- A Northland lifestyle block known for kiwi encounters is for sale at 73 Weka Lane, Kerikeri.
- The 12ha property features a four-bedroom house, native forest, and a private swimming hole.
- Owners Karin and Roger Matthews are downsizing after selling their livestock, with an RV of $1.49m.
A Northland lifestyle block that’s home to kiwi “fight club” has hit the market for sale.
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The 12ha property at 73 Weka Lane, in Okaihau, Kerikeri, shot to fame in April last year after homeowner Karin Matthews caught the nocturnal birds brawling on her lawn in the middle of the day.
She managed to film the unbelievable scrap, with the footage going viral soon after she posted it online.
It made headlines around the world, and although some thought it was an April Fool’s prank, Karin and husband Roger said it wasn’t that unusual to find kiwi roaming around their property at odd times of the day.
A brown kiwi was also found hiding under a dinghy in a paddock on the property. Photo / Karin Matthews
The four-bedroom home was built on the 12ha block in 2018 and had been part of a larger farm. Photo / Supplied
The 12ha property comes with its own swimming hole. Photo / Supplied
They frequently hear the birds call to each other at night and even have a red light torch to help them spot them in the dark.
”You will always find them if you go down the paddock and look at the bush at night, but we’ve had them on the lawn quite a few times,” Karin said.
“We can get right up close if they are out in the lawn section.”
They have had plenty of unusual kiwi encounters over the last few years, including in their haybarn or under their trailer. One bird even made its home in an overturned kayak near the swimming hole.
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“My son said, ‘Mummy, wouldn’t it be funny if there’s a rat underneath?’, and so we picked up the kayak and this big kiwi runs out.”
The Matthews bought the lifestyle block in 2018 for just over $450,000 and built a four-bedroom board-and-batten house on it.
It wasn’t until they moved into the new home that they realised just how magical the place was. “We then found how amazing it is to live there with all the kiwi encounters we’ve had – we’ve had a few,” Karin said.
“We could hear them at night, quite close, all around in the native bush and then heard them calling really closely so we would go outside and have a look, and they’ve been on our lawn and in the garden.”
The four-bedroom board-and-batten house is stylish and well presented. Photo / Supplied
The property also has a separate tiny house, with living space, kitchen and bedroom. Photo / Supplied
The property is also in the flight path of Kereru, which fly over the property every day, and is surrounded by native forest with massive kauri and rimu trees.
The farming couple are looking to downsize and are selling the lifestyle block, which has an RV of $1.49m and comes with six paddocks, cattle yards, calf pens and troughs and a tiny home with its own living room, kitchen, and bedroom.
They have already sold all their livestock and have found a waterfront property in Kerikeri to move to.
“We’ve been farmers all our life really, so we just keep scaling back, scaling back. We don’t want to be farmers anymore,” Karin said.
REAL Property agent Andrea Magill said in her listing on OneRoof that the property “enjoys sweeping rural views across rolling paddocks, toward the ocean, native bush and down to the Puketotara River, complete with your own private swimming hole”.
“Whether you are seeking a family lifestyle, grazing opportunity, native sanctuary or bonus accommodation options, 73 Weka Lane delivers an exceptional rural lifestyle in an unforgettable setting,” she said.
- 73 Weka Lane, Okaihau, Kerikeri, Far North, is for sale, deadline closing August 28
