A luxury bach on a picturesque island in the Far North has sold for $7.5 million, OneRoof can reveal.
The estate on Roberton Island, also known as Motuarohia Island, was snapped up in December last year, less three months after first hitting the market.
The 6464sqm property in the Bay of Islands was sold with a four-bedroom colonial-style bach, private jetty and a landing spot for a helicopter.
It was listed with Bayleys agents John Greenwood and Irene Bremner.
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Greenwood told OneRoof the buyers were an Auckland family who had been looking for a while. "They had been looking for a while last year and they came in by helicopter," he said, adding that they been won over by the "complete package" that the property offered.
The vendors told OneRoof last year that they had used the island as their private holiday retreat for more than 30 years.
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The original 1970s-built bach was given a luxury upgrade by Laurence Sumich Architects, and the island, which has four other homes, has its own full-time manager on site at all times.
“DOC works very closely with the residents in order to keep the island well in a conservation sense and predator-free,” Greenwood told OneRoof last year.
“They actually photographed a kiwi on the front lawn of this property one afternoon, recently. You can see that shot on our listing.”
The four-bedroom waterfront property comes with a private jetty and helicopter access. Photo / Supplied
A kiwi spotted on the lawn made it into the listing photos. Photo / Supplied
He added that the while the island was completely off-grid, properties there were solar-powered with back-up generators and septic waste systems.
Greenwood has two other high-profile island properties on his books: Motuketekete Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, which he is selling with former deputy PM Paula Bennett; and Motuekaiti Island, in Kaeo, Far North.
Bennett, Bayleys national director for customer engagement, told OneRoof in March that properties like Motuketekete Island rarely come up for sale and were “priceless”.
Greenwood said that Motuekaiti, on the other hand, was an “affordable” island and was suitable for a Robinson Crusoe type or “Tom Hanks from the movie Castaway”.
Motuketekete Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, is up for grabs. Photo / Supplied
Motuekaiti Island, in Kaeo, Far North, is crying out for a Robinson Crusoe type. Photo / Supplied
Greenwood said that interest in both islands had been high. "We had over 200 enquiries for Motuketekete. It is the more expensive of the two but closer to Auckland. We've had over 160 enquiries for Motuekaiti, which we've been quoting in the $3.5m range.
"Over 90% of enquiries were from New Zealand. Even if you said 50% of those were dreamers, that still leaves an enormous number of people who have over $5m to spend. Some people have thoughts of a fishing lodge that might have a hospitality aspect, but most are looking for private retreat for themselves.
"Even today, there is plenty of money around at the high end, it's just people are not spending it because they are so unsure of what's going to happen. It's not only the New Zealand economy and government, but also the world economy. That said, it hasn't stopped interest from New Zealanders."
He said that island buyers "are definitely not the same as your Omaha buyer. They want a lifestyle and a retreat, absolute privacy. Some come in by helicopters, others have their own launches or SeaLegs."
In April last year, Motukawaiti Island, also known as Step Island, in Northland sold to a New Zealand-based family for $10.6m.
The eventual sales price was significantly lower than the $30m which then became the $22m asking price attached to it as owner Jun Zhang made several attempts of selling it over a number of years.
- Click here to see more properties for sale in Northland
