It looks as if it belongs in a sci-fi film, but it's actually in Otumotai, Tauranga.
The luxury three-bedroom home at 6 Hazel Terrace is on the market for sale, with inquiries over $3.65 million sought.
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Sales agent Cameron Macneil, from Oliver Road Estate Agents, who recently sold the Tauranga home of AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd for $4m, says that while the property was completed almost a decade ago, it presents practically as a new-build and hasn’t dated in any way.
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“It was built to a very timeless modern design with lots of big, bold features and the owners, Dave and Lynette Gillies, didn’t hold back when it came to quality,” says Macneil.
The couple, who operate ten Z Service stations in the Bay of Plenty, are keen entertainers and wanted plenty of room for family and friends with a large kitchen as the hub of the two storey home.
They’d worked with architect Robin Baillie when building their previous home, and asked him to recreate some features they’d enjoyed there, while adding in more, which resulted in a total floor space of 481sq m in their new-build.
The couple say that when they moved in they had two teenagers at home, so the media room and swimming pool enjoyed lots of use and the house was suitable for crowds, as they’d hoped, with 35 young people attending their son’s 18th birthday.
It was very wet on the night and the Gillies’ son and his friends all sang along to Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain.
This is just one of the many memories the couple say that they’ll be taking with them when they move.
The house has a wine cellar, along with four-car garaging to make sure that there’s room for cars, motorbikes and jet skis and there’s even a hidden panic room that can be used in the unlikely event of an emergency situation.
The owners say that the process of working with their architect, kitchen designer, interior designer and landscaper was a seamless process with all the professionals understanding their needs and ideas and collectively creating the desired outcome.
Both say that the aspect they’ll miss most is the view, which changes continually from dawn to dusk and takes in a wide vista of the surrounding city and the harbour where cruise ships come and go, plus Matakana Island, the Kaimai Ranges and the Coromandel Peninsula. Sunsets are fiery and clear – or stormy and dramatic and no two days are the same.
The Gillies are moving to Mount Maunganui where their new property will be smaller, but perfectly positioned for the outdoor activities they both enjoy.
Ironically, Macneil expects that the majority of interest in the Otumotai property will come from people who currently reside in increasingly busy Mount Maunganui and want a slower pace of life.
“And of course there are professionals in Tauranga who want a property that they can move right into with nothing to do.
“You’ve also got farmers from the Bay of Plenty and beyond, who are looking at retirement,” he says.
