- A Hamilton home on River Road sold for $3.4m, $700,000 above its RV.
- The five-bedroom property, designed by Don Nelson, was sold by Mike Thomas and Chase Gray.
- High-end sales in Hamilton are picking up, with local buyers driving the market.
A Hamilton trophy home overlooking the Waikato River has been sold for $3.4 million – $700,000 above its RV.
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The five-bedroom, three-bathroom home on River Road, in Queenwood, found a buyer last week, less than a month after it hit the market.
Lodge listing agent Mike Thomas told OneRoof he was not surprised the property was snapped up so quickly. He used to own it.
Thomas created the Italian-inspired masterpiece with the help of architectural designer Don Nelson. “It took seven years to complete,” he said, adding that he sold the house to the current owners in 2011.
Almost every room in the house, with the exception of one, has river views. Photo / Supplied
Agent Mike Thomas, pictured behind the bar, sold the house he designed 15 years ago. Photo / Supplied
Thomas got the chance to sell it again in March, and the property didn’t disappoint. “I knew it would go well. It’s probably one of the best spots on the river because you’ve only got a view straight onto the river and up the river. You look straight onto St Andrews golf course. It’s one of the unique spots of Hamilton where you’ve got no one looking back at you.”
The property attracted a lot of interest, including from out of town, but “the person who bought it lived down the road, about 150m away. He had never really seen it before, but he saw it and couldn’t pass it up”, said co-listing agent Chase Gray.
The River Road property is the second $3m-plus sale Gray and Thomas have brokered this month.
The pair also sold a modern home on Horsham Downs Road to a Hamilton family within 14 days of taking it to market.
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The five-bedroom, two-bathroom property had been on and off the market since 2023 before the pair took over the listing.
Gray said high-end in Hamilton was anything over $2m, and ultra high-end was anything over $3m. The city’s most expensive home is on Pollock Road, in Chartwell, which sold for $4.85m in March 2024.
Gray said $3m-plus sales in Hamilton were rare, with only about a couple transacting at that level each year. OneRoof records show the $3.4m River Road sale is the highest in almost two years.
An architecturally-designed home just outside Hamilton’s boundary at River Downs, in Horsham Downs, has just sold for $3m. Photo / Supplied
There was a flurry of high-end sales in Hamilton at the end of 2025, including this five-bedroom home on Dalethorpe Avenue, in Fairfield, which sold for $2.65m. Photo / Supplied
Bayleys agent Rachel Waldegrave said Hamilton’s market had picked up at the end of 2025, and that properties in the mid-$2ms had sold under the hammer after competitive bidding. She noted that a home on River Road sold for $2.6m and another on Dalethorpe Road nabbed $2.65m last year, while a five-bedroom, three-bathroom home overlooking the river sold at auction today for $2.225m.
“I’m always delighted to see those sales come through because it just shows that we have high-calibre properties people are prepared to pay good money for,” she said.
“I’ve been saying to buyers and sellers that the Waikato is stronger compared to many other markets at the moment.
“People are always keen to spread the doom and gloom message, but I just don’t believe that is the case. There’s no doubt there’s a lot of uncertainty out there because of the international situation, but in some cases, you can spin that and say that just makes New Zealand even more appealing.”
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