ISLAND GETAWAY
This comes with a five-bedroom main house plus a renovated sleepout, writes ERIN REILLY
An expansive waterfront home on Kawau Island is set to break local real estate records, with an asking price normally seen in upmarket Auckland suburbs.
Pt Lot 212 Schoolhouse Bay, Kawau Island has an asking price of $3,450,000 which is the highest the small island in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf has ever seen.
Harcourts agent Karen Franklin, who is marketing this sprawling five-bedroom property, says most listings that come up for sale on Kawau Island are old baches, not modern architecturally designed homes like this one.
“This property really is a ‘once in a long time’ kind of offering. Its large flat lawn is incredibly unique for the island, and it has easy flat access from its own private jetty.
“While many properties on the island have neighbours quite close to them, this home enjoys a lot of privacy. And to make access even easier, the owners are even throwing in a Polaris which the new owners can use to ferry their belongings from the jetty to the house and back.”
The fully double-glazed home features five spacious bedrooms that open onto sundrenched wraparound decks, an enormous living area complete with fireplace for the cooler months, and a kitchen that has been designed as the hub of the home.
Outside, a renovated sleepout provides two more bedrooms for additional guest accommodation.
For owners Phil and Diane, their little hideaway from the rest of the world has been a long but rewarding labour of love.
When the couple bought the property around 20 years ago, they used the little house that came with it as a holiday home.
Ten years ago, they tore down that home and built this home in its place, where they have semi-permanently lived ever since.
“We built it so the whole family could come and stay together,” says Phil.
The project has been a family affair, with Phil and Diane’s son-in-law Richard Eygjermons extensively involved in the build from day one. “We were very lucky that our son-in-law is a top builder, so we were able to build this together.”
Karen says that building on an island comes with its own unique challenges.
“At one point, Phil had a couple of guys walking up and down from the jetty for a couple of months, simply carrying supplies to the building site.”
Despite being on an island, access to the mainland is easy.
“We have our own boat so if we need to do a spot of shopping, we just buzz over to Sandspit or use the ferry,” says Phil.
“The island helipad is 100 metres away from the house too, so if we ever needed to quickly get off the island and into hospital, for example, we’d be there faster than anyone trying to get through Auckland traffic!”
Karen adds, “I don’t know if there’s another property like this on the island, and if there is it’s certainly not for sale, and there hasn’t been a property like this for sale for many years.” Sale: $3,450,000, offers by June 2 Contact: Karen Franklin, Harcourts Whangaparaoa, 021 779 838