- Neil Whitehouse is selling his West Auckland luxury lodge for $5 million to sail the world.
- The lodge, known for hosting A-list DJs, features unique design elements and a five-star rating.
- Whitehouse hopes the Active Investor Plus visa will attract overseas buyers.
The owner of a luxury lodge in West Auckland is swapping a life hosting the rich and famous for a 65-foot launch and the company of his dog.
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Neil Whitehouse told OneRoof that a raft of international visitors, including A-list DJs Netsky, Cyril, and Fred V, had stayed at Maison Blanc Lodge.
He’s incredibly proud of what he's accomplished in the 20-odd years he's spent creating it, but he is about to turn 65, and has decided to sell the property his grandparents bought in 1942 and sail the world with his Irish Setter, Dom Perignon.
The four-bedroom lodge, which sits on 2407sqm of bushland on Kohu Road, in Titirangi, is up for grabs for $5 million.
Whitehouse, whose background is in construction and furniture design, said he started work on the lodge in the early 2000s with his mother, finishing the work after her death.
The lodge attracts high-end clients, with rooms costing more than $1000 a night. Photo / Supplied
“The kitchen is made of steel and comes with high-gloss lacquered cupboards, all self-closing. You push the remote, and the microwave will come out of the ceiling and drop down to the perfect height for use,” he said. “In the floor, it has a big cavity of glass with bottles of Don Perignon and Veuve Clicquot, all LED lit.”
Each room has a story to tell: "We have The Copper Treehouse, which is all made of copper. It has a titanium 2.7 m automated door to get into it, 50sqm of travertine tile with an 86-inch plasma set into the wall, and its own decking as well.”
The main 240 sqm deck was an engineering feat, said Whitehouse. “We finished the deck, maybe four or five years ago, just after COVID. It has all been signed off by the council, CCC. It is a very unique property.”
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The lodge has been fully operational for the past three seasons, is five-star rated, and listed on high-end rental sites, including Major Domo and Touch of Spice, Luxury Escapes. At the time of writing, it was listed on Luxury Escapes for $981 per night and direct from the Maison Blanc Lodge for $1127 per night.
Whitehouse said the lodge appealed to North American clientele, especially businesspeople. “Most of the clients are big offshore businesspeople,” he said.
“We have had lots of famous guests. We have had top-end DJs like Netsky and Cyril. They tour around New Zealand on a holiday, and our destination is always chosen."
Belgian DJ Netsky is one of the many stars who have stayed at Maison Blanc Lodge. Photo / Supplied
The property boasts stunning views. Photo / Supplied
Whitehouse said he hoped that the new Active Investor Plus visa, which allows foreigners to buy $5m-plus properties, would be beneficial. “We are eyeing that up as well, because it fits what the Government wants. We want investment to get the country going again. Unless you are investing, we are not going to get movement for a long time. What they are doing is exceptionally good, and the sooner they do it, the better, so people can get more work, and life can be better for everybody.”
Whitehouse said he had chosen New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty to market the property because of its international reach. "That is why we brought Sotheby’s on. They are an international brand. There will be an avenue for New Zealanders to buy this as well.”
Much as he loves the property, Whitehouse said it was time to move on. “I am going to live on the water with my dog. I will be buying a 65-foot launch, and we are going to live on it full-time. Go to the islands for the winter, go and catch the marlin, and enjoy life without too much stress.”
Listing agent Louise De Martin told OneRoof that the property had attracted a lot of interest. “I've had so much engagement and calls from local people looking at it from a business perspective. I've had some international interest already. It shows that unique properties and good imagery can attract strong interest. It's really refreshing to have something so unique," she said.
She said that the property itself was a “fascinating scenario”. “[Neil] lived there and grew up there. There are huge emotional ties to the site and the location, as you can imagine.
“He's actually been able to elevate it into a fantastic proposition. It's so unique, it almost feels like a piece of Queenstown has been brought to the Waitākeres. It's really tapping into what is a real focus for a lot of people now - wellness and the work-life balance.”
She said buyers also had an opportunity to acquire the adjoining property, at 35 Kohu Road, and elevate both the scale and exclusivity of the lodge.
- Maison Blanc Lodge, Kohu Road, Titirangi, Auckland, is for sale for $5 million
