UNRIVALLED GRANDEUR AND PRIVACY
LAINGHOLM
104 Kauri Point Rd
7 5 4
Grandeur beyond compare is how agent Paul Sissons describes Te Manu Tahawai Estate — The Bird Beside the Water. Built in the 90s, this 880sq m property has undergone ”no expense spared” renovations and refurbishments during its 30-year history.
Built of cavity plaster over concrete block and featuring a spectacular copper roof, it was thoroughly remodelled in 2003 and again more recently by the late owner, who brought an exotic but subtle Indian influence to the home.
A close friend says he upgraded every home he owned to the highest possible standard and this was no exception.
A clever arced design based on the points of the compass allows the house to capture all day sun and views from a variety of living and private spaces. There are seven bedrooms with balconies and superb views, five luxurious bathrooms, along with formal and family rooms featuring parquet floors, soaring cedar ceilings, schist pillars and views of the gardens, the pool and the harbour.
The spacious chef’s kitchen can cater for crowds with a scullery, an over-sized island bench and Miele and Gaggenau ovens. A wine cellar ensures supply to two bars — one upstairs and one down — and other facilities include a media room with large TV and a sauna.
The late owner’s favourite space was the top floor, which his friend describes as “like being on the bridge of a ship”. A glass-enclosed bridge spanning a void looking out over the lounge leads to the balcony and views across the po¯ hutukawa trees to the harbour. “He spent a lot of time there. He loved the grandeur of it.”
Although it’s only 25km from central Auckland, the estate’s serene setting provides unrivalled privacy. Set at the end of a peninsula looking back over the Manukau Harbour to the city, the house is accessed via a long driveway beneath a series of metal arches brought by the late owner from a former property. Numerous statues flank the driveway behind a formal clipped hedge. Native and exotic trees further enclose the house and subtropical plantings complement the swimming pool with its feature mosaic artwork by renowned New Zealand artist Pat Hanly, whose work is also showcased elsewhere on the estate.
Both the pool and the floodlit astroturf tennis court have been refurbished and are in pristine order. Paul Sissons of Sotheby’s says the most spectacular elements of the property are its size, the parklike grounds of more than 7000sq m and the resulting seclusion.
“And it has huge potential,” he says, “whether you keep Te Manu Tahawai Estate for yourself and family as your secret hideaway or turn it into a resort or luxury lodge for guests with harbour views from every angle.”
Auction, April 8
Paul Sissons, Sotheby’s, 027 432 5220; Amanda Platt, Sotheby’s, 021 756 999