- Joe La Grouw’s six-bedroom Lockwood chateau on Lake Rotorua is listed for sale.
- After 40 years there, La Grouw and Jo-Anne subdivided the land and built next door.
- The 648sqm property’s registered valuation reached $4.58m, far above its $2.93m rating valuation.
What does the King of Lockwood build for himself? You got it: an all-wood Lockwood on steroids “chateau” overlooking the waters of Lake Rotorua.
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The home at 20 Tupara Crescent, Kawaha Point, known by locals as Pill Hill because of the number of doctors in residence, was built by Joe La Grouw, son of Lockwood Homes founder Johannes La Grouw. It’s now for sale after more than 40 years with the original owners.
The home came about after Joe moved back to Rotorua from Auckland in the 1980s to join the business.
He initially bought land in Lynmore, near Whakarewarewa Forest, after a chance phone call from a landowner offering a two-acre plot to the company.
This led Joe to the site of his “forever home” at Kawaha Point.
20 Tupara Crescent, Kawaha Point, sits at the upper end of Rotorua’s housing market. Photo / Supplied
The property has grown in size over the years and has been a happy home for the La Grouws children and grandchildren. Photo / Supplied
“It was a two-acre block,” he told OneRoof. “I didn’t hesitate. I got straight into the car and had a look at what it was, and that afternoon we bought it. Two acres right on the lake.”
His partner Jo-Anne helped with the design and the couple moved in once they were married. The rest is history. They brought up their four children and have enjoyed visits from their seven grandchildren.
They’ve loved the home and the huge piece of land it sits on. “The big section was a bonus,” said Jo-Anne. “We’re both keen gardeners, so we didn’t mind having the big piece of land to develop.”
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When asked what the King of Lockwood would build for himself, Jo-Anne replied on Joe's behalf: a castle. That’s one name used to describe the home. Another, “chateau”, came when Joe brought a Japanese client to the home to show just what the company could build, Jo-Anne said.
“We were coming down the drive and [the client] looked at us and said, ‘That’s not a home, that’s a chateau’,” said Jo-Anne.
With all four children returned from their OEs and living in Rotorua, Joe and Jo-Anne don’t need to host them. “It’s a pretty big house, and we just rattle around in it, so we decided to move and build something else,” Joe said.
The Lake Rotorua property features its own jetty and panoramic water views. Photo / Supplied
The La Grouws aren’t going far. They have subdivided the original two-acre lot and built a brand-new Lockwood home for themselves next door.
Even after subdividing the land, the section for 20 Tupara Crescent is a generous 4548sqm, much larger than other properties in the upmarket enclave. The home itself has six bedrooms and four bathrooms and is 648sqm in size.
Building the new home has taken the La Grouws a few years. They only wanted to use Lockwood-approved builders, but didn’t want to take any away from clients’ builds.
“We’ve got very competent builders, so there was no problem in that at all,” Joe said. “It was just a matter of having the manpower there to be able to do it. We couldn’t take the carpenters away from our clients, so we were on the tail end of everything.”
Ray White agent Anita Martelli, who is marketing the property with husband Paul, told OneRoof that the $2.93m RV for 20 Tupara Crescent was out of date; a July 2026 registered valuation came in at $4.58m.
She said this home was very near the top end of Rotorua’s market, although sales have reached $10m at Lake Tarawera.
“Locals know it as Pill Hill, because of all the doctors living up there. There are also lawyers, prominent business people and that sort of thing.”
Lockwood was founded by Joe’s father, Johannes La Grouw, a Dutch immigrant, in the 1950s. La Grouw and business partner Johannes van Loghem initially imported prefabricated Dutch houses before developing a construction system using locally grown radiata pine.
The Lockwood system of interlocking laminated timber walls became one of the country’s most recognisable housing brands. More than 50,000 Lockwood homes and buildings have been constructed since the 1950s. Modern builds, such as the La Grouws’ new home, use double-glazed windows and wall insulation. But much of the design shows a continuity of style.
Joe spent more than 30 years at the helm of the family business, handing the reins to his son Andrew in 2018.
- 20 Tupara Crescent, Kawaha Point, Rotorua, is for sale by negotiation
