- Former Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick is selling her family bach in Maketū.
- Chadwick and her late husband bought the property in the late 90s for $100,000.
- The bach, cherished for family memories, needs new energy and a couple who love the land.
Former Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick realised it was time to part ways with her much-loved family bach when the garden was cutting into her swimming time.
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Chadwick, who retired from local government in 2022, bought 10 Church Road, in Maketū, Western Bay of Plenty, with her late husband John in the late ‘90s, paying $100,000, according to OneRoof records.
She was the Rotorua MP at the time and wanted a bach that was close to home. “I had become an MP and I quickly learned you didn’t get a day at home. You did not get a break.”
The couple had been looking for a getaway within a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Rotorua when a local contact told John, who was a lawyer, about a property for sale in Maketū that might suit them.
Steve Chadwick’s family bach at 10 Church Road, in Maketū. She is selling her "funky bach" with a large garden. Photo / Supplied
The 1930s cottage has two bedrooms and one bathroom. Photo / Supplied
“I was in Parliament when we bought that house and we hadn’t even seen it,” she said.
The 1930s property had been neglected and the couple spent the first year clearing the garden. “It was covered in gorse and blackberry and was in a shocking state. But we worked on it, and 18 loads to the dump later, we discovered a very quaint house,” she said.
“We didn’t even go inside for the first year – we worked on the land.”
Chadwick said it had been exactly the kind of project she wanted. “I just had to clear my head and the best way to do it was to be physical – out in the garden planting. It was good for my soul.”
Her three children were only young and were disappointed with their parents’ choice of holiday homes. “They thought we’d gone potty. They thought we’d buy at the Mount. When they saw it, they said ‘Geez, what are you doing?’ But then they got that it was our retreat.”
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The couple spent many happy holidays at the two-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage with friends and family and created lots of memories sitting around the firepit listening to a guitar and singing. The bach has hosted many politicians and inspired several artists – Chadwick is the sister of Dick Frizzell after all.
“It was a very hospitable place. People came and pitched their tents, it’s a big property. They pitched their tents and we had some wonderful times.”
Chadwick said it had always been a family joke that she would have a posh apartment in Rotorua because she loved the city so much and that John would live at the bach and they would see each other three times a week.
But that dream was shattered when John died suddenly in 2017.
Chadwick said spending time in the large garden was a great way of clearing her head while she was in politics. Photo / Supplied
Chadwick, now in her 70s, continued to spend time at the property and potter in the garden, but the large 1872sqm section has been too much.
“It’s a beautiful place, but sadly I cannot keep it all going. And the family have accepted – not happily I have to say – that it’s time for it to go,” she said.
“When you are looking at your twilight years it’s not good to spend five hours in the garden and then think I haven’t even got the energy to go for a swim.”
The property now needed some new fresh energy, she said, and would suit a couple with the energy, who had a love of the land and wanted somewhere peaceful to create family memories just like the Chadwicks had.
“It’s a dearly loved family bach. Well, we call it the whare really,” she said.
“It’s a very funky little house too. We’ve had a lot of fun in the house. But it’s old and worn down and needs some energy again.”
Maketū was a wonderful community, she said, which was less commercial than other holiday hotspots and had been the perfect place for her family to relax, unwind and make memories.
“We as a family never saw ourselves as in the more built-up places where you had to mow your lawns every day. It’s very laid back and communal.”
Maketū was also a “deeply spiritual place” and it had been important to her that it was the historic landing site of the Arawa waka, a Māori canoe that arrived more than 800 years ago.
“There are huge open skies. I’m aware of the history – there were some really hard times there for the tribe, but they protected the history and they also grew gardens for vegetables and flax to go to Auckland so it’s a very rich land. We just loved it.”
Her own orchard and garden are a testament to that and the Chadwicks often found themselves swapping the homegrown produce for fish with locals. “The land at Maketū – they joke that you can put a tomato stake in the ground when you grow your tomatoes and the stake grows too.”
EVES Real Estate salesperson Katie Burke, who is marketing the property with Jon Parrington, said the property was likely to attract an array of people looking for the relaxed Maketū lifestyle.
“We think the buyer will be someone that loves older character homes that may have the appetite to restore it to its former glory or those that would love a slice of the simple life in Maketū and a stunning piece of land with its own fruit trees and established gardens. There may also be a possibility of subdividing the land [subject to council consent].”
The property must be experienced firsthand to be fully appreciated, she said, because it “had a truly special aura”. It also had breathtaking sea views.
“It will be exciting to see who it attracts and we look forward to hearing people’s reactions when they view this home in person.
“Jon and I have sold a number of properties in Maketū over the years and have had the pleasure of meeting some of the locals who have all spoken highly of the community and the area. It is a relaxed lifestyle that is hard to beat.”
- 10 Church Road, in Maketū, Western Bay of Plenty, is for sale, deadline March 26
