- A luxury lodge at 27 Glenesk Road, Piha, is for sale for $11 million.
- Jenene Crossan and Scottie Chapman transformed the seven-bedroom house over six years.
- The property features expansive views, a luxury kitchen, and a sought-after Airbnb.
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A luxury lodge overlooking New Zealand's landmark Piha beach is on the market with an $11 million price tag.
The seven-bedroom house at 27 Glenesk Road has been listed by high-profile entrepreneurs Jenene Crossan and Scottie Chapman.
The couple bought the house six years ago when it was in a poor state and turned it into a lavish estate that boasts uninterrupted views of Lion's Rock and the ocean.
Crossan, who heads Powered by Flossie, a global system for hair salons in the United Kingdom and the US, was fighting severe Covid when she returned to New Zealand in the early days of the pandemic.
Crossan and Chapman celebrated their wedding at the property last year. The occasion also served as an official housewarming. Photo / Supplied
The house and guest cottage, known as The Louise’s, take in everything Piha has to offer. Photo / Supplied
Celebrity chef Peter Gordon, right, tested the couple's kitchen when he created a 15-course degustation menu for the couple’s wedding. Photo / Supplied
She told OneRoof that she and Chapman were “trying to blow up our lives”, and looking for a sea change for them and their two young daughters.
It wasn’t until she was scanning the suburbs served by their two younger daughters’ school bus when “Piha instantly popped into my head".
"I’d only been a couple of times when I was a teenager,” she said. Next thing, she was arranging to inspect 27 Glenesk Road after seeing a listing photo with the view of Lion Rock.
The 12-year-old house was worn and in need of significant repairs, but she fell for it anyway. “They were struggling to sell it,” she said.
She convinced Chapman to take a look. “I said, 'Maybe what we need is a complete change of lifestyle. Maybe we need walks on the beach and a place to feel like we can reinvigorate and realign with the world. He said, ‘Sure.'
“It’s like this big surprise. You walk up these narrow stairs, and then it’s this expansive view of Lion Rock. We both went, ‘Holy s***.'”
They paid $2.8m for the property and got to work. Crossan said the couple pieced together the history from neighbours. Local artist and architect Gerard Commissaris had designed the house for four brothers who lived offshore and planned it as a holiday house for their families. But there were fallings out, and they ran out of effort, Crossan heard.
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The glorious bones of the house were there, but the finishing touches were not. Crossan and Chapman spent four years and “many millions of dollars” rebuilding the house. They were mostly finished by Christmas 2024, in time for their summer wedding.
Experts were brought in to refurbish the windows, which Crossan estimated would cost $1m alone if they were bought today. Many parts of the house were pulled back to the framing, decks were rebuilt, the place was insulated, re-clad and re-roofed.
"We essentially started again but within the same footprint.”
Remaking the courtyard was a key move. The couple called on landscape designers Liam Greenway and Xanthe White to create a lush jungle at the heart of the house. Love it or List It interior designer Alex Walls gave the house a relaxed vibe.
"Part of the challenge is that it's an enormous house, so everything you want to do costs an enormous amount of money," Crossan admitted.
What the property looked like when Crossan and Chapman bought it. Photo / Supplied
Crossan has rented out the “bougie” dining room for product launches and events. Photo / Supplied
The jungle-like courtyard was designed by landscape architects Liam Greenway and Xanthe White. Photo / Supplied
Some of the bedrooms double as media or massage rooms, and a large home office has Ubiquiti connectivity and a kitchenette. "I like to think of it as like putting on big fat pants; you get quite comfortable,” Crossan told OneRoof.
The luxury kitchen by Tauranga’s Creative Kitchens was tested by celebrity chef Peter Gordon, who created a 15-course banquet for Crossan and Chapman’s wedding. It was a mammoth event. "We started the ceremony at one end of the day and then finished it as the sun was dropping into the sea,” Crossan said.
The original little bach on the property was rebuilt and turned into a luxury Airbnb that is much sought-after by American guests. Crossan said the couple have had to turn down A-list celebrities who have tried to rent the whole property for long-term work stays.
"We approached the house, saying, 'This isn't Herne Bay, this is Piha.' It's just such a beautiful community. We didn't want the house to feel ostentatious or pretentious.”
The bedrooms are a statement in luxury and calm. Photo / Supplied
But the couple don’t like to sit still for long, so they are ready for their next move. Bubbling away is the dream of building a new house in Piha (they have been talking to architect David Ponting for years) for their future as empty-nesters.
When asked by OneRoof about their asking price of $11m, Crossan replied: "We believe it's really well priced for the scale, the aspect and the position of the property. Ultimately, it really represents pretty good value for a globally unique property and architectural estate in an iconic coastal setting."
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty listing agent Scarlett Wood told OneRoof that global buyers were "very comfortable at that price point".
“It’s obviously not for everyone, it’s not Queenstown, it’s not Waiheke. There will be someone who really enjoys New Zealand nature, the world-class walking trails,” she said, noting that the 3ha property was also certified as eligible for AIP investors.
Crossan added: "Hopefully, people will say we have done a good job."
- 27 Glenesk Road, Piha, Auckland, is for sale for $11m
