A former international rugby player who helped bring the Aussie surfwear brand Quiksilver to the world is reluctantly selling his beach home in Hawke’s Bay.
Jeff Bradburn, who grew up in Mount Maunganui, snapped up the four-bedroom, two-bathroom barn on Happy Jacks Road, in Mahanga, near Wairoa, nearly 15 years ago.
The keen surfer had teamed up with several rugby friends he had played with in the 1970s – some of whom went on to become major rugby stars – to buy property in the surfing and fishing town.
“We all loved surfing and fishing and having that type of holiday together,” he said.
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“We were looking for the Mount Maunganui we knew 40 or 50 years ago.”
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Bradburn, who forged a successful career in business after giving up professional rugby, said Mahanga’s surf was among if not the best.
It’s also why he believes the beach town will eventually become the region’s Coromandel, noting that its commuting distance of Havelock North and Napier.
“I think the place is going to take off. You’ve got the Rocket Lab there which is creating whatever it’s creating and it’s stunningly beautiful and untouched,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s a place I would want to live in all year round, but it would be a no-brainer for me if I was working in Havelock or Napier.”
Bradburn, who is now retired, spends most of the time in France, and has used the property as his New Zealand base. It has also been run as a popular and profitable Airbnb when not in use by Bradburn.
His daughter and the entire wedding party travelled from overseas to get married at the barn-style property last year, and he and his wife Denise spent several months there during the Covid lockdown.
“The local community helps each other out. It’s a very, very tight-knit special place for me,” he said.
“I’ve never seen a community spirit like that spirit ever and I’ve travelled over 100 countries.”
The spacious home has a holiday vibe. Photo / Supplied
The current owner believes the best surf in the world is on the doorstep. Photo / Supplied
However, because the commute from France is much longer, Bradburn has reluctantly decided it’s time to move on despite his rugby mates still owning the section next door.
“If I was living in New Zealand, I would not sell it,” he told OneRoof.
The four-bedroom property is being marketed for by Bayleys agent Katie Bowen, and in her listing she highlights the location’s “magical” qualities.
“The home is in a secluded, private setting, with Mahanga Beach, renowned for its beautiful, pristine coastline, great fishing and diving, and world-famous surf breaks, just at the end of the driveway,” she said.
Bowen said the area was continuing to attract active retirees, but the main buyers looking for holiday homes in Mahia were from Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.
“They tend to be families who love the water – whether it’s boating, swimming, surfing or beach combing, anything – it’s a very laid-back place.”
Aucklanders tended to buy holiday homes in Coromandel and Northland because they were much closer to home.
“Unless they’ve got a connection to Mahia, why would they come all the way [here]?,” Bowen pointed out.
However, she said, Mahia was much more affordable.
An entry-level two-bedroom home on a cross-lease section could be bought for just over $500,00, while the record in the town was held by a beautiful home on an elevated section with stunning views which sold for $1.85 million.
There had been an increase in the number of properties in Mahia for sale as properties took slightly longer to sell due to buyers being cautious and making sure they did all their due diligence before purchasing, Bowen said.
The road to the area had undergone some repairs since being damaged in the storms last year and the work to improve it was ongoing.
Bowen said it may be considered a hidden gem by some because “geographically it was a road to nowhere”.
“You don’t go through it, you’ve got to go to it. So, it’s a destination so you don’t go past it to have a holiday or whatever.”
- 54 Happy Jacks Road, in Mahanga, is for sale by deadline treaty, closing on March 14
