Joe’s plan to make other hearts sing
Trisha Joe, owner of Heartsong Retreat on Waiheke Island, says she will gift half of the proceeds of the sale of her property to ‘‘altruistic causes’’ close to her heart.
Joe closed the Rocky Bay waterfront retreat a year ago after it failed to sell, saying she was taking time out to travel. Now, it has been relisted with Bayleys Waiheke.
Listing agent Clive Lonergan says he has sold the property to Joe twice – she bought Heartsong in 1993, then sold it in 1997, and bought it back again in 2003.
Joe, who is a qualified holistic pharmacist, describes the property as an ‘‘incredibly special place’’, where she has provided a healing environment for those needing time out, including retreats for women with cancer.
Her most recent Facebook post, on Wednesday, says: ‘‘Heartsong is looking for a new guardian who will maintain and nurture this sanctuary for what it was always meant to be, a place to celebrate life, express joy and renew one’s spirit . . .
‘‘I am pledging to gift 50 per cent of the sale to altruistic causes dear to my heart so the legacy of changing someone’s reality will still live on.
‘‘Please share this link so the Universe will respond.’’
Speaking to Stuff, Joe says friends have called her expressing astonishment, but she says she is decluttering and downsizing, and wants a more sustainable lifestyle.
‘‘I have less of a need for material assets and wealth. I have travelled the world with very little, and I am so blessed I want to give something back. I am passionate about helping people connect with the community.’’
Joe funds hands-on educational and environmental initiatives in Vietnam and Bali, and anticipates being able to help more communities.
‘‘I have always been involved with volunteer work and charities that are helping to make a difference to people’s lives,’’ she says.
‘‘There is a ripple effect when you help someone, even in a small way – the ripples spread out and it can affect many people. I read about The Giving Pledge, where people give more than half their wealth away, but it turns out it is only open to billionaires (Warren Buffet and the Bransons are participants). But then I thought, what would happen if I did that, too? I have always known I wanted to leave a legacy, and I know I don’t need much to live on.’’
For now, home for Joe is in Whangarei, where she grows produce and gives away the excess to others in the community.
But she says Heartsong Retreat remains her ‘‘special place’’. ‘‘The first time I had to sell it, and I was heartbroken,’’ she says. ‘‘I always mourned it. It was like a hook in my heart. And then one day (six years later) I had a gut feeling the owners might want to sell, so I called Clive Lonergan and he said it had come on the market that very day. So I bought it back.’’
Bayleys has an asking price of $3,250,000 on the property, and has also listed the owner’s one-bedroom cottage next door for $1,795,000.
One of the most appealing features of the retreat is the boatshed at the bottom of the garden. Lonergan describes it as ‘‘an unbelievable piece of living history that has hosted many weddings and special milestone celebrations, as well as a daily swim for the current owner and man’s best friend’’.
The retreat has three suites, which all command views of the sea. The property also comes with a registered mooring.
Heartsong’s Facebook page includes a video of dolphins frolicking beside the boatshed.