- Retirees are flocking to Kerikeri for its warmth and relaxed pace, says agent Terri Robinson.
- A house built by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown sold for over $1.275 million to Golden Bay buyers.
- Robinson reports strong interest from out-of-town buyers, especially for a new $2 million waterfront listing.
Retirees from around the country are making a beeline for Kerikeri, some of them swapping other holiday locations for the historic Far North town.
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Agent Terri Robinson, from Real Property Kerikeri, says people are drawn by the warmth and less hectic pace, saying that was the case with a property she recently sold on Kerikeri Inlet Road.
The house was notable in more ways than one. It was built by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and sold to buyers from Golden Bay, in Tasman.
The four-bedroom home boasts a high-quality finish. Photo / Supplied
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. He owned Kerikeri Inlet Road back in the 1970s. Photo / Michael Craig
The property fetched a little over its $1.275 million asking price, and Robinson said she’s getting similarly strong interest from out-of-town buyers for a waterfront property she has just listed at 92G Edmonds Road, which is looking for enquiries over $2m.
OneRoof wrote about Kerikeri Inlet Road when it hit the market, with the vendors reporting that they had found papers showing Brown had once owned their home.
In the paperwork Matt Dominick and Dunya Dragojevic inherited from the previous owner was one Wayne Kelvin Forrest Brown, named in the title transfer from 1976, and a building permit dated the following year.
Brown had moved to Kerikeri in 1976 soon after marrying his wife Toni. It is not clear whether Kerikeri Inlet Road was the couple's first home as a married couple, but they stayed there for around five years before selling in 1982.
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Brown was surprised and chuffed to see the house pop up online, telling OneRoof in September that he did indeed build the property.
He was not surprised, however, that the house had not only stood the test of time. “The owners apparently recognised the ‘structure and bones’ of the Northland house and got to work on it,” he told OneRoof.
Building quality homes was important, he said, but that did not mean the process had to be complicated.
“It only took me eight months to build that one - that they [the vendors] have spent two years renovating it says something about today. I'm proud something I built back then has lasted so well and supported such a renovation.
“What people want in a home now didn't exist back then, so they've been able to do things we couldn't, and it's a very nice house.”
The view from the outdoor pool is breath-taking. Photo / Supplied
Vendors Matt and Dunya poured their hearts and souls into the renovation project. Photo / Supplied
Brown said in the 1970s building a quality home was a straightforward, achievable goal for many New Zealanders.
“We had a simpler regulatory environment," he said. “The high cost of land [now] and complex regulations have made owning, let alone building a quality home, an impossible dream for most people.”
Robinson said the house had attracted interest mainly from buyers in their 60s. “I think the draw card for them, it was five minutes from town and it had north-facing water views.”
The house was fully renovated by the vendors, who had put their heart and soul into the renovation. “I take my hat off to them because they're a younger couple and we just see it time and time again, most people want it but aren't willing to do the work to get there.”
Matt and Dunya told OneRoof in September that they had been advised by friends and family not to buy the house, but they took it on regardless.
Also on the market, for over $2m, is a waterfront home at 92G Edmonds Road. Photo / Supplied
“The garden was completely overgrown. We maybe slightly naively bought it because we hadn't done anything like this before,” Matt said.
Robinson said although the house sold to people from the South Island, the Auckland market was coming back to Kerikeri after a long hiatus.
“Usually, people sell in Auckland, and then they come up here and they have some money in the bank but that wasn't sort of happening, so we did notice less buyers coming through.
“I have noticed just lately there's more buyers coming through. We get them from Whitianga and Golden Bay.
“I think people come here (because) we're just that little bit warmer. Just a little bit. You know, we still wear shorts in winter up here.”
Kerikeri was a lovely place to live, she said: “It's growing, but it's still so small that you smile at somebody on the street and you don't know them but you've seen them before. Once you start driving around the small towns up north, it's got a really nice feel to it.
“I'm biased, but your shoulders just start to relax when you come up here.”
Kerikeri is a growth town with a lot planned for the area, and the Bay of Islands was perfect for people with boats.
In fact, it was so good that extended families ended up moving there over time, she said.
“A daughter might move here with her family and the next thing you know, the parents have come. We've sold properties to whole, entire families - auntie and uncle, other brother, they all migrate.”
Her new listing on Edmonds Road, at the very end of Kerikeri Inlet Road, was a north-facing beauty, and Robinson encouraged anyone who had missed out on the former mayor’s home to take a look.
Her listing describes a refurbished jetty, a mooring and effortless access to the bay.
“Whether you're launching the boat, heading out for an early dive, or setting off for a quiet paddle at sunrise, every day begins with the sea at your doorstep and ends with the sun melting into the horizon.”
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