- A 1970s Matarangi beach house sold for $2.9m, surpassing its $2.49m RV.
- The house, with retro décor, attracted multiple buyers, highlighting nostalgia for classic Kiwi baches.
- The property, owned by one family for nearly 50 years, offered prime beachfront views.
A faded photo of a beach house from the 1970s stirred up such interest from would-be buyers that the result was a $2.9 million sale in December, well above the $2.49m RV.
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The photo, taken in Matarangi, in the Coromandel, shows a red-roofed Kiwi bach by a white sandy beach with the blue sea out front and green hills behind.
Matarangi Beach Realty agent Mark Hall told OneRoof the photo spoke of nostalgia, as did the interior of the property with its 1970s wallpaper and green porcelain bath and basin.
The buyers loved the retro vibe, he said, as did other disappointed would-be buyers who missed out.
“It’s always difficult. You can only ever have one purchaser but there was definitely multiple interest.”
The house belonged to one of the first families to build a bach on the Matarangi beachfront and it stayed in the family for nearly 50 years.
OneRoof featured the house when it went to market last year, its news report telling how the vendors’ parents had built the three-bedroom holiday home in 1976 but the property had hardly changed over the years.
At the time, Hall described the house as a “time warp” Kiwiana bach but said the family had upgraded various aspects, such as putting in underfloor insulation and a gas hot water system.
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He told OneRoof this week the new owners were “tickled pink” about their classic beach bach buy.
There were not many baches of that era and décor left – and Hall said some of the first houses got the prime positions.
“It’s interesting when you look at that photo. It was actually taken from a boat because they probably didn’t have too many helicopters back then.”
The sale also represented good value, he said.
“There are other areas, like canal frontage in Whitianga, which are reaching phenomenal sort of values, and you compare it with other beaches – Matarangi, it’s pretty special.”
The house looked out to Mercury islands and Great Barrier: “You’d sit there sipping on a martini all day if you could.”
The bach was much-loved and it had been hard for the vendors to let it go, he said.
Hall’s listing told how the holiday home was built by one of the first families to build along what was the new Kenwood Drive development in Matarangi in 1976.
“This holiday home has remained with the family for nearly 50 years and has created many wonderful memories for many generations.
“Fresh water was from an on-site bore, and septic tanks were normal.
“This is the beginning of Matarangi transitioning from farmland to resort. The holiday home hasn’t changed much, in fact, you would think you have turned back the clock to the ‘70s.
“Residents often say how development has changed Matarangi from when they first bought their site, but that is how we all became lucky enough to own here.
“Over the years Matarangi has evolved, town water and a treatment plant for sanitary, a shopping centre, tennis courts and boat ramp, and many other amenities for us all to enjoy.
“It’s now time to pass the baton on to the next family.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in the Coromandel