- Northland’s “castle on a hill” in Whangārei has sold to an Auckland buyer.
- The four-bedroom mansion was built by Stuart and Nanette Cains over two decades.
- The new owner, Kate, is excited about moving and praised the home’s craftsmanship.
Northland’s famous “castle on a hill” has found a new owner.
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The listing agents for the four-bedroom mansion, perched on a hill on Parakiore Road, in Ngararatunua, Whangārei, told OneRoof the buyer was from Auckland but were tight-lipped about the price.
The stately home has been the talk of the town since it hit the market for sale in 2023. It had been a decades-long labour of love for the vendors, retired master builder Stuart Cains and his wife Nanette, who decided to build their very own chateau after falling in love with the historic homes of Europe and the US.
The 776sqm home has multiple lounges, a library, workshop, a sauna and spa room. Photo / Supplied
The property sits on a 3.46ha lifestyle block. Photo / Supplied
The property impressed its new owner Kate, who asked to keep her surname private. “I am in awe of the love and work the owners have put into their home,” she told OneRoof, adding that she was filled with “excitement and joy” about the move from Auckland to Whangārei.
Ray White agent Daniel Foote, who had been marketing the property with colleague Kelly Sackfield since Christmas, said he had been showing Kate properties in the area but “none had truly resonated with her”.
“Then, on a spur-of-the-moment decision late in the afternoon, I took her to see this one,” Foote said.
“As Kate stepped out of her car, she paused, taking in the views of the city below. I waited by the front step, watching her absorb the moment. As I swung open the entrance, the home unveiled itself, a grand staircase with an intricately hand-carved wooden balustrade and gleaming marble steps, Kate whispered, ‘I’m going to cry. This is the one, Daniel’.
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“I hadn’t seen someone so captivated in a long time. She said, ‘I have to own this’.”
Records show the house, which sits on 3.46 hectares of rolling countryside, has an RV of $2.6 million. Sackfield had told OneRoof before the sale that it could be one of the best value castles around.
“We don’t want people to think they are going to have to pay millions and millions – they are not. The sellers have had their time there and now it’s somebody else’s turn,” she said.
The Cains told OneRoof in February that they never intended the house to be a castle, “but unfortunately people called it that”.
The couple sourced the marble on the staircase from Spain and husband Stuart made the banisters. Photo / Supplied
Retired master builder Stuart handcrafted all the woodwork through the house. Photo / Supplied
The couple, now in their 80s, are moving to a retirement village. They were both working full-time when they started the project, so everything was done after work and during time off.
They completed the first stage of the build in 2000, producing a two-bedroom home, with a bathroom, laundry, two toilets and a kitchenette. Over the next two decades they added two more bedrooms, a library, a workshop, multiple lounges, a state-of-the-art kitchen, spa and sauna room.
Nanette told OneRoof they spent hours looking for the right fixtures and fittings to complement the home. “We kind of had a style and I guess we have carried it through.”
Multimillion-dollar sales are rare in Whangārei. Last year just six properties, all in the beach suburbs of Langs Beach, Matapouri, Whananaki and One Tree Point, changed hands for more than $3m.
Foote told OneRoof this week that buyers at the top end of the market were "taking a measured approach to decision-making".
“We’re seeing strong interest from both local and international buyers, particularly expatriates seeking security amid geopolitical uncertainties. Demand remains resilient for high-quality homes, especially those offering privacy, unique architectural features, or coastal and lifestyle appeal.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Whangārei
