- Lori McAlister is selling her 3.64ha Tauranga property with a 12m waterfall after 40 years.
- The property includes two waterfalls, 2.83ha of protected bush, and a modern two-bedroom cottage.
- McAlister is moving to the Waikato, and the property has a price indication of over $1.3m.
A Tauranga home with a 12m waterfall is up for grabs after more than 40 years.
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Owner Lori McAlister told OneRoof she moved to Welcome Bay with her late husband, Ian, in 1985, following an exhaustive search for the perfect lifestyle block.
“We had this dream that we wanted a lifestyle block with some native bush on it, so we spent the whole year looking for it. I think we looked at everything between Te Puke and Katikati, we looked everywhere.”
The property at 614 Kaitemako Road was far larger than they had originally imagined for their dream home.
The modern two-bedroom cottage was completed in 2020. Photo / Supplied
The property looks over the native bush, which is covered in native trees and birdlife. Photo / Supplied
“We had an idea we wanted 10 acres [4ha]. The land agent told us about this place and took us to see it, but he didn’t tell us it was 44 acres [17ha] until we had fallen in love with it.”
They were also surprised to find on the property two waterfalls – one big, the other small, with a swimming hole. “When we bought the land, there were no tracks down to the [12m] waterfall, so we put them in,” McAlister said.
Over the years, numerous schools and conservation groups have visited the property and made the 30-minute trek to the large waterfall, which many have likened to something out of Lord of the Rings. McAlister also lets the Girl Guides camp on a flat site near the bridge on the property.
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The property is also home to a range of native birds and trees. Some of the native trees on the property were unusual in terms of either size or species, McAlister said. A botanist had once told her that the property had the largest silver tree ferns she had ever seen, while the Kohekohe tree on the property was very rare.
McAlister said she and her husband had, over the years, sold off parts of the original 17ha they bought in 1985, leaving them with a 3.64ha property that includes the two waterfalls, 2.83ha of protected bush and a modern two-bedroom cottage completed in 2020.
“This is the third house we’ve lived in on the property,” McAlister said.
The home boasts an impressive finish. Photo / Supplied
A second waterfall on the site empties into a swimming hole. Photo / Supplied
She said it had been the joy of her life to live on the property, but after Ian’s death last year, she found the upkeep too much to handle. “I’m too old to go down there now,” she said, adding that she was selling to move closer to family in the Waikato.
Tall Poppy listing agent Janet O’Shea said it was rare to find properties with such a large piece of protected native bush and two waterfalls. “I think most people are unaware that it’s actually there or that we have this beautiful native bush as part of the [QEII] national trust in Tauranga that is there for people to see.”
O’Shea said the price indication was over $1.3 million.
- 614 Kaitemako Road, in Welcome Bay, Tauranga, is for sale by negotiation
