wife was not a fan of the remote property, which could still only be accessed by water, he invited Leary’s father, Leonard, to view the property encompassing both TeTi Bay and a neighbouring one.
During the visit, he asked whether it was possible to catch fish from there and was taken down to the jetty. He hooked a trout on his second cast which sealed the deal, Leary said, and he bought the property on the spot as the family holiday home.
The family moved from their Remuera home to the homestead during the war because his father, who was a colonel, thought it was a safer place to be. It was at this time while his father was away running a regiment that Moose Lodge owner Sir Noel Cole, who was known for his big acts of kindness, added two more bedrooms transforming it to a four-bedroom cottage.
The original homestead was built in the 1920s by a judge. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen is also in original condition. Photo / Supplied
A road to the bay was constructed after the war and Leary’s father subdivided the large property in 1946.
He had the foresight to keep enough sections so that each of his four children would eventually have one. Leary, being the oldest, would eventually inherit the old homestead on the 6824sqm lakefront section and his two brothers and sister each acquired their sections including the only other lawn-to lake section in the bay, which they all later built houses on.
Now his and his sister’s house, set further back from the lake, are the only remaining Leary properties in the bay after his brothers sold theirs off years earlier. Soon there will be just one Leary-owned property when he sells his at auction next month.
Leary said selling had been an incredibly emotional decision and had come down to the fact that the estate, in its current form, could not be easily split up to provide for each of his three daughters once he and his wife died.
“It’s probably the most unpleasant thing I’ve had to do in my life. You really have to separate emotion from practicality.”
His memories of the property were “enormous” dating back from his own childhood right up to the current date where he has watched his grandchildren enjoy water activities right on their doorstep.
“We’ve always had about three generations in the place.
The property comes with a half share of a jetty. Photo / Supplied
“We have had some pretty big gatherings over New Year. There’s been plenty of room for people to camp and bring their own tents and caravans and things."
Leary hopes the new owners will want to enjoy the property as it is and create their own family holidays at the secluded spot.
“To further subdivide it will take away its particular charm – in my view.”
Bayleys listing agent Beth Millard said 257C Whangamoa Drive was a unique opportunity to own one of the largest – if not the largest – freehold lawn-to-lake properties on Lake Rotoiti.
“The size of the land is unique to Lake Rotoiti that’s for sure. But it’s probably more TeTi Bay and the fact that everyone has this idealistic vision when they buy lake property that they want to be able to sit on the deck and watch their kids in the water and this property achieves this.”
It was a truly iconic property, she said, and one she did not think she would have ever had the chance to market.
“People know the bay, people know that family settled the bay and people know the White House.”
“Even though you feel like time has stood still when you are at this property, you are still only five minutes to the store and 20 minutes to town.”
People could “love it like it is” in its original condition or completely remodel it, she said.
The current owners have hosted large family gatherings and even a wedding at the property. Photo / Supplied
The last time a property sold in TeTi Bay was in December 2022 when a 1970s architect-designed four-bedroom home on a 1540sqm section sold for $4.8m, which was more than three times its RV. In 2021, another property in the same bay sold for $3.33m. Both properties had originally been owned by the Leary family, but neither had the coveted lawn-to-lake access.
Also going to auction on the same day as the White House is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom property at 187C Te Akau Road, in Lake Rotoiti. Like the Whangamoa Drive property, it also has a half-share in a jetty, as well as a quarter-share in a boat ramp and, according to OneRoof data, last changed hands 24 years ago.
Meanwhile, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 1/110 Curtis Road, in Tapuaekura Bay, which is also on the shores of Lake Rotoiti, is being sold by tender. The retired Cambridge owners have also decided to sell their holiday home after 43 years.
NZ Sotheby’s International Realty Rotorua principal Shona Duncan told OneRoof earlier this month that the standout properties on Lake Rotoiti’s waterfront were generally those on freehold land titles.
“Tapuaekura Bay is a beautiful part of Lake Rotoiti, an exclusive enclave, lovely beach and crystal waters.”
The current Lake Rotoiti record is held by a landmark resort-style property on Okere Road with two homes on it, which sold in March last year for $7m.
- 257C Whangamoa Drive in Lake Rotoiti, Rotorua, goes to auction on April 9
