- John Levers bought Puketotara Lodge in Kerikeri after a medical event ended his flying career.
- He transformed the lodge with modern upgrades, a golf course, a helipad, and a landing strip.
- The lodge, listed at $5.8m, includes a vineyard, olive grove and has hosted high-profile guests.
When Kiwi Jetstar pilot John Levers found himself in a Sydney hospital, he knew the lucrative career he loved was over. But by the time he was discharged, he had found himself a lodge to buy in Kerikeri – and a new future.
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“My career was in tatters, realising I was never going to fly again. I was in [hospital] for three weeks, and all I did was look at this property thinking that’s me, I could develop that, and when I got out, I owned it,” Levers told OneRoof.
Levers bought Buddha Lodge at 1608E State Highway 10 in 2010 for $1.3 million. “I wanted to go rural, and I didn’t want to be rural in Australia with all those bloody snakes. So, I came home.”
He said the lodge was a bit on the alternative side and needed modernising. “The guy had sort of run out of money when he finished it. We redid the inside: new kitchens, new bathrooms.”
Puketotara Lodge is popular with golfers and has even hosted an A-List musician. Photo / Supplied
The lodge boasts an orchard and a vineyard. The Puketotara River winds through it. Photo / Supplied
Renamed Puketotara Lodge, the property has, over the years, gained a nine-hole golf course, a helipad and a landing strip, which Levers uses for his private plane (he can still fly despite not being cleared for commercial flights).
Levers said the airstrip was the reason he built a golf course. “We had guests coming from Japan, and they said, ‘Oh, we see you’ve got an airstrip. My husband’s a professional golfer. Could he use the airstrip to practice his golf?’ I said, ‘No worries’. Then I thought, I’ll make it interesting for him, so I put the mower on low and made a few greens, and that’s how it started.
“Several hundred thousand dollars later, and years later, we’ve got a full golf course with irrigation and everything.”
Thanks to the upgrades, the eight-bedroom Puketotara Lodge has hosted high-profile golfing figures and an A-list musician from the United States, with guests sometimes arriving by helicopter.
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The lodge, which sits on a lush 11.82ha site and has an RV of just over $2m, has been on and off the market since 2016, with Ash Boyd, of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, taking on the listing in February 2026.
In the listing on OneRoof, Boyd said the lodge came with a two-bedroom cottage, a substantial three-bay implement shed, a boutique vineyard, an olive grove, and orchards. The property is listed with a price tag of $5.8m plus GST. The price includes the business as well as the property and buildings.
Puketotara Lodge is not the only high-end Kerikeri home for sale with a story. A huge home that was once a “boat loft” workshop where full-size boat plans were laid out is for sale at 96-100 Doves Bay Road.
The home started life as a workplace and home for boat builder Alan Warwick. Warwick, a former architect-turned-boat designer, lived in a boat-shaped building on the site and worked from the larger boat loft, which Harcourts agent Jay Prestt described as “an impressive, character-filled space”.
96-100 Doves Bay Road, on Kerikeri’s Doves Bay Peninsula, is also up for grabs. Photo / Supplied
The loft, Prestt said, provided the ideal space for entertaining on a grand scale. “Whether it’s relaxed family time, game nights, or hosting larger gatherings, this is a feature you simply won’t find in comparable properties,” Prestt said in his listing.
The buildings were first constructed in the 1970s. The home’s skeleton still reflects that era, but it has had a 21st-century refit. That includes a new roof, rewiring, replumbing, refreshed kitchens and finishes, plus heating, ventilation, and other upgrades.
Prestt told OneRoof that Warwick, who sold the home to the current owner, worked a lot in the tower. The home still reflects that past, with charts and boat paintings on the walls.
The agent added that pretty much every room has a view of the water. The light was a drawcard for the current owner, who is an artist.
The vendor is selling to simplify her life, Prestt said. “She owns another lovely property, a lifestyle farm, and that’s where she wants to focus her energy.”
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