- Simon and Julie Pearson’s Cape Cod-style home at 8 Musick Point Road is for sale after 26 years.
- The property, featuring three pavilions and a heated pool, is expected to set a local record.
- NZ Sotheby’s agent Ross Hawkins aims to surpass the $7.6m neighbourhood record with this “absolute standout” home.
East Auckland locals all know the boathouse-style black house at the far end of Bucklands Beach.
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Many have ogled it from the ferry, while others have admired it on the way to the beach or golf course.
Some have even gone as far as to put a note in the letterbox, asking the owners to get in touch if they ever wanted to sell.
For 26 years, 8 Musick Point Road has been Simon and Julie Pearson’s dream home. Until now, selling was never an option – they believed nothing else in East Auckland could compare.
Their five-bedroom Cape Cod-style home is one of six beachfront properties at the tip of the peninsula closest to Musick Point.
The five-bedroom home has been meticulously maintained and has uninterrupted water views. Photo / Supplied
The owners wanted their home to be bullet-proof and feature top-of-the-line fittings and furnishings. Photo / Supplied
The enclave is arguably one of East Auckland’s tightest held pockets, and the Pearsons’ home is tipped to set records in the beach suburb.
The couple bought the land in 1999. Back then, it was occupied by a modest blue bach.
Simon told OneRoof: “We lived in the little cottage here for years while we did all the research and everything, got our ducks in a row and found a good builder and a good architect – Frans [Kamermans] was fantastic – and then went from there.”
Simon collected information about kitchens, bathrooms, foyers and summer rooms and put it in a folder with a videotape of things he’d seen on TV to give Kamermans a steer.
The award-winning architect accepted their challenge and managed to execute most of the couple’s design ideas. “He was pretty clever,” Simon told OneRoof.
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The build took two years and was completed in 2004.
Simon said they wanted the house to be “bullet-proof” and chose the hardest-wearing materials they could find, including linear cladding, brass gutters and stainless-steel fittings. “We went as top of the line as we could.”
The home is made up of three pavilions: the front one houses the kitchen, main living room, the master bedroom and the study; the middle pavilion holds the other four bedrooms and a second upstairs living area with direct access to the pool, a laundry and large carpeted three door garage; and the third pavilion houses the boatshed, a bunk room and a gym. Outside, there’s a heated pool and outdoor shower.
Simon spent a lot of time collecting various timbers from auctions around Auckland to use in the build, including macrocarpa, redwood, Fijian kauri, pohutukawa and oak. The boatshed is lined with lawson cypress trees, and the 300-bottle wine cellar is made from Norfolk pine.
The wood panelled boatshed has plenty of boat storage downstairs and an upstairs bunk room and gym. Photo / Supplied
The private outdoor area has a heated pool and an outdoor shower. Photo / Supplied
Simon said the home was very special to him and his family, but the time had come to downsize, now that the couple’s children had left home.
“It’s just time to give it to a family. We don’t even go out into the kids’ wing anymore. We don’t use it as it should be used,” he said.
“We’ve been very lucky. We’ve loved it. We just hope it goes to someone who looks after it like we have.”
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty agent Ross Hawkins said the property was an “absolute standout” and deserved to surpass the neighbourhood record of $7.6m, which is currently held by a neighbouring property.
“We would be aiming to break the local record for sure,” he said. “The design and quality of it, and how well it has been maintained, set it apart.”
A house in neighbouring Macleans Road was sold last year for $10.8m, but was classed as a land sale, with the buyer looking to develop the site, not live in the brick residence.
A two-dwelling property at 10 Musick Point is also looking for a new owner. Photo / Supplied
Hawkins said someone would be getting incredible buying because the same property in Herne Bay or Takapuna Beach, with the same direct access to water, would be “far, far higher” and likely fetch around $20m.
“For people who want the beach house and want to be in the city, this does both jobs.”
Hawkins said interest so far had been from families already living in the area who were looking to upgrade and be in zone for Macleans College.
Hawkins said it was easy to see why homes in this spot were so tightly held.
The last sale in the exclusive cluster was in 2021 – a whole 10 years after the last home to sell there.
By chance, another home on the peninsula is up for grabs at the same time. 10 Musick Point Road boasts direct beach access and unblocked sea views and comprises two dwellings with a total of eight bedrooms.
The 1366sqm property has been on the market since June 2004, and according to the Ray White listing, the vendor is “highly motivated” to sell.
“The vendor has owned this property since September 1984. The beach is outside the house. The sea view is amazing. There’s only one neighbour,” listing agent John Wang told OneRoof.
“Such a lifestyle offers many options: renovate and use it as an Airbnb, develop several properties, or build one large house to enjoy the beachfront life, or build two properties: one for living and the other for rental.”
The vendor, Heather Lamb, said the spot was an “amazing place to live, with your boat at the bottom of the garden, always full of friends and family. My children and grandchildren all lived in the front house. No problems for more than 40 years. Never flooded.”
She said she was 86 and wanted to live with her friends in their hotel in the Philippines. “I am going to give it a go. Life is short. How long do I have? I have travelled the world so much, but no place is like 10 Musick Point Road.”
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Bucklands Beach
