A lifestyle property that was a second home for the local kindy kids is for sale after the town’s local legend died last year.
For more than a decade neighbour Gordon Burr opened his gates to the children of Te Puna Kindergarten in the Western Bay of Plenty so they could climb trees, rear and shear lambs and sheep, pick fruit from his trees, grow vegetables and even have trailer rides on his 2.8-hectare block.
The 92-year-old, fondly known as Farmer Burr, was also a popular visitor to the kindergarten often popping in and sharing stories with the children. They also wrote and still sing a song about their Farmer Burr.
In 2020, a wooden carving was placed at the apex of the kindergarten’s building to acknowledge the role he played in helping the children connect with the land.
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Burr’s generosity and special bond with the kindergarten featured on TVNZ's Good Sorts slot in 2019 when he was highlighted as a beloved and longstanding member of the Te Puna community for sharing his property, time and goods with them. He told the show at the time that he wouldn’t change anything, adding “I feel at home with these little fellas”.
However, that relationship ended when Burr died in September 2022 at the age of 92 and his family has now put his home of more than 70 years on the market.
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Burr’s daughter Delwyn Lawrence said her father treated the kindergarten children like his own great-grandchildren. The community had been amazing and rallied around him when his wife Avis died, she said.
In recent years Waka Kotahi had purchased some of the land between the kindy and Burr’s property for roading, which made access between the two properties slightly harder.
Burr originally owned the land the kindergarten, the White House Restaurant and the Te Puna Tavern, which he set up with two others, are on.
The Burr family lived in the White House when they first moved to the property, but later built the larger three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The White House and some of the surrounding land was sold about 40 years ago.
But Lawrence said because the White House was now a restaurant it meant they could always visit it regardless of it being sold.
“It’s wonderful for us because we can still go back there. No matter what happens with the land being sold we can still go back there and have a meal in our bedroom.”
Farmer Burr pictured with Te Puna Kindergarten pupil Hannah Pomfrett in 2019. Photo / George Novak.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 19 Minden Road is in original condition. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys Tauranga salesperson Brent Trueman, who is marketing 19 Minden Road, said the home was in original condition and the new owner could choose to live in it as is or build their dream home on the site.
“The existing dwelling features an exceptional footprint – a draw for buyers keen to personalise the property with add-value renovations instead of entire redevelopment.”
The north-facing home has an indoor spa room, triple garaging and a separate large shed.
“Locally, the property is absolutely iconic, and it personifies the nostalgia many of us feel when we think back to childhood memories and the kiwi country dream.”
It was also close to shops, schools, restaurants and cafes.
In the last three years, property values in the Western Bay of Plenty have risen 55% as demand for properties in the Western Bay of Plenty District grows. This was largely driven by the high gains for orchards and the opportunity to diversify pastoral land into horticulture, he said, while lifestyle properties had also had a surge in popularity with those living in the main centres as they sought out homes with a bit of land and enough room for all the toys.
Celebrity chef Chelsea Winter sold her luxury lifestyle property on Crawford Road in Te Puna for $2.006m at the start of the year so she could relocate to Taranaki.
Some of its unique features include the indoor spa room and a large shed. Photo / Supplied
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