MAHURANGI EAST
124 MILLER WAY
You can’t be built out here, says Simon O’Shaughnessy, of his country retreat set among a little over 6.8ha with sea views everywhere. Carista House, which he and wife Patti have used as a home and business, dominates the property.
The couple moved to New Zealand from Britain in 2001 and found the property when the house was but a shell.
They have added, rebuilt and landscaped, and all to the highest quality, Simon says. He has felt privileged to live here.
“There’s a stunning spot where we’ve got a deck that’s just between two macrocarpa and another line of trees.
“It looks straight through to Mahurangi east and west heads and, quite frankly, every time you sit there it’s breathtaking.”
In the distance, past the oyster farms, is Orewa. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Sky Tower.
“And, you know, you go, ‘Look at that’ and you go ‘How did I get here?’ I mean, you’re honestly in gratitude. You go, ‘That’s stunning, how did a London boy get here?’ ”
Most people who come say something similar within minutes — “They go ‘Wow, look at that, look at that’ and you just keep going.”
Simon says he has done a lot of things in his life, from being a dental surgeon to the director of companies, and in England he developed spa lines for big companies, plus he has worked for pop stars and royalty creating steam rooms and saunas.
“So we sort of came here really having learned a lot about high-level quality . . . nothing’s been skimped.”
The couple always had a calling to come to New Zealand: “It’s a strange thing; it was something in our blood.”
One of their children had already moved here and the others soon followed.
They decided on Mahurangi because Simon was working for a charitable trust in the area but he is also a coach and mentor for senior executives and they have held retreats at Carista House. The location at the end of a private road is perfect. “It’s very big and, therefore, you can get these sort of people involved and you don’t know they’re here after a while because it’s just like one side of the house.”
They even have clay pigeon shooting and archery in the fields. And as for parking, don’t worry about that, he says. “You could put 50 in and it would be fine.”
An orchard of orange trees has provided a commercial-size crop over the past few years, and there are other fruit trees, viewing platforms and an abundance of bird life.
There is also passive income from a rentable building at the end of the drive, which Simon says would be a prime spot for a groundkeeper, and the property would be ideal for Airbnb accommodation and/or boutique mini conferences.
The couple are moving to be nearer to their children where Simon plans to continue with his mentoring work.
He’s just not sure what to do with all the furniture and art work. The couple used to own an art gallery and brought many large works with them.
“The ideal purchaser, frankly, would be someone that came along and went, ‘You know, we couldn’t do much better, we’ll take you as you are and virtually have the lot . . . ’ ” Size: Land 6.87ha, house 540sq m. . Price: $2.55 million. Inspect: Today 3pm4pm. Schools: Snells Beach primary, Mahurangi College. Contact: Cristina Casares, Barfoot & Thompson, 021 333 615. On the web: barfoot.co.nz/574821