Beachfront buys cost neighbour $ 16.75m
A rich lister tech entrepreneur who lives on the beachfront in one of the nation’s most desirable suburbs has expanded his real estate footprint after buying his neighbours’ homes for a total of $ 16.75 million.
Guy Haddleton bought the house next to his on the southern end of Takapuna beach last December for $ 11.75m. Records show he bought the property just behind in April for $ 5m.
Both deals were off- market. Haddleton and his wife, Sue, bought their own house in Takapuna in 2003 for $ 3.8m. It now has a CV of $ 9.7m. They made their fortune overseas with tech start- ups but have recently invested in medical cannabis company Helius Therapeutics.
Their recent buys give them a 2731sq mfootprint on the beach, with the three properties having a combined council valuation of $ 22. m. The couple paid $ 2.75m above CV for the larger seafront property and $ 1.4m above CV for the smaller rear one.
Haddleton declined to comment on the purchases.
While it is unclear what he plans to do with the extra homes, combining properties into a single residence is not new to Auckland. Rich lister Graham Hart has over 2ha on the cliffs above Karaka Bay in Glendowie. His Riddell Rd property, complete with a 734sq mhouse and three- level banqueting annex, has a council valuation of $ 40m.
Next to the Haddletons is another double property, owned by Peter Menzies, the former CEO of Mainzeal. It includes plots on both the beachfront and rear lane. The three houses on the site, which has a CV of $ 10m, won an Institute of Architecture award in 2013.
Bayleys agent Victoria Bidwell, who is currently marketing three adjoining titles that make up a 4200sq mholding on nearby Clifton Rd, says such large beachfront holdings are very rare.
“These have been in the same family for decades before they become available. There have been other [ amalgamations] but they’re incredibly private and a big deal to get across the line.”
She said buyers have to pay a huge premium for neighbours’ properties “and then once they’ve got the big landholding, they really don’t want to let it go.”