One of Paihia’s landmark waterfront estates is on the market after 40 years and is a much-loved local icon.
Chester and Louise Rendell bought the 1467sqm property in 1983, when it was a seven-unit motel and Devonshire teahouse.
“It was the worst house on the best street,” says Chester, co-owner and also the sales agent from New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty.
“We had a few prerequisites when we were looking to buy the property. We thought, ‘if we’re going to do motels, we do it in Northland, if we go to Northland, we have to go to the Bay of Islands, if we go to the Bay of Islands, we have to go to Paihia, and if we go to Paihia, we have to be on the waterfront’.
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“Six weeks after purchasing we realised there’s no money in scones, jam and cream.”
Over the decades the property has morphed significantly in terms of its usage but has always proudly retained its grand and gracious heritage features and is firmly entrenched in New Zealand’s North Island history.
“Downstairs at the back was an original cottage that was built in 1884 and then the front part and the upstairs was built in the early 1920s,” shares Chester.
40 Marsden Road in Paihia, Far North, is being marketed for sale by price on application. The two-residence 1467sqm property with a combined seven bedrooms, five bathrooms and lots of off-street parking has a 2022 RV of $2.35 million.
This picturesque location is world-class and coveted by locals and visitors from far and wide. Photo / Supplied
The two-storey, colonial residence at the front of the property was built in the early 1920s and the original cottage at the rear was built in 1884. Photo / Supplied
Today, it comprises the much-admired, two-storey colonial building in the front, which incorporates an open-plan, three-bedroom apartment on the first floor showcasing sea views over to Russell and beyond. On the ground floor is JFC restaurant, a popular spot for a drink and bite to eat overlooking the beach.
“Over the past 40 years in the downstairs part of the main house, we’ve set up four restaurants. JFC is the latest one,” says Louise.
The good news here is that if somebody wants to buy and run the business they can, but it’s certainly not compulsory.
“The restaurant business can be a scary option these days,” says Chester. “Because we own it there’s no lease in place, no nothing. You can just shut it down if you wish.”
What the couple envisage, is a buyer with passion and vision transforming the entire main house back into a spectacular private residence.
“We’d love to see the house returned to its former glory, upstairs and down as a homestead,” says Chester.
“In the 1920s there used to be houses like this all along the waterfront for the rich and famous to holiday at – this is the only one left. It’s got a very special meaning to Louise and I, the fact that the original bones are still here.”
The owners have lived here for 40 years, running the four-bedroom cottage at the rear as a short-term rental, and operating a restaurant downstairs of the main house while living upstairs. Photo / Supplied
The property has a 2022 RV of $2.35m. Photo / Supplied
Louise adds: “Or, if they didn’t want to do that, they could live in our current upstairs apartment and transform downstairs into another apartment. People could use it for accommodation or they may simply want another residence so that when family and friends visit, they have a place to stay.”
As an extra bonus, at the rear of the property is a standalone, two-level, four-bedroom family home, which the couple run as a short-term holiday rental called Bayswater. While it’s a nice earner currently, Chester says that they have approval to subdivide it.
“If somebody says, ‘I love the front house but not the back house,’ then they can just complete the subdivision and sell it off.”
This picturesque location is world-class and coveted by locals and visitors from far and wide.
“You can walk into town or hop on the ferry go across to Russell. It’s so central and surprisingly enough, it’s quiet. You might be right on the waterfront but it’s a peaceful environment,” says Louise.
Chester adds: “We’re not in the town, we’re a couple of hundred metres from the village so you don’t get that intensity all the time.”
After putting in a serious shift at their beautiful property, the couple now feel like the time is right to move onto their next chapter.
“When you say to people that you’ve been here for 40 years it falls glibly off the tongue, but it’s quite a long time. No one else has lived here as long and we’ve invested a lot of time, effort and energy into the property, so now it’s time to say sayonara,” says Louise.
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