A beachfront section with views of Cape Kidnappers, in Hawke’s Bay, is heading to auction with an ultra-low reserve of $1.
But the empty 736sqm section at 7 Clifton Road, in Haumoana, Hastings, is hoping to snare a buyer who is willing to pay a bit more.
There’s a slight catch, though. Roughly half the property has already been reclaimed by the sea, but for buyers with a taste for crashing waves and coastal views, the possibilities are, according to the owner, endless.
The seafront half of the land is now part of the sea, but a concrete wall contains a near-flat site at the rear.
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Because it is classified in the region’s Coastal Hazard Zone, it also comes with a building restriction, so permanent structures and houses are likely out of the question.
The property does come with a septic tank, as well as power and water just right to the boundary, and has a 2022 RV of $206,000.
Listing agent Fiona Mackenzie, of Bayleys Hawke’s Bay, described the property as an “opportunity of a lifetime”.
“It’s a freehold title. We’re going to be selling it without any warranties or guarantees,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“Really, it’s up to the purchaser to decide what to do with it.”
Great views but much of the property has already been reclaimed by the sea. Photo / Supplied
The site, which used to house a storm-wrecked house, was previously earmarked for a restaurant.
The owner, architect Andy Coltart, said he was ready to let someone else make 7 Clifton Road their own.
“I’m very sad to be exiting because I had plans to do stuff, but sometimes you just have to say that it will probably be too hard,” he said.
“But in saying that, it’s gorgeous out there, and I’d love someone to buy the section who would love it.”
He suspects a group of friends could jump at the opportunity and use it as a space to call their own.
“[The coastline] is just heroic. We have more coastline than the USA, but we don’t do anything on it. We have so much it would be wonderful if we had a few things on the coast people could enjoy.”
A Hastings District Council spokesperson said there were some potential restrictions on what could be done with it, including putting a caravan on it.
“The site is within a tsunami inundation area which imposes restrictions on activities additional to those that apply under the Haumoana-Te Awanga residential zone.
“Whether an activity would require resource consent would depend on factors such as how long the caravan was occupied, whether it was rented out and whether the caravan was there permanently or intermittently.”
Mackenzie noted the site was just across the road from popular Haumoana hotspots like the Brown Dog Espresso, the Haumoana Four Square, a busy fish and chip shop, and the iconic Gannets Bar.
“You can go and have picnics and fish and chips across the road. For a dollar, it’s not a bad site to have.”
Last year, a beachfront home in Thornton Bay, in the Coromandel, was taken to auction with a $1 reserve. The property had been a casualty of the extreme weather that struck the Coromandel at the start of 2023.
It ended up selling for $375,000 at a packed and lively auction.
Another high-profile $1 reserve auction that took place last year actually ended with the property selling for $1.
The owner of the troubled four-bedroom apartment on Carrington Road, in Mount Albert, Auckland, had been looking for someone to take the property off her hands.
- 7 Clifton Road, in Haumoana, Hastings, goes to auction on February 9
- A version of this story was first published on Hawke's Bay Today
