You wait ages for stunning waterfront home, and two come along at the same time.
A luxury home that once hosted billionaire Sir Richard Branson is vying with renovated heritage home just a few streets away to be the most expensive house in St Marys Bay this year.
The modern four-bedroom home at 81A Shelly Beach Road is seeking buyers with budgets of more than $11 million, and it's hit the market at the same time as a mega mansion on nearby St Marys Road is on the lookout for new wealthy owner.
The Shelly Beach Road property is being marketed by New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty agents Stewart Morgan and Scarlett Wood while the St Marys Road house is listed with Graham and Ollie Wall, of Wall Real Estate.
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While both homes are in the same $10m-plus price bracket, they could not be more different.
81A Shelly Beach Road has a modern look, and wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond movie.
Sir Richard Branson and his family used the 508sqm Auckland home as their base while he headlined an Outward Bound Trust fundraiser in New Zealand in 2011.
Architect Andrew Mirams redesigned the home at 81A Shelly Beach Road about 10 years ago. Photo / Supplied
The owners, Peggy Carter and her late husband John, had back then commissioned high-profile architects Andrew Mirams to do a complete reinvention of the home they’d already lived in for 20 years.
“People seem surprised to come down a relatively discrete driveway to discover such a big house on generous grounds with a truly spectacular view,” Peggy told OneRoof.
Sir Richard Branson after test-driving an amphibious boat in Waitemata Harbour during his stay in Auckland in 2011. Photo / Getty Images
The house, which was last on the market in 2019, has one of the best views in the city, taking in the harbour and Harbour Bridge, Westhaven Marina, Rangitoto and the city.
It comes with a triple garage, a large and private entry courtyard and a solar-heated swimming pool served by a pool-house.
The home’s exterior is predominantly render over concrete but also incorporates zinc accents. On approach it initially appears to be two storeys but has a third, lower level. A lift runs throughout and all three levels flow out to large decks on the seaward side.
The vendor is downsizing after 30 years at this address. Photo / Supplied
An open-plan kitchen-living area with a butler’s pantry and Gaggenau appliances has easy flow out to the front courtyard. Photo / Supplied
As well as revering the harbour, the home admires a large tennis court it shares with a neighbouring property, on which Australian tennis pro Pat Cash once played.
The oversized front door opens into an impactful foyer incorporating a two-storey central void. It showcases a dramatic curved staircase, topped by a skylight and chandelier, with glinting ribs of glass balustrading.
“That staircase is a big hit with everybody,” says Peggy, who with her husband were key players in the wine-making supplies and cork industry.
Lsiting agent Stewart Morgan says of the house: “This is a grand, spacious, and modern home with the most spectacular views both day and night.
“To have enough space to park nine cars off the street, a pool and a shared tennis court is rare for this part of the city where sections are usually small.”
The house at 83 St Marys Road, meanwhile, has just been revealed to the world after three years underneath white plastic sheeting.
81A Shelly Beach Road shares a large tennis court with a neighbouring property, on which Australian tennis pro Pat Cash once played. Photo / Supplied
At the foyer is a dramatic curved staircase, topped by a skylight and chandelier, with glinting ribs of glass balustrading. Photo / Supplied
The sheathed Victorian house on 83 St Marys Road, in St Marys Bay, a familiar site to drivers heading into the city from the Harbour Bridge, has been revealed as
The house, a spectacular three-storey mansion abutting a striking modern steel and glass box, comes with a swimming pool, garaging for five cars and staff quarters.
Listing agent Graham Wall, of Wall Real Estate, told OneRoof last week: “This is 1000sqm of house and everything is brand-new. Apartments in St Marys Bay are asking $35,000 per sqm, and while I’m not saying this is asking for $35m, everything about the house is impeccable."
The renovated mansion at 83 St Marys Road in St Marys Bay, Auckland, is on the market for sale. Photo / Supplied
