It was a classic case of love at first sight – eight years ago, according to the current owner of this extraordinary property on 18 hectares in a peaceful rural area at the edge of Woodhill Forest, within easy reach of Auckland.
“You have to drive through two sets of gates to get here and at the second set I turned to my husband and just said ‘wow!’
“I told him we were going to buy this place, and he agreed – all before we’d even seen inside.”
The 859sqm house was constructed by its original owners between 2002 and 2004, taking inspiration from the work of legendary US architect Frank Lloyd Wright – and from Balinese architecture – for a very striking result.
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“I’ve been told that they were very particular and did everything to the very highest standard possible,” says the vendor.
Apart from general maintenance, and some painting, she and her husband have barely needed to lift a finger during their time in residence. With eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms (including powder rooms) in total, there is plenty space for a family and the living areas are all extremely generous.
They include a home theatre and a library and there’s also a martial arts gymnasium, which could potentially be repurposed by a new owner. An elevator shaft is in place, should it be required in future.
A huge and highly functioning kitchen is beautifully appointed, with masses of bench and storage space and a double oven as well as a walk-in pantry, and the separate laundry is huge.
Not surprisingly this high-end property also has a wine cabinet, situated in the formal dining room.
The home was built between 2002 and 2004, and took inspiration from the work of legendary US architect Frank Lloyd Wright – and from Balinese architecture.
The English style gardens are classic and timeless with manicured lawns and neatly clipped hedges and the well-established orchard includes plum, peach, lemon, lime and olive trees.
There are eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms including powder rooms, a home theatre and library, martial arts gymnasium, wine cellar, multiple living areas, huge kitchen, sheds and stables, garaging for four vehicles and a children’s playground.
There are many outdoor areas to entertain or relax and the heated pool is a big drawcard, with its adjacent cabana.
The English style gardens are classic and timeless with manicured lawns and neatly clipped hedges and the well-established orchard includes plum, peach, lemon, lime and olive trees.
With bore water and a generator, as well as a terraced vegetable garden, the property allows for self-sufficiency and a state-of-the-art security system with 40 cameras placed around the house and garden means occupants can feel completely safe, day and night.
Sheds and stables round out this unusually lavish offering along with garaging for four cars and a children’s playground.
The property, whose physical address has been withheld, has a 2021 RV of $8.85 million. According to OneRoof data, it last changed hands in 2016 for $4.4m.
There are many outdoor areas to entertain or relax and the heated pool is a big drawcard, with its adjacent cabana.
The property allows for self-sufficiency and a state-of-the-art security system with 40 cameras placed around the house and garden means occupants can feel completely safe, day and night.
“The longer we’ve lived here the more we’ve loved it,” says the current owner, adding that the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 were positively idyllic.
She and her husband are selling up, reluctantly, because the property is simply too large for this stage of their lives.
“We had planned it to be an extended family home, but our children are overseas, and we have elderly parents who don’t drive so it’s a bit too rural for them.”
Ailsa McArthur from Bayleys, Coatesville, says that it’s hard to express how truly spectacular this once-in-a-lifetime property really is.
“I don’t think I’ve never seen such an amazing opportunity before. Every single aspect is incredible. It just offers so, so much.”
- Woodhill Forest, Rodney, is for sale by negotiation
