An expansive waterfront home on Auckland's Kawau Island, is set to break local real estate records, with an asking price normally seen in upmarket Auckland suburbs.
Pt Lot 212 Schoolhouse Bay, Kawau Island- just an hour's drive and a 20-minute boat ride from the city - is currently on the market, with an asking price of $3.45 million which is the highest the small island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf has ever seen.
Harcourts agent Karen Franklin who is marketing this sprawling five-bedroom property says most listings that come up for sale on Kawau Island are old baches, not modern architecturally designed homes like this one.
“There aren’t many sales on Kawau Island as it is, and when properties do come up they’re usually small, old and don’t get much sun,” she says. “Often you have to carry all your stuff up a hill to get to it too, because there aren’t many roads on the island and many houses are on hills, making access really difficult.
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“This property really is a ‘once in a long time’ kind of offering. Its large flat lawn is incredibly unique for the island, and it has easy flat access from its shared jetty. While many properties on the island have neighbours quite close to them, this home enjoys a lot of privacy. And to make access even easier, the owners are even throwing in a Polaris which the new owners can use to ferry their belongings from the jetty to the house and back.”
Building on the island required months of builders ferrying every building material to the site, tucked between the bush and the water. Photo / Supplied
The fully double-glazed home features five spacious bedrooms that open onto sun-drenched wrap-around decks, an enormous living area complete with fireplace for the cooler months, and a kitchen that has been designed as the hub of the home. Outside, a renovated sleepout provides two more bedrooms for additional guest accommodation.
For owners Phil and Diane, their little hideaway from the rest of the world has been a long but rewarding labour of love. When the couple bought the property around 20 years ago, they used the little house that came with it as a holiday home. 10 years ago, they tore down that home and built this home in its place, where they have semi-permanently lived ever since.
The house has a shared jetty and a self-contained sleep-out cottage. Photo / Supplied
“We built it so the whole family could come and stay together,” says Phil. “We have a son and daughter who are both married, and our son has two children, so building this home was really for the future so eventually all the kids and grandkids could come and bring their friends.”
The project has been a family affair, with Phil and Diane’s son-in-law Richard Eygjermons extensively involved in the build from day one.
“We were very lucky that our son-in-law is a top builder, so we were able to build this together.”
Views are across Schoolhouse Bay to Bon Accord Harbour, the main harbour on Kawau Island. Photo / Supplied
Karen says that building on an island comes with its own unique challenges.
“At one point, Phil had a couple of guys walking up and down from the jetty for a couple of months, simply carrying supplies to the building site. For that reason alone, people might decide to build a simple bach or renovate what’s already there – but not Phil! He wanted to create a home for the generations, that would last the generations, and he really has achieved that.”
Despite being on an island, access to the mainland is easy.
The generous living spaces were designed for extended family holidays. Photo / Supplied
“We have our own boat so if we need to do a spot of shopping, we just buzz over to Sandspit or use the ferry,” says Phil. “The island helipad is 100 metres away from the house too, so if we ever needed to quickly get off the island and into hospital, for example, we’d be there faster than anyone trying to get through Auckland traffic!”
Karen says buyers who are looking for a true escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, while still being within easy access of the mainland, should seriously consider this property.
“I don’t know if there’s another property like this on the island, and if there is it’s certainly not for sale, and there hasn’t been a property like this for sale for many years.”
Pt Lot 212 Schoolhouse Bay, Kawau Island has an asking price of $3,450,000. All offers are to be presented before the 2nd of June.
