Set on its own 10.38ha private peninsula above Uruti Bay in the Bay of Islands just 3km from Russell township, this spectacular home looks across the water to Waitangi, has its own beach and what may be one of the best boatsheds in the country.
The owner, who worked in the boating industry abroad for more than 30 years before returning to New Zealand, built the boatshed as a model for the main house to see what it would look like.
It has power, sofa, stove, heat pump and plenty of space. It’s also a meeting point for swimming, boat launches and a place to light the barbecue and gather with family, friends or sit in solitude beside the water.
The property comes with riparian rights providing access to the water’s edge and days here are made for catching snapper off the rocks, spearing flounder in the bay, exploring the islands by boat or wandering bush tracks.
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At night, you might even spot a kiwi. “We do see the occasional one. I was walking to the boatshed one night and I could hear scrambling around on the bank and looked up there with my torch and there was a kiwi frozen in the light,” says the owner.
Up at the main house, evenings are for sundowners and soaking in the hot tub with a view. When the property came up for auction in 2013 the owners didn’t hesitate.
Resettling in Auckland was not on the returning expats’ wish list and being boaties, it was perfect. The peninsula already had an older house on it but they decided to build a better one enlisting architect Noel Martin.
“The end result is that we built this house and we’ve planted a lot of bush, made trails, built the boatshed. Probably got a bit carried away, really,” laughs the owner.
“The house as it stands today was completed in 2016. We had great builders but they were a small team and it’s a large house and I probably made it a bit complicated. It’s been a home for us and it’s a solid house so you feel pretty snug.”
The spectacular residence’s 900sqm footprint has been arranged to make a very large home feel comfortable and welcoming. Photo / Supplied
Separate wings radiate from the heart of the home. Photo / Supplied
The 10.38ha private peninsula is just 3km from Russell township. Photo / Supplied
Its 900sqm built footprint has been arranged to make a very large home feel comfortable and welcoming. Separate wings radiate from the heart of the home – a 230sqm great room – which rises 7m and encompasses the kitchen, dining, TV area and living room with a “ski chalet-sized log burner”.
“We were living in the UK for a long time and like an open fire. It’s a bit of an occasion and creates a nice atmosphere.” This area also opens on to an outdoor room with a pizza oven and a panoramic view of the Bay of Islands.
The home sits flush with the lawn, so rooms open directly into nature, and every bedroom has a water island view. The master wing has two bedrooms, one which is currently being used as a studio/creative space. The master bedroom has a his and hers bathroom.
The second wing has two bedrooms with ensuites, perfect for visiting family or guests. An exercise room for yoga and table tennis and overflow accommodation for the kids is above the three-car garage which connects to a practical mudroom and bathroom with a large shower for washing equipment and wetsuits, and doing laundry.
Other features include a study, underfloor heating and louvres with mosquito screens so the home can be opened up in summer without letting the bugs in. Its position on the peninsula means it catches morning sun on one side and afternoon sun on the other.
The owner, who worked in the boating industry abroad for more than 30 years before returning to New Zealand, modelled the main residence on a boatshed. Photo / Supplied
The owners are selling to be closer to their grandchildren in Cambridge. Photo / Supplied
The property is supported by four roof-fed water tanks, a diesel generator as back-up power, Starlink connectivity and a seven-camera security system. Photo / Supplied
There’s also a barn with overflow accommodation, a substantial olive grove which yields about 160 litres of oil annually and an orchard that produces lemons, oranges, apples and avocados. Boat launching is available about two hours on either side of the tide, and there’s also a deep-water mooring close to the house.
The property is supported by four roof-fed water tanks, a diesel generator as back-up power, Starlink connectivity and a seven-camera security system.
The reason the owners are now selling up is to be closer to their grandchildren in Cambridge. “It’s an amazing place to live and I’m the reluctant seller but being near the grandchildren, especially when they are young, is important,” he says.
There are beautiful homes throughout the Bay of Islands, but very few offer this level of privacy, scale and access to the water while still being so close to Russell and a five-minute drive from Long Beach and the nearest coffee shop, says Lauren Mirabito of Bayleys.
“You can walk down to your own beach, step onto your boat and head out into the bay, then be back home surrounded by 10ha of your own land. That’s what makes this property genuinely special.”
6021 Russell-Whakapara Road in Russell, Far North, is for sale by international tender, deadline February 17, 2027.
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