For a whopping 32 years, owners Jim and Lynda have delighted in the grandstand position of their architecturally-designed home, enjoying 180-degree views of the sea.
Jim says: “We’re tucked away down a quiet little cul-de-sac so people don’t necessarily know our property is here. But when they come here they marvel at our views, looking out across the estuary to the harbour entrance with Great Barrier and the Mokohinau Islands in the distance.”
Lynda says: “It’s very private and sheltered here, away from the hustle and bustle, and we don’t look at any houses out the front of us. There’s always something to see – boats, windsurfers, jet-skis, paragliders, passing ships and the occasional orca or dolphin.”
4 Doris Street in Mangawhai Heads, Kaipara, is on the market for sale by tender closing May 9. The four-bedroom, three-bathroom property has a 2023 RV of $2.8 million. According to OneRoof data, the property last changed hands 40 years ago for $45,000.
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Jim’s lived at the Heads for more than 80 years, descended from some of the area’s earliest European settlers who migrated here around the 1860s. Around the 1950s his family started subdividing a large farm to allocate to family members.
Jim and Lynda bought this 2206sqm of land from his uncle in the 1980s, wowed by its position and size.
Jim says: “We weren’t ready to sell our farm then but we’d visit the site for eight years, thinking about the home’s position and design.”
The 370sqm residence sits on a 2206sqm section that looks across the estuary to the harbour entrance with Great Barrier and the Mokohinau Islands in the distance. Photo / Supplied
The shallow ‘U’ shape provides privacy to the front outdoor living area with swimming pool. Photo / Supplied
They had Philippa Johnson Architect formalise their ideas, designing a home for them and their two sons in the shape of a very shallow ‘U’, bestowing privacy to its front outdoor living with swimming pool.
The retired couple, who post-farming opened a building supplies company, chose Hinuera brick and a tile roof for their 370sqm two-storey home. It’s situated down a dedicated driveway, with off-street parking, an internal-access double garage and two carports, one where they kept a little boat when younger.
Jim’s grandmother donated to the community the stretch of reserve between them and the shore.
Lynda says: “We’re about 100 metres from the beach and it’s great swimming for children here, or the surf beach is a couple of kilometres away.”
Different aspects of the view are showcased throughout the first floor, imbued with a somewhat tropical feeling when admired between the line-up of groomed palm trees growing just in front of their boundary.
The owners bought the land 40 years ago from family but didn’t build until eight years later when they hired Philippa Johnson Architect to formalise their ideas. Photo / Supplied
The view from the kitchen sink where there’s always something to see on the water be it boats, windsurfers, jet-skis, paragliders, and the occasional orca or dolphin. Photo / Supplied
A large lounge opens to the spacious main deck with magnificent outlook. The dining room and kitchen precede the main suite with its own balcony, dressing room and ensuite. Two more bedrooms on this level accompany a family bathroom and powder room.
The basement level centres on a family room with bar, opening out to the pool area and great for large gatherings. It sits between a fourth bedroom, bathroom and laundry, and the garage.
A wooden gazebo near the kidney-shaped, heated in-ground saltwater pool has been much loved for alfresco dining. Grounds include expanses of lawn, a selection of fruit trees and Jim’s man-shed at the rear of the section.
Jim says: “We’ve absolutely loved it here and we’d stay if not for our age but we’re moving into an Auckland retirement village.”
Bayleys agent Laureen Hayes says: “This is a great opportunity for someone to secure a beautiful home, remarkable for its position and land size, in original 1990s condition ready to put your own stamp onto.”
- 4 Doris Street in Mangawhai Heads, Kaipara, is for sale by tender closing May 9
